The miracle is still holding

A long time ago, we had a leaky water heater that miraculously healed itself after we were told it would have to be replaced. I peek in every day, and the floor is still dry. We had a minor flood at the beginning of winter in the utility room despite having wrapped the foundations, and we had Paul Davis Co. come check it. They told us to let them know the next time it floods so they could come determine where the water was coming from. Well, we've had a thaw for a week now, the snow is gone...and there hasn't been any more flooding. So... I guess the foundation has healed itself too.

Surrounded by miracles! Filled with gratitude.

Designing the balcony

Hubby and I have discussed at great length what to do with the balcony above the sanctuary. I want to use it as an office and craft room, but it also needs to double as a spare bedroom in case of guests. There is one lone electrical outlet, so if I'm trying to power a laptop and space heater and light and sewing machine...well, we may need to run another line. Not sure how to do that, really.

The floor is currently linoleum. I think I'll want to carpet it, as I spend a lot of time sitting on the floor. I am admittedly terrified of the low railing looking over the sanctuary, so we're going to put bookshelves along the base of it and probably glass in the opening above it, with a sliding section. That way I can close it off like a fish bowl to heat it in winter (with said space heater), but I can still open it to let heat rise from the sanctuary and escape out my window in summer.

Other than the bookshelves, there will be a double bed with storage under it for yarn and fabric, a desk and chair for writing, and likely some sort of counter and cupboards at one end to hold stained glass tools, paint supplies, etc. I am torn as to what to do with my table loom. It's too big to store anywhere neatly, and I don't use it often. I've already gotten rid of my big floor loom and the 7-foot tapestry loom, and I hesitate to get rid of this one. I can at least do dish towels on it.

My husband has tried to explain to me that I need to set up the room as a retreat and work space for myself, and that my belongings will need to be trimmed to fit. My approach until now has been to try to design the room to hold all my belongings. But I think he's right---I need space and air and light, more than I need stuff.

Down in the sanctuary, enjoying the sunshine:

Looking down from the balcony into the sanctuary. It's so bright you can't really see the stained glass. You can see the window on the left where we've removed the glass and inserted pink insulation while we work on the window. Beside it are stairs going down toward the washroom, and the box next to that is actually the headspace for the lower stairs that turn and go down to the rec room. There's a patch of linoleum where the altar and dias used to be. The door on the right leads into the vestry.

The corner of the balcony where a double bed will stand. The bookshelves will run the length of the wood railing/half-wall. Table loom currently on the floor, awaiting a home. The horse collar was my Grandpa's and will have a place of pride. The space above the half wall will be glassed in. Grandchildren will not be allowed up here until it's in place, unless they wear safety harnesses tied to the stair bannister. Hubby jokes that it would be cheaper to just chain my ankle to the wall than to install the glass. I think he's joking...

A view of the stairs down, and the round window I call the Eye of Horus.

Another view over the rail to the floor FAR below. I do not like heights. But I like the balcony.

One of the decorative wood pieces holding the suspension bar/cable thingies on the sanctuary roof. I really should learn the proper names of these things.

The first of three short flights of stairs going up to the balcony from the vestibule.

When I told my husband that I could keep the loom in the rec room, he said no, all my stuff is to go up to the balcony. I pointed out that sometimes I'll want to come down to do crafts in the kitchen, etc. After all, I won't be up in the balcony ALL the time. To which he replied, "That depends on what kind of lock I put on it."

Spring Thaw!

When I left for home two weeks ago, the snow was three feet deep. We came back yesterday, and the snow is almost entirely gone. And no leaking evident in the utility room! Which is impossible. The miracle holds!

We got one of those laser thermometers to test various spots around the church. The windows and walls in the lower level are at about 13 degrees celsius, in spite of the fact that the thermostat is set at 19.5. Basically we're heating the inside of a big fridge. Up in the sanctuary, the air measures at 10 degrees but the windows are 2 and the walls are 4. So yeah, lots of heat leaking out and cold leaking in. We really need to get the new windows in, and some insulation put up! We timed it, and the furnace generally runs for 13 minutes and then is off for only 2 minutes 20 seconds before coming on again. Is it any wonder we're going through propane like a kid through ice cream?

Batting a bunch of ideas back and forth about heating the place, ranging from solar to radiators to Bitcoin-mining computers and wood stoves. Hubby came up with about ten ideas. I told him that we could just put electrodes on his brain and power the whole building.

Renovating for Accessibility

We have been thinking a lot about what business to run here at the church, and of course, if we're going to open it to the public (if Covid ever ends), we'll need to ensure it meets the code for accessibility. We've got a couple of things to consider: getting in and around the building, and a washroom that can accommodate wheelchairs, etc.

Getting into the building itself is a challenge, as the front steps go right up to the town property line. The first thirty feet or so of the yard belong to the town as a water main easement. Any ramp we built would encroach on that (or require people in wheelchairs to cross ground we can't pave). Also, the front stoop is small, and the front doors open outward. One solution would be a lift, which can fold up when not in use, but they're unwieldy-looking and -- to be frank -- quite ugly. Another solution is retractable stairs (image taken from the Internet on Designboom.com):

This is an elegant way to accommodate and wouldn't encroach on town property, but I have no idea what it would cost or who could install it for me or how it would hold up to Canadian winters. We'd probably also need to make the doors open inward, but that's not a bad idea anyway, considering we can get 3-4 feet of snow at once.

The other solution is to bring people in at Door #2, which is on ground level, but there they are immediately faced with two staircases connected by a tiny landing, and if you install those seats-on-a-track to go up or down, I'm not entirely sure you could get Door #2 open or have room to get in and out of a chair. You may have to make the door open outward, which would mean needing to install some sort of enclosed porch at the side of the church.

Once people are in the church, the only washroom is small and accessible only by stairs. One solution is to try to put a washroom in the current vestibule, but there's no plumbing, so you may end up needing to use an incinerating toilet and a cistern for the sink. Another option, if you do put in the chair-on-a-track on the stairs, is to install a washroom in the current laundry room downstairs. This would be feasible and there's plenty of space, though you'd have to use a pump to raise things to the level of the septic tank. On the whole, I think the incinerating toilet is the way to go. You'd have to vent it, though, which isn't lovely on the front of your church.

So many things to consider! But if I intend to age gracefully here, I'll need to plan ahead for my own accessibility issues too. That, or I put a Port-a-Potty in the yard and shower on the lawn with a hose. That should keep the neighbours entertained!

Lingering a little longer

My hubby came last night to bring me home to the city...and the car engine light came on just as he got here. And of course, out here in the countryside, there are no car repair places open on weekends, so we have to wait until Monday to take it in to have it looked at. If they have to order any parts, we could be here until Tuesday or Wednesday. So we're hunkering down with books and bagpipes and getting creative around meal planning, and Son #3 at home will have to be in charge of snow shoveling, garbage collection, and general upkeep until we get back.

They're calling for a blizzard tomorrow, but today was sunny and blue-skied. I can think of worse places to get marooned!

Amazing Neighbours

The wonderful fellow next door came over with his tractor and snow plow and cleared my front yard for me. It would have taken me days. Such a nice neighbour! Especially considering he just lost his father two days ago. I didn't even hear him come do it -- I just stepped outside and there it was, wide open to the road, like stepping into a parallel universe. Such kindness!

Update a couple of hours later

I went to take Brio out and saw that the snow plow has been by. There is a wall literally waist deep at the end of my walk. The area I had cleared for my husband to park in, which was just shovelled out last night, is thigh deep in snow. Whee!

And my husband just emailed from home saying the snowblower has died. To be fair, it was over 50 years old. but it could have picked a better time. Maybe it took one look at the weather and said, "That's it. I'm done."