Month: June 2011

We had a nice visit in Waukesha and are back home now. Only a few days until Ethan and Audrey are here!!!

Today we will head up to Ladysmith to try to get all the projects done at that house. Some of these things have needed doing for over a year, so it will be gratifying to get them done. It looks like a beautiful day right now (7:15 a.m.), so I hope it stays this way.

Last night, after we got home, I got the grass mowed up at the property, so I don’t have that to do today. So I’m pretty much free to stay at Ladysmith as long as the projects take!

I took pictures of the tub surround to post on Craig’s List and while I was at it took some more flower pictures.

I had to show you the boot again. It just looks cuter and cuter as the season goes on.

And one more – this one from the neighbor’s yard. I think it is so beautiful, although I don’t know what it is.

Sorry I haven’t been posting pictures. I haven’t been doing anything very photogenic, other than the day Chloe and Erica came, and they took the pictures and posted them.

Mostly I’ve been doing yard work. With all the rain, it has been great for weeding. I try to do it every week, but don’t necessarily get to it. But I did yesterday. And put more mulch on to discourage the weeds in some of the flower beds. Everything is looking so pretty. It is fun to see what color everything turns out to be when it opens.

We got a lot done on the rental in Chetek. Dad spent last night trying to solve the roof leak problem. He fixed it on the weekend, then it came back, even worse, when it rained yesterday. So he worked on it again last evening, and hopefully has it fixed. It is dripping on the daughter’s dresser and driving her bonkers (as you would expect)!

We are heading to Waukesha tomorrow evening and coming back Saturday. The neighbor girls will be doing chores.

I rode my scooter to work Monday and Tuesday. It is great having a “recreational activity” before and after work. Really brightens my day. Unfortunately it is raining today, so I’ll have to drive. Actually, we really needed the rain, so I’m glad it is raining. Plus it gives me about 30 extra minutes in the a.m. – 15 for the trip and another 15 for watering the grass seed.

I’ve been working on tearing out a wall at 117. By tearing out, we’re talking sheetrock, then 2×4’s, then siding, then wood boards to get down to the previously interior studs. Of course, there is insulation to clean up, too. The wall between what will be the piano room and the living room used to be an exterior wall and the last people just slapped a wall over the exterior, but it didn’t work so well and used up a lot of valuable space. So we are going to do it right. Fortunately, there was a big window and doorway in the wall, so it isn’t as bad as it sounds! I burned the wood in the backyard fire pit as I removed it, so I don’t have a pile of wood to dispose of, either!

Erica and Chloe come tomorrow – yipee!

We had our first pancake breakfast fund raiser at the senior center this a.m. so I was up there at about 6:40, setting tables, making signs, etc. I stayed until a little after 9:00, after Dad had come and had breakfast.

We then went to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and got a door for 123 Stout (upstairs apt.) and two small doors for the pantry we’re planning in 117 in New Auburn, and a vanity/counter/sink combination for the bathroom at 117, and a new light for the stairway at 126. We also picked up some 2×4’s at Lamperts, then headed home.

This afternoon we worked some on 117 and now Dad is going to Chetek to work at 123 Stout, then heading over to The Garage for his shift at 8:00.

In June? In northwest Wisconsin? It hit 100 in Eau Claire and Rice Lake “officially” yesterday,  although the highest I saw on a thermometer  was 98 in Chetek at 5:30.  Makes a person wish they had air conditioning!

Today isn’t as bad, although it was pretty warm mowing and hoeing in the gardens. But I got all my jobs done. I was going to go rake grass out in the country, but I’d accidentally left my key turned on (I’d turned the car back on to get a c.d. out of the player, because it was stuck, then forgot to turn the car off, I guess. Woops!) so I can’t go anywhere.

Later this evening I get to go pick up my scooter. Yes, I bought a scooter. Actually I’m paying him tonight, so it isn’t officially mine yet. It belongs to a co-worker and I’m getting it for $900, which I think is pretty good. It is a Schwinn and is 49cc, so I don’t need a license. So I’ll be riding that to work every day that I can and saving a lot of gas money compared to driving my 16 miles to the gallon gas hog. I’ll post a picture of it later.

Who knew summer without the Red Barn could be so much fun? Without having to rush off in the evenings, I’m able to get a lot more done in the yard and garden. Today I watered the new grass seed and sod three times (before work, after work, and before bed), dug up a section of garden for the two tomatoes and planted them, planted the last 60 gladiola bulbs, with Dad’s help, cleaned the bathroom, swept the floor and shook the rugs, straightened the landing zone, cut up all the fruit I bought yesterday (yum- melons, strawberries and pineapple), found a book I’d been missing after a lot of hunting, finished folding the weekend laundry, mulched the rest of the hostas, and grilled chicken drumsticks for supper. Plus I started the two neighbor girls on piano lessons right after supper. Besides working my regular 8 – 1 shift and dropping food off at The Garage and watering the petunias there. Very productive day, despite the heat.

And I get to do it all again tomorrow. I’m loving it!

It has been a busy weekend since the very large bobcat arrived a little after 4:00 yesterday. I guess it takes some getting used to, handling it. Dad has been busy moving dirt and gravel here and there and generally tearing up the yard. I’ve been salvaging sod and filling in places that needed it. I also planted some more hostas around trees, both in the back and in the front yard. Basically all the trees have hostas around them now.

The other pictures show some flowers from my garden.  The pink ones are the trillium that were white last week (check out the picture in the last post!). The next is a lupine that is just starting to bloom. And the big blue ones are bee balm. And a picture of the hostas in the back yard under trees. Finally, there are a couple pictures of the drapes I bought and made valences out of to match. They are in the dining room and piano room. I think they are beautiful – you don’t get a good idea of the color, since the pictures are so different!