Things Are Getting Better!

The guys came yesterday afternoon and installed the new countertops.  They are beautiful!

When they left I got busy and vacuumed and wiped out all the lower drawers and cabinets, got liner put in everywhere, and then started moving a few things in.  I have warned Les that some things will probably get moved again as I decide if I like new places I am putting things.  😊 Don't worry J & P, the silverware will stay in its new location! 

All the boxes are waiting in the dining room and I hope to work on getting those emptied and things put away later today.  Right now Martin, the plumber, is here working.  He is installing the new dishwasher, faucet, garbage disposal, and our Culligan system we kept.  I am staying out of his way.

Les is playing golf today and I am hoping they get their round in before the rain starts.  The temperature is starting to drop and it is a cloudy 68 now;  yesterday it was sunny and 81.

Yesterday Les worked in the yard - edged, trimmed, mowed, plus a few other things.  I went out and swept and used the blower to help clean up.  I have the mulched areas in pretty good shape.  Les also replaced the outside faucets.  When he had turned the outside water back on he discovered a leak in one and thought he would just fix both. 

Here is a view of the pull-out shelves that we have in two of the new cabinets.  I am waiting on a call now from the lady doing the scheduling for the backsplash.  She had told us next week, but needed to firm up day and time.

Life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

WOO-HOO!!

We just got a call from Brian, our installer.  He says that the countertop installation will be this Thursday!  And the plumber will come on Friday to install the new dishwasher, garbage disposal, and faucets.  Brian said to call the backsplash people and set up a time for them to come at our convenience.  I am waiting on a return call now.

............ and she called!  She will be calling us Thursday afternoon to schedule the work times for the backsplash for next week.  Our tile part is in, but the grout we picked is not.

In other news, it was still cold today - in 40's - but tomorrow is supposed to be close to 70!

I got a lot of errands done today and have been busy with other things around the house.

Life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Changes

Remember a few months ago when I said the pharmacy we had been using was closing and then the whole Farm Fresh grocery store closed?  They transferred our info to another store.  We didn't care for it and we transferred to Walgreen's close to us.  Good thing we did.  In recent news there were reports that all of the Farm Fresh stores are being closed and/or sold.  Some will become Kroger, Harris Teeter, or Food Lion.  I hope the Farm Fresh employees are kept on in the new stores.

That report was followed by the one saying that all the Toys R Us stores and Babies R Us stores are closing.  There is one of each close to us.  I just shopped in the Toys R Us.  I hope those employees find new jobs quickly.

The latest was a report saying the last Radio Shack in the area is now gone.  That was reported by someone who needed a part for something and went to shop and the store was closed and empty.

Sometimes things change too fast.  I think there is often a lack of common sense and good business practices.  Stores close, the buildings are empty - some for years - and yet someone still builds more strip malls and stores.  And those sit empty. 

Stay safe.  Life is good, take your time and enjoy it.  God Bless America!

A Weekend Recap

The weather people took the Wintry mix off the forecast, but it was still cold and breezy here.  The sun was out and it looked good outside, but it was not conducive to yard work or playing golf.

The kitchen and dining room are still in disarray, but I cleaned the rest of the house, scrubbed bathrooms, cleaned floors, dusted, etc.  Also did up all the laundry and tackled some desk work.

I told Les I was going to take Kirk to the car wash and asked if he wanted to go.  He didn't; said he was going to start hauling things out to the curb for bulk pick-up.  While I was at the car wash he got out the other "carpet" floor mats for Kirk and Spock.  We use Weather Tech ones during the Winter.  So when I got back we detailed Kirk, Les swapped out the mats, and then I took Spock to the car wash.  Did the same detailing and clean-up for Spock, too.  I went to the Soap n' Suds car wash.  I hadn't gone there in quite a while and was pleasantly surprised that they have all new equipment in the automated car wash.  It did a much better job!

While I was already outside, I cleaned off the porch and filled the bird feeder.

And now we are just waiting to hear the kitchen work continues.  😊

Take care and stay safe!  God Bless America!

History

Les recently took Jacquie to the firing range.  They had a good time and returned with smiles.  Can't ask for more than that.  Plus there was a Groupon!

I had asked Les to check if they did gun repair there.  I inherited my Mom's gun.  One of the last times I saw Darrelyn, she said I needed to take it.  I brought it home and locked it up.  Mom had had it disabled many years ago.

Les and I had talked about us getting a new gun for me.  He actually gave me one for Christmas a few years ago, but I couldn't shoot it.  My grip strength is not strong enough for the slide action on it.  So he uses it.  The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see if Mom's could be fixed.  There are memories there.

She made sure I could shoot the pistol.  She had a friend who had a farm and we would go there and shoot at cans set up on hay bales out in a field away from the animals.  We also would walk the train tracks out to the bridge that went over the Tuscarawas River.  We'd stand on the trestles and shoot at trash floating down the river.  This was way before being on the tracks was illegal.  And way, way before pollution control caught hold and things were cleaned up.  It is actually a very nice, much cleaner river now.  But back then it was a moving shooting gallery.

So anyway, the firing range did not do repairs but they gave us the name of someone up in New Kent.  We went up there and talked to them; very nice people and most helpful.  We learned a lot.  The gun is a Smith & Wesson, .32 revolver, known as a lemon squeezer.  It was built in 1909 which is the year Mom was born.  While they were looking at the gun, Les thought he saw something in the barrel.  They looked and it was a note.  The note said that the gun had belonged to Grandpa Lou Beckett and was his pocket pistol.  He died many years before I was born so I never knew him.  And this explains where my middle name comes from!  The gun then went to Grama, then Mom. 

We left the gun there to be inspected, cleaned, and tested.  That took a little time because they had to order some ammunition for it - old gun and not common bullets now evidently.  They called us and said it had been tested and was in good shape and ready for pick-up.  We drove up Friday afternoon and got it.  It is now home and safely locked up.  I'll let you know how I do at the firing range.

Life is good.  Stay safe.  And God Bless America!

And........More Updates

Restore did get here yesterday.  They took everything we were donating except one cabinet and a couple pieces of the countertop back pieces.  Next Monday is our bulk pick-up, so Les will haul it to the curb with all the limbs and bags of yard waste we cleaned up recently.

The garage did get cleaned up and things put away.  Garage floor was mopped.

Some errands have been done.

My check-up appointment went well and the lab work was done.  They will send me the results as they come in. 

Greg, the granite guy, did get here to do the template.  A little later than we were expecting, but no problem.  There was a little discussion about a couple things and then he got to work; aiming at end of next week for installation.  ??????  We'll see.  I'm sort of getting used to rummaging through the boxes in the dining room to find things; not getting used to washing dishes in the bathroom sink.  😊

It's been sunny today and made it to around 50.  The weather forecast still mentions a possibility of some more *^*##%*!! snow or at least a "Wintry Mix" for the weekend.  We'll see about that, too.

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

Just Some Updates

The predicted snow did not happen for us, just a few pretty flakes mixed in with the cold rain yesterday.  Today is sunny, in 30's, and the ground is wet and muddy.

Supper last night was soup and toasted cheese sandwiches.  Breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs and some Pillsbury biscuits.  Washing dishes  and pans in the bathroom sink is getting old.  😊

Les answered a phone call from Lowe's last evening thinking they were calling with the delivery time for today.  NO..... they were saying the truck arrived, the paperwork said our dishwasher was on it, but they could not find it anywhere.  Another truck was expected today and if it was on that truck they would arrange an emergency delivery for us at no cost.  Disappointing.  Then this morning while I was getting our breakfast the phone rang a couple times and Les didn't answer the calls because we don't answer if we don't recognize the name or number.  We get way too many calls from politicians, advertisers, and scammers, even with the "no call" listing.  But since this "XPO" was persistent, we finally answered and it was a Lowe's recording!!  It said they would deliver between 8:30 and 10:00.  We didn't believe it.  But then there was another call and Les talked to the delivery guy and he said he was on the way.  And by the time we got out to the kitchen, he was pulling up out front.  Les opened the box to make sure it was the one we bought.  It was!  So that is done.  Installation happens after the countertops are installed.

This is our "work area"

ReStore is schedule to come pick up the old cabinets and some of the countertop that was not broken up to remove, plus a couple other things.  When that is done I plan to go out and sweep out the garage and tidy up out there. 

Can't put anything else away in the kitchen until the countertops are in.  I do have a couple errands to get done.  Tomorrow morning I have a doctor's appointment and lab work.

So, life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Work Continues!

The guys finished installing all our cabinets late yesterday afternoon.  After they left Les and I did a bit of clean-up before we released the furry boys from their confinement.  We didn't want them eating any little bits of anything or hurting themselves.

The cabinets look great!  The guys moved the stove and fridge back in place and the microwave and vent were re-installed.  We will not have a sink or any water in the kitchen until the countertops are installed and the last of the work is done by the plumber and electrician.  Les moved my 2' x 4' work table out into the kitchen to use as sort of a counter. 

We went to Ruby Tuesday last evening for supper; had the salad bar.  I was tired and achy.  I always get stressed when people are working in our home, plus I was cold all day with the door being open a lot.  I'm feeling better today.

We have a slight hiccup in things today though.  The granite people were supposed to come make the template for the countertops.  The weather is not cooperating.  So far here at our house we have just had cold rain with some snow flakes mixed in.  The granite people are based in Ashland and up that way the snow has been coming down fast and accumulating, roads are getting bad.  Brian, our installer called and said Greg was going to try getting here and then about an hour later called and said he wasn't coming as conditions that way were getting worse.  So we are looking at Friday for that now.  Brian assured me that this will not delay the project.

I spent my time and energy today doing all the laundry and then working in the kitchen.  I got all the upper cabinets wiped out and got shelf liner put in.  Then I started moving some things back.  My goal is to have everything we use regularly and often within easy reach.  I am sure some of the placing will get tweaked as we use things.  We can't put anything back in the lower cabinets until after the other work is all finished.

Stay safe and God Bless America!

Couldn't Wait Any Longer

Got these and got them potted yesterday while we were doing errands.  It's a "tradition"!  😊

As always, stay safe!

Whew! A Flurry of Activity Here!

We were up early and did the last minute preparations.  Corralled our furry boys in the bedroom with water, food, and a litter box, went and got some coffee and a donut and then came home.  Good thing we had an early start because the workers arrived half an hour early and have been working ever since!

The electrician was here to do something with the lighting under the cabinets by the stove.  The plumber has been here to do some work under the sink.  The main concerns were saving our Culligan system that will need to be re-installed and fixing whatever started to leak while he was in there. 

Les and I have tried to stay out of the way but still be available for answering questions.  I also slipped in and spackled and painted the wall under the cabinet  that is over the fridge.  The new cabinet is not as large (high??) as the old one was.  There was hardly any space between the bottom of the old cabinet and the top of the fridge.  Anyway, it would have been impossible to reach once the fridge is put back in place.  Fortunately I keep a "touch-up" bucket in the garage with everything I need for such projects and I had a small jar with enough kitchen paint in it handy. 

Here are some pictures of the progress:

me getting ready to spackle and paint

They are still expecting the granite people to do the template tomorrow.  This is going a whole lot faster that I expected.  However, the mess is what I expected  😊

Stay safe and God Bless America!

Busy!

Les and I had to go up to the tile shop this morning and pick out the grout color for the backsplash and make our deposit.  The lady said she couldn't find anything about grout in her notes.  So we did that and then a few other errands we needed to get done.

The pictures and things are now off the walls in the hallway and the kitchen and safely stashed in the library.  The kitchen has been emptied.  We are ready!  Just have to corral the furry boys in the bedroom in the morning so they don't try to help.

Speaking of our boys..... evidently one of them is concerned about his mousie's well-being and tried out the new scale.

Stay safe and God Bless America!

Work Begins on Tuesday!

I had a little flurry of activity Friday, phone calls to make, things to schedule, errands to run.  We heard from our installer, Brian, that he and his "guys" will be here early Tuesday morning to begin work.  He hopes to have the old cabinets and countertops removed, the new cabinets installed, and the granite people here by Wednesday afternoon to do the countertop template.

There are just a few things left in the cabinets at this time and we will move those out this weekend.   Boxes are being lined up in the dining room.  Had to go poke through one already to find the broiler pan I needed to use.  The furry boys are a bit confused.  😊

Since the surgery, my activity level has been a bit low and I have gotten tired more easily.  So some errands had piled up on the list.  There is Easter coming, several birthdays, an anniversary, and a few other things to take care of.  So Friday morning I was out and about and handling all of it.  BTW, the Toys R Us here has not started their clearance sale yet.  I got the shopping done, stopped to talk to the backsplash people, dropped off two large boxes at DAV, and got to the Post Office.  Whew!

A side note....... I wanted to buy a set of lavender or purple towels without a stiff rough edging on the ends. That lack of stiff edging is a tough one; most towels have that.  I was finally told that purple and lavender are not "in" colors for bathrooms this year.  Foo!  I got another color.

Yesterday morning I got to the Commissary to get a few things, stopped for gas, and after getting the cold things inside and put away went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  That last chore was not planned.  Here is the story on that:

We needed a new bathroom scale, the old one was "iffy".  I didn't want one that was electric or battery powered, connects to the internet, connects to my Bluetooth or phone, and I don't need it to tell me half a dozen other things besides weight.  The only thing basic was a dial scale by Detecto, the company that makes a lot of professional scales for medical offices.  The dial was large, easy to read, it looked nice.  Unfortunately, it did not work.  Weighed four times, got four different readings ranging twenty-seven pounds apart.  This is not acceptable.  That was the reason for Saturday  morning's trip to B, B & B.  I exchanged it for a digital scale by Homedics.  Since all the other scales besides the dial one I returned are digital and can be programmed in various ways, I decided by looks and recognized name.  I got the one that looked good to me.  Besides all the other things it wants to tell us, it has a "weight only" operation.  Of course it also says not for people who have implants or metal in their bodies, but most of them said that.  I am taking my chances.  The manual says that may cause an inaccurate reading.  Huh.  Life can get complicated.

I hope everyone is well and happy.  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

However you celebrate, stay safe!  And God Bless America!

Mr. Gnome's Still Working

In anticipation of Easter, Mr. Gnome is letting the Easter Bunny practice in the garden.  It's looking pretty good!

Stay safe and God Bless America!

Some More Progress

It is still cold here, at least for this time of year.  Today is in the low 40's and windy.  There was no golf today due to that and the mud.  There was no yard work done either for the same reasons.

Les and I went to Starbucks and brought our coffee back home, watched some ESPN, read the paper, and I did the usual morning stuff.  We went to the "Y" after lunch.  In between, I worked on emptying some more of the kitchen cabinets.  I'm just taking my time and deciding what things to part with and what to keep.  I already have another large box to go to DAV for drop off.

My goal in the new kitchen is to have everything that I use within easy reach!  So when it comes time to move things back into cabinets and drawers, it will take a little time to decide exactly where things will go.  I have already made a couple decisions I plan to stick with.  😊  The plans for the new cabinets are converting a couple spaces that are currently cabinets with shelves into multiple large deep drawers.  And the new large cabinets will have pull-out shelves.  Never had those before, so will have to see exactly how to space things.

Life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Yep!

This depicts the situation this morning.

I have got to bundle up and get out there.  Besides the squirrels, there were several kinds of birds eating, even a red-headed woodpecker on the tree!

Stay safe!

March Snow!

Yesterday was miserable.  It was cold, dark, raining, and windy.  Then about 5:00 p.m. it starting snowing - great big, heavy, flakes.  We got at least two inches.  Fortunately, it didn't stick to the roads and sidewalks too much.  Today is sunny and in 30's and the snow is melting, but all the blooming flowers and trees are having some issues.  Hopefully, they will recover.

We both had doctors' appointments yesterday so we were out in the nastiness.  Both appointments went well.  Mine was with our dermatologist for my annual check.  She was impressed with my healing incisions and scars and the remnants of the severe itchy rash, but said it looked like things were healing well.  And she didn't find anything she needed to slice, scrape, or freeze this time!

We worked on emptying some things out of the kitchen cabinets on Sunday.  Les got everything from all the top shelves.  I used to just climb up the step stool and do it myself, but I think those days are over.  Mainly we cleaned out things that I knew we were going to part with.  Jacquie has already picked up her things.  Pam's are packed up and will be going to Myrtle Beach in May with us. No way am I shipping that big box!!  And after my appointment yesterday I went by DAV and dropped off two large boxes and a bag.  There are more things to clear out, but I'm pacing myself.  😊

Here is a picture of the granite we picked - Sienna Bordeaux.  This was outside in bright sunlight, so it is even prettier in person. 

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

So True!

Picture is from I Can Haz Cheezburger site

Remember to Spring Forward!

It is hard to believe that it is time to change the clocks again.  There seems to be a lot of talk on the news about places wanting to do away with Daylight Savings Time.  We'll have to wait and see what happens. 

When I was a little girl, where Mom and I lived "changed time".  Where Grama and Granpa lived did not and it was only a short distance away.  Poor Grama was always confused if we were planning to do something.   She would always ask, "Is that your time, or my time?"

Whatever happens, we all have twenty-four hours a day, use them wisely. 

Stay safe.  God Bless America! 

Starting a List

Well, hi!

These pictures pretty much tell how things are with the list of "no-no's".  I still don't have much of an appetite and I have channeled Mom several times and just had a bowl of cereal for lunch.  I seem to be craving Rain Bran.  Sometimes lunch has been scrambled eggs.  Evidently I can handle a trace of butter and perhaps two small strips of degreased bacon, but no more, and definitely not together.   Also on the list are mayo, most salad dressings, and Bunny Tracks ice cream.  Vanilla ice cream had been good and no problems, so I tried the Bunny Tracks.  Bad idea.  Life is an adventure and eating is trial and error.

Other than that, I continue to heal and am being careful.  Les is feeling better and he played golf today.  Came home happy so it was a good day! 

We got a call from our installer for the kitchen work earlier in the week.  He wanted to know if we were ready for our new kitchen starting the week of the 19th.  Based on the original estimate, we were expecting end of April or maybe early May.  So we've had a flurry of activity this week while we ordered the new dishwasher, bought a new faucet and garbage disposal, and went up to Ashland, Virginia, to look at granite slabs.  We had upgraded when we picked our granite and he wanted us to go look and be sure we were getting what we wanted.  So it was about three hours of driving up there and back and less than half an hour there while we looked and picked.  Then we stopped to talk to our installer.

We also went to the Amish furniture store and ordered a dinette set.  Amish made, solid wood, dark stain.  The store had some gorgeous things.  Will take about eight weeks to get it.  It is being built in Holmes County, Ohio.  Just a county away from home!

Life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

I Think Mother Nature Is Having "Issues"

Hi, all!  It is a dark, rainy 55 here today.  Starting tonight the wind is supposed to pick up and we are under gale warnings and high wind warnings for the next two days, gusting up to 40 mph.  I hope all the little birds are ready.  They've been busy building nests.

Over the last couple weeks, the pink bud trees are blooming.  There are a bunch of those in the median on Victory Boulevard.  The Bradford Pear trees are in bloom and are snowy white.  Forsythia is blooming.  Daffodils and hyacinths are blooming. Pollen is in the air!  The grass will need to be mowed soon.  Here in our yard we have buds on our new tree in the backyard.  We are anxious to see what it will look like since it was bare when planted.   There is new growth on the hydrangeas and some new leaves on the azaleas. The green leaves of the day lilies are coming up.  It looks like Spring has sprung, but it is only March 1st.  So I am concerned for all the lovely blooming things.

There is a tradition in our area of snow in later March.  It used to be every time the circus came into town we could expect a snowstorm.  The circus doesn't come any more, so I am hoping we get to skip any more snow!

We were on Canon Boulevard yesterday and even the lovely cherry trees that line that road have sent out a few stray blooms.  It is way too early for the cherry trees to bloom!  But I admire the spunk of those little scout blooms.

I had my post-op visit with my surgeon.  He says I am healing well.  Basically everything will take time.  That includes the healing, the tiredness, the lack of appetite, and the change in my taste buds. Getting the allergic reaction cleared up also takes time.  So basically, I am supposed to rest and take care of myself and call him if anything comes up.

I made it to the Commissary; just took my time and went slowly.  No problems.  I hadn't been in a couple weeks.  I had been planning to go the day I ended up in the ER.  Then we had to wait until the fridge was fixed.  I still need to get our things from Jacquie's freezer.

Our taxes were finished and we went to sign and pay and pick up our paperwork.  Nice people but in an inconvenient office.  It's on the third floor and there is no elevator.  But we call when we get to the parking lot and someone brings everything down to us.  We are sure we are not the only ones that need this service.  😊 I would like to have words with the architect of that building.  Part of the stairway is out in the open, uncovered.  I am not sure there are even any handrails.  Some common sense would have been a good idea for this building.  But I was not asked.😊

Today I had a routine dental check-up and cleaning.  No problems there.  And I also went and got my hair trimmed.  Yea!

Les played golf yesterday.  Was good to get out again but not a great round.  Today he's been to the "Y" and doing computer stuff and reading. 

Thanks to everyone for the good thoughts and prayers.  We are on the mend! 

Life is good!  God Bless America!

This picture has been around a few times but I still think it is funny!