Addition update - installing built in bookcases

My husband took off work this week to work on the addition project.  Usually after Thanksgiving we start decorating for Christmas, this year we started tearing apart the house.

First, we boxed up all the books from the bookcases in the living room.  That was a sad moment because the bookcases gave our house some character, I have been dreading moving them out of the living room. Then we carried the bookcases out to the addition. These bookcases were custom built for me years ago by some dear friends.  They did an excellent job with the bookcases, they are very sturdy.

And very heavy.

Each one weighs about the same as a small car.

I have moved these bookcases too many times. I have hauled them up and down flights of stairs, I have dragged them onto moving truck and off of moving trucks. That reminds me of a funny story.

One time two friends were helping me unload the truck. They were both trying to lift one section of the bookcase. Now granted, it is heavy and unwieldy. Each section is 3 feet wide and 7 feet tall, so they are hard to move. However, I have had to move them many times so I assumed the two of them would be able to handle one section. They struggled for a bit, complaining how heavy this beast was, saying "maybe we should find a man to help...."  Now, I had been moving boxes all day, I was grumpy and was feeling impatient with them. Finally, totally exasperated, I said "move aside!" And by myself, I lifted the bookcase and moved it.  My friends gaped at me in wonder, I believe they were awestruck.   That day the nickname "superwoman" was given to me.  I believe I earned that one.

Now, to be fair I must tell another story. These bookcases have not always been kind to me. One time I was moving them by myself and one fell on top of me, hitting me on the head.  I lay there on the ground with this huge bookcase on top of me. My head was throbbing, I didn't know how I would lift the bookcase off of me. Then I saw feet, someone was standing near me, it appeared to be a man walking his dog.  I asked him to help me but he turned and walked away. That was a low point for me.  I did manage to crawl out from underneath the bookcase and ended up spending the evening at the urgent care with a slight concussion from that bookcase. We have such a history together.

But this is the last time the bookcases are being moved. Peter built a base to raise them to the ceiling, eventually they will have crown molding around the top. We are building them into the new piano room, they will be attached to the wall and will spend the rest of their lives there.

This is what the piano room looked like a week ago.

and this is what it looks like now...

I will not show you what our living room looks like now because I hate it. It looks so empty and blah.  I really can't do anything to fix it either because we do not yet know what we are doing with that room.  When I get the Christmas tree up it will help a lot.  I told Peter we may need three Christmas trees to cover the wall! 

'til next time...