The trouble with home improvements is that then you see all the other things that need doing that you could ignore before. The wallpaper in the guest room has always been bubbly. During the last year, while we were gone, it started actually peeling. I noticed this when I got home, but had so many other things to deal with that I went into la-la-la-I-can’t-see-you mode.

And then we got beautiful shiny new windows.

The wallpaper became a problem. So, even though I have fifty jillion other things to do, I pulled it off the wall. Only one. I’m not totally crazed. I just peeled it off the wall with the windows, where it was coming down because of how little insulation the old windows provided.

Then I scraped the remaining paper off the wall and sanded it. It’s lovely. I’m priming it tonight and painting tomorrow. A good use of time? No. Satisfying? Oh yes. Very.

You can see a video of the dog that Rob found last year, right before we went to Iceland, on Buster’s Blog. My dad adopted Buster and they seem to like each other. It makes me laugh, at any rate.

This man makes armor for cats & mice. I wonder if Mr. De Boer has ever managed to actually get a cat to put one on.

Marlowe would love it.

Edited to add: I found this in Mr. De Boer’s FAQ.

Q. Have you ever put a mouse into a suit of armour?

A. If there was one question that I have been asked the most, this is the one. I have not put a mouse into a suit of armour. I have, however, tried it with one of my cats, and have the scars to prove it.