It's another hot and muggy day. I went into the pottery studio... the air conditioned pottery studio. And I played and had fun and went out to lunch with my friend, Carl.
Kev worked all day. Seriously, the man never stops. He got called into work this morning, and didn't get back home until early afternoon. Then, in the hottest heat of the day, he works on putting CWF on the cedar siding of our huge-ass two-story house. He's been doing that gigantic project for weeks. And it's fucking hard work.
Sam was home this weekend, and he helped Kev yesterday. The two of them moved a ton of boxes out of the house (and... very likely, literally a ton), as well as a 3-piece 8'x10' wall of bookcases and other furniture, odds and ends. They put all that into the pole barn, as we're trying to clear out the house as much as possible... she goes on the market in two weeks.
Kev could hardly move last night; he was so tired. Still sore this morning. And he's out there as I type this, still working. He's loading up the pickup for another load to the dump. But I'm in the very cool house (Kev had the AC set to 73, and I moved to 69 as soon as I got home), playing around on my laptop, high as a kite, listening to Kev's radio blaring classic rock.
Currently: Fleetwood Mac.
When they moved stuff out of the house yesterday, Kev found 3 old radios. Boomboxes, man. When's the last time you used one of those? He actually almost went and bought one when he started on the CWF project, so he could blast music and make the job go faster. Wish I'd known he wanted one. Better late than never, as music is most definitely blasting now... and I think he actually finished the last of the cedar siding this afternoon. Not to worry, he has plenty of blasting hours ahead, coz the porch isn't finished. Such a fucking ton of work. For Kevin. Poor old man.
We always used to blast rock and roll on a radio whenever we worked around the house and property. Back in our younger years. Back when it was called "rock and roll" instead of "classic rock". (And now our old Coleman cooler isn't just a cooler, it's a vintage cooler!)
Music was with us nearly everywhere we went and in most everything we did. That music will now trigger so many memories, especially from camping trips and other road trips. Campfires with just us two or with family on so many, many summer evenings. Always music. Usually loud music. That changed quite a bit after we had Joycie, then six years later, Sammy. Kids gotta get a nap sometime...
It's nice to hear it again, coming from outside. And I totally forgot how abrasive some commercials are on classic rock stations. Such noise! Shit, I'm old!
Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister, gimme three steps towards the door...
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Retail therapy
Because my Dad is still in the hospital, I’ve been taking Sammy to school in the mornings. Sammy usually gets on the bus at my folks’ at about 8:10am. I drop him off there on my way into work around 7am. My Dad gets up early and usually makes Sam’s breakfast, and then when it’s time for the bus, Dad usually takes Sam down to the end of their long driveway in the golf cart. Mom could handle this while Dad’s in the hospital, but getting up that early is pretty difficult for Mom, and she’s got enough to handle. Anyway, I enjoy it. I get to sleep a little later and so does Sammy, and then we have the morning together. He likes to be driven to school.
It does mean I get into work about an hour and a half late, though. My work day starts at 7:30am, so when I take Sammy to school, I don’t get there until close to 9am, taking that time on vacation or making it up.
Lately, though, there is a bigger problem with getting to work late. Because of some construction going on around our company’s campus, there have been many parking areas eradicated. This has caused a serious shortage of parking spots. This morning when I got there at 8:50am, I drove around for about 20 minutes, going to several different parking lots, and eventually with about 3 or 4 other cars, looking for an open space. Even a “no parking” area open space, anything. There were 2 handicap spots free, but that was it. I was contemplating driving over a curb and parking on the lawn, but then I said to myself, fuck this. I drove to Kroger and bought myself a small bunch of tulips, bought some mixed nuts for my Daddy, stopped at the Rite-Aid next door and bought some stuff, looked around, killed some time. Driving back to work, I decided that if there were no free parking spots by now, I was just going to head on home.
I found one right up front. Darn it.
I met a friend for lunch. Her name is Ann, and she discovered not too long ago that she has breast cancer. It was caught early and she had surgery, then radiation treatment. She’s doing well, and she looked great. It was nice to see her.
And after lunch, I actually found a free parking spot. One of about 4 left. Whew. But after I got to my desk, I was just so not in the mood to be there. Just too much drama this week, I guess. I left for the day, and am taking tomorrow on vacation. I was planning to go in late, after taking Sammy to school, and then leave early to go back out and get Sam, bring him into town for his dental appointment early tomorrow afternoon… instead, I’m just taking the whole dang day off. Screw it.
So I left today and hit the dollar store. Our town has 3 of them. My favorite one is on my way home, so I turned in. I saw Gwen and her mom in there, which really surprised me. We had a nice visit. She said Cody had a good day yesterday, and that Sammy was really nice to him. I was glad to hear that, because it confirmed what Sam had said.
And then I bought myself 2 vases, which I totally do not need. It used to be everything was a dollar, but now they have some more “high end” stuff on occasion… so I had to fork out five bucks for each of these vases. I like them both. I put my tulips in this one.
And I think it’ll look great with daffodils, too. This is the other one.
I think they’re both pretty, and it cheered me up! Retail therapy isn’t something that usually appeals to me, but it helped today.
I also bought a new shower curtain and rugs for our bathroom this week. Those purchases I can justify. We’ve had the same curtain and rugs for quite a few years now… probably at least 10. I bought them from the National Wildlife gift catalog, and they were kinda pricey (for me, anyway). I’d say we’ve got our use out of them. It’s funny, I’m not really tired of them yet… even after 10 years. So I’m definitely saving them. Here’s the “before” photo:
But I had in a mind a totally different look, and lo & behold, I found exactly what I was thinking of for the shower curtain at Wal-Mart. Then I found the exact rugs I wanted at K-Mart. Hey, if the store has a hyphen in its name, count me in. Here is my “after” photo:
I also spent about an hour and half scrubbing in there… gave the bathroom one of those ol’ deep cleaning sessions. I usually go with a swipe and promise… it’s not that I hate doing housework, I’d enjoy it if I had more time.
Anyway, I like my “new” bathroom, and I like my new vases. All that and a glass of Reisling has much improved my mood tonight.
It does mean I get into work about an hour and a half late, though. My work day starts at 7:30am, so when I take Sammy to school, I don’t get there until close to 9am, taking that time on vacation or making it up.
Lately, though, there is a bigger problem with getting to work late. Because of some construction going on around our company’s campus, there have been many parking areas eradicated. This has caused a serious shortage of parking spots. This morning when I got there at 8:50am, I drove around for about 20 minutes, going to several different parking lots, and eventually with about 3 or 4 other cars, looking for an open space. Even a “no parking” area open space, anything. There were 2 handicap spots free, but that was it. I was contemplating driving over a curb and parking on the lawn, but then I said to myself, fuck this. I drove to Kroger and bought myself a small bunch of tulips, bought some mixed nuts for my Daddy, stopped at the Rite-Aid next door and bought some stuff, looked around, killed some time. Driving back to work, I decided that if there were no free parking spots by now, I was just going to head on home.
I found one right up front. Darn it.
I met a friend for lunch. Her name is Ann, and she discovered not too long ago that she has breast cancer. It was caught early and she had surgery, then radiation treatment. She’s doing well, and she looked great. It was nice to see her.
And after lunch, I actually found a free parking spot. One of about 4 left. Whew. But after I got to my desk, I was just so not in the mood to be there. Just too much drama this week, I guess. I left for the day, and am taking tomorrow on vacation. I was planning to go in late, after taking Sammy to school, and then leave early to go back out and get Sam, bring him into town for his dental appointment early tomorrow afternoon… instead, I’m just taking the whole dang day off. Screw it.
So I left today and hit the dollar store. Our town has 3 of them. My favorite one is on my way home, so I turned in. I saw Gwen and her mom in there, which really surprised me. We had a nice visit. She said Cody had a good day yesterday, and that Sammy was really nice to him. I was glad to hear that, because it confirmed what Sam had said.
And then I bought myself 2 vases, which I totally do not need. It used to be everything was a dollar, but now they have some more “high end” stuff on occasion… so I had to fork out five bucks for each of these vases. I like them both. I put my tulips in this one.
And I think it’ll look great with daffodils, too. This is the other one.
I think they’re both pretty, and it cheered me up! Retail therapy isn’t something that usually appeals to me, but it helped today.
I also bought a new shower curtain and rugs for our bathroom this week. Those purchases I can justify. We’ve had the same curtain and rugs for quite a few years now… probably at least 10. I bought them from the National Wildlife gift catalog, and they were kinda pricey (for me, anyway). I’d say we’ve got our use out of them. It’s funny, I’m not really tired of them yet… even after 10 years. So I’m definitely saving them. Here’s the “before” photo:
But I had in a mind a totally different look, and lo & behold, I found exactly what I was thinking of for the shower curtain at Wal-Mart. Then I found the exact rugs I wanted at K-Mart. Hey, if the store has a hyphen in its name, count me in. Here is my “after” photo:
I also spent about an hour and half scrubbing in there… gave the bathroom one of those ol’ deep cleaning sessions. I usually go with a swipe and promise… it’s not that I hate doing housework, I’d enjoy it if I had more time.
Anyway, I like my “new” bathroom, and I like my new vases. All that and a glass of Reisling has much improved my mood tonight.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Mission Organization: Success
We finally finished the library, and it looks nice.
As with almost all our cleaning/organizing projects, we ended up with a bunch of stuff that had to be hauled down to the basement. Like the old end table and lamp that was in Sam's room before we got him his big comfy chair and rearranged his room, and the old puppet show stage and puppets we made a long time ago, a plastic bin organizer that came out of Joycie's room about 2 years ago and was stuck in the corner of the library collecting odds and ends for no reason... Our basement is semi-finished and isn't meant to be one big storage facility, but I'm such a packrat that I can't seem to toss perfectly good stuff (that no one else would want).
We boxed up 23 boxes of books out of the bookshelves to make room for all those that we put in there. I was going to take those boxes down into the basement (well, have the kids take them anyway), but then I had a great idea... in the bathroom upstairs, which is right next to the library, there is a lot of unused space. It's a long, narrow bathroom. It is as wide as the tub is long, and the tub & shower surround is at the very end of the room. There's nothing along the left wall, and the toilet, sink and cupboards are all in row along the right wall, with the toilet right next to the tub. The door opens in and to the right. Behind the door is empty space. We fit all 23 boxes there, with room for more. I'm going to pick up a tension rod and a curtain to hang in front of the boxes to hide them nicely. I thought this was a stroke of genius. Hauling those heavy boxes down 2 flights of stairs was not an enjoyable prospect. Then trying to fit them somewhere in the basement would be more than a challenge. And then, at some point in the hopefully not too distant future, when my additional book shelves are finished, having to haul those 23 boxes, plus the many, many books and boxes of books I already have down in the basement, back up 2 flights of stairs... well, it's nice to avoid all that.
Anyway, the library once again looks like someplace I would want to sit down and relax with a good book.
At some point, I am really, truly going to have to tackle the basement, including my craft room, which I've been "planning" to organize since, oh, something like a year ago. My to do list is long (and dusty).
I wish I could be more like Kevin... his to do list is constantly changing, because he keeps getting stuff done. He's a worker, that man. Yesterday when I was posting about the septic tank, Sammy got to come inside and rest while Kev was busy with the septic guys. Kevin had been outside working all day, and he had Sammy out there with him. They raked out some gardens and lawn areas, picked up branches and sticks, other jobs involving dirt and grime. Kev let Sammy have plenty of breaks throughout the day (while Kev has to be hollered at sometimes to break for lunch). Sam was so dirty, he knew he couldn't put his butt on the furniture, so he decided to lay on the floor and read. I took this shot of him without him knowing, and then he said why do you want a picture of my dirty feet??? I don't know... but he's cute, ain't he. His poor legs... some of those spots & marks are truly dirt, but some are bruises, and then he has a bunch of mosquito bites from baseball practice the other night.
Mom called me earlier this morning to let me know our Easter Sunday church service and potluck plans are nixed. Quite a few of the folks there are ill, one guy is in the hospital with pneumonia or a bad sinus infection or something (he's old), and anyway, the church has cancelled the potluck due to so many of the congregation being ill. Service is still going on, but Mom and Dad don't want to go and risk getting sick. Dad's having knee replacement surgery on Monday morning, and either one of them getting sick would really suck right now. Especially Dad, since he's having the surgery, but Mom needs to be well to take care of Dad and not give it to him while he's recuperating. Mama has enough trouble with colds & 'flu and allergies, spending time in a small building with a bunch of sick people is not worth the risk. I'm disappointed, because I was looking forward to seeing inside of this old church, and I know Mom is disappointed, too, because she was looking forward to having 2 of her grandchildren and her heathen daughter attend Easter services with her & Dad. Maybe Christmas services...
As with almost all our cleaning/organizing projects, we ended up with a bunch of stuff that had to be hauled down to the basement. Like the old end table and lamp that was in Sam's room before we got him his big comfy chair and rearranged his room, and the old puppet show stage and puppets we made a long time ago, a plastic bin organizer that came out of Joycie's room about 2 years ago and was stuck in the corner of the library collecting odds and ends for no reason... Our basement is semi-finished and isn't meant to be one big storage facility, but I'm such a packrat that I can't seem to toss perfectly good stuff (that no one else would want).
We boxed up 23 boxes of books out of the bookshelves to make room for all those that we put in there. I was going to take those boxes down into the basement (well, have the kids take them anyway), but then I had a great idea... in the bathroom upstairs, which is right next to the library, there is a lot of unused space. It's a long, narrow bathroom. It is as wide as the tub is long, and the tub & shower surround is at the very end of the room. There's nothing along the left wall, and the toilet, sink and cupboards are all in row along the right wall, with the toilet right next to the tub. The door opens in and to the right. Behind the door is empty space. We fit all 23 boxes there, with room for more. I'm going to pick up a tension rod and a curtain to hang in front of the boxes to hide them nicely. I thought this was a stroke of genius. Hauling those heavy boxes down 2 flights of stairs was not an enjoyable prospect. Then trying to fit them somewhere in the basement would be more than a challenge. And then, at some point in the hopefully not too distant future, when my additional book shelves are finished, having to haul those 23 boxes, plus the many, many books and boxes of books I already have down in the basement, back up 2 flights of stairs... well, it's nice to avoid all that.
Anyway, the library once again looks like someplace I would want to sit down and relax with a good book.
At some point, I am really, truly going to have to tackle the basement, including my craft room, which I've been "planning" to organize since, oh, something like a year ago. My to do list is long (and dusty).
I wish I could be more like Kevin... his to do list is constantly changing, because he keeps getting stuff done. He's a worker, that man. Yesterday when I was posting about the septic tank, Sammy got to come inside and rest while Kev was busy with the septic guys. Kevin had been outside working all day, and he had Sammy out there with him. They raked out some gardens and lawn areas, picked up branches and sticks, other jobs involving dirt and grime. Kev let Sammy have plenty of breaks throughout the day (while Kev has to be hollered at sometimes to break for lunch). Sam was so dirty, he knew he couldn't put his butt on the furniture, so he decided to lay on the floor and read. I took this shot of him without him knowing, and then he said why do you want a picture of my dirty feet??? I don't know... but he's cute, ain't he. His poor legs... some of those spots & marks are truly dirt, but some are bruises, and then he has a bunch of mosquito bites from baseball practice the other night.
Mom called me earlier this morning to let me know our Easter Sunday church service and potluck plans are nixed. Quite a few of the folks there are ill, one guy is in the hospital with pneumonia or a bad sinus infection or something (he's old), and anyway, the church has cancelled the potluck due to so many of the congregation being ill. Service is still going on, but Mom and Dad don't want to go and risk getting sick. Dad's having knee replacement surgery on Monday morning, and either one of them getting sick would really suck right now. Especially Dad, since he's having the surgery, but Mom needs to be well to take care of Dad and not give it to him while he's recuperating. Mama has enough trouble with colds & 'flu and allergies, spending time in a small building with a bunch of sick people is not worth the risk. I'm disappointed, because I was looking forward to seeing inside of this old church, and I know Mom is disappointed, too, because she was looking forward to having 2 of her grandchildren and her heathen daughter attend Easter services with her & Dad. Maybe Christmas services...
Friday, March 31, 2006
Room with a view
Since we have rearranged our bedroom, I now have a view out an east-facing window, overlooking the pond. This morning's sunrise was nothing to write home about... but still a great view. Today's weather is gray and rainy. We slept in until about 8am. Here's my new, improved view from my pillow.
Not bad.
I love days like this. Feels like Spring. And since it's raining, we can spend the morning getting some stuff done inside, with Kev not feeling like he should be outside with his Kubota. This afternoon, we 3 are going to a movie & then out to dinner. ***sniff*** missing my girl...
Joycie called me about 4 times yesterday. Once to say save the tape of Lost for her friend, Kara, and be sure to tape Survivor, CSI & Without a Trace. Then again to say they made it to London & where they were. Then again to say she was settled back in their room & they were watching Survivor, but be sure to tape the other shows, and that the mall there was huge. Oh, the 4th time we talked was when I called her. She and Allison had just got back from the pool and were getting cleaned up to go out to dinner. I wonder what kind of charges the Verizon bill will show... Canada is so close, I don't think of it as "international" calling... hmmm.....
Not bad.
I love days like this. Feels like Spring. And since it's raining, we can spend the morning getting some stuff done inside, with Kev not feeling like he should be outside with his Kubota. This afternoon, we 3 are going to a movie & then out to dinner. ***sniff*** missing my girl...
Joycie called me about 4 times yesterday. Once to say save the tape of Lost for her friend, Kara, and be sure to tape Survivor, CSI & Without a Trace. Then again to say they made it to London & where they were. Then again to say she was settled back in their room & they were watching Survivor, but be sure to tape the other shows, and that the mall there was huge. Oh, the 4th time we talked was when I called her. She and Allison had just got back from the pool and were getting cleaned up to go out to dinner. I wonder what kind of charges the Verizon bill will show... Canada is so close, I don't think of it as "international" calling... hmmm.....
Thursday, March 30, 2006
& on the 5th day of spring break...
Yesterday was quite a day... we spent the morning getting the beast into the house... Kevin's new 600-lb. gun safe out of the back of his pickup, up the sidewalk, up the 4 front steps of the porch, up the 1 step through the front door and situated at its final resting place. Where it will remain forever.
That was an unforgettable experience. Kev used his tractor to pull it out of his pickup, then we manhandled it onto a hand-truck. When we got to the front steps, which are wooden, we discovered the wheels of the hand-truck were just the right size to fit under the step. Did I say fit? I meant get stuck. So Kev & Dad went over and put the front bucket on Dad's tractor, since that bucket is not as wide as Kev's, and we manhandled the beast onto the bucket and Dad lifted it up onto the porch. My heart was in my throat throughout this entire endeavor. If that thing fell and landed on you, it would kill you. Or at least smash a body part beyond recognition.
With Joycie, Dad and I pushing and Kev pulling, we got it up over the front door step, then Kev wheeled it into the bedroom. I didn't think I'd like a big black thing in our bedroom, but when I look at it now, I feel satisfied and happy.
And sore. Nothing like being scared shitless, tensed up as all git out and pushing & pulling with all your might to give the ol' back muscles a workout.
I took a ton of photos, but this one says it best.
Kev left for work shortly afterwards, and then Joycie, Sam & I went and picked up Michael and headed for town. We had a great afternoon. A wonderful afternoon. It was beautiful out, warm and sunny. We were all in shirtsleeves and all in good moods. We did some fun shopping, had dinner at a Chinese buffet, then went home and watched a good movie. It was an old HBO movie the kids checked out at the library, the Dog Men or something like that, about a lost Indian tribe, well, not lost really, more like hidden. It was good. Like Michael said, kinda cheesy, but good. Beautiful scenery.
I am enjoying this week so much. I think the kids would have preferred a vacation away, but this is The Best in my opinion. I'm glad Michael is around and could hang out with us. I miss my niece, Michelle. Our kids are growing up too fast for me. I want to grab them and hold them all just as they are... OK, not really. Of course. I love seeing how they change and grow. Joyce will be 18 this November. Everytime I say that to myself, I feel strange. Sad and proud and scared. Michael will be 16 this summer and driving by himself. I'm experiencing the same qualms I had when Michelle began driving and then with Joycie. Of course. My nephew is so smart and mature, he'll be an excellent driver. It's not him I'm worried about. Anyway, I can take worry to a whole new art form.
Speaking of which, Joycie left this morning with her friend, Allison, and Allison's mom, Sue. They're headed to London for a shopping spree. London, Canada, as Joycie liked to explain to the looks of surprise she was getting with that statement. Cracked me up. I explained that saying London, Canada, was like saying Detroit, USA. She didn't really appreciate my explanation.
Joycie will be back on Sunday. She's been gone a little over an hour now, and I'm already: a) worried, b) wanting to call her on her cell phone to make sure she didn't forget anything important, and c) missing her. I'm such a wimp.
p.s. and how could I almost forget to add that Lost wasn't a re-run?!!! Yeeha.
That was an unforgettable experience. Kev used his tractor to pull it out of his pickup, then we manhandled it onto a hand-truck. When we got to the front steps, which are wooden, we discovered the wheels of the hand-truck were just the right size to fit under the step. Did I say fit? I meant get stuck. So Kev & Dad went over and put the front bucket on Dad's tractor, since that bucket is not as wide as Kev's, and we manhandled the beast onto the bucket and Dad lifted it up onto the porch. My heart was in my throat throughout this entire endeavor. If that thing fell and landed on you, it would kill you. Or at least smash a body part beyond recognition.
With Joycie, Dad and I pushing and Kev pulling, we got it up over the front door step, then Kev wheeled it into the bedroom. I didn't think I'd like a big black thing in our bedroom, but when I look at it now, I feel satisfied and happy.
And sore. Nothing like being scared shitless, tensed up as all git out and pushing & pulling with all your might to give the ol' back muscles a workout.
I took a ton of photos, but this one says it best.
Kev left for work shortly afterwards, and then Joycie, Sam & I went and picked up Michael and headed for town. We had a great afternoon. A wonderful afternoon. It was beautiful out, warm and sunny. We were all in shirtsleeves and all in good moods. We did some fun shopping, had dinner at a Chinese buffet, then went home and watched a good movie. It was an old HBO movie the kids checked out at the library, the Dog Men or something like that, about a lost Indian tribe, well, not lost really, more like hidden. It was good. Like Michael said, kinda cheesy, but good. Beautiful scenery.
I am enjoying this week so much. I think the kids would have preferred a vacation away, but this is The Best in my opinion. I'm glad Michael is around and could hang out with us. I miss my niece, Michelle. Our kids are growing up too fast for me. I want to grab them and hold them all just as they are... OK, not really. Of course. I love seeing how they change and grow. Joyce will be 18 this November. Everytime I say that to myself, I feel strange. Sad and proud and scared. Michael will be 16 this summer and driving by himself. I'm experiencing the same qualms I had when Michelle began driving and then with Joycie. Of course. My nephew is so smart and mature, he'll be an excellent driver. It's not him I'm worried about. Anyway, I can take worry to a whole new art form.
Speaking of which, Joycie left this morning with her friend, Allison, and Allison's mom, Sue. They're headed to London for a shopping spree. London, Canada, as Joycie liked to explain to the looks of surprise she was getting with that statement. Cracked me up. I explained that saying London, Canada, was like saying Detroit, USA. She didn't really appreciate my explanation.
Joycie will be back on Sunday. She's been gone a little over an hour now, and I'm already: a) worried, b) wanting to call her on her cell phone to make sure she didn't forget anything important, and c) missing her. I'm such a wimp.
p.s. and how could I almost forget to add that Lost wasn't a re-run?!!! Yeeha.
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