Taking Apart My Vacuum Cleaner

The brush roller stopped working on my vacuum cleaner last week and I decided to try and fix it myself. I found a wonderful YouTube video that taught me how to take the base apart. There was one screw I never would have found by myself. I have it all apart but I cannot find my wire strippers anywhere. I called a friend who often helps me with my tractor and he's bring his over tomorrow. Fingers crossed it will work after this small switch is disabled by cutting the wires. Every video I watched said this was the most likely problem. So many people thanked this wonderful man for making the video and everybody was able to make this simple repair. xo

UPDATE: I did it. Vacuum cleaner is better than ever. Now the brush roller spins all the time but that's fine. I couldn't be happier. I made a template of the base out of cardboard and pushed the screws in the correct location as I took them out. This made reassembly a snap. I had to use three different screw drivers but I have a zillion tools so that was not a problem. I called my local vacuum repair store and he said Shark vacuums didn't have very many replacement parts. They want you to replace the whole base. He offered to look at it but I decided to keep looking for a tutorial and lucked out. I have lots of attachments and this vacuum cleans really, really well. It is a "lift away" and would still have worked without the base but now I have restored it back to better than NEW condition. xo

Finally Found the Perfect Lampshade

I rewired a lamp for downstairs this morning shown below. It was originally for a clip-on shade and I found the perfect lampshade for it in the loft over my garage but it needed a harp. I took the lamp apart and added the harp holder and the harp and it looks so nice. In the process, I ran across this French Faiance lamp I have had for over 20 years and found a shade that is suitable that I made myself years ago. It is covered in marbleized paper and I think it looks very suitable. The light switch turns on this lamp and a floor lamp in my dressing room/guest room. The miniature chest is an estate sale find.

I am still working downstairs and yesterday spent the day cleaning the walk-in closet and finding more items to donate. I also pulled the refrigerator from the wall in the kitchen and did a deep clean there from the floor to the ceiling. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I slept like a lot last night and didn't get up until 9am this morning and that is super late for me. I earned a good night's sleep.

Just inside the back door. 

This is the lamp I rewired and added a harp.

The toile shade had black ball fringe and several were missing so I cut the remaining ones off.

The base is an old pewter tea container with a Chinese theme. I thought the shade was perfect because it had somowhat of a pagoda shape.

That's it for my Sunday playing around my house. Don't forget to watch or record PBS MASTERPIECE tonight. The new season of GRANTCHESTER begins. I will have to wait until Monday night to stream it via the PBS VIDEO APP. See you tomorrow. xo

Hello, September

Hello, September and hello all. Sorry I haven't been around for a while. My washing machine broke and cannot be fixed and I have had a really hard time finding a replacement. The part is no longer available (of course) and the repair man found one on eBay but it was $600. YIKES. I looked and looked and looked and absolutely could not find a front loader that would fit in the tight space in my laundry room. I settled on a Maytag front loader that will fit but it might not exactly line up with my dryer because I completely forgot about the shallow cabinets above. I might have to pull it out farther than the dryer in order to get the top open. I think it will be fine, fingers crossed. It is being delivered on Thursday. I am not at all excited about getting a new one and having to learn how to use it. Nothing is simple these days, right? Things don't last the way they used to and the manufacturers have planned obsolescence built in. I have gotten numerous tips by watching demonstrations on YouTube. Some of the comments are hilarious. My old one was a high efficiency front loader and I could see that it used very little water. My new one is HE too and all the comments were about the lack of water in the drum. It doesn't have the old-fashioned agitator that sticks way up either. My clothes are never very dirty except when I am down on my hands and knees in the garden. I have old work clothes so I don't care if they don't look brand new when they come out of the washer. Sorry to sound out of sorts. I am really fine and just wanted you let you in on what's going on in my life.

Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend. I am loving the cooler weather after a long hot spell. I am not ready to kiss summer goodbye, are you? I love fall except for the leaves which I never get raked until spring rolls around. I have learned the birds like it this way because they can find winter food underneath the leaf cover. I don't feed them so this is the least I can do for my feathered friends. xo

My Car: Still Not Fixed

The dealer couldn't fix my car. I found my favorite mechanic after he quit the garage near me. I called his sister and he's not that far away. Today, I had a friend take me to the dealership, thinking I could drive my car home and do some errands before taking it to my friend's garage. I left my phone at home too and felt quite lost without it. She waited until I waved her on and then the man I had been dealing with on the phone said he wasn't sure the car would start. Too late, my friend was long gone. Then I had to call AAA from their office phone to arrange for another tow truck. I was hoping the driver could take me home first and then take my car to the shop. Wrong. He said he couldn't. Luckily, I had befriended the men in the repair department and they allowed their driver to take me home. And guess how much my total bill was? Zero. $0.00. That was the best surprise ever. The driver was so nice too. I was so encouraged by all the kindness shown to me today.

I found the money car on Getty Images when I was researching which is better, leasing vs. buying a car. I have never leased. I am hoping I don't have to do either and the source of my problem can be fixed. My friend Greg is an absolute genius and if it can be fixed, he's the one that can do it. He seemed confident when I called him this morning. Fingers crossed.

It rained quite hard today and I got soaked outside while my car was being flat bedded. AAA man was very nice too. Will keep you posted on what transpires tomorrow.

xo

Nanking Sauceboat c.1750 with Repairs

 

 

I have had the most fun recently viewing a wonderful blog devoted to repaired ceramics called Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair. Dealer/collector Andrew Baseman is especially fond of pieces with more than one form of early repair. This Chinese porcelain sauceboat has a metal replacement handle as its first repair. When it was dropped a second time, an 18th century china mender applied 9 metal staples. I have always been fascinated by these make-do repairs, the ultimate in early recycling.