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!