Stair Repair

Ah, it feels good to feel normal again. The only positive thing about being sick for three or four days is that you really appreciate how it feels to be well. :-)

Anyway, looks like Kate and I have some major home repair work to get done soon. The stairs in our house, which have never been the most safe feeling structure, are finally looking like they're going to be some rennovation. One of the stairs (the third one from the top) gave a couple of pops a few weeks back...and finally broke on one end last week (with me on top of it!).

Here, take a look:



My Dad guesses that the nails or bars or what not that held the stair together snapped off:



Chiral helps assess the damage:



Luckily, the broken step 'landed' on the next step down as well as our bookshelf, which is probably the only reason I didn't fall clean through:



In demonstration of what a wonderful person he is, my Dad has offered to have a look at the staircase and see if it's something he can repair for us. My folks will be visiting in mid-June for just that purpose. However, in the meantime, my sister is coming up for a visit this very weekend. In the interest of NOT having her, Heath, or little Julie tumble through the damaged step, Kate and I decided to install a couple of metal braces to shore up the broken stair.

Take a look:



It sure ain't pretty, that's for sure!



And it's far from the perfect solution, but it should keep the step solid enough for normal walking.



The step is still crooked (as Rune demonstrates here), which might be why it doesn't 'feel' quite stable, but it can support my weight.



This fix should get us through the next couple of weeks. I have to say, every household should have a power drill/screwdriver combo. This work was a piece of cake with that little wedding gift. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

I think Kate and I are ready for Memorial Day weekend. We finished all our house cleaning (at about midnight last night!) and have plans made for get-togethers. We'll entertain my sister and her family starting tonight and through Sunday...then some local friends will come over to have roast turkey with us.

Sure, it's not traditional Memorial Day weekend fare (which prefers BBQ), but it's a bloody TWENTY POUND bird that's just got to be used for something! :-)

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!