Author: admin (Page 15 of 89)

Gary and Dad and I worked all day yesterday replacing a deck on one of our rentals, the one over in the subdivision here in Chetek (we call it 1208). It is that little manufactured home on a large lot, with a detached garage. Anyway, it had a deck at the front door, which was totally overgrown with trumpet vine and was really rotted, and the posts had heaved with the frost, so was sort-of cockeyed in the ground. We ripped it totally down, removed all the vines, sunk new posts, were able to use the framework of the deck again, since that wood was still fine, replaced all the deck planks, and put on new steps and new railings.  With all the hauling and everything, it was done by 5:45. Whew! I’m going to try to get some pictures and get them posted later. It has been raining, but I think it may be clearing up enough now to take pictures. Anyway, that is three big projects checked off the list!!

Last night we worked on the siding on the east end of 117 in New Auburn. We put in a new window last year before we rented it, and that involved removing some siding. Then the bees made their home in the open wall, which took about all season to get rid of. So it still wasn’t sided.

But that has been remedied. It was only 4 runs of siding, but the first piece took a long time, because it had to go under the window, so there was a lot of measuring and such. We thought we were going to have to come back and redo the peak, because we didn’t think the new stuff would match up with the old siding in the peak, but it did. Dad gave it a slap and it all clicked together and it is finished. Awesome!!

I’ll post pictures after we get Saturday’s job done, which is a new deck on the front of 1208 Sexton. We have the lumber all piled up and ready to go, so we hope to get that done in the one day, too. We are just churning through these jobs!!

Nothing is going to happen soon. We had to let that particular opportunity pass, knowing that something will come up when we are actually ready. When I wrote down everything Dad has to do before he can leave, it came to a complete month of work, all day, every day. Oh, but he has a job…Hmmmm….

So we are going to keep plugging away at all the projects. We hope to get them done before snow flies, but there is really a lot to do. Much of it is stuff that should have been done long ago, but we just didn’t get to it. And about 8 day’s worth is finishing up with The Garage – preparing a place for all our stuff, moving all our stuff, selling the rest, etc.

On the good side, a project that has needed doing for years was completed yesterday. We had put new roof on the garage at 123 Stout (where we lived before this) quite a while back, then sided three sides, but not the end that faced the alley. That was because they hadn’t put the new garage door in yet. So this weekend, Gary and Dad put the garage door in and yesterday Gary sided it and now IT LOOKS LIKE A COMPLETELY NEW GARAGE!!! So excited that is done!

So we contacted the manager of the apartment building we THINK we want to live in in Johnson City several weeks ago and he didn’t have an opening, but he put us on his list. He wrote today that he has a unit opening up Sept. 1. The price is right – only $655/month, which is well below our budgeted $700/month. And it is 1,1oo square feet, on two levels, which is a nice size for all our stuff. There are only 19 units and one doesn’t come open very often, according to him. So, do we wait for another to open up, or do we pursue this one? I sent him a picture of Sherlock and it sounds like he will let us bring him, which is a plus. In addition, the guy sounds really nice in his emails.

Earlier in the month, Dad said he’d consider moving the end of August, but I said I wasn’t ready, because I feel I need to give my school jobs a semester’s notice. But we talked about him moving first and getting a job while I continue to work here and pay the bills. Financially, that would be the safest thing to do, because he should be able to get a job down there fairly quick and I’ll feel better living alone up here than in a strange city.

I do love the idea of being down there by winter…

And our finances are in the shape that would allow us to spend a couple months getting established in new jobs.

What to do, what to do…

It has been quite a while since I posted. It isn’t that we aren’t doing anything, just that we don’t think we are doing anything anyone else would be interested in!

Work is pretty much the same for both of us. I think Dad is getting more frustrated with his job since we started to think about moving. He actually suggested we pack up and move south the end of August, but I nixed that idea. I feel I have a responsibility to give the groups I’ve been accompanying for years a bit more notice than that! But we may end up having him move to Johnson City first and find a job, then I would follow him a few month’s later, once the concerts were done with for the semester. We actually found a complex we would like to rent in – it is near the schools (high school and middle school) and surrounded by some wide open spaces. That would be a nice change from where we are now living, surrounded by parking lots! They don’t have any openings right now, but I asked if they had a waiting list, and he replied that he’d be glad to put our name on a list. I had the feeling there really wasn’t an actual list, so I expect we’ll hear as soon as a unit opens up. It isn’t a big place, though – probably only about a dozen and a half units. We’ll keep you posted on all that. Here is a link: http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartments/Tennessee/Johnson-City/Nob-Hill-Apartments/100023792/

The garden is growing well. We had kale, pea pods and kohl rabi last night. I also have a few potatoes that I’ll probably prepare tonight. Someone left us a cabbage at the top of the hill by our EdensEdge sign. We have no idea who it was, but it is a very nice cabbage, and ours aren’t ready to eat yet, so we are glad to have it. Cabbage with onions and bacon for supper tonight!

Sorry you guys down south are having to deal with such heat these days, but keep thinking about how nice the winters are!

I just finished a book that was really meaningful and helped me understand a lot of things about myself. I found it because of something I saw on Facebook that referenced this book.

The book is The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron and was first published back in 1996.  Basically it explores the often missed distinction between shy people and highly sensitive people. It totally opened my eyes to why I feel the way I do about some things and why I react the way I do to some situations. I scored really high on the sensitivity scale, so have no doubt I am the kind of person she is talking about.

I also am sure Nathan falls pretty high on the spectrum and remember explaining to my mom very early on that “Nathan was a very sensitive baby.” She wouldn’t buy it, telling me (the inexperienced first-time mother) that “boys are not sensitive.” But I didn’t believe her and think I did an okay job of raising him with the knowledge all along that he was sensitive.

I’m afraid I missed the boat with Luke, though. (I sincerely don’t know that either Erica or Kylene are highly sensitive, although am quite sure the boys are.) But I think that with Luke following so closely on the tails of three other pre-schoolers, I just didn’t appreciate his personality as much as I should. (And for that, I apologize, Luke.)

But the point is that, if you think you might be a highly sensitive person, I would recommend this book. And, if you think you might be raising a highly sensitive child – and it is a trait that can be inherited, although not always – I would definitely recommend reading it. It was at our library, so you can probably find it easily. I’m am almost positive Chloe has this trait, but suspect that all of Nathan and Amy’s children might have it, too. And the great thing is that it gives explanations for and ways of dealing with behaviors that stem from over-arousal, which is the constant problem when you are highly sensitive.

Take the time to read it, or at least skim it, if you get the chance. If you are like me, it will change your outlook on life. If you are not, it will increase your understanding of people like me!

It took a few days, but we’ve recovered from our time with Chloe and Josiah!!  Just kidding – they didn’t really wear us out much.

I decided to go on a 10-day sugar fast with a couple gals at work. Today is day 5 and it is going really well. I gave up all sugar and honey and the such, as well as all dairy, all grains, and all fruit except watermelon.  I’m also going to add strawberries, since they are in season and, like watermelon, you would have to eat an awful lot to make much difference.

So, I started pretty heavy, because of the grandkids here and the holiday (and knowing I was going on this 10 day thing), but I have lost 7 1/2 pounds since Monday. I’m a few pounds lower than I have been in months, so I’m encouraged! I planned all my meals and snacks in advance, because there weren’t a lot of things that I like that I could eat – just vegetables, meats, eggs, nuts.

Five more days, and then I need to decide what to do next. I watched the video on Netflix called Fed Up, which shows the dangers of sugar consumption, and that was very affirming that I’m doing the right thing. You should watch it if you get Netflix.  So, I know I’m not going back to the way I was eating.

If feels good to be getting control of my life again.

We were too busy to take pictures yesterday, so a written account will have to do!

I realized that, just like I loved to watch t.v. when I visited my Grandma, these two equate watching Netflix with visiting Nana and Bumba, so I didn’t fight it. They spent a while in the a.m., after they had breakfast, watching their favorite shows while I cleaned up and did laundry and Bumpa worked on fixing things around here some more. It was really weird for him to not be preparing for the fund raiser at The Garage for the first time in 15 years. At about 10:30, we got in the car and drove over to Roselawn Elementary, where Chloe and Josiah had a blast playing on the wide array of playground equipment. Unlike the previous day at the beach park, Josiah did NOT come to me after 10 minutes to say, “I’m done. Let’s go to the next park!” I guess he understood that Chetek only has a couple parks.

We then went home before someone parked for the parade in our driveway, and watched another show before we ate grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. Then, a bit before 12:00, we heard the planes flying over, so we quickly got outside to watch the parade. We walked 1/2 block east to the intersection of Knapp and Second, which has to be the best place in town to watch, because it is right in front of the announcer’s table and they keep you quite entertained. Normally I don’t care that much for the parade, but they actually made it enjoyable. And the kids finally got into the swing of running out and grabbing candy. They started out a bit too hesitant about whether it was permissible, so missed out on some. Josiah would dash out ahead of everyone, but only take one in each hand, and run back, doing a happy dance that he’d scored some more. It never seemed to occur to him to grab more than two pieces!  Chloe was the proud recipient of a flyswatter (she hates bugs) and Josiah got a rubber bracelet. But Josiah also caught one of the few tee-shirts they were throwing, so that was a big win for him! It will be a Chetek memory, since it is for the Hydroflites ski show for 2015.

When the parade was over, we came home for naps. Bumpa and Nana slept, but Chloe and Josiah didn’t, although they stayed in bed the entire hour and a half until the music c.d. was over. They then went to The Garage with Bumpa to find some things and, mostly, play video games until I arrived with the car packed for the afternoon in the country.

We brought a long clothesline to tie Sherlock on, so we wouldn’t have to keep looking for him. Josiah enjoyed playing with him quite a lot of the time we were there. I tilled and weeded the garden and Bumpa worked on getting a good fire ready for cooking supper and the kids went from here to there and everywhere in the beautiful outdoors. For supper, we cooked hot dogs over a fire that was still a smidgen too hot and ate in the trailer. We played some more outside, discovered we DID NOT have any marshmallows left to cook, put out the fire and headed back to Chetek.

The fireworks started about 9:45 and we just walked over to the north side of First National Bank and sat in the grass there and had a great view of the show, with no one else around to hear our effusive comments about them – it was perfect! Then home to bed.

It was a great day. We couldn’t live in a better place to enjoy Liberty Fest!!

Enjoying Amish donuts.

Fun at the playground.

Here are a couple pictures of the kids helping out. I got the drum set from my mom and the paint was falling off and I discovered there was a painted drum head under the white paint. Chloe is helping me get the white paint off, which is no small task.

Bumpa is working on the pipes that split over the winter, forcing us to shut down our second bathroom. We’ve been without it for quite a while now, but it would be nice to have it working again!

In case anyone is wondering, we did not sleep in the trailer last night. Chloe is going to be a hard sell on that, but we’ll try again today!