Does anyone else have the same kind of love/hate relationship with your house that I do with mine?
Watching home-improvement how-to shows has been a favorite pastime since "This Old House" first appeared on PBS. They make it look so easy that I've tackled just about everything there is to do when it comes to repairing, maintaining or updating a house, short of putting on a new roof.
When things go right, home repairs can be ... OK. They rarely go like they do on TV, however.
We recently decided to repaint the floor of our front porch. A kind neighbor just happened to have the sanding equipment needed, so I set out to sand down the old paint so new could be applied.
The "problem," we soon discovered, was that underneath about six layers of paint were beautiful heart pine boards. Except for a few edges, which had been allowed to rot by the current homeowner -- me -- they were in phenomenally good shape. Most people who see them ask if I put the new boards over the old porch. They are that nice.
So why is this a problem? Because it turned an afternoon project into a four-day job. The floor is stunning, however, and for about two days, I loved the house again.
Earlier this week, I heard water dripping. Nothing odd about that, right? We've had biblical rains lately, so no big deal. Except this sound was inside the house. It didn't take long to discover that the ice maker had leaked all night, and the ceiling below it had fallen and the carpet was soaked.
The fix will likely not be that big a deal. The ice maker likely needs a new coupler that will cost a few dollars. The "FIX," however, will cost much more and will involve a new ceiling, new carpet, new light fixtures, a fresh coat of paint on the walls with new curtains to match and maybe even new furniture.
Today, the house and I are not on speaking terms.
You can watch the trailer for the LionsGate movie "Billy the Kid" starring Cody McCarver now on youtube.com.
The film is set to drop on DVD, digital download and video-on-demand Aug. 27.
McCarver, whose musical career is also on the upswing, plays Cole Younger. Billy Joe Royal of "Down in the Boondocks" fame is also in the film, along with Jerry Chesser and Jason Harbour.
It's an Old West shoot-'em-up about a mysterious bounty hunter who is out for revenge after his mother is killed by a gang of cowboys.
Contact staff writer Barry Courter at bcourter @timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.