Beginning of Cabin Fever Season

Today is an indoors day: 26 degrees and snow outside. The time change and overcast weather is conducive to reading and napping. The birds need to be fed twice today. I found Fluke by Christopher Moore at the used book store. I had sworn off of his zany stories when the last one seemed to be an inspiration to the Miami cannibal. This one is lighter, a mystery about whale researchers in Hawaii. I also bought a case of Vernor's ginger ale. It was my favorite from childhood - the fizz makes you choke. Interruption: got Milo out of the pantry. He needed lap time.

Saturday is jack day. The back corner entrance has settled a few inches over the lifetime of the house, and is causing the door jamb to be a bit out of square. The subfloor crawlspace tells the story of crumbling foundation. A contractor said it would be worth a try to shore it up with a beam and floor jacks, and told me he would do it for $1,000 or I could do it for $200 in materials. So here's my shot at it.

I bolted three 2 x 9 LVL beams together, and am jacking the joists up at the rate of one half turn per week. There are some pops and creaks going on but no sign of the floor leveling yet, or gaps closing up, or, thankfully, cracks opening to the outside. I can see that $1,000 would have been a fair price, but it is good training for the next project - shoring up the kitchen floor.