The crew arrived this morning and got right to work. Our bedroom was completely empty and their job in the bedroom was scraping popcorn from the ceiling and installing crown molding. Well, a small version of it.

In the bathroom: They removed the bathtub and decking. Removed the flooring. Scraped the popcorn ceiling. Removed the toilet. Removed the cabinets, mirrors.

By 6 pm tonight, they had vacuumed the dust had hauled away most of the shower (the lid is still in place).

I learned that the shower would have been the safest place during a tornado even though it was adjacent to an exterior wall. The walls and ceiling were 3 inch thick cement behind the tiles! The shower pan was not metal that I expected but rather a very thick, ahead of its time rubber skin that covered the shower floor and went up the wall about 3 feet. The thing had never leaked in over 32 years. Except for the ugly 1970’s tile, the shower could have been a bomb shelter. Hindsight. Knowing this might have deterred me except for the ugliness of the tile and the need for termite treatment.

Tomorrow they will finish the demolition of the last of the shower, the last of the flooring. They will begin to build the new wall between the sinks. New windows might be on their way tomorrow.

Very exciting stuff. Still looking for some of my shoes though.

Before the demolition began, I snapped a few more photos. I’ll then add photos of the demolition.

The demolition starts tomorrow. At least this is the plan.

We have emptied out our bedroom, moving our king-sized bed, night tables, tv/media center, dog crates, art down to a spare bedroom which happens to be quite large. I’ve taken down the drapes. Removed the drapery hardware with my trusty screwdriver and vacuumed the carpet. In the bathroom we have removed our clothes from the walk-in closets, removed all our personal toiletries from the sinks and taken down the drapes and removed the floor rugs.

The shower will be taken down the the studs and new tile installed. The bathtub will be removed and a new one installed with a new tile deck. New cabinets. New sinks. New granite counter tops. New linen cabinets (floor to ceiling) where the free standing little chest-of-drawers used to stand. New bench with drawers. New flooring. Its a big room with (18 x 14) that needs updating (while we complete the treatment for termites).

We are saying good-bye to the popcorn on the ceiling with crown molding in both rooms. New paint. New fixtures.

Now if I could just find my shoes, I’d be in HGTV heaven.

Indeed a victory.

But no, we didn’t wake up in the middle of the night to a struggle between raccoon and trap. We woke up to an empty trap which, while it was a disappointment, could also mean that the raccoon was no longer traversing our rooftop.

Then the Chimney Sweep was back in the neighborhood and he stopped by for a thorough peek into the damper and proclaimed the squatter adequately evicted. The chimney flue was empty. The ledge behind the damper was clear.

And so in the heat of the Texas summer day, the chimney sweep brought out his ladder, his hat and climbed the roof and set the chimney cap back into place. He wired it shut.

He emerged from the roof in his cap and sweat where I had a tall glass of ice water waiting for him.

He loaded up his stuff on the top of his car and off he went.

I was right. The raccoon didn’t like my radio choices. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to the rescue.

Final evidence that our raccoon was not conservative.

I haven’t set the trap that I picked up from the Animal Control City Office because they warned me there might be babies in the chimney.

But today I called the Chimney Sweep guy to tell him I had set up a radio for a few days in my fireplace to irritate the critter and I asked him to return the next time he was near the house to check on the status: Is it gone or not? If so, I’d like the cap replaced and attached very very securely.

He asked if I had set the trap. I told him “no” and explained the animal control guys warned me about babies in the chimney.

The Chimney Sweep listened to my tale but assured me that he hadn’t seen any babies in there and I should set the trap. He would swing by either tomorrow or Tuesday to check on things.

Mr Fabulous Fifty and I got out the ladder. I set the trap and slid a shallow bowl of tuna and dog food into place. I handed the trap to Mr. FF and he climbed the ladder to slide it up on the roof, flattened out over the porch.

I hope Mrs Raccoon’s sniffer works as well as Dora’s. Dora is patroling the backyard and the kitchen, on high alert, with the smell of tuna in the air.

Mr Fabulous Fifty has a test tomorrow morning for an additional teaching certification. He requested the raccoon wait until 6 am before finding the trap. I sent that request but can only hope that if she finds the trap, she will go quietly. The trap’s location near the porch roof is attached to our bedroom.

Hopefully I will have news tomorrow of a victory.