INMO A GOGO: Hotter Than July
Since I closed on my new home—it’s been an adventure! To say the least. I’ve been working my butt off during this HOTMO summer. It’s been in the 90s for weeks on end. I’d get up between 5:30 AM & 6:00 AM; feed the cats, make coffee, and try to tackle jobs in the yard before 11:00 AM when the temp started to climb. Whether it was just cutting the lawn, digging, planting, decorating, feeding the birds, & so on …
It’s a lot to take on for this 65 year old body. But I do as much as I humanly can in the cooler parts of the day, shower, rest, hydrate, and post about my accomplishments—in & around my new home.
Seems the only way I’ve had time to document the go go goings on here were via Instagram & Facebook posts. This is my attempt to put them chronologically in one place; rather than write a new blog post. Not being lazy. It takes a lot of HTML coding to copy, paste, and format the Facebook posts in my WordPress blog. Anywho … here we go go go.
INMO: July 4, 2021
🧨💥🧨💥🧨💥🧨
Happy 4th of July!!!
🧨💥🧨💥🧨💥🧨
What in the world is Joe doing on this 4th of July?
Um … waiting on a locksmith to get my jammed key out of my front door deadbolt & get me back into my house on this 95° 4th. And then paying said locksmith $500 for his July 4th visit & installation of a new deadbolt. Yippee!!!!
So you said you wanted to be a homeowner?
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
INMO: July 4, 2021
Geoff Hoover: Ouch!
July 4, 2022, 2:48 PM
Joe Streno: Geoff … No shit! The thing that kills me is I’m getting new doors, screen doors, locks, & deadbolts in a couple of weeks, once the house is raised & the main beam replaced.
July 9, 2022, 3:58 PM
Geoff Hoover: Joe Streno double ouch
July 4, 2022, 9:01 PM
Brenda Siegelman: But, after a while , you figure out how to fix a lot of the problems yourself , and keeping a few basic tools in the car or somewhere you can get to if locked out is usually one of the things you end up doing .
July 4, 2022, 4:26 PM
Joe Streno: Brenda … funny I was thinking the same thing. I need a small toolkit in my car as well as hidden house keys … just in case.
July 9, 2022, 5:23 PM
Before & After
Far from done … but a little before and after. So much more I want/need to do. But this little(?) bit makes me feel like this is becoming my home.
#noplacelikehome #home #MO #missouri #independence #harvardave #englewood #flowers #blackeyedsusan #coneflower #hydrangea #joPhoto
Before & After
Susan Fleischmann Farbstein: What a gorgeous transformation! Enjoy and be happy
July 9, 2022, 7:09 PM
Joe Streno: Susan … Thank you! Yeah … I’m groovin’ on it.❤️❤️❤️
July 9, 2022, 7:09 PM
Claire Lorenzetti Schreck: Looks fantastic!!!
July 9, 2022, 7:42 PM
Eileen Pandolfi Rankosky: Looks awesome!!
July 9, 2022, 8:31 PM
Brenda Siegelman: Looks so much nicer Joe .
July 9, 2022, 8:53 PM
Joe Streno: Thanks, Brenda. It’s getting there. 🙂
July 9, 2022, 8:53 PM
Chris Gibson: Looking good
July 9, 2022, 9:10 PM
Scott Harvey: Looks great!
July 9, 2022, 10:40 PM
Sherry Brown Pettinari: Looks great
July 9, 2022, 10:40 PM
Roberta Baumann: It looks great Joe😃
July 9, 2022, 11:11 PM
Ray Gange: Hope the neighbours appreciate your brightening up of the collective environment
July 10, 2022, 6:21 AM
Joe Streno: Ray … one so far has thanked me for fixing up the place & even offered his help if I ever need it. 👍
July 10, 2022, 6:21 AM
Ray Gange: that’s a good start
July 10, 2022, 7:31 AM
Charlie Maraia: Looks great Joe. Nice job.
July 10, 2022, 6:14 AM
Ann Marie Acampora Schock: Looks great!!!
July 10, 2022, 10:56 AM
Angela Provost: Very nice
July 10, 2022, 11:51 AM
Hydrangeas & Memories
Did a little hydrangea pruning this morning while it was cool out. I ❤️ this antique vase which I think belonged to my great Aunt Josie: the woman that raised my mom in Linden, NJ, on Curtis St … where I was raised.
It’s the first time I’ve actually USED this vase for flowers. 👍
Funny how something as innocent as a vase full of flowers can be imbued with so many wonderful memories. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
#noplacelikehome #home #MO #missouri #independence #harvardave #englewood #flowers #pruning #garden #gardening #hydrangea #joPhoto
Hydrangeas & Memories
Andrea Laign: so quaint and artistic
July 13, 2022, 3:11 PM
Joe Streno: Just like me. 🤣🤪🤣
July 10, 2022, 3:01 PM
Joe Streno: Andrea … Oh … the table & the vase were my mom’s. I brought the table across country so I had something to put in the dining area until I got my new table & chairs. So I put the table you see on the front porch. I like it there. Also love the vase which my mom got from her aunt who raised her. Lot of history in that photo & those objects.❤❤️❤️
July 11, 2022, 3:11 PM
It’s Official
It’s official! I’m a Missouri resident. Got my MO license (ugly photo and all!), registration & new plates. They’re good for 2 years & I don’t need to deal with the MO DMV until next renewal. 👍
#noplacelikehome #home #MO #missouri #independence #harvardave #englewood #dmv #driverlicense #carregistration #joPhoto
It’s Official
Jeffrey Kaufman: That’s awesome! Congratulations!
July 11, 2022 @ 11:24 AM
Angela Provost: Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉
July 11, 2022 @ 11:24 AM
Brenda Siegelman: Cool , it is done . Next comes voter registration?
July 11, 2022 @ 11:24 AM
Joe Streno: Brenda … ✅License/registration/plates Check 3 more things from the list. ✅ Voter registration done at DMV.
July 11, 2022, 12:47 PM
Brenda Siegelman: Really glad Missouri is doing voters reg at the DMV , that is truly good news . Well , that’s that , I guess . Congratulations and thank you for being a blue dot where it is needed . Xoxo
July 11, 2022, 1:10 PM
John Shoulberg: Maybe you’ll tip the scales in our Senate election in November!
July 11, 2022, 2:09 PM
Joe Streno: One can only hope! That’s how it’s done: Democratic infiltration one voter at a time. lol
July 11, 2022, 2:09 PM
Ken Wiener: Did the cats get their licenses?
July 11, 2022 @ 5:34 PM
Joe Streno: Ken … they always have been and will always remain aliens. 😼😼😼
July 11, 2022, 5:34 PM
Ken Wiener: Joe Streno sounds like them cats is illegal
July 11, 2022 @ 6:28 PM
It’s Curtains For Me
OMFG!!! A 100° kind of day!
🥵🔥🥵🔥🥵🔥🥵
Got the central air crankin’ and the kitties and I are some cool cool cats.
😎😺😺😺
Brenda Siegelman: Just too hot
July 15, 2022 @ 3:48 PM
Ken Wiener: Wait till it warms up.
July 15, 2022 @ 3:48 PM
It’s Curtains For Me
Today’s project: trimming curtains getting ready to hem on my sewing machine. Cotton curtains are a breeze. The poly black out bedroom curtains are a little trickier, but getting done. Trying to iron a crisp seam in 100% recycled poly is a challenge! To say the least. But I’m up for it & getting it done. 👍
I’m a man of many talents. 😝
The boys were daddy’s little helpers today. Rocco was so tired he had to teak a break. Poor guy. ❤️❤️❤️
It’s Curtains For Me
Barbara Campbel: Very impressive!
July 17, 2022 @ 8:42 AM
This Place Is For The Birds
This place is for the birds (& the🐝🐝🐝)!
Hung 2 bird houses today and planted a white hydrangea on “the hill”. Will be nice to see the hydrangea from the dining room windows. 👍
Started digging the hole this morning when it was a tad cooler. Used my eGo string trimmer to scalp the grass & weeds. Dug a huge deep hole & planted the hydrangea. It should fill that entire cleared area in the coming years. Tomorrow I’ll try to till the soil around the plant and mix in peat moss & top soil to help with drainage. Then cover with weed barrier cloth & lots of mulch.
The orange & black (Linden HS colors) bird house I found at my Mom’s place when I was emptying the house. It was stuffed in a box in the eves. I LOVED it right away! Clean. Simple. Bright. It came with me. The other striped one I bought at the nursery I got the hydrangea at. I have 3 more bird houses I loved on Etsy on their way too. Why not!
This Place Is For The Birds
Susan Fleischmann Farbstein: Joe, dux you rests in/paint your porch/entry? It’s great!!
July 17, 2022 @ 9:07 PM
Joe Streno: Um … huh?
Susan Fleischmann Farbstein: Joe your house looks great!!
July 17, 2022 @ 9:46 PM
Joe Streno: Got that part. Wasn’t sure about the rest. lol
Eileen Pandolfi Rankosky: Everything is looking really nice
Maria Caamaño Kopec: Looks so good. You never stop! Great job.
Hydrangea Hill
Over the past 3 cooler early mornings I cleared an 8 ft swath of my “hill” which runs the depth of my property with my lovely eGo string trimmer. I dug a super deep & wide hole in the clay soil & removed it. Then I filled the hole with a top soil & peat moss combo for better drainage & planted the white hydrangea.
This morning (7:00 AM-ish) I started tilling the soil around the hydrangea to about 10″ deep then folded in a lot more peat moss to try to help with surrounding drainage. The ground on my property is just clay, clay, and more clay … and let’s not forget lots-o-rocks. 😆
Once done, covered the area with weed cloth, staked it properly, then added 4 bags of mulch, spread, & watered.
Looks a little lonely … may have to get a few more strategically placed along the hill. 👍😎👍
Another job DONE! Neeeeeeeext!
#gardening #garden #gardeninglife #hydrangea
Hydrangea Hill
It Has Begun
It has begun! The rising. The house raising. The replacement of the termite eaten main floor beam & some joists in my 112 year old home.
The photos show the joist supports in place in my basement. They have already raised the floor a tiny bit from the get go. They will raise the floor 3 inches total. That may not seem like a lot, but with walls and floors all attached and stationary, walls & floors may start to crack, buckle, & tiles in the bathroom may pop off walls. All kinds of fun stuff!
But it needs doing. The previous owner & their realtor tried to hide the issue. But for my own safety this is major & needed to be repaired to help feel safe in my new home.
The cats said it needed to be done too! 😼😼😼
Who am I to argue. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
#homerepair #homerepairs #supportbeam #floorsupport #floor #floors #floorwork @roccoandrudie
It Has Begun
Charlie Maraia: Yup. Needs to be done. Love your walls. Do you know what the foundation is? And the round raised section? Do you know what that’s for?
July 19, 2022, 11:30 AM
Joe Streno: Charlie … I believe the walls are old school concrete—according to a couple of foundation guys who have been here. The round raised section may or may not have been where the old coal fire furnace use to be. Again, gleaning this from questioning my HVAC guy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ To my advantage, someone installed a weeping system that leads to the sump pump. You can see where the concrete floor was removed and replaced around the perimeter of the house.
July 19, 2022, 11:38 M
Charlie Maraia: The walls just look really new for a 100+ year old house, thought maybe you knew what was behind it. I have a trough around the basement in one of my houses. That was built in 1910. ‘Amazing’ how they used gravity to keep the basement dry. It’s always a learning game.
July 19, 2022, 11:38 M
Joe Streno:
Charlie … I’m sure all the walls have been skim coated multiple times over those years. And once the house is raised I’ll have the same guy come back and seal foundation cracks and skim coat one more time—with feeling! 😝
The basement was leaking water like crazy until I bought 50 ft of PVC pipe and extended the sump output pipe—which was basically a PVC 45° & 3″ of straight pipe out the wall & dumping right next to the foundation and my mud driveway. Not real smart & incredibly lazy. In doing that, the new run now waters my back yard sufficiently far away from the foundation. My basement is pretty dry now when it rains. And I saved tons of $$$ doing it myself.
July 19, 2022, 6:47 PM
Frank Bellina: I hope the seller is paying for it.
July 19, 2022, 11:37 AM
Joe Streno: Frank … in as much as I got a 10+K reduction in the asking. The seller offered to do repairs & I said NO THANKS! I’ll take care of it myself.
July 19, 2022, 11:39 AM
Joe Streno: And Charlie … you’ll appreciate the history of many of these 100+ year old homes. They were built by bankers in this section of Independence so they could take the trolley to work in downtown Kansas City, MO and then escape to a quieter life in the Engelwood neighborhood, where I currently live.👍
July 19, 2022, 5:02 PM
Charlie Maraia: Joe Streno very cool to know that history.
July 19, 2022, 5:03 PM
Claire Lorenzetti Schreck: Joe Streno very interesting.
July 19, 2022, 5:03 PM
Christopher Goewey: Cool are you going to raise the floor of the first floor too?
July 19, 2022, 5:43 PM
Joe Streno: The house is only one story. So raising the floor beam & the joists will raise the first floor and hopefully level it from sagging in the center.
July 19, 2022, 6:47 PM
The Boys Are Back In Town
Day 2: The boys are back in town … and the work continues.
Took a quick peak, took photos, chatted, and left them to the business at hand.
The Boys Are Back In Town
Pile-o-Junk
Another day. Another early morning task ☑️ finished before it gets to be 98° today. 🥵
Paid a local couple to haul away the massive mound of tree branches/limbs I cut down weeks ago. Was going to have it chipped and use it for mulch …. but not enough energy. Was easier to have someone bring it to be mulched/recycled elsewhere.
Got up this morning weed-whacked all the tall grass, cleared and raked the remaining debris, then added it to MY mulch pile out back.
I tossed out red clover seed on the bare ground, covered it with peat moss & watered. Soon enough I’ll have a patch of red clover for the pollinators to feast on. 🐝 🐝 🐝
Also while pruning the rose bush I found three things: spider mites, a Japanese Beetle 🪲 , and a groovy praying mantis. Awesome… on the last one. I trimmed off the mites, and “disposed” of the beetle. Bug-bye! 👋
And now I’m composing this, resting, & drinking coffee on my front porch.
Oh … my 2 new groovy bird houses from Etsy showed up yesterday. Me likey! 😍😍😍
#gardening #garden #redclover #prayingmantis #birdhouse #birdhouses #joPhoto @roccoandrudie
Pile-o-Junk & Birdhouses
Eileen Pandolfi Rankosky: nice
July 21, 2022 @ 12:26 PM
Beam me up Scottie!
Beam me up Scottie! The beam replacement is moving along. They are half way through & the job will probably stretch to Saturday … which is fine by me! I’d rather they take their time & do it right.
I can already feel how much more firm the floor feels in the half of the house the new beam has been installed. It will probably be more so when the joists get tied into the new beam. 👍
Looking at what remains of the beams the owner covered over, it’s a miracle the floor & house stood at all! Wow!
There’s one photo of a termite eaten beam where it looks like the fat bristles of a broom. That’s just nuts! So much destruction!
The new triple width beam(s) look so good & so different! Can’t wait for the whole thing to be done.
There has already been some minor plaster cracking here and there. Nothing earthshaking, until you get to the kitchen at the back of the house. The kitchen floor is more “wavy” than it was. Some of that may straighten out once the new beam(s) go in & the floor is raised or lowered to its final “resting place”.
Guess we’ll see.
Poor Rocco … he hides under the kitchen sink from all the tool & banging noises. I’ve removed the garbage can to give him space & put a folded bath towel in there so he can stretch out & be a little less stressed. He stays in there with the door closed & he’s fine.
A Work In Progress
Joe Streno: Oh … and here’s a funny one. Wyatt, the guy who originally quoted the job told me he & his fellow coworker, and office manager, had all been to my website & will be buying some of my Clash t-shirts. They all LOVE the Clash! Who’d a thunk! They all have to be in their 20s … but know & love the Clash! I know how to pick them! Right??? lol
Fidl Z Partiz Hawil: You are getting there!
July 21, 2022 @ 7:03 PM
New LG Washer/Dryer Stack
Ooooooooooow how purdy!
My new LG washer/dryer stack finally got delivered! No more #laundromat! Woot!Was waiting for the floor beam to get done. But close enough. lol
Called the plumber this morning to get a date to run gas, water, vent & electric into the closet where this baby will reside. No way would I deal with having to go outside to get into my basement to do laundry. With Midwest weather … not a chance!
I lose a closet but gain a washer/dryer upstairs. A no-brainer for me. 👍
#wash #washer #dryer #laundry #laundryroom #cleanclothes #happydance
Eileen Pandolfi Rankosky: nice
July 22, 2022 @ 1:52 PM
Joe Streno: Got a great price on it during Lowe’s Memorial Day sale. Loved that it has only one strip of controls shared by both units, which makes the full size machines fit in the closet. 👍
July 22, 2022 @ 2:54 PM
Eileen Pandolfi Rankosky: I would love stackables. Gotta talk to hubby. lol
July 22, 2022 @ 2:54 PM
Combat Tim: Does it go up to eleven Joe?
July 22, 2022 @ 1:52 PM
Joe Streno: 12!
Brenda Siegelman: Sleek!
July 22, 2022 @ 9:50 PM
Joe Streno: Sehr modern!👍
Main Beam: $6,500 later …. it’s done.
$6,500 later …. it’s done. It all looks so pretty, new, and SOLID!New beams all glued, screwed, lag bolted & supported with new steel adjustable supports. And the joist hangers are a sturdy sight to behold. 😍😍😍The only thing remaining is for them to come back Monday & tack down all the loose electrical wiring that use to go through the main beam. If I later decide to have an electrician come in drill & and re-pull the wire I’ll do that. For now the important piece is complete and my floors feel stable. And there was a minimum of cracking upstairs. Even better!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Photos: Main Beam
Charlie Maraia: Did they use 2×10’s? I have to Jack my dining room floor, and have jacked up foundations around here. I was always taught to do a little at a time, like over a year. I’m happy they got you done so quickly and with minimal damage. Did they offer coming back in a year to adjust if necessary?
July 23, 2022 @ 12:36 PM
Joe Streno: Charlie … yes 2 x 10s.👍
Joe Streno:
Charlie … Actually I don’t think they raised the entire 3 inches they proposed. I’m not sure how much they raised, but I can see the difference upstairs. It doesn’t sag in the center of the house as it once did. Plus everything is so much more solid feeling everywhere in the house.
At one point they had the back jacked up so much it interfered with the sweep of the back door. I could only open it half way. Mind you it didn’t open well to begin with. It’ more “normal” now.
Now I can finally call Lowe’s and have them come and measure for new doors & screen doors front and back, and set a date for installation. Woot!
I’m sure if I ask Wyatt, he/they’ll come back to do a test & tweak in a year.
They are now pricing out filling foundation cracks & repointing the cement surfaces that need it.
They will also price out all the gravel & or cement work I need in front for walkways and driveway.
And last but not least, pricing new gutters & rain barrels.👍
July 23, 2022 @ 4:12 PM
Susan Fleischmann Farbstein: Glad that part of your reno is over for you. We had to have our house jacked up on steel piers. They went all the way down to bedrock. Cost us a fortune but needed to be done. And had to get a structural engineer involved pee our village. Chicago and northwest Indiana was basically built on a swamp. Not unusual for house/building jacking here.
July 23, 2022 @ 6:26 PM
Christopher Goewey: They’ll work.
July 23, 2022 @ 11:05 PM
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