The One About Demolition & Dust, Home Improvements Have Begun

/ Ally Bean

“Patience is what you have when there are witnesses.”

I don’t know who said it first but I like that saying.  Seems like the subtext of my week, both in real life and blog land*.

After months of waiting for our home improvement projects to begin, they began.  And I’ve been here at home for it, having a noisy, chaotic, dusty week of people and stuff everywhere.

BUT I’VE BEEN A PARAGON OF PATIENCE

The fact is I’m giddy to finally be underway so I’m attempting to overlook the inconveniences that I knew would be part of this experience. This isn’t my first remodeling rodeo, kids.

Below are a few photos that show some of what has happened thus far. Further updates on these projects and my blood pressure as they develop.

• • •

Out with the OLD, in with the NEW.  To protect them from damage the carpeted stairs have been covered. It’s difficult to walk on them now, but I’m not complaining.

• • •

I’m happy to see the end of the OLD tub, toilet, and tile. It was builder grade and ugly, but we lived with it for 22 years.

• • •

The OLD cabinet, countertop, and sink are gone, but the plumbing stays in the same place. Nice touch with the paper towel, eh?

• • •

This is our guest bedroom as it looks today filled with lovely, beautiful, NEW pieces of bathroom.

• • •

Shiny copper pipes in place with NEW bathtub installed immediately below. I’ve yet to see the fabulosity of the tub because it’s protected with plywood right now.

• • •

This is where there will be something NEW, a shelf niche in the shower. My interior design-y heart is thrilled with this upgrade.

• • •

Thanks to everyone who has checked in with me this week to make sure I’m hanging in there. I appreciate your moral support.

Happy Weekend, everyone. May it be all that you want it to be, which in my case is calm and quiet– and not stuck at home.

I’m sure you understand.

* The blog land saga is that my WP media account was hacked for the second time in half a year.  One of my unpublished photo was stolen, then used as the image on a blog post that referred back to my previous post, the one with all the interesting links.

Why? Because to someone somewhere in this world that seemed like the thing to do. To what end? I couldn’t say but it has been the icing on the cake of a difficult week.

The Happiness Engineers, btw, tell me WP takes no responsibility for any photos/images you have in your media account.  WP protects your words, but your images are your own problem.

Just dandy, huh?

221 thoughts on “The One About Demolition & Dust, Home Improvements Have Begun”

    • LA, I realized it when a blog pinged back to me connecting to the previous post. When I looked at what the blogger had posted I saw MY UNPUBLISHED PHOTO staring back at me on this other blogger’s blog. I know from experience that WP doesn’t care about this sort of hacking, so I was PATIENT and didn’t allow the ping to show up in my comment section. I also flagged the blog as spam.

      Liked by 3 people

        • May this never happen to you. I’d like to know how these hackers got into my media account, but WP isn’t interested in telling me how they did it– or how to stop it from happening again. Happiness Engineer is the most ironically named job title ever.

          Liked by 3 people

          • If I get an alert, I don’t consider it hacking…I get a Decent amount of people republishing my posts on their websites. I don’t like it but WordPress has a reblog button so I accept that it’s a consequence. What I don’t like is it being republished without my approval, but again…it’s a WordPress risk

            Liked by 3 people

  2. I’m very happy for your bathroom remodel. And somewhat envious. The ancient sheetrock in my bathroom is rusting, but that remodel has to wait until we get solar put in because the environment comes first and solar is expensive. But we’re gonna need it with summer approaching and no shade over our house.

    Can’t wait to see your after pictures!

    Liked by 4 people

    • AutumnAshbough, these bathroom remodeling projects have been a long time coming, but they are messy and pricey. We’d have solar panels if we could, but there’s not enough sun here to make them viable. Plus don’t you have to have a certain strength of roof to accommodate them? With our luck, we don’t.

      It’ll be weeks away, but I will share after pictures– of course!

      Liked by 1 person

      • You’d be surprised at how much power can be generated! I remember Ian McClellan talking about being able to sell power back from his London house’s panels. But yeah, the roof has to be inspected and checked–physically and sometimes with drones–to make sure it can handle the weight. Most reliable solar companies will offer a 5-year guarantee against roof damage.

        Liked by 2 people

        • Good information to know. Thanks. I know my husband would like to have them here, but maybe in a few years when they are perhaps more sensitive to sunlight, able to create more energy from what sunlight we have. It’ll happen eventually.

          Like

  4. Arrggghhh re person using UNPUBLISHED photo – sounds weird. How’d they get that? A hack? BH. But good news on progress with redo AllyBean. Just had garden re-fashioned at long last. All indigenous and colourful. HALW.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Susan, I don’t know how the hackers got to my unpublished photos, but they did. When this happened last fall WP couldn’t be bothered to help me, so I have no real answer to your question. Just felt I should let other WP bloggers know what has happened again.

      A re-fashioned garden filled with indigenous plants sounds perfect. I’m sure you’ll appreciate its colorful beauty. I know I would.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I was going to make a funny comment about the mess but what the hell? What is a media account? Is this separate from your uploaded media on your blog? And WP takes no responsibility for that getting hacked? Hell, even posted photos should have some level of privacy, you know they can be stolen but it still vexes me. But unpublished photos? Wow…. Good luck.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Zazzy, the media account is part of my WordPress account. It’s within WP and it’s where I first upload my photos before I put them into my blog posts; it’s a stepping stone between my iPhoto account and my blog posts. That’s where this someone found my unpublished, waiting to be used, photo. BUT HOW? That’s what is disturbing, not that I have such precious photos in the media account. I take deliberate care here to not share anything too personal. The experience is vexing, it’s stupid, and makes me question why I keep blogging.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Uploading to WP is a pain. I kind of miss using Flikr for storing photos but there really is no way of them not walking away there. I thought WP was more secure. However, like you, I never put anything too personal online. No pictures of me, I don’t have kids and the cats don’t mind. I write nothing I’m afraid for others to see or that I wouldn’t say out loud. I get that it’s still vexing when someone steals your stuff. I hadn’t even realized there was a reblog button. I’m glad you turned them in as spammers, at least.

        Liked by 2 people

        • You said it. Adding photos to a WP blog post, like I did today, is time-consuming and rather awkward. I’m better at quickly tossing links into a post than adding photos.

          Are you sure your cats don’t mind being featured in your posts?!! Made me smile with that idea. Yes there’s a reblog button. I don’t use it but other people reblog my stuff, usually with no incident. But this time…

          Liked by 1 person

  6. Oh Ally! I’m so sorry that happened to you! I didn’t even know that was a thing that could happen. What an invasion of your space and privacy.

    On another note, I am so excited for you and your home renos! Having lived through a few renos I know it can be trying, but oh so worthwhile! I’m on the edge of my seat! I love seeing before/ during/ after photos. I know you’re going to be thrilled with your “new” house!

    Hang in there, friend, I am sorry your week was like that. xoxo

    Liked by 4 people

    • Nicole, I didn’t know people could steal your unpublished photos from your WordPress media file until last fall. At that time I had a long conversation with a Happiness Engineers who gave me the bum’s rush. I hoped the hacking was a one time event so I didn’t mention it here, BUT it has happened again so I’m telling everyone. I’ve often said that I’m about one blog post away from ending this blog… and things like this push me closer to the end.

      However, on a more jolly note I’m sure you’re right that we’re going to be thrilled with our new bathrooms. It’s been on the agenda for about 5 years but we kept pushing it back. To finally have the projects started makes me happy– dust be damned.

      Like

  7. Having an a meaningless “approve” button is so irritating. And getting hacked, again? Yikes!
    How does that even happen? On the other hand, good luck with your renos. I hope all goes well. My M is just getting some completed too.

    Liked by 3 people

  8. I would have moments of terror on those stairs anticipating my feet sliding out from under me. I had to laugh at all the penciled in # on the wall. That’s one way to keep track of measurements I guess. WP leaves little for anyone to feel positive about anymore. I’m sorry you’re dealing with nasty people.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Deb, you’ve nailed it. I’m terrified of walking up and down these stairs. I hang onto the railing like a little old lady a’feared of falling– because I am. BUT I’M NOT COMPLAINING.

      There are more notations on our walls like the ones you saw. Gotta give these workers props for not wasting paper.

      As for WP… it’s alway something with them. In the beginning it was the best but now it seems intent on alienating those of us who helped it become what it is today. Loyalty to smalltime personal bloggers? You gotta be joking.

      Liked by 3 people

  9. Good that they’re making progress on the renovations. I love that quote about patience. Very sorry to hear about the photo hack – that’s scary. Sorry WP is being useless, but….

    I hope you have a good weekend.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Dan, yes there’s finally progress on the home improvement projects. I’m pleased and willing to be inconvenienced for a while. I like pretty so it’ll be worth it.

      You’ve never had your WP media account hacked? Unpublished photos stolen? You are all about the photos so I’m amazed. I figured you’d have taken the Happiness Engineers to task over this point.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Solidarity the ‘nth degree with all the tumult. We are well into our own renovation here, and I share your mix of giddiness, patience, etc. And I must say, I’m also green with envy at your doing the bathroom — that’s next on our list!

    So sorry to hear about the hacking. I’m curious: do you use the two-factor authentication log-in for your account? If so, that makes me very nervous about what can happen to any of us then. – Marty

    Liked by 4 people

    • Marty, I know you’re going through the same messy process that we are. We did our kitchen years ago and love the result, still. These bathroom remodels have been in the planning stages for about 5 years so to finally get to them [pandemic be damned] is wonderful.

      I don’t use two-factor authentication. I don’t understand it. Do I have to have my phone with me whenever I go into my WP account? Or is it ANOTHER password I have to remember? Undoubtedly it adds a layer of complication on my life…

      Liked by 1 person

      • It sends a text message to your phone with a code (though I suspect one could opt for an email) and then you use that code to log-in. It’s not something I have to do daily, only if I access WP from a different device than usual, or if I need to look at any of my settings or payment information. On a daily basis it’s not something that’s required when I’m merely logging into my dashboard and/or going to the Reader. So no, I wouldn’t call it complicating. Now, the bigger question: does using it keep any of us safe from hacking? I have no clue. 😦

        Liked by 1 person

        • Thanks for explaining this. I thought you had to use it every time you went to WP to do anything so I figured it was a lot of bother. I didn’t realize you could set it and forget it, so to speak. I’ll look into it. But your question remains, will it keep us safe from hacking? And if so, for how long?

          Liked by 1 person

      • I use it for my financial accounts, so using it on WP wasn’t a big stretch for me. A friend of mine who thinks about computer security as a way of having a good time, tells me that the jury is out on whether two-factor authentication is more of a band aid, feel good measure rather than anything effective. So there is that.

        Liked by 2 people

  11. Deep agitated sigh about the WordPress hacking. UGH. I’m so sorry that happened.

    And the renovation sounds AMAZING and also deeply exhausting. Hoping it all goes as smoothly as possible.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Suzanne, I was able to overlook being hacked once [in the fall], but this time I’m more depressed about it. Personal blogging is slowly turning into work when things like this happen.

      I’m pleased to get going on the remodeling projects. You’re right, it’s amazing to see the transformation, but exhausting to have people all over the house… with me here all the time.

      Liked by 2 people

  12. How exciting that the remodeling is underway! When you post the after photos, do include a before photo, too.

    Would you have even known about the photo hack if they hadn’t made a link to your blog with it? For all I know, people have been stealing photos from me for years and I wouldn’t have a clue. I do watermark the ones I took, but I consider historic family photos a resource to be shared. I reduce their size, so they aren’t print quality, though.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Eilene, good idea about including before photos when I post the after photos. I have some before ones in a folder.

      I doubt that I’d have known that my photo had been stolen if the thief hadn’t [inexplicably] linked back to my post. I got the notification that there was a ping, went to see it, and saw my unpublished photo there. Granted I’m getting credit for it, but how did this person get it? Does this person think it’s okay to do swipe a photo because he gave me credit? I mean this is all a tempest in a teapot… but it’s my teapot, dammit.

      As for you historic family photos, you’re handling that well. Share them, but reduce them. I like that approach.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. I am so sorry that your WP account got hacked. I had been thinking about starting a WP blog, thinking it might be a better platform for blogging. But now I won’t.
    I hope the renovations go smoothly and that everything is going well for you there. Please take care.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Robin, thank you. I know you’ve had your blogging woes these last few months, too. In the beginning, 12 years ago for me, WP was the best. I felt like I’d found a good platform, easy to use, responsive to bloggers. But in the last couple of years it has gotten unnecessarily complicated– and become indifferent to bloggers who don’t monetize their blogs. Like me.

      The renovations will take a long time, for many reasons, BUT I’m overjoyed to finally be starting. That being said, I’m going to be spending many days at home all day whilst they happen. Probably finding myself turning to blog land to stay entertained.

      Like

  14. Hi – I didn’t know that about protecting words and not images- and feel
    Bad for any headache with that – and I enjoyed seeing the photos of the project underway!
    Can I ask what kind of toilet you picked out and was it tough? We are toilet shopping and the options are many.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yvette, the thing about the hack into the media file is that nothing in there is of any great value. I share nothing personal here and I spend no time worrying about who might be using my photos elsewhere AFTER I publish them. But to see one out there before I’ve published it is disconcerting.

      We chose the Kohler Wellworth tank 1.28 in white. It was not our first choice but it was available, so it instantly shot to the top of the charts. Supposedly it is slightly squared so it’ll jive with the tub and sink shapes. Also it was in white, which turned out to be a variable to overcome.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Thanks so much-
        And yes – the hacker (obviously astute) wants to get a ride out of you by doing it that way.
        Or maybe they are raising awareness to WordPress to beef up their latest security stuff
        And a while back I had some stuff going on like the hacking and it was weighing me down – not to sound cheesy – but I just prayed about it – all
        I knew to do because it was a high stress season and i just asked god to have them stop – hahahaha

        Liked by 2 people

  15. I so much love this in real life blog land, Ally (except for the thieving)!

    May your Friday the 13th settle the dust and our full “Flower Moon” on the 16th glow with new beauty!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Anne, thanks for your support. I’m looking forward to the finished rooms, so I remain resolute in my goal of being patient. And you’re right about those stairs, they are tricky to maneuver.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Glad to hear YOU ARE NOT COMPLAINING. 😀
    Not complaining, like patience, is a virtue.
    Judging from Zen Den’s comment ~ you’ve been patient while NOT COMPLAINING.
    Good on you!

    As for the hack ~> those bastards! (I won’t specify whether I’m referring to the hacker or the happiness engineers).

    Like you, I’m on the fence about continuing to blog and concur about WP 12 years ago ~ AWESOME! Now, it’s a bit “meh” at best. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Just don’t make any rash decisions about pulling the plug.
    And KNOW that we would miss your bloggy presence.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Nancy, thanks for noticing how I’ve been NOT COMPLAINING. I’m sure Z-D is in agreement with you.

      Yep, bastards they be. I enjoyed WP back in the day, found it FUN to use. But now, every few months there’s some new drama and complication that leaves me tired and NOT HAVING FUN.

      I occasionally think about starting a new blog, private maybe, that would let me keep connecting with those who care about friendship, avoid those who don’t. But there is still the issue of which platform.

      Like

  19. They’ve made a lot of progress already! That’s great to see. My stairs were covered with clear wrap so it was slippery too. Stealing people’s photos seems strangely pointless(they’re just meaningful to us) although I’m sure it happens more than we know.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Margaret, there’s been lots of progress which equals lots of noise and dust. Did I mention the noise? Yes, yes, to what you said about the photos. Stealing them is pointless, but it makes me wonder how often this happens and I/we don’t even know it. WP sure doesn’t care about it.

      Like

  20. So happy for you that y’all were finally able to get renovations underway! I’m also super appalled about the media hack! WTF?? I’m more troubled by WP’s response, but also whyyyy did this person take the time to hack your media? Just as boggled by this. 🤔

    Liked by 2 people

    • Lauren, I’m happy for these projects to begin. I remind myself that the noise and chaos now will result in beauty later… so don’t complain, Ally.

      As for the weird photo hacking, I don’t get it both in the sense of how did someone get to an unpublished photo– and then why link back to me with it? WHO DOES THAT? Boggled is right.

      Liked by 2 people

  21. I’m SO excited for you and your renovation. You’ve waited so long, and you’ve been so patient. It’s TIME.
    The dust. The noise. The men.
    You are preaching to the choir; I feel like it’s a neverending thing around here.
    It will be a thing of beauty soon.

    I never thought about someone hacking into your/our WP account. Why must people make our lives messy? Goodness, I’ll never understand.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Suz, I’m sure you relate to the issues around having any renovations done inside the house. My common sense tells me this is all good, but my nerves say “stop” which of course isn’t going to happen. There may be wine involved when it comes to calming my nerves.

      Good question: Why must people make our lives messy? Because they can, I reckon.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Kate, thanks for your vote of confidence on the home improvements. I discovered the stolen unpublished photo when I got a notification that a blog had pinged back to me. When I looked at what the blogger had posted I saw MY UNPUBLISHED PHOTO staring back at me on this other blogger’s blog. Somehow this person had gotten into my media file where I keep the photos I plan on using and had taken it, then had put it on their blog post of my words that pinged back to me. That’s how I saw it. I flagged the blog as spam.

      Liked by 1 person

        • Have you had someone create a ping back to you and this person has used the title of your blog post as the title of their whole blog– in addition to linking to your post? That’s another odd thing that has happened to me. To my way of thinking that is as entirely pointless as stealing an unpublished photo from a personal blogger who makes no money off her blog. Is this malicious or just stupid behavior?

          Liked by 2 people

  23. That bathroom tub looks alot like ours! We too need a remodel after 29 years of the same bathroom. But wow, is it pricey! We ended up having to get a new driveway last year so once again the bathroom is on hold. Good luck but I am quite envious that it will be fabulous!!!!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Martha, we need a new driveway but have put that on the back burner for now. All the features in the bathrooms weren’t working quite right, so getting them modernized seemed important. Pricey is right, btw.

      Like

  24. Bummer about the photos. I don’t usually upload unless I add it to the blog. We remodeled one of our bathrooms several years ago. Took out the tub. I don’t like baths. I love it now except I wish I had been firmer in asking for both hot and cold handles instead of just one and I hate the “low flow” water restriction on the shower head. I like HOT water and a strong stream. Good idea to protect the carpets. just be careful!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Janet, in the future I plan to only upload a photo when I’m ready to add it to the post, then hit publish immediately. There’ll be fewer photos because sticking pics in posts is a chore for me that I prefer to do long before I publish.

      I can see what you mean about the two handles. It’d help you regulate the water temperature. Our shower will have one handle. Come to think of it I didn’t even see any double handles for sale.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I wonder why they only do one handles now? It would seem to me that plumbers/manufacturers would want you to get two handles since there is more to replace if something breaks, right?

        Liked by 2 people

        • Good point. Two would cost more than one. All I can tell you is that Emily, our interior designer, told us that single handles are popular now. They’re considered more streamlined and therefore more on trend with mid-century modern.

          Liked by 1 person

  26. Yeah it’s started!! The tile looks really nice from what I can see in the box. The shower niche is going to be awesome! We put them in both our showers at the old house when we remodeled. I loved them. This house doesn’t have them, but if we’re here long enough to have to redo the bathrooms I’m putting them in.

    What a bummer about being hacked. I’ve had images stolen before it’s not fun having to send cease and desist take down letters. I put my watermark on every image posted, and make them small enough that they pixelate horribly if they are stolen and tried to be used larger than 3×5 inches. The watermark bugs a lot of people but, it does help keep image theft down.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Deborah, I’m tickled with the tile. It calls to my simpler side, while still looking fancy. That sentence might have made sense. Looking forward to the niche, tres chic.

      If I took professional quality photos like you do, I’d add a watermark. Your approach is wise– and makes me smile thinking about how irritating it must be for the thief to try to overcome your watermark. My photos are just for blogging, but usually they aren’t swiped until after I publish them, not before.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. I don’t understand blogs that only reblog other’s posts – what’s the point? If someone likes what I’ve written, ask me permission first. Common curtesy (although not so common, I fear).

    I am very interested in your bathroom remodel. Our guest bath needs updating and I’m trying to decide if I can get away with changing the tub to a shower. In days past, you HAD to have a tub in at least one bathroom but I’m not sure that’s true anymore. After we get done with our deck re-do, I may try to suggest another project for my husband (who does most of the work).

    Liked by 3 people

    • Janis, I’m with you about reblogging. I don’t see the point, but at least you, the writer, do get credit for what you wrote because there’s a link to the original source. You.

      You raise an interesting point about the tub in the guest bathroom, not having one in there might be a regional thing. Around here people want two tubs in a house, one in the primary ensuite bath for the adults and one in the guest bath which is often used by the children. There was no talk about not having the tub replaced with only a shower.

      Like

  28. Niche shelves in a shower are all the rage right now but having lived with one for 6 months now I’m here to say they are a pain to wipe down after your showers. I streamed lined my so the top shelf only holds one large sea shell and the bottom has three matching pump bottles for my shampoo, conditioner and body wash—just 4 things to move for the squeegee. They make the a large assortment of niche bottle sets now. Have fun shopping for them.

    Liked by 2 people

  29. You had me laughing with your opening quote, cheering on the remodel all the way through and then wondering in puzzlement about the WP media hack. Wow, a post to tickle every emotion! 🙂

    Sorry about your difficult week but love the remodel progress. Yay!! Hope you have a great weekend!

    Liked by 3 people

  30. Soooo excited to see your bathroom get started. We also did the niche in the new shower and love it. Sadly, we are going on Week 15 of the supposedly 9 week project due to a door issue. But everything is now functional and I’ve moved in. I’m glad your tub is there because that was a big hold up for us.

    I don’t understand the hack, but I’m okay with my ignorance.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Bijoux, I think the niche is classy. Last fall I was told that this would take 3 weeks, but I don’t believe it. I hope the right door finds its way to you soon. 15 weeks is a long time for a project to go on.

      I can see what happened with the hack, but it seems pointless to me. If these people are using me, I don’t know how. This is a personal blog for which my only payment is comments. So why bother with me?

      Like

    • Laura, we tread lightly here. We have portable air filter machines stationed in strategic points around the house, but you can’t totally avoid the dust. Good point to be aware of the air.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. I’ve always thought “Happiness Engineers” is a misnomer. I wasn’t aware of that about images, but I gave up long ago in trying to protect anything. Hackers do the strangest things. There must be something behind it we don’t know about. I’ve had someone trying to get into my blog and probably wouldn’t have known except for the 2-step verification (and getting a text from WP with a code). Apparently they weren’t very good at hacking if they had to ask for a verification code.

    Ah, the joys of renovations. There’s nothing like that moment when it is finished and the house is quiet again. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    • Robin, I agree about the misnamed Happiness Engineers. I guess it means they’re happy regardless of what we lowly bloggers need. Well said: Hackers do the strangest things. What happened to me here makes little sense to me, but there you go, why should it? I’m not a hacker.

      I look forward to that quiet moment of which you speak. When this is all finished I shall enjoy getting my house back.

      Liked by 2 people

  33. Well, yay on the bathroom project! We’re mostly a DIY kinda house, so I’m always envious of those who hire work done. We have a few times, and it always feels like a fabulous treat. However, I know it can come with its own set of headaches. Hoping you have few of those. We are working on accepting the reality that our kitchen really does need an overhaul. Not just because our countertops aren’t fashionable or we aren’t in love with the cabinet finishes, but because too many things are deteriorated and/or not functional. I can get excited about the prospect of a new kitchen, but I know it’s gonna hurt. Sorry about the blog hack. People just need to be nice, ya know?

    Liked by 3 people

    • Rita, we used to do more DIY projects around the house with some success. I admire you for doing them, know they can be amazingly rewarding. We had our kitchen professionally remodeled about 10 years ago. We took it down to the studs. It was scary to make all the choices, deal with all the contractors but I’ve never regretted it. The joy of a working kitchen that efficiently uses the space is wonderful. I agree about the hack. I am not angry about it, just very, very tired of strange problems with WP’s systems.

      Like

  34. Wonderful that your renovations have begun.
    Horrible that your unpublished blog post/image was stolen. I didn’t know that that could happen. Even more than they, I can’t understand why someone would still it and then pingback to you. Very strange!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Donna, you’ve nailed the weirdness of it. First someone steals something yet to be published, then slaps it on my blog post that they’ve pinged back to me… FOR WHAT REASON? It’s not like this blog is a money maker that someone could tap into. I don’t make money here. My photos here are no great shakes so it’s inconceivable to me that anyone needs to get their hands on them, yet…

      Like

  35. Good luck with the remodel! They’re great when they’re finished, but it sure is an inconvenience during the during part.

    I had somebody steal a custom logo I had made for me once. Even when I tracked him down and called him out on it, he wouldn’t budge. At that point, I seriously contemplated hiring a hitman.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Mark, yes there’s going to be lots of inconvenience, but I’m tough. I want a new bathtub more than you can imagine, so I shall hang tough.

      I’m impressed that you hunted down the miscreant. In a time very long ago I had my whole blog stolen, words, images, irl. I talked with a lawyer at that point and she told me that prosecuting people in countries with no copyright laws was impossible. Don’t know if it’s the same way now, but your story makes me think it might be so. Hackers gonna hack.

      Liked by 1 person

  36. If someone had told me when I was a teenager “someday you will be excited to see shiny new copper pipes that are going to be encased in a wall” I would have told him he was crazy but alas… Sorry about the hack – yikes!

    Liked by 3 people

  37. “Patience is what you have when there are witnesses.” This quote is absolutely priceless!

    The renovations are going to be worth all of the hassle, I just know it.

    Blogging does come with some aggravation, doesn’t it? I know there is a way to keep your words and (I think) your photos from being copied from a published post on Blogger and I would guess there is a way to do that on WP – but that’s not the problem for you, it seems. People are weird and that seems like a pointless hack…especially if they went to the trouble to let you know about it.

    Liked by 3 people

  38. Good to hear your renovation is underway after a long wait. Short term pain for long term gain. I hope everything goes well and the project finishes on time. Yikes to hear about the hacking. I had people reblog my post without asking me first and my published photos re-blogged with a pingback to my blog but not unpublished photos.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Natalie, I’ve had the same things happen as you have regarding someone who reblogs and I take that in stride, BUT getting to one of my unpublished photo and using it is a new level of weird hacker behavior. My photos aren’t as interesting as yours which makes this even odder. To what end I keep asking myself, to. what. end.

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  39. Sorry to hear about the hacking. I have such a small blog I haven’t had any issue, but that feels so…violating. Ugh. Hope it doesn’t happen for you again.
    Gold stars to you for being patient; renovations (of which we’re about to restart) reduce me to a pile of nerves and tears. I hate all aspects of the process; I try to be immensely grateful we’re getting to upgrade our dated 1970’s home…but I still loathe the whole process. So many decisions. So many things to go wrong. That people ENJOY doing this really does blow my mind. Everyone’s good at something and renovations (even if I’m not lifting a finger) is certainly not my “good at something” thing.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Elizabeth, thanks for your sympathy about the hacking. It’s weird, this blog isn’t monetized nor are my photos any great shakes, so what’s the point? No answer, rhetorical question.

      You’re right about there being so many decisions. I find it overwhelming, but we use an interior designer who works with the remodeling company to help guide us through the process so that helps. On my own, I don’t know if I could do it. I wish you well. As for the messy process, I know it’s coming, as do you, and all I can do is remind myself that this’ll be worth it in the long run. Right?

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  40. Renovations are exciting and I hear your restrained politeness through your post. The mess is annoying but short term – are you bathing at your neighbours? Running across the lawn in a bath towel and bathing cap? I can’t imagine it.
    But I can imagine someone hacking your blog. That is unacceptable. We have chatted before about stolen content but media that is unpublished. That is suspect. The Happiness Engineers are often some would be graduates hoping for some industry experience to put on a CV. Is that your experience or am I just cynical? Are you always logged on to WordPress via your phone. All this syncing across devices and platforms I think makes it easier for hackers. A password change will hopefully slow them down, at the very least. Sounds like it might be good practice for all of us to regularly log out.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Amanda, we still have our primary ensuite bathroom to use so all it good. These photos are of the guest bathroom and the mess that is going on to get it remodeled.

      Hear, hear! “The Happiness Engineers are often some would be graduates hoping for some industry experience to put on a CV.” I don’t think you’re being cynical at all, just truthful. You raise a good point: I am always logged into WP on my phone. I don’t write anything on my phone, but I check into my account with it. That’s going to stop for the reason you mentioned. Never thought of that, so thanks for the good advice.

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  41. It must be wonderful to see that process of renovation finally begun. Never having had a house, I’ve never gone through it, but I like orderliness, and I can well imagine my patience being tested in such circumstances. Still, it seems as though the progress at your place is taking place without untoward glitches and pauses — all good!

    I used to resort to DMCA takedown notices in the past for my writing, but that hasn’t happened in years. I’ve never had any problem with images, apart from one showing up on Pinterest every now and then. Anything we publish on our blogs, text or photos, is copyright protected, but the responsibility for chasing down someone who helps themself to the work is ours. WordPress is only a platform, not a publisher — we’re the publishers. That’s why so many photo contests or literary publications that say “previously published material not accepted” include blogs in their rules. When I submitted entries for a couple of photo contests last year, both specified that any online publication was unacceptable. It depends on who’s writing the rules.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Linda, I like my quiet & privacy which were instantly gone the second the renovations began, although the crew that is working on these projects is polite and tidy and rather pleasant to be around. Of course there is stuff everywhere I turn, but it’s the right stuff going to the right places eventually.

      Your last line sums it up: “It depends on who’s writing the rules.” A few other commenters have said, and I agree, that it may be that the person who stole my unpublished photo didn’t think that was unethical because when they published it then gave me credit for it. I make no assumptions that my work here isn’t going to be *purloined* at some point, but I do assume that’ll happen after I publish it.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I haven’t been able to stop wondering how in the world someone got to your photo before it was published. Finally, it came to me: what if it was a WP employee who had access to the ‘back end’ of the blogs? That’s the only thing that makes sense to me.

        Liked by 2 people

        • I hate to say it but that does make sense. In which case, no one on WP is safe. The photo that was taken was nothing special, but it was mine to do with what I will… or so I thought. Another commenter has suggested that the hack might have come through the WP app on my phone. That also seems possible.

          Liked by 1 person

  42. I love that quote re patience….so true. Ally, just keep reminding yourself it will be all worth it eventually. I’m concerned re your WP hack – how did you know you were hacked? Was it someone linking to your blog somewhere generally or a specific blog post? I noticed I had 50 views one day last week all to my home page, on a day when I had posted nothing and hadn’t for a week….very suspicious. I went through an episode a while back where entire posts were linked to someone’s website somewhere in the eastern world, but I can’t remember what I did to prevent/stop it.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Joni, I knew I was hacked when I got a notification that there was a ping to one of my blog posts. That’s normal. When I went to see who’d linked to me I saw one of my unpublished photos on their blog. I know that WP takes no responsibility for anything in your media file so I am at a loss as to: 1) how someone got to my unpublished photo; 2) why that someone put it on a post that pinged back to me; and 3) why anyone would bother to do this to begin with. Like you I’ve had posts show up elsewhere, but not with my unpublished photos on them. That’s the truly weird part of this.

      Liked by 1 person

      • That is strange. Was the photo they displayed in relation to the pingback? Was it a blogger you knew? As anyone can click on any photo POSTED in any blog and save it their their own Windows Picture File? ( by left clicking on it and click on save image etc….I sometimes do that if I want to reuse a photo and didn’t label it in my media files but know what blog I use it in saving me searching the media files). I sometimes find the HEngineers helpful but sometimes they are not….or they know the program deficiencies but prefer not to say.

        Liked by 2 people

        • I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the Happiness Engineers know how this happened but are told to deny it. That is, to NOT help smaller bloggers who haven’t turned their blogs into businesses which seems to be what WP is pushing now. We personal bloggers are probably the bane of WP’s existence.

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  43. Congratulations! It looks like your upgrade is moving fast, and, from what I can see, they’re careful and competent. So nice to have a shelf niche in your shower.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Nicki, we’ve worked with this remodeling company before and they are careful to a point of almost absurdity. Sometimes you have to tell them to turn on the lights in a room because they won’t touch the switch without permission. Looking forward to the niche so much.

      Liked by 1 person

  45. The shower shelf/niche is underrated. We had one put in during our master bathroom remodel several years ago, and there’s nothing like not having to bend to the tub level for soap or shampoo, especially when things are a little slippery. We just remodeled our upstairs bathroom as well (just paint and tile, not plumbing), and for several weeks the toilet sat smack dab in the middle of the adjacent empty bedroom. It was a vision.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dave, I’m laughing at the idea of a toilet just sitting where it shouldn’t be, minding its own business so to speak. We had our primary bathroom remodeled a few years ago and love it, so decided to do the same for these sad other bathrooms. We’ll enjoy them– and resale feature when the time comes to sell.

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  46. Oh man… seeing your remodel reminds me or maybe gets me all excited that mine (bathroom/kitchen/living room) is gonna happen this fall. I am shopping for appliances, bathroom items/fixtures, et all. It is scary/exciting. What if I bugger up? What if I have no taste? How long will I be living in misery only to be happy later?

    As for the theft of your photo – so not cool… I don’t understand people at all, sometimes.

    Liked by 3 people

  47. At long last, the renovation commences! It’s about time they got cracking. Your patience will soon be rewarded. I remember how long the weeks seemed to drag on when we did our bathroom in 2016. I’m so excited for you!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Barbara, I’m excited for me, too. These remodeling projects have been a long time in coming. I know I/we will enjoy having the bathrooms updated with everything working consistently, looking pretty.

      Liked by 1 person

  48. Hooray on your home improvement projects progress. May they finish on time. 🙂 Sorry about your WP issues. I was seeing a particular site reblogging almost all of my posts so I took ‘share’ off. It wasn’t an offensive site, but it creeped me out. Plus, I’m not in this for stats so I erred on the side of caution. I’m thinking at some point this may become too much between WP’s number one interest in making money and no control over really securing what you write.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Judy, I like your optimism about the projects finishing on time. From your mouth/fingertips to God’s ear!

      I’ve never thought much about the ‘share’ button. It’s just kind of there, you know? I wonder if by removing it that stops people from reblogging– or if it stops WP from telling you when someone does reblog your posts? I agree with you that WP seems to be leaning into the idea of getting us to monetize our blogs– so that somehow they’ll find a way to make money off us. We smalltime personal bloggers are dispensable.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I ‘think’ by taking the share button off no one can reblog it in entirety which is what they were doing. If done correctly, that can be a real compliment, but when one website keeps doing it, it becomes suspicious to me anyway. I hate to say it, but your last sentence is probably right on the money, pun intended.

        Liked by 2 people

        • Good to know this. I agree that what happened to you was suspicious. I’ll reconsider the reblog button. I don’t live to blog, so my stats are irrelevant and if that’s where the trouble starts…

          Liked by 1 person

  49. Sorry to hear about the hack. That kind of stuff is annoying and makes no sense, and I just want to ask what is wrong with people? Clearly, my patience capacity is functioning in lower digits. 🙂 I think it’s brilliant to take photos as the remodel is underway. Not only will you get to bask in how wonderful things turn out in the end, but you get to gloat about how patient you really were during the craziest chaos. Win-win!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deborah, sorry I’m late to replying. I just found your comment. I missed it somehow. I like your positive spin on the chaos of remodeling. I knew it was coming, so I had time to mentally prepare myself for the mess. As for the hack… beats me why. 🤷‍♀️

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  50. How exciting to have your home project finally underway. The work will go by much more quickly than all your planning! I don’t understand about the hack or how/why they did it but that is scary. I know I’m too cavalier about internet stuff mainly because of my lack of understanding.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Anna, I know you’re right about the remodeling. After months of waiting to start a few weeks of having the work done will be nothing. As for the hack I don’t know why anyone would do what happened, but it did surprise me. I sometimes wonder what’ll be the final straw for me and blogging. So far I’ve rolled with the punches, but stuff like this makes me reconsider blogging.

      Liked by 1 person

  53. “Patience is what you have when there are witnesses.”

    This quote had me chuckling- I love it… because I have the LEAST amount of patience of anyone I’ve ever known or met! lol

    Yay! So glad to see that your renos are underway! It is such a drag while you’re in it but certainly worth it at the end!

    So sorry you’re having to deal with that hacker… such an INVASION of ones privacy!!! 😤

    Liked by 3 people

    • Jen, I like the saying about patience, too. It seems about right to me. I’m dealing with the remodeling chaos PATIENTLY, dammit.

      The hacking situation is so weird, pointless, annoying. I could go on and on with words to describe it, but I won’t. All I can do is shrug.

      Liked by 2 people

  54. My mom used to say “patience is a virtue, possess it if you can – always found in women, never found in men.” I don’t know if that’s true about Zen-Den or not, especially if he’s still working from home a few days a week. I feel for you as my parents did many home improvements to this house over the years. Nothing goes smoothly and nothing is without an ongoing mess.

    How did they hack into your account and do that? It’s easy to back up your content, but backing up the media library does not always work. I have all my pics on a flash drive since Day 1. I knew about “your images are your own” as I had an issue with pictures going missing in old blog posts a few years ago. I discovered this when I retrieved the post link, but never scrolled through it, to send to a fellow blogger. You probably have a few posts that you know the title, search, copy and paste it in a comment if you want to send it to someone. She wrote a comment that some of the photos were missing, but didn’t elaborate. I looked and found ghosted images of several pictures. In that case, I saw gray squares and the name I had given the photo. Not all photos were missing, just some. I randomly picked any old blog title and all those were fine. I contacted the Happiness Engineers and they told me perhaps they were “unattached photos” – what? Photos I loaded on there and didn’t use. I load each photo from my computer to the post – I don’t load the photos first. So that was not the case. I should scroll through the entire blog and see if it happened again but frankly, I’m afraid what I might find.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Linda, I like your mother’s saying, I’ve heard the first part but not the last. Z-D is working from home by moving around to different rooms as need be to avoid the noise and dust. It’s funny, I never know where I’ll find him.

      I’ve had photos disappear when I used one that came from some other source [like Wikipedia], giving proper credit of course. Apparently whoever shared them originally took them down. No biggie.

      This theft was a little different in that my photo was unpublished but wound up on someone else’s blog. I’ve said it before, when I stop blogging it’ll be reasons like this that’ll push me over the edge. I wonder if that’s what WP really wants, for smalltime personal bloggers to go away. Seems like it to me.

      Liked by 2 people

      • I’m glad Z-D still is able to work from home as COVID cases ramp up again. They are here in SE Michigan.

        I don’t understand how that could happen in as-yet-unpublished post. It is worrisome that someone hacks into your blog to begin with. We’d recognize right away if a post was published that was not your usual style. You’d think WP would have better safeguards in place.

        Liked by 2 people

  55. Hooray for remodeling being underway! I hope it proceeds with all alacrity and finishes up with your desired results in short order. Projects like that are a mixed blessing: it’s wonderful but so messy and dusty and noisy, as you know. Patience and frequent sojourns get me through it, and I’m sure you have your strategies as well. (I have alarmingly little Patience, so I escape as often as possible.)

    Liked by 3 people

    • Nance, I’m coping well enough with all the chaos– partially because I’ve decided I will, partially because we have a screened-in porch that I can escape onto. Nature soothes me soul– and calms my mind.

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  56. So sorry about the hacking – such a pain and a little worrisome. Hang in on the reno – it will be so worth it! We had our 37 year old ensuite gutted last fall – it was a huge mess but oh man do I love my shiny new bathroom. A huge gleaming shower, no more soaker tub to collect dust, a toilet that flushes every time and a vanity with drawers! Plus lots of open bright space. Patience….

    Liked by 1 person

    • Pat, you said it about the hacking, a bit of pain, a bit of worry. And one big ‘ole *SIGH* from me.

      You sound like you really love your new bathroom. I’m looking forward to a consistently flushing toilet and pretty not white tile. This isn’t the first time we’ve had a bathroom remodeled and I know the results are worth this messy phase.

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    • Kara, the blog land problem is about as controlled as I can make it. I’ve told those who should want to know what has happened that it has happened– and I’ve changed the way in which I’ll use WP media going forward.

      As for the reno, this week is going to be dusty but much less noisy every day. I’ll be less unsettled.

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    • Neil, yes this is a good news/bad news post. Both situations have been, and will continue to be, “learning experiences” as my middle school teachers were fond of saying.

      Liked by 1 person

  59. LOVE that quote, Ally. And just so you know what fresh hell I’m living in, it’s taken months just to do the little foyer, a year to do the kitchen, and still have two bedrooms, a master bath and a deck to go! oy!

    Liked by 2 people

  60. Wow copper pipes. 179 comments and no one mentioned how nice the copper pipes are. We use PVC & it’s not near pleasing to the eye. Holy crap those stairs would/could be a nightmare. Hope that stage doesn’t last long. Onward ho. At a snails pace but still onward. As to the media file thing– weird. How and why did they then ping back so you knew?? As to the Happiness Engineers — they’ve yet to answer anything to my satisfaction but I am still here because turns out I like my soap box! Bernie

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bernie, thank you for noticing our lovely new pipes. I took that photo because who doesn’t like shiny metal? The stairs are a challenge but I am going slowly, caution is my mantra.

      I can’t say for sure the motivation behind swiping an unpublished photo and then pinging back to me. Maybe whoever did it doesn’t think it is wrong to do that if I’m given credit for the photo? If there’s something personal about this, I don’t get it. 🤷‍♀️

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  61. I love your beginning quote, Ally. “Patience is what you have when there are witnesses.” I hate to admit that is my natural tendency. I’ve been in the remodel situation and yours looks pretty tidy all told. Are you getting ready to move or are you planning to enjoy for another 20 years? It seems we just get our homes the way we want them and we decide to move.

    I’m shocked that someone could even publish your unpublished photo. That’s scary that people can look at the backside of your blog or just browse through your photos. I did not realize that WP protected our words. I used to put a watermark on all my photos, but now I just make them small. Someone can steal it for their blog, but it’s not good enough to sell. I haven’t spent much time worrying about it, but if it happened frequently I sure would. Probably a different password would help, and I hope it helps to have your phone disconnected from WP. Good luck with all that. You’ve certainly gotten people talking about it, which is a lot of fun to read.

    Have a great weekend, Ally. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marsha, we’ve decided to stay in this house for another 20 years so we’re getting the house in shape for us to enjoy it. And ain’t that a pip!

      I was surprised when I saw my unpublished photo staring at me on someone else’s blog. It seemed too weird to be true, yet there it was. I don’t have any illusions that after I post something it may be *acquired* by someone else, but this was different. I won’t be storing photos in the WP media file anymore. I have, of course, changed my password but I do that regularly so whether that helps stop this kind of situation, I dunno.

      Liked by 2 people

      • That is the weirdest thing that I’ve heard about. I wrote to Hugh, who often posts on topics like this. Maybe he will know more than we do. I hope it never happens again. I wonder if there is a way to turn him in. It is an infringement of copyright and those laws are rather stiff. Did he/she take it off?

        Liked by 2 people

        • When I talked with the Happiness Engineers about the stolen unpublished photo, they told me that anyone can get into your WP Media file if they know how. They didn’t consider this situation to be a problem to bother with.

          As for copyright infringement, years ago I had a blog stolen– as in my posts, photos, url, and template. The whole shebang. At that time I talked with a lawyer who specialized in copyright law and she said if whoever does this lives in a country with no, or lax, copyright laws, you’ve no legal recourse. Thus is the way of the internet.

          Liked by 1 person

          • OMg, I can’t imagine anything of mine being worth the effort. But that is super awful. After it was stolen, did you have access to it at all so that you could use the material yourself? I can’t even imagine how devastating that must have been for you.

            Liked by 2 people

            • I had a blog on Blogger, then I moved it to Typepad where I used the same name for the blog. I was naive and deleted the Blogger one thinking I didn’t need it anymore. Come to find out someone was watching, then waited for me to end the Blogger one. This person had copied many of my posts with photos beforehand, then used my discarded url to start the blog up again with my old stuff on it.

              Readers didn’t know what was happening and thought I was repeating myself with the blog posts. But in reality it was some miscreant trying to make money off my work. Very disheartening

              Liked by 1 person

              • Wow, you have had some weird experiences, Ally. I still have a Blogger blog. I keep my history of Woodlake stuff on it. Sometimes I get a comment or two. I even used to have a Google Sites blog for our San Joaquin Valley of the Social Studies organization. I had no clue what I was doing back then. I think I deleted it, but I don’t know. I’ve deleted several blogs I started for organizations. Those can be a real pain because no one keeps them up and it’s a lot of work to do so.

                Liked by 2 people

  62. Loved the quote!
    Isn’t if fun how many time we move in saying “oh, we’ll fix that” only to find out years have gone by just living with it. Cheers for you guys actually taking steps.
    How nice the new bath will be ( and how nice when all the workers leave – the noise and their presence no matter how nice they are is tiring. )
    People who steal blog stuff are irritating and a mystery. For years my stuff – words, sometimes rearranged a bit – and images ended up else where – at one time there was quite a bit of discussion and activity by bloggers about “take down” orders, but at some point you get tired of the fight. The blog world and WP have changed so much.

    Liked by 2 people

    • philmouse, yes we’ve FINALLY decided to have these bathrooms updated. It’ll be lovely to have toilets that know how to flush consistently and faucets that are enthusiastic about doing their bit.

      As for the person/persons who stole the unpublished photo, it’s not cool. It’s pointless. And as I’ve said a few times, Karma is a bitch and knows where they live. I have no expectation about published work being taken, but unpublished? That’s a new wrinkle.

      Liked by 1 person

  63. Hi Ally – your improvements look exciting although it is a temporary upheaval of normal living. We are on the verge of some of the same things – 20 years and in desperate need of fixes/upgrades. I hope all is going well. Also – I’m so sorry to hear your media files were hacked. I don’t know how or why people do that. So annoying. I don’t mind the reblog, although there’s one blog that reblogs my stuff that I’m sure is a bot.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Barbara, no truer words: it is a temporary upheaval of normal living. We’ve been here 22 years so all these upgrades have been a long time in coming.

      I don’t get why anyone would hack into my WP media files, but someone has. It’s pointless. I’m not a professional photographer with shots that could be used elsewhere for money. Yet here I am– and WP is indifferent.

      Liked by 1 person

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