A Sunday Update

We've been busy here.  The week has been spent getting things back in order and straightened up.  I did an all-over cleaning and kept up with laundry and such.  We've each had appointments and Les has had PT.  Les and I have also been busy with a couple other things I won't mention. 

My eye appointment went well and Dr. Kitay says I am good with my over-the-counter readers.  I go back in a year.

The man came and measured for our new carpet.  The installation is set for October 10th.  And that is one reason why I am not doing any more major cleaning.  There will be more mess.  In anticipation of that, we are starting to clean some things out.

Two of those things are our current older, very heavy desks here in the office.  We've talked about replacing them for a while and decided the time is right.  So we went to the Amish furniture store near us and bought two very nice, smaller, wooden desks.  They will be delivered on October 12th.

Today I have been cleaning out "my" desk and sorting through the drawers.  I'm getting rid of all those things that fall into the "someday someone might want this" category. 😊  If, someday, someone does want any of this stuff, they are "SOL".  It will be history by then!  The closets need to be cleared out, too, and I expect to have a pile for the DAV.

So, I'd better get back to it.  Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great!

Ready to Start Clean-up

We decided to try for a better night's sleep last night and went to a hotel.  The bedroom is not put back together yet.  We had to wait for the cement to "set".  The hotel was clean, quiet, the TV worked, and they had WiFi.  And Olive Garden was right across the parking lot so we walked over there for supper!

We got up early and got back home.  Les went to PT.  The furry boys are fed and taken care of, although we have not seen Cecil yet; he is still hiding. 😊

So, now some clean-up needs to be done, some laundry done, and things taken care of.   The carpet man comes tomorrow to measure.  We have a couple appointments coming up this week.

Life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Happy First Day of Fall!

It has been a long day.  Les and I got up extra early .  First up was getting the furry boys fed, and then secured in our office with all their stuff.  That was as far away as we could get them from the noise and workers.

Then we wrestled the bed down the hallway and the mattress and box parts are leaning against the wall in the library until the new concrete dries in our bedroom.  Also moved some smaller things and got the cars out of the garage.

The plumbers got here and worked for about three hours.  All fixed, tested, concrete drying, and cost was less than the estimate!  We are going to a hotel this evening and trying to get a good night's sleep. 

Les has PT in the morning and then we will be doing some cleaning and getting things back in place for now.  Everything, and then some!, will all be moved again when the new carpet is installed.  But hopefully, someone else is moving stuff instead of us.  😊

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great!

😊😊😊

I got this message this morning from Jacquie:

"Yo! Tell the blog readers I have invited you over here and you all have chosen to shower at the "Y" like hippies in 1968! :)"

Well, I don't know about hippies in 1968, but I can imagine.  Les and I were "living our dream" in Hyattsville, MD, around then before he was sent to Udorn AFB, Thailand. But, yes, she did invite us to come.  And we do appreciate it.  Since we are at the "Y" anyway some days, it seemed like a good idea to just go there and use their hot water that we're paying for.

We're just doing odds and ends around here today and will be doing a few things to get ready for tomorrow.  Some parts of preparations have to wait until in the morning.

Yesterday afternoon we went to look for carpet.  We went in, told the nice man what we wanted and what our requirements are.  The carpet has to be non-shedding, non-pilling, non-snagging, easy to clean, and someone else has to move our furniture.  And we also have to have a good padding. He said no problem, showed us what he recommended, we picked a color ("Meteorite"), he scheduled a visit to measure on Wednesday, and we were on the way home in less than half an hour.  That is the way we like to shop.  BTW, we had dealt with this company before when we purchased the wood floors that we love, so we knew what we were dealing with at the start.  And while we're going through the mess of carpet installation and everything, we are also going to do our office and library.  And......in the process clean some more "stuff" out.  Get ready, girls!  😊

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

P.S.  Our furry boys have been warned.

We Are Coping

Thought I'd start this post with something nice.  We have had Liriope in our mulched area in front of the porch for years.  This year the plants have gone all out with their blooming.  Prettiest ever!  Soon, as cooler temperatures get here they will start to wind down and I'll have to cut them back for the Winter, but they are still pretty right now!

Les and I are coping with the plumbing issues and trying not to stress about how much this is all going to cost.  We have no idea what, if any, our insurance will pay.  But the process has been started and the claims people say they are working on things.  Honestly, the repairs have to be done no matter what they tell us, so on we go.

That is pretty much what I told the HOA inspector, too, when she tried to tell me we had to wait for the Board of directors to give us permission for a POD if we needed it.  Right at the beginning I had given the office a heads up about what was going on.  Initially it had been a possibility that we'd have to have the driveway and garage floor dug up as well as the bedroom floor. In that case a POD would have to be delivered and furniture and things moved out.  The inspector woman replied that we'd have to get approval from the Board before doing anything.  I replied to her that that was fine if they had to give approval, but we were getting the repairs done as soon as possible whether we heard from them or not.  I suspect her supervisor (that I copied on my messages) might have told her that she was harsh because her next message to me was she was sorry we were going through this mess and please keep them informed.  This is same woman who demanded we have the roof and house powerwashed last November in the cold and rain with ground so soft we couldn't walk on it.  Oh, well, if only she paid as much attention to the places with peeling paint, trash, and in one instance a big boat sitting at the curb.  (that is a no-no)

So, anyway, Les and I are getting into the routine of getting to the "Y" for showers.  I pulled out the stash of assorted paper plates and cups for us to use.  Washing dishes in cold water is not great, but I've boiled a pan of water and dumped into the sink and that has helped.

Tomorrow we will start moving the small things out of the bedroom and getting things ready.  The plumbers are coming between 8:30 and 9:00 Monday morning.  The drywall in garage will come out, the carpet will be pulled up or cut out, the jackhammers will dig up the bedroom floor with the leaky area.  We've been told repairs will all be done in one day.  When the concrete sets we can start getting things back in order.

We're going to go look for carpet this afternoon.  We have someone that can come put up new drywall in the garage.  Cleaning everything up will take some time, but until those two big jobs are done, most of the cleaning is waiting.

Life remains great, if even it's challenging.  Stay safe and God Bless America!

The Latest Updates

The plumbers were back today and did more testing.  Two leaks were found.  One in the wall in the garage behind the hot water heater and one in the bedroom floor.  Drywall will come down in the garage.  The men will return early Monday morning with their jackhammers and get to work.  Part of the bedroom floor will be dug up, repairs made, things inspected, and new concrete put in.

I should explain that these two areas are back-to-back and close to each other.

We are not messing around with the risk of mold from wet carpet, so we will soon be out looking for new carpet and arranging installation and someone to move everything.  We are so past that!  It is important to know your limitations.  😊 We have talked with Steve and he has someone to come later and put up new drywall. 

In other areas of news.....

Les is all set up for some PT for an Ulna nerve problem in his left arm.  He will have the same PT person that I had. 

I had a dental check-up.  All okay until the next time in six months.

Les had to mow again today and ready the yard for aeration tomorrow when the guys come.

Our furry boys have been doing a lot of hiding the last couple days and today Angus is walking around doing a lot of sighing. 

And while I don't really feel it right this minute, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Today's Update

Busy day here that started with Smith & Keene calling early to say their plumber called in sick and no one was coming.  Our "GUY", Steve, had recommended Just Plumbing and Les called them.  They were here in less than two hours.  Very nice guys, clean uniforms, professional, and seemed to  know what they were doing.

They brought in their equipment and testing tools.  Couldn't find any evidence of leaks or problems.  The water meter out at the curb wasn't spinning.  They told us if there was a leak it would be going like crazy.  They checked all areas, and at one point even said it was possible that a natural spring had formed.  I asked if that happened often in our area and they said "more often than you would think".  (it has now been decided a spring is not the problem) They left and came back with more, different, very loud equipment.  It seems like the leak is somewhere in the water line from the hot water heater.  Our cold lines seem to be okay.  So for now, we turn the line on when we need hot water for showers, and then turn it back off.  Then clean up any water that has come up through the carpet.  But we still don't know where the leak is or if there is more than one.

Tomorrow they are coming with more equipment and putting nitrogen into the line with some other testing tools and hopefully will find out where they need to work.  We have pretty  much accepted that something is going to get torn up and a mess is going to be made.  And new carpet will be purchased when this is over.   And that is why Fall cleaning is off my to-do list now!  This whole experience is a process of elimination.

So that is how we are here.  Les is watching the Browns' game.  I just finished some desk work.

I'll keep you posted.  Life is still great!  Stay safe.  And God Bless America!

Harrumph!!!

I thought I would just let everyone know that the extra cleaning for Fall is now off my to-do list!  There is just no sense in doing any more.  We have a mess here.

A couple days ago we noticed water at the the corner of our garage in the mulched area.  It did  not go away.  We thought maybe a problem with the sprinkler system.  They could not come until sometime this coming week.  Then water started coming up at the seams in the driveway.  Then, yesterday morning after Les left for golf, I discovered a wet spot on the bedroom floor over by the window on that side of the house. 

I quickly determined it was nothing spilled or kitty related and threw some old towels down to soak it up.  Sadly, the water is still coming.   And no one is available to come and search for the problem until tomorrow.  I got out the old Hoover carpet shampooer and we have been using that to suck up water.

The thought now is that there is a break in the water line.  Our house is built on a slab foundation.  This is NOT going to be an easy fix.  Our go-to Guy, Steve, called us after seeing a Facebook post that Les made last evening and said fixing could involve digging up at least part of the driveway, the garage floor, and the floor inside.  The carpet and padding will be history, new will have to be gotten.  I think Steve just didn't want us to be shocked by anything and wanted to give us a heads up about the possibilities.  Said to call him if he could help.

We've cancelled the sprinkler system service call, and left a message with our insurance company.  I will keep you posted.  It's time to go clean up more water.

Stay safe.  I would love to say that life is great, but at the moment that might be pushing it.  But remember God Bless America!

Another Beautiful Sunrise!

It didn't stay this pink and purple for very long.  Picture was taken about 6:30 a.m. when I was on the way to Starbucks.  Les was getting ready for golf. 😊

I plan to do a little more Fall cleaning today.  I was just outside watering flower pots and filling the bird feeder.  All the mulched areas are in good shape.  The back corner one still needs some major pruning to be done, but I am waiting for cooler weather for that.  Supposed to be in 90's today.

Les and I went to see a movie, "Angel Has Fallen".  It was very good.

As always, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Remembering

We are all remembering this horrific day. Please think about what happened and God Bless America!

I remember I was just leaving for my job as church secretary when the first report came out. There were many phone calls to the church that morning and people stopping in to talk with the minister or just sit in the sanctuary.

With our area having many military installations, they were all on alert and on duty.

We are three hours away from D.C. and in a couple days we had soot and grit that the wind brought in. I thought if we had just a little of it here, how bad it was in the three areas of attack.

Les and I have been to the beautiful Pentagon Memorial.  We have also seen the Somerset Memorial, but it was not completed at the time.  It was still impressive.  When we were in NYC we did not get to see the Memorial there.  Sadly, we did not know we had to make reservations in advance for that.

Remember.

Just In Case You're Looking for a Unique Gift.....

I have noticed while out doing errands that there is now a mix of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and  Christmas things all on display at once.  So if you are Christmas shopping.....

This little doll is actually kind of cute!  

Stay safe, people!  Life is great!  And God Bless America!

After the Storm

This morning has been just beautiful here.  I don't remember the last time we had temperatures in the mid-60's!  The sun is out, there is just a slight breeze.  It's up in the 80's now, but still nice.  I hadn't really planned on doing yard work today, but it was just too nice outside to not be out there.  I got quite a bit done before I reached the end of my energy and my bending, stooping, reaching ability.

This picture was taken about 7:00 a.m. before the yard work.

You can't really see the two bags of branches, clumps of leaves, and bits that I picked up with my grabber.  But they were there.  I also did a little pruning and other chores out in the yard.  I am now all showered and done.

Southside did get a lot more of Dorian.  The news this morning said there are still power outages and flooding in areas.  They also told about all the people who got ticketed for driving on the Boardwalk and being where they were not supposed to be!  The news did some good, happy stories, too.  Those reports were about kind people rescuing animals.  One small cat hung on to a tree in a flooded area for over six hours until someone waded out to get her.   Another was clinging to a fence rail in a flooded area and was rescued.   And a camera crew rescued a large dog that was injured and in the water.  So hooray for those people!

The guys are playing golf.  Les decided to go out to the course just to see.  It must have been open because he didn't come right home!  We had gotten some emails from some of the other guys saying there were going to go, too.  It's a good day for golf!

Life is great!  Stay safe, and God Bless America!

An Update

I neglected to mention that we did have our paper delivered this morning and the mail just came.  So, thank you to those people!

But what I really want to update you on are the "less intelligent" in the population.  I just checked the ongoing TV reporting.  Dorian is hitting Southside a lot more than around us, at least right now.  And down there they have some mandatory evacuations.  There are idiots out driving on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk!  First, that is extremely dangerous.  Second, driving on the Boardwalk is illegal!  So the Police have to be there to issue tickets to these idiots.  Even worse, some of the people even have very small children with them.

Then they showed another huge idiot walk out into the crashing surf to take pictures. The waves were almost to the underside of the pier.  It's been announced to stay off the Boardwalk, stay out of the area, and stay out of the water.  Like I said.....IDIOTS!!!!

As always, stay safe!  And I know those of you who might read this, are smart enough to stay safe!

Storm Update and Some Random Thoughts (a small rant)

Hurricane Dorian has been a horrible damaging storm and has caused widespread disaster.  It is now entering our area in a much weaker form.  It will still bring rain, wind, and coastal flooding.  While I feel very sad about all the damage and the injuries and deaths Dorian has caused as it's moved on its path, I am annoyed with the local TV stations.

If you believe them with their non-stop broadcasts that have preempted everything else, you would think we were heading to the end of the world.  And the most absolute annoying part is that most of what they are constantly repeating is just common sense advice.  I have decided they are focusing on the less-intelligent part of the population. (and the clueless)

If you live here, when there is a large storm predicted, you should know to put gas in your car, get cash from the ATM (they don't work when the power goes out) and have basic food supplies and water on hand.  Charge your tech devices, make sure you have prescriptions refilled if you need to, secure loose items in your yard that can be blown around.  And for goodness sake, if the road is flooding, don't drive through it.  If you are told to stay off the roads, stay home!  I know for a fact that information is given out to new residents and is available online, and in the paper.  There is just no excuse for being stupid. 

If the TV stations are going to keep broadcasting, how about focusing on the people who are helping and who are doing things right and taking care of things.

And just one more thing on my rant here, why, oh why, do they send out the small, young reporters to stand out in the water and in the wind????  I've seen a couple almost get blown over!  One young guy did do a good report early this morning.  He was hanging onto a balcony rail at a hotel and looked out at the waves and surf and said, "Man, it is really gnarly out there!"

As for us, Dorian is just getting started here.  We have wind and steady rain. We have our generator and it will come on if we need it.  The cars are gassed up and in the garage. We will obey the "stay off the roads" instructions.  We have food, water, good books to read, and  movies to watch. Our furry boys are all napping.

Here is a view of our backyard at the moment:

Although since I took the picture it has gotten a little darker and windier.

In other news, we got our "senior" flu shots yesterday, so that is done.

Life remains great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Hey!

Everyone all along the East coast is watching weather reports.  Please be careful and stay safe.  And if you are in an area that is told to evacuate, GO!

As for us, our forecasts are saying heavy rain and high winds with Dorian for later today and Friday.  The storm has intensified again and is currently dumping on friends in South Carolina.  We're thinking of them.

I moved in some of our smaller things in the yard - I call those "yard art".  The chairs and deck tables are upside down and up against the house.  Les will do a final check later today to see if anything else should be moved.

In other areas, things are okay.  I've been keeping up with my Fall Cleaning plan and there are just a couple more rooms to work on.  Then when it's cooler, there is some Fall outside work to be done.  And I am sure that since we're getting the winds and rain there will be clean-up to do out there, too.

I've also been keeping up with all the normal household chores and errands; being careful and getting back to the "Y".  It was very nice to get back into the pool!

Closings are scrolling across the TV and people are "hunkering down".  Our generator tested itself two days ago, so it is all ready if we need it.

Life is still great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Mr. Gnome Is Ready for Fall, Too!

Stay safe!  Life is great!  And God Bless America!

Just Some Updates

First, an early morning (6:30 a.m.) picture of the sky.  I was stopped at the traffic light on the way to Starbucks for my coffee.  Right after I took the picture a flock of geese few over, but by then the light had turned green so pictures were out of the question.

It remains hot and humid here.  The local weather forecasts call for heavy wind and rain on Thursday and Friday from Dorian, but they qualify that forecast with "still too soon to tell what the storm is going to do".  We are hoping our friends in the path of the storm are doing okay.

Les is playing golf today.  He did yard work a couple days ago and the yard is looking pretty good right now if you don't look too closely at some spots. But like I've said before, help for those spots will be coming soon.

I've been doing my usual "morning stuff".  And I plan to tackle another room in the Fall cleaning.  It feels good to get these things done.  Right now I am heading to the living room to clean.  Then I am getting out my ceramic pumpkins, and then sitting down to finish a good book!

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone has a safe day!

Life is great!  And God Bless America!