Some things go right

Now that I’ve returned from my trip, it’s back to tackling the new house to-do list. We had our large, woodburning masonry fireplace inspected and it passed with flying colors, so I have 3 cords of wood being delivered on Sunday. We’ve had some new furniture delivered. I’ve gotten half the garage cleared out so we can park whichever car we’re driving the next day inside. I was able to decipher the wiring diagram of our multi-zoned hot water heating system so that older upstairs thermostat stopped interfering with my new programmable downstairs thermostat. Friday, I have a pro coming over to run some new gas lines for our stove and dryer, and determine the correct way my Hydrohearth system should be set up, which lets me route the hot water heating system through the fireplace while a fire is going, cutting down on the gas bill. Hopefully they’ll also be able to clear the clogged floor drains in the garage, which is really the only issue we’ve had so far since moving in.

Still on my to-do list is to get a couple of garage door openers, replace a handful of light fixtures, and start to plan out my home automation system so I know what to put on my Christmas list. Oh, and finish unpacking boxes. There are still plenty of those left. I’d like to get both sides of the garage usable before the real snow hits.

Speaking of snow, we were certainly a bit anxious to see how the first lake effect of the year would affect us here up in the Holland hills. When we left for work yesterday morning, there was about 1″ on the ground already. We drove through about three different weather patterns on the way to work, but ultimately we only ended up with about 3″ leftover by the time we got home. The roads around our house weren’t all plowed yet, so we got to test out the all wheel drive goodness of the WRX. Snow tires for the Jetta arrived today for the times we need to use both cars in snowy weather.

The new house has been treating us well, and we’re both enjoying rural life. The quiet, the stars on a clear night, and the sunrises in the morning are all fantastic. Even the longer ride to work hasn’t been bad. No regrets so far!