Month: March 2026

Years ago, when I was judging the Boston Public School Science Fair, I met a 6th grader who did a pretty good experiment.  His dad was a carpenter or contractor or something, and sometimes complained about the insulation he worked with.  So the kid tested 3 kinds: one he created from blue jeans, one hybrid of that and the original, and just the original (he knew what a control was).  While I don’t remember which won (it was either the 100% jeans or the 50%), I remember the kid. Given the timeline, I’m pretty sure he’s not responsible for this stuff himself, but I like to think he was involved somehow.

From the January 4 1904 copy of the Boston Journal.  Asbestos is bad, m’kay. But only as far as fire prevention goes. Aside from that, all good.

Welcome to Salon DougNLis.
We were supposed to have a working shower, and we may yet in a few days.  But, as often happens with these projects, we don’t have one right now.  So, for the moment, this is what we have, at least for washing hair.

Up to this point, it’s been a lot of demo and general destruction and banging holes into the wall and floor.  Today, we actually saw some forward progress–our shower!  Isn’t it lovely?

This Bunny likes dogs just fine.
(in case you’ve forgotten, my car’s name is Bunny.)

We have toilets!  Sort of.  I mean, they’re here, but they’re still in boxes in the garage.  I’m so excited, I could pee myself….but I won’t.  I’ll wait til they’re installed.

Unearthed during the last of the demolition of our bathroom:  2 creepy doll heads, and some newspapers from 1904.  It seems every time we do any kind of renovation, we find a newspaper, and they’re getting earlier and earlier.

This bathroom project is affecting other parts of the house.  While the workers are around, and holding the front door open to load in, we want to confine the cats to the kitchen; even though they’ve never been outside, we’re afraid that if he’s terrified enough, Ferrous would bolt out the door.  This kitchen doorway doesn’t have a door.  So Doug snagged one of the bathroom doors and made one.  It can’t be opened, so all of us are trying to get used to going in from the dining room.

Returned home today.  Our porch is (unsurprisingly) completely covered in boot prints from the guys going in and out all week.

Ferrous like to get under the blanket with you.  Which is kind of funny, because he generally can’t stand being contained;  no bags, no boxes, he wants to be able to what’s around him.  So him climbing under the blanket feels especially vulnerable.