New couch!

No, we haven't won the lottery or something - the couch was paid for a long time ago, it just took them forever to make it (it's an internet thing).  It was actually our Xmas present to each other.  Anyway, today was the day of the big arrival, so we had to shunt our old faithful, that's been with us since Arkansas (so... 1997?) and through a re-covering, to the side.

 Yuck - don't look under the cushions.

 It tried to make itself bigger so it wouldn't fit out the door, but we were wise to its efforts.

 Re-creating the "Friends" title sequence!

 Plenty of room for skateboarding...

 Here comes the giant box o'couch.

 Fitting through the door surprisingly easily...

 On go the legs...

Frederick was briefly suspicious, but appears to have acclimatized...
It's got a lovely soft covering that will stay looking nice for as long as our cats stay hiding upstairs from the delivery guys.

Every boy's dream...

A bed under a window:

Jami re-arranged Frederick's room in January and Thomas was very envious.  Jami has responded.

New TV!

Using Jami's birthday as an excuse, I bought us a new TV.  43", it said.  This necessitated some serious re-arranging of the Ikea shelving in our sitting room:

I made the bold (rash?) decision to get rid of TWO UNITS from my stereo - a 5-disk changer that had started to jam and the tape player (don't worry, I still have one connected to my computer at work).  Here they are ready for the firing squad:

And here they are at the end of the driveway.  A truck stopped about an hour later, and they were adopted to a farm in the country (or so we'll tell Thomas when he comes home from college):

The new setup (Jami finds the TV gluttonish and extravagant, but that hasn't stopped her watching it):

(Sylvester's a big Columbo fan.  But then, who isn't?)

The last big chunk

...of Thomas's bunk gets moved out of his room:

There's also a big gap where the Last Cathode Ray Tube TV In America got removed.  It was placed at the end of the drive and vanished, as all things do when placed there (eventually).
Bonus pictures: more flooding at For-Mar:

Yet more destruction of Thomas's childhood

Floods!

Water water everywhere

Don't get me started about the state of our basement...

Sun and snow at Grand Blanc Commons

The De(con)struction continues

The deconstruction of Thomas's room begins

I really do have Thomas's permission to do this. The fact that he isn't here to stop me is entirely beside the point.

Although I decided to start working in this room right after Thomas left for the start of his semester, I was put off by the fact that (a) it is colder than HECK in his room at this time of yere and (b) I couldn't figure out how to take apart the loft I built many years ago.

After much thinking and no sign of it getting any warmer, I decided to plunge in today.

I have a basic plan for the room (which I will not describe--everyone will just have to wait for the big reveal in a few months--yes, I expect it to take that long), today I way mainly trying to figure out the best way to go at it. The room is VERY SMALL and Thomas does have it packed with just about every single thing he has acquired in his entire life.

I'm no closer to figuring out how to take apart the bed in a non-violent way, so violent it will have to be. Tomorrow, when no one else is at home, I will take a saw to it and cut it to pieces.

I'm not sure why Simon included this picture.  I suppose to show that it really is still winter here.

Snowed in

Well, not really, but not inclined to go anywhere.

Winter storm

 Driving Frederick to Emily's house was an adventure.  Getting him back may be even more so...

Ducks want to know when this will all be over.

[UPDATE: yes, I got stuck in Emily's drive picking F. up.  Lots of snow today...

Snowy Sunday at home