painting the gate - and other adventures

I can't believe it has been so long since I've posted.  This is something I used to enjoy, so I want to get back to doing it.  Here's a summary of my interesting day Saturday, though the story starts Friday afternoon.

Last fall I realized the wooden gate that goes from my driveway to the alley between my home and my neighbor's needed to be repainted.  Unfortunately, by the time I bought the paint, it had gotten too cold to do the job.  So, as the weather is warming up, I knew it needed to be done.  With the weather warming and finally feeling a little better, I decided this Saturday would be a good day to get started on it. 

When I looked at the gate to see how much taping I would have to do (around the metal frame that holds it & hinges), I realized that one of the board braces on the back side that attaches to the frame and to which the wooden slats attach was rotten. 

Great!  One more thing to do. 

Okay, take it in stride.  :-)

I just needed to go get a 1"x1" board, cut it the correct length, paint it, and replace the rotten brace.  Seemed simple enough.  I decided to make a quick run to Lowe's late Friday to get the board so I wouldn't have to kill time doing that on Saturday. 

Okay, maybe not so simple.  It turns out, 1"x1" is not a standard size.  The closests Lowe's had was 1"x2" but (1) they wouldn't cut something that small and (2) it had rounded corners and (the show stopper) was not treated (was not for outdoor use).  <sigh> 

However, one of the young men there suggested I try Star Lumber. 

Saturday morning, I called Star Lumber.  They had a cedar board that was 1"x1.5" and were willing to cut it to 1" for me - and even cut the length I needed.  Thank You, God!  I went there and got the board and was ready to get back to the project.

When I got home, I removed the old, rotten board.  It had four screws holding it to the metal frame in addition to the screws into the gate boards.  Placing the screws back into the boards should not be a big deal.  But I needed to drill holes for the screws that go into the metal frame in the exact locations of the holes (to prevent the need for new holes in the metal frame since I don't have a bit to do that).  The board was so rotten that it came off in pieces, so I couldn't use the holes in it to mark the replacement board.  That became quite a "fun" experience, but I got them done & they lined up!  Again, thank You, Lord! 

I'll paint the board before I replace it, but I decided it would be easier to paint the metal frame first, since the board sits on one of the crossbars.  By this point, I don't really have time to paint the main part of the gate this afternoon anyway.  Doing the smaller task of repainting the metal frame was the logical next step.  I taped off the boards around the frame and went to put some old newspaper underneath the gate (it's over concrete).  That was no simple task, given that it was one of our typical windy Kansas days.  I finally managed to get it secured with enough "weights" (boards & concrete blocks) to stay in place and not blow up on the bottom of the frame.

FINALLY painting.  It only took a few minutes to paint the metal frame.  Now time for cleanup.  It required mineral spirits to clean the brush.  I got a plastic cup and started cleaning the brush.  Then the next fun saga began ...

Part 1:  When I started to the water facet to begin washing the mineral spirits out of the brush, I realized there was a leak around the control unit for the sprinkler system.  It was turned on Thursday afternoon.  The leak - actually, a constant drip - was coming from two small valves that I saw the technician adjust before I went back inside and left him to do his work.  I did not go back out to that area afterwards.  I assume it had been dripping for two days.  :-(

Part 2:  I sat the cup with the paint brush in it down to go turn the water off to the sprinkler system to stop that water flow.  The water shutoff valve is inside, in the utility/storage room.  When I returned to the alley to clean the brush, the wind had gusted and blown the plastic cup over - spraying the now black mineral spirits on the side of my house! 

Thanks to wind speed, the black spray spread up covering about 6 "slats" from the bottom and about a 10' area down the side of my house.  The worst of it was in about a 4'-5' area, but it covered at least 8'-10'.  My house has vinyl siding.  If I can't get it off, it isn't a paint job; it's a "replace the siding" job. 

I grabbed the bottle of mineral spirits and a rag to try to get it off quickly before it dried.  NO GO.  Even the pure mineral spirits didn't cut it AT ALL.  :-(  After trying as best I could to no avail, I walked away knowing I would need to call the guy who had replaced some other siding for me.  I have some extra siding and was hoping it would be enough.  Extra splices would not be so bad on the back (alley) side of the house.  Hopefully, I would just have to pay for the labor. 

The good news ...

I went in to wash the mineral spirits off my hands so I could go finish putting things up in the garage.  When I stopped to wash the sink out, I suddenly had an idea.  Would the "Barkeeper's Friend" abrasive cleanser I had bought for something else clean the vinyl?  It seemed like a long shot, but I decided to try.  I must have been a Holy Spirit idea - because it worked!!  It took a little "elbow grease" (aka "muscle"), but it worked.  Thank You, God!!!  BIG TIME!

Finally finished a 1-1.5 hour project 3.5 hours later.  And I still need to paint the gate, the new board, and get the new board on the gate.  That will wait for another day.  And since it's suppose to rain the next couple of days, it will be "a few" before I get back to it. 

Next adventure:  I came in around 5:00 to clean myself up and start laundry.  It got into the 80s here today and, even with windows open and the "breeze" blowing, the house had heated up to 80.  I decided to flip to the AC and cool down.  NO GO.  AC isn't working!!  The heat pump seems to be coming on, but the exterior unit is not.  I re-opened the windows as the temps cooled down outside.  When I went to bed, it was 68 degrees outside but still 78 degrees inside.  It cooled to 76 overnight. 

Once I was up this morning, I opened the sliding glass door as well - until the thunderstorm hit.  Afterwards, I reopened them.  Outside temperature dropped 20 degrees in about 20 minutes with the rain and front moving through, but it's still 74 inside.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am glad the temps are supposed to cool back down for a few days.  (Though, we really don't need them back down in the low 30s and upper 20s as predicted!) 

I'll call the AC folks on Monday.  (Yes, I checked the fuses.)


For the record, I was pretty bushed.  Wasn't planning on all the extra "adventure" when I started.  Just glad I'm having the energy to start doing things - though I am definitely still moving at a slower pace. 

made it 25 years!

April 1 came and went. I made it through that milestone. :) Due to other issues, it was a very quiet and subdued day at the office.

After work, some friends joined me for dinner to celebrate it.

Obviously, we should have taken the pics inside ... since the wind was gusting about 25-30 mph! So much for the hair. All Kansans understand!!

is it spring yet?

So much for getting landscaping done this year. Okay, at least I had indicated that it would likely take me 2-3 years - and that was starting this year, since 2008 with all it's issues doesn't count!

At least I am finally getting started. I cut the wisteria back last fall as far as I could with heavy-duty pruning sheers. This spring, after cutting back all the new growth coming out of the stumps that were left (3' to 4' each) a couple of times, I sawed the stumps off as close to grown level as possible. There are nine of them - three across my back patio & six along the wooden fence that is on one side of my front courtyard. Some were 8"-10" in diameter.

The other major projects this year - outside of normal weeding, etc. - have been trying to limb up some trees. There's a huge Austree ("swamp willow") out my back area, between me & the neighbor to my south. The HOA is in the process of taking the 30-somthing of these that were planted in "commons" areas in the development down and replacing them. I would like to do the same with this one. They only have an expected life of about 15 years and they are 10-12 years old. Hence, they are losing lots of limbs (they are dying). In addition, the roots run along the surface of the ground and go everywhere - which can tears up your patio or foundation! Unfortunately, my neighbor loves it. So, I keep trying to get the limbs that are over my house cut down. I've gone "three rounds" with it. After cutting them down, I have to cut them up into small enough pieces for the trash service to pick up (no more than 2.5'-3' sections, bundled) - and cut up and bag all the smaller pieces and leaves. THAT is what takes the time. And now I am down to a couple of larger limbs that I need help to get down safely. (Note that I am doing all this with a hand limbing saw. :)

There is also a fruit tree of some sort (I haven't figured it out) in the center of my courtyard that got a good limbing on my last "work day." I would actually like to take it down & plant something else. I was multi-trunked; but one of the three had been sawed off to ground level before I bought this place. I assume an ice storm got it - that's the usual culprit in such cases. So, it's already only 2/3rds of a tree. Then, this year, there were a LOT of dead branches on it. So, I cut all of those down (and cut them up for the trash - that's just "so much fun!"). And there is a pear tree between me and my neighbor to the north that I keep trimmed (the new growth "suckers" mostly). It has a couple of branches that I would take down if it were mine, so that the mowers don't have to duck to mow - but I haven't cleared that with my neighbor yet. She was grateful that was doing the other - and that I helped her trim her wisteria back last year. I did that partially because it was "over the fence" and on my side. She said she wants her's taken out as well, but didn't want me to trim it back as severely as I did mine - so it's all overgrown again. (She is in her late 70s & is quite interesting. She's a strong believer & is a former KS state representative & KS state senator.)

Okay, back to the wisteria. One reason for planting wisteria is its resilience. You just about can't kill it! So, I regularly go back and break or cut off the shoots coming up around the stumps. I have been told that drilling holes in them & pouring RoundUp concentrate will kill them. I was going to try that today, but it rained (hard!) this morning & I didn't want to pull the power cord for the drill across the wet ground! So, that job is left for another day.

I did spend 4+ hours cutting back the wisteria shoots, pulling weeds in all the beds, (finally!) putting mulch around a couple of trees, and pulling up ivy ... and more ivy ... and more ivy.

For those who have never visited my new home, there is a bed that runs between my house and the front sidewalk as you approach my front door. It's about 30' long and about 2' wide. The previous owners had attached three huge trellises (probably at least 4' wide & nearly the height of the house) to the side of the house and planted ivy in the bed to grow up them. The portion of the bed closest to the front door (and under the covering of the porch area) has ivy all the way up that trellis. In fact, the main base of ivy there is as thick as the wisteria stumps. (I didn't even know it would do that!) There's one other area of one of the other two trellises that has some ivy that they had growing up a pole. (That is also a "stump" at the base.) There are three shrubs in the portion of the bed that is uncovered. But ivy was everywhere through the bed.

I pulled ... and pulled ... and pulled. I filled 3.5 of the large, outdoor trash bags. And there's still ivy in that bed! I think I got most of it, except for what is coming directly from the two main stumps. We'll see how much of it I just "broke off" instead of getting the root when it starts growing back. :( I left trying to dig out the stumps out for another day. I cut back what was growing on the one trellis to get everything except what is coming from that one source and was above my head.

That wasn't exactly the project I had in mind for today, but at least it does look much better out there. I intend to also remove the three shrubs that are in it - as well as most (if not all) of those around the courtyard, inside & out. I plan to plant roses in the portion of that bed that is exposed to the sun. But, I'm having a hard time finding any of them (or anything else I want) left this late in the year.

Oh, I guess I should explain why I have kept delaying on getting started (besides time, of course). I need to paint my concrete wall. I was waiting to redo the landscaping until that is done, since part of what needs to be redone is both sides of that wall. However, before I paint it, there's a portion of it that needs repair. Actually, there are three "sections" to "my" wall. One is mine, exclusively. I share each of the other two with a neighbor - one on one side & one on the other. (Don't ask me why they built them that way!) Part of the "shared" wall needs repair. I keep waiting on my neighbors to make decisions about what to do with those & get them done before painting. And waiting on painting to redo the landscaping. So ... that's (at least part of) the reason for the delay.

And I thought I was moving here to get out of yardwork ... :(

How many people does it take to change a light bulb?

The old joke goes, "How many [whoever you want to name] does it take to change a light bulb?"

Well, it isn't a joke when there's only one of you and it really calls for two!


For those "not in the know" ...

My utility room has florescent lights on the ceiling. They are the kind that are 4' long, twin bulbs, enclosed in "case" with hard plastic ends and a flexiglass type cover.

Last Saturday evening, I flipped them on as I headed to my pantry that is in the rear of the utility room and had instant disco. (You know, strobe lighting.) Okay, those are the one kind of bulb I didn't have on hand. But, no biggie. I would pop the cover off, check to see the exact type, and pick them up on the way home from church the next day. Simple. Right?

Well, the plan fell apart at step 1: "pop the cover off."

After several minutes of looking, struggling & attempting to use force, I decided this was a task best left for another day. It was 9:30pm; I had left for a a 7:30am meeting & had just gotten home a few minutes earlier (hence, putting up groceries in the pantry), and this just wasn't a time to stop and get frustrated over changing a light bulb. Off to my other "chores" ...

So, Sunday afternoon, I decided I should resume the project. I once again spent quite some time looking, strugglilng & attempting to use force. The cover didn't "pop" off. It wouldn't "slide out." Neither end was moveable. And I let the Scarlett philosophy kick in. ("I'll think about that tomorrow.")

Tomorrow came and went, and it was Saturday again.

I did finally see how to "pry" the end off. Of course, when I got one end off (which took a little force - which means it also took both hands), the cover also came off. (Interpret: fell & I had to catch it.) One of the connectors to the first bulb I went to remove was loose, so it almost fell as well. I took the second one out a little more gracefully.

Fortunately, the bulbs I had purchased earlier in the day were correct. So, I'm feeling this project is almost over.

Not so fast ...

When I would get the bulb connected properly in one end and then try to move to the other end (remember, they are 48" long) ... you've guessed it ... the first end would come out. And remember that loose connector I mentioned? Hmm ... That was not "helpful" either.

The simplest of tasks, if there were two people.
For one, not so easy. :(

However, some minutes and one electric shock later, I prevailed!

Now, I just needed to put the cover back on and replace the end piece.

Okay ... here we go again. Not difficult, if there are two people - one to hold the cover in place while the other replaces the end piece. With one set of hands trying to do both ... let's just say "it takes a little longer!"

Perseverance!

So, "How many people does it take to change a light bulb?"
I guess, only one.
But it sure would have been faster, easier, and less frustrating with two!

2 Years Ago Today ...

It's hard to believe it has been two years since Mom slipped so quietly away from me.

I will always remember the calmness and peace of those last moments - after the months of struggle to battle back from the bleed on the brain. We won that battle. But her heart and lungs gave out in the process and we ended up losing the war.

Nonetheless, she was back "at home" - in our home, in her bed, as we had both always wanted it to be. And I can still see the look on her face as she gazed intently at a scene I could not see.

After all we had been through, I will always be so grateful to God that He allowed us that "at home" time. And that we both knew and were in agreement when "enough was enough" of all the meds and all the things to try to get better. We both knew it was time to let each other go.

And, yes, I still miss her ...

working on the "to do" list

Wow how time flies. I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted here. Guess I've been focusing on Facebook & other things. So, let me catch up a little.

I finally got the new roof on my house the first week of February. For those not from Kansas, waiting from September to February may seem like a long time. Last year was "a bad roof year" here. That means lots of hail damage. Not only did it get both of my roofs (the one on the house I was trying to sell and on my current home), it got lots of others as well.

For those of you who do live in Wichita, if you haven't had your roof checked you might want to do so. Often people do not realize they've had hail damage until the roof begins leaking. Better to get it replaced before that happens. Since I had a notice put in the homeowners association newsletter, at least four others have had their's checked and had enough damage for the insurance company to replace it.

Now that I have that done, I can start hanging pictures. Since they had indicated I needed to take them down while they were banging on the roof (which is, of course, by design connected to the walls :-), I used that as my excuse for not starting to get them hung. Now that excuse is gone.

My other two major jobs inside the house here were to re-caulk all the bathrooms and kitchen and to put knobs on all my cabinets and drawers. Today I "bit the bullet" on the caulking job. It's something I just never have been good at -- so I have NOT been looking forward to doing it. (Yes, you can translate that as "dreading it!")

Today, as I was about to start, I sent a reply txt to a friend and added a request for prayer because I was about to start the caulking job. I added, "Need Daddy God to show me how 2 do this right." As I was finishing up all the clean up tonight, I realized that He had! This is the first time that I have ever had it turn out looking "neat" (like it's supposed to!). And I did approach it a different way.

God is so good! And those of us who do not have a husband to pawn these tasks off on :-) or a father to teach us how to do them (which my dad couldn't have done, even if he were still alive), we learn how to turn both to Father ("Abba" really translates "Daddy") God & to our husband, Jesus.

I frequently talk with one or the other when I need to figure out how to do something around the house or yard - or even when I really need another hand. That may sound strange to some of you. But there have been MANY times over the years when I was struggling with something because I couldn't hold it and fix it or whatever (you know, those times when married couples call their spouse for an extra hand) and I would stop and ask my husband, Jesus, to give me a hand or send an angel or whatever. Then I would try "one more time" and "suddenly" be able to accomplish the task. He is a faithful Husband as well as faithful Savior and Lord.

Okay ... I've probably "wierded some of you out." Oh, well. That's my life. :-)

So, that leaves me two major jobs inside: hanging pictures and putting knobs on all the cabinets and drawers. For those who have not seen my house, realize that between the three bathrooms, utility room and kitchen that adds up to 45 cabinet knobs and knobs or handles for 22 drawers, some of which are long enough to need two. So that is not a quick or trivial task. It's likely the pictures will be hung first. :-)

And with the promise of spring there is the yard work. I thought moving to a patio home would get me out of that. My recommendation: be sure to read the fine print in the HOA covenants! [Okay, I did know this before I bought.] We are responsible for our beds and landscaping. The HOA dues only pays for the lawn care & snow removal. And my yard desparately needs relandscaping. So, I will be "starting" that this spring. It will likely take 2-3 years. One thing I want to do is put more lighting between the wall and the street - but will likely not get that done this year.

Ok. The clock says 11:30pm, but in a couple of hours we will "spring forward" and miss an hour's sleep. So I better get this posted and get off to bed.

thanking God for His blessings

It's late & I'm tired ... but I wanted to stop and take time to thank God for His favor & blessings today.

Background:
Most of you are aware that a friend of mine from work had a stroke last May. He and his wife lived in a rural home that had originally been a small, rural school. Not quite "one room" but not very large. For those not familar with the way they were built, when you go in the front door, you go up probably 8-10 steps to get to the main level; then very steep stairs to get to the "upper room" (which was the larger of the two bedrooms) and even steeper stairs to get to the basement. That, the 3-acre yard, the detached garage that was behind the house such that you had to walk all the way around and through a large side yard to get to it, and Kansas winters made this home a bit of a challenge for Dean & Julie in his current condition. They put it on the market last summer - but you understand the housing market situation.

Their Blessing - Part 1:
Someone bought their house! They signed a contract (I believe) in early December. They agreed on a closing date of today (Jan. 28).

Their Blessing - Part 2:
Now, they needed somewhere to move - that they could afford with them now living on Dean's long-term disability checks & Julie not able to go to work because of his need for someone to be with him (and take him to therapy, etc.).
December came and went with nothing proving workable. In early January, the realtor called and told them she had the place for them. She was right! It is a lovely place, with a view of a small lake / pond. They LOVE nature & the outdoors. They can see the pond from their deck or from the viewout windows in the basement. It was a repossession that was fairly new, but the owner had repainted and had put in all new carpet and tile - and was still selling it for thousands under the appraisal. It was in their price range!
They closed on both houses today.

Our Blessing:
The group of us that had committed to moving them this evening after work were not real excited about the weather this week. For those not here, we had freezing rain, sleet & snow Monday & Tuesday and temperatures in the teens with windchills as low as 3 below. This morning when I left for work it was 13 with a windchill of 6. That was not exactly what we needed to do an "after work hours" move! At least there was only a thin coat of ice & snow - not inches or feet.
By noon, the sun was out for the first time in days & the temperature was in the upper 20s. Yea! But, the move was hours away - and in Kansas one never knows which ways things will go.
When I left work and headed down, it was up to freezing! (I know you Floridans do not understand, but that really was good news!) And the best part - there was NO WIND. (That's a very rare state here!) The sun had melted almost all of the ice & snow - and the ground was wet, but not soggy. Instead of the heavy coats, hats & scarves we had all been prepared with, we were in unbuttoned jackets. In fact, my "wrap" was a quilted, flannel shirt.

I praise God that in spite of their current financial challenges, Dean & Julie were able to move to a much nicer home and one that accomodates their current situation. And I thank Him for the "break" in the weather for all of us who were committed to getting them moved tonight. That was no small issue to us!

I am thankful ...

As Thanksgiving day draws to a close, I decided to pause and express thanks.

I've had several emails and SMS messages expressing thanks by the sender for their family. It is good to recognize that those primary relationships are something for which to give thanks. And it is good to have an occasion on which to come together and enjoy each other -- along with some wonderful turkey and trimmings, of course. :-)

I am thankful for friends. I'm thankful I had a place to go to share a Thanksgiving dinner with friends who have welcomed me into their home to share their family for the day for a number of years.

I am thankful that I was able to open my home and cook a meal later in the day for someone who had not had any family to be with today. (So, if you "read between the lines," I ate two big thanksgiving dinners today.)

However, I have been aware all day of the emptiness being felt by the very large family of a friend of mine who died from injuries incurred in a hunting accident this past Saturday. They have had a very different Thanksgiving this year. He was not there to smoke the half of hog or cook the turkies & hams as was his usual job for their family Thanksgiving dinner of 60 or so people. (Yes, all family.) But the greater pain would be what his mother expressed to me last evening, "his seat at the table will be empty." My heart goes out to them as they are still trying to come to terms with their sudden loss of this very loved son, brother & uncle.

I understand the emptiness that can accompany "an empty seat" at the table.

I understand what it is like when all those seats become empty, one by one, until you "alone" are left.

I also know that we have to focus on what we have, not what we have lost.

I've seen too many who focus on the one that is missing instead of turning to enjoy and relish the time with all of those who are left. That is natural at first - as with this family who are not yet even past the shock of what has happened. However, in time, we need to turn loose of the grief and refocus on those who are still with us. Rather than remaining remorseful and mournful over what we have lost, we need to become thankful for what we do still have.

So, I wanted to pause and be thankful.
I am thankful that ... I do have friends.
I am thankful that ... I do have a wonderful home.
I am thankful that ... I do have not only food on my table, but food to share.

Most of all, I am thankful that ...
I have a loving heavenly Father that watches over me constantly;
a Savior who is not only Lord of my life and Lord of lords & King of kings but also my Bridegroom;
and a Comforter who comforts me with peace that passes understanding and leads me and guides me into all truth.

I am truly blessed.

house not sold & still working 3-day weeks

Sale of House:

As most of you are already aware, the sale of the house did not go through. The buyer was never able to secure her loan. It is now back on the market - after sitting inactive with "Contract Pending" for several weeks. At this point, I am asking God for a miracle.


3-Day Work Weeks:

The good news: IAM and Boeing seem to have come to terms. There is to be a vote this weekend to see if the members agree and are ready to accept the contract and return to work.
The not so good news: We were notified today that we can expect the work slowdown at Spirit to last 90 days past the strike at Boeing, if it ends now. The expection was that most of us would remain on 3-day work weeks until "likely the end of January."
The "could be" good news: We were also told today to expect a full week of shutdown at Thanksgiving and a full two weeks at Christmas.
The reason it's not good news: Of course, the company is only paying for our usual two days at Thanksgiving and seven days from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day. The other six days (Monday thru Wednesday of the week of Thanksgiving, Dec 22 & 23, and Jan 2) are "on us."

As you know from my previous blog on this, I have been able to charge my additional 16 hours each week to a "Reserved Sick Leave Fund" that we brought over from Boeing, but could not really use. I will exhaust what I had accumulated in that fund the week before Thanksgiving. From that point on, I will be either using my "Earned Time Off" (the term used for companies that no longer separate vacation and sick leave time) or taking time off without pay.


On the Bright Side:

I did take my "usual" vacation trip to the panhandle of Florida for the International Gathering of the Apostles & Prophets this year. I didn't make it last year so my last trip there was the last trip mom & I took together in October of 2006 before her final problems began in November. Joyce went with me and we "road tripped" it down and had nearly three days to relax before the conference started. That was wonderful! Well, it was for me. She burned to a crisp on the beach the first day and was, therefore, miserable for the rest of the week! Nonetheless, we did get in some shopping and a dolphin watching cruise -- and lots of fresh seafood, mostly in open-air, beach restaurants. Ah ... that's the life!

The conference itself was also EXCELLENT. It was entitled "Apostolic Reformation for City Transformation." We truly are entering into the next reformation of the church. The change in how we "do" and how we "see" church in the coming years will be as significant as the change with the reformation Martin Luther started when he nailed his 95 thesis to the door of the church in Wittenberg "for public discussion" (a common custom of the day). And the shift is starting ...

roofs & wisteria

Today the adjuster came to look at the roof on my new home. It, too, was viewed as needing a full replacement. PTL for fair adjusters for both houses. That was an answer to prayer!

The new roof should be on the place I am selling Thursday. I am still waiting on a definitive closing date & time - but it will be no later than next Tuesday (10/7). Hallelujah! (I have asked to do it Friday or Monday, since I am off those days. We'll see if they oblige.)

I'm not sure when the contractor will be able to do the roof on my new home. Since it is not leaking and I am not needing to close on it, I've told him it isn't urgent. He bumped someone else to get the other one done for me. I've let him know that I can be bumped for him to get someone else who is urgent. It may be late October or early November. That's okay.


As for that wisteria ... who planted that stuff?!

It must be payback for my having planted that 6'-high juniper hedge at the other house and left it for the new owner to deal with there. :-)

The previous owners had planted it around three of the beams on the edge of the patio. They had put support beams up around the edge of the patio to support some 2x8s that are across the top, stood veritically, presumably just for the wisteria to have a place to grow & cover. Well, cover would be okay, if it didn't overtake the whole patio in the process! It is coming down! In addition, it is planted along both sides of the wood fence between my home & one of my neighbor's homes -- and on her back patio as well. Fortunately, she dislikes it as much as I do.

Saturday, I spent 9.5 hours working on cutting it down from the patio! Actually, that was about 2 hours spent cutting it down -- and 7.5 hours spent cutting it up! Given I have no pickup truck, the only want to get rid of it is bag it and leave it on the curb. That means cutting it up in small enough pieces to be able to bag it without all the limbs & branches poking through the bags and causing them to rip. What fun! (NOT!)

I still have one "beam's worth" to cut down on the back patio. But by cut down, I mean all the way to a stump, which I intend to have removed. Then, for this year, I am just going to cut it back along the fence line. I will deal with cutting it out next year.

I had told the lady next door (an older woman who is a widow) that I would trim hers as well - thinking it would be no big deal! (Wrong!!) I talked with her again today. She is able and willing to help cut and bag it - so we are going to work on it together. (You know I am a softie for helping "little ole ladies." Guess I just can't help it - and don't want to try to help it.) Next year, I will try to get it cut down there on both sides. She wants it out, too!

Finally selling the other house this fall means that next year I can focus on relandscaping here. It desparately needs it!

a new roof -- wait, make that two!

As it turns out, my "new" home was not the only one on which the roof had sustained hail damage. Before I heard back from the roofer and turned in the insurance claim on this one, I was notified by my realtor that the inspection at the house for sale indicated it also had hail damage on that roof. That was last Thursday evening.

Last Friday morning, I had the roofer go check that one out instead of this one & I put in the claim to the insurance company. The adjuster was there Tuesday morning. It took until late Wednesday to get the assessment from the insurance company - which had the replacement cost about $1000 below the cost estimated by the roofer. Finally got them "talking" late yesteray and this morning we came to agreed upon amount. (The adjuster apparently had not measured correctly.) The roofer should have it replaced no later than next Thursday.

I didn't put in the claim for this one until I knew I had that one worked -- for a couple of reasons. (1) I wanted my insurance folks & the roofer focused on getting that one worked. (2) One at a time is enough with which to deal! So, I called today to start the process for getting this one replaced. The adjuster is to be here Monday morning and the roofer will be here at the same time -- so we don't have the 2-3 day "back and forth" issue we had with the other one.

I still don't have a closing date on the other house. The contract calls for "on or before" 10/7. I'm hoping for next Friday, 10/3. We'll see.

I'm still on 3-day work weeks. No indication yet when Boeing will resolve the strike. Once they do, we will likely still have some "lag time" before returning to a full work week. The strike started at 12:01am on Monday, 9/8. We are hoping that it only goes a month. (Typically, they will go at least 29 days due to contract issues between Boeing & their customers. There's a clause that if there is a strike lasting more than 28 days, the delivery dates to the customer slide without penalty. So, if they go out for more than a day or two, Boeing doesn't want them back until at least day 29.) However, they still are not even back at the negotiating table, so there is no predicting how this will go.

I was so happy with getting a lot done at my new place the first weekend that I had Friday & Monday off. I spent BOTH days last weekend and most of today dealing with issues with the other house. I am HOPING to get some trimming done at my new place tomorrow. They planted wisteria EVERYWHERE here - and it "takes over." I am planning to trim as much as I can with my electric hedge trimmer, clippers & shears tomorrow. I'm thinking I may (later) borrow a chainsaw to finish the job off and cut them all the way back. Or have a tree removal company come take them out completely!

This week was week five of the ten-week class I am taking at WSU. It has been very interesting. However, there's quite a bit of reading & other assignments in preparation for each week, so that has taken time as well. And I've had some things I've done and a couple more that I need to get done for the Home Owners Association here, for which I am secretary.

So, no danger of my getting into any trouble ... I don't have time for it!

tomorrow's another day

Can it really be August already?

It's definitely summer here. Supposed to be 100 degrees tomorrow, 102 Sunday and 103 Monday. That's hot even for a Florida girl! Guess I didn't live in Phoenix long enough to get used to it. The humidity here is somewhere between the two - but closer to Florida. I was literally dripping sweat from my face just standing in the shade filling my car up with gas.

Not a lot going on. Working a little overtime here and there, but not nearly what I used to do. Staying at least close to 40 hours - and many weeks still are "just" 40.

Still need to get the boxes that are "stuffed" in the closets and garage unpacked and straightened. Need to do a little repair work here, too. (Those of you gals who have a wonderful "handy man" husband, make sure he knows how much you appreciate that! As I was walking to the parking lot at Lowe's today, I had the thought that the only thing I could think of that I was jealous of was having someone around who knew how to fix things (and did).)

I wish I knew where my time goes! But, then, I often do not make it home until 7:30 or 8:00 and sometimes later. By the time I go through the (regular) mail, check email, get dinner, and all the other daily things to do, it's usually past time I should be heading to bed. There are so many things I want to do & projects started but not completed. Oh, well, tomorrow is another day. :-)

Once again, it's late. Wonder if I'll make it to bed before midnight tonight? (Not likely, since it's 11:30pm CDT now!) Oh well ... as I said, tomorrow's another day.

catching up

Can it really be nearly a month since I posted? Needless to say, I've been busy.

Here are some updates:

- Dean was released from the rehab hospital on Friday and is at home. He still has a long way to go, but he's also come a LONG way already. His attitude is wonderful! Everyone who visits comments on how positive he has remained through all the challenges. We've had two "work days" (really "work evenings") over there to get things ready for him. The first one was focused on things that had to be done to accomodate him coming home - repairing the brick walkway (taking up a whole section & re-laying it), pouring a concrete pad by the front gate, making and installing a rail up the inside stairs, putting bars & other things in the bathroom, etc. - the second one centered on getting the yard in shape. We have someone mowing for them, but there's all the weeding & trimming that has to be done as well.

- My friend's brother finally got tired of his battle for life. He made the comment about being tired of fighting to his sister and a friend one evening - and slipped away before the following morning. His funeral was this past Tuesday.

- My house on Stoneborough Court still has not sold. Today is the last day of the 6-month contract I had signed with the realtor I was using. She has decided to close her real estate business down the end of the month, so it made the conversation about choosing to list with someone else easier. The new listing should be posted tomorrow. Their average time on market is 34 days. This is one time I am hoping to be "less than average"! I've spent time & money sprucing the yard up. Okay, really, mostly "maintenance." I went and got the weeding back under control. I paid to have the 6' high juniper hedges trimmed and the same gal took care of limbing the trees that needed it as well. (Some were hitting on the roof.) Last weekend, I finally took the time to plant some annuals in the bare beds. (Is it spring yet?)

- I'm still working on the unpacking & settling in. Got one project done this weekend & a start on the next piece of it. Three more large boxes out of the way in one of the storage areas. :-)

And ... I'm ready for a (true) vacation!
(No, I don't have anything planned.)

oh the yardwork!

I moved to a patio home to get out of yardwork ... but, so far, it hasn't worked!

For starters, the one I bought leaves "the beds" to you. That really means, they mow the grass & everything else is yours. Once I have time to rework the beds (which won't be until next year at least and may take 2-3 years to do), that won't be so bad. In the meantime, I spent one Saturday trimming trees that hadn't been trimmed in years and another one weeding.

Then there's the matter of the house on Stoneborough that still hasn't sold. I have been extremely blessed by my next door neighbor there, who had mowed for me (and probably more likely for Mom!) the past 2-3 years had continued to do so for me until it sold. When I went by today to check and see how bad the other "yard maintenance" issues had become, he saw me there and came over to tell me he really doesn't have time to do that for me anymore. So, now I have to see about getting that place mowed as well as getting over to weed the beds and trim the 150'+ of 6' high juniper hedges and also trim some limbs off the trees that are overhanging the house. The worst part at this point is trying to figure out what to do with all the trimmings. I used to cut them up small enough to bag them so the trash service would pick them up. (That takes 2-3 times as long as the trimming!) But now, I have no trash service there. So, it is either bag them and haul them home to be picked up here -- or find someone with a truck who is willing to let me borrow it to haul them to the dump (during hours when it is open).

I am really ready for that house to sell!!!!

the weekend & Monday

The 4-hour "treatment" at Beau Monde on Friday was wonderful! The problem is you don't know what you are missing until you've experienced it once -- then you know! I'm not sure whether to thank the friends who gave me the package as a gift again -- or blame them for introducing me to how "the other half" lives!

Saturday, I ended up starting to do some of the yard work needed at my new home on Glenmoor. I spent 6.5 hours triming trees & one section of hedge that had overgrown a corner to the point you couldn't mow around it. Well, really it was a little over 2 hours trimming - and the rest cutting up the limbs & pieces into sizes I could bag or bundle in a way that the trash service will pick them up. What fun! I had thought I could do all of that and the weeding "in a couple of hours" and then go do a little at the house on Stoneborough. So much for my time estimates! I was "one tired pup" (as a friend of mine says).

On Sunday, we had a fellowship dinner after church. I've been going to the church in Ark City for almost a year now and this is the first one I have been able to attend for one reason or another. This one was a cookout. It was good to get to visit a little with some of them.

Then I came back to Wichita and went by to visit my friend's brother. He had been having a rough day. He can't keep anything down, which means he continues to lose weight and get weaker.

Today, I attended the funeral for the little boy I wrote about yesterday. It was a very sad situation. The great-uncle (mother's uncle) who did the service really did an excellent job of speaking about what his short life had meant, the people it had impacted, and our Hope for the future. The whole service was very well done. It focused on worship and hope.

another very sad situation

I learned today that the 4-year-old son of friends passed away this week.

Not quite two years ago, this little one drown in the bathtub when his mother stepped out of the room briefly. He was revived, but had suffered much brain damage. The case got much media attention first because of the situation and then because the family fought a legal battle when the doctors wanted to run one final test, expecting it to determine that he was brain dead with no hope of recovery, at which time they would remove all life support systems. Now, because of their battle, families get to make that call, not the doctors. The family took him home and have loved and cared for him through it all.

In these almost two years, there has been much evidence that he was not brain-dead. He did respond to people. However, they never saw the miracle they had stood firm in faith believing to see. They have continued to pray over him, even after he was pronounced dead. Their family and friends are part of a growing number that believe Jesus really meant what he said in Matthew 10:8. If He left us His authority, why should we not be able to work the miracles He worked, empowered by the same Holy Spirit that worked through Him? Especially, given that He specifically told us to "raise the dead."

Saddenly, thus far, those prayers have been like the many, many prayers for his healing. For whatever reasons, known only to a Soveriegn God, they have not (yet) been answered. There are still quite a number of people continuing to pray - and we will continue to do so up until his little body is lowered into the ground. After all, the widow from Nain was in route to bury her (only) son when Jesus interrupted the funeral procession to raise him from the dead. All things are possible!

things to do ...

The furniture I purchased in Kansas City in late May was delivered today. I finally have the TV in the living room up high enough to see it from the kitchen (over the kitchen bar & living room built-in bookcases). I also purchased a couple of small side tables for chairs in the living room and a "butler" for the kitchen. The butler has "some assembly required" so it is still in the box. I will try to get it put together this weekend, if I can do it without having to get someone to help.

I look at my "to do" list and wonder what to tackle first. I need to:

• put together the kitchen butler;
• do some yardwork in the beds at my new home, including some weeding and creating a bed between the front wall and where I had the sidewalk poured (the other landscaping will have to wait until next year);
• do some yardwork at the house on Stoneborough, including weeding and trimming those 6' high junipers (again!);
• trim trees both at the house on Stoneborough and at the new one on Glenmoor;
• finish unpacking & straightening all the storage areas at the new home, including the garage;
• put knobs or handles on all the cabinets & drawers (in the kitchen, all three bathrooms, and the utility room for a total of 54 knobs & 15 drawer handles); and
• stain or paint several pieces of furniture.

The weather will have to cooperate for the yardwork. It's either been thunderstorms or wind advisory conditions for the past week or more. We've had 3 or 4 hailstorms since Memorial Day weekend. The last couple of days, there has been severe damage from the wind - gusting at times between 80 and 120 mph in places. (Seriously.) The "straight line wind" took the roof all of some houses and other buildings and even topppled two 75' grain elevators this past week.

Brief bunny trail: I will always remember the first time I saw a straight line wind. I had never even heard the term that I could recall. I watched it coming towards our house on Stoneborough Court late one Saturday afternoon. I had been working in the yard and was just to the point of putting things away when the wind picked up suddenly and viciously. I could see the storm in the distance, but it was different than anything I could ever remember seeing. I quickly put things away, including moving the grill into the garage, and headed in the house just as it was approaching. There was no rain; just a ferocious wind & lots of dust. From inside I watched various neighbors' lawn furniture and a kids swimming pool go flying down the street. I was glad I had pulled the grill around and put it up. The only sight I could remember seeing that looked similar was when the dust storms would roll in off the desert ahead of the rain in Phoenix.

So, we'll see how the weekend shapes up and what I really do. I am also still going to the hospital daily to see my friend's brother ... and staying in touch with Dean's wife to keep the blog on his condition updated.

I do have a little "fun" planned for the weekend as well. I have an appointment tomorrow (Friday) at Beau Monde - a spa. Friends gave me a gift package there LAST year for my birthday and I have never slowed down long enough to use it. After finally scheduling it and then rescheduling it twice, I am going tomorrow. It's a 4-hour treatment, including a massage, facial, manicure & pedicure. Then on Sunday, we are having a baby dedication and a fellowship lunch afterwards to celebrate it. (Hopefully, the weather will cooperate since it is to be outdoors.)

it's a new month

May 2008 did come to a close. And finally some GOOD news...

• My friend's brother was moved from MICU to a regular room yesterday.
• Dean was moved to a rehab facility today.
• And I got an email this morning sent by a long-time friend late yesterday announcing the birth of his son earlier in the day. Yea! Something to CELEBRATE!!

I even got another "chunk" of the unpacking done this past Saturday. I got the china & crystal unpacked and put in the hutch. I also got the pink dishes (some depressionware and some other) that my "other" mother gave me last spring (before she passed away last November) unpacked and in a curio cabinet.

With the boxes that had been sitting in the dining room unpacked, I also moved the stack of all the boxes that had been unpacked & broken down out of the dining room to the garage & a storage area. So, the living room / dining room combination is looking pretty "homey." I am not hanging pictures yet. I want to replace the dining room furniture, but that will not happen until the other house sells. And I don't want to start hanging pictures until I know I have furniture where I want it.

Now, it's time to start unpacking and organizing the storage closets. Or time to do a little landscape work in the yard. Both of those will likely wait until I catch back up on the yardwork at the other house.

The month has started well. Hopefully, it will end even better -- with the sale of my other house!

when it rains, it pours

I don't know why it has been this way, but here's some of what has been happening in the last two weeks ...

I already wrote about the sadness of Mark's death.

In the midst of that, the brother of a close friend was also hospitalized. They ended up determining the current problem is an unusual strand of meningitis. He had started responding to that, only to have a rather major seizure and setback. Sadly, this is just "one more thing" on top of many and without a miracle he likely does not have much longer here on this earth. He is in his mid- to late-30s.

While I was dealing with those, a close friend of mine in Florida got pulled into a very sad situation. An older man (the father-in-law of one of her sister-in-laws - did you follow that?) passed away at home. With no signed DNR order, the EMTs are required to try to revive - even though he had been dead for some period of time when they got there. They wisk him off to ER, working on him all the way. In ER the doctors continue working on him. After 52 minutes (plus however long before they arrived), they managed to bring him back. Only so he could then die a second, slow, very unpleasant death that his loved ones had to watch him struggle through. SOMEONE needs to take on the job of lobbying to get that law that requires that the medical responders do that repealed - or amended to allow the loved ones around to have some say in how their deceased loved one is treated!

Back in Kansas, on Monday one of my work colleagues emailed us that he had a bad bronchial issue and was staying home. He stayed out Tuesday as well. Tuesday afternoon, his wife called our boss to let him know that Dean had been hospitalized. He had been having TIAs. Later that day, he had a full stroke. FORTUNATELY (and he & his wife give the glory to God), he has virtually no residual damage. But he does have one completely blocked artery in the left side of his neck.

Then Tuesday evening I learned that another friend had lost her mother that day. She was 85, a strong believer, and ready to go "home." Nonetheless, as a loving mother of seven and grandmother, she has left a void that is being felt.

I'm ready to start getting some GOOD news from someone ...
So if you have some, let me know!

a better start

It was a good day today ...

It started by getting some much needed rest yesterday. Imagine that, some rest on our "day of rest." What a novel concept!

Because of that, I was actually up and at work by 7:00am. That hasn't happened in a LONG time. (There have been some mornings I was there at 6:15 to "work the parking lots" to get signatures for the union decertification, but that's a different issue!)

So, the next statement should be that I left work on time. Unfortunately, no. I worked through lunch due to back to back meetings and still did not leave until 6:00pm. Remember, I work 10 hr days, so that's really only 1 hr late. But, add to that the fact that I worked 3.5 hours on Friday (my day off), and I may be ending my "no overtime" streak this week -- unless I can find a day to flex out some time. But with all I have to do & the meeting schedule, I doubt it.

But, the concrete guy finally came to remove the framing around my sidewalk. He's supposed to bring some sod tomorrow -- since he waited so long that the sod they dug out has died. But, at least the side walk is finished. (Actually, he called to tell me he hadn't received a check from me. I assured him that was accurate, since he had not completed the job. He decided he could make it by today. :-) )

The window repair guy came today to complete a repair the former owner paid them to do, but they had to wait until the weather warmed to do it. Finally "switched" the winter & summer clothes in my closet this weekend. Until week before last, I was still wearing wool blazers!

I got a letter from the IRS. They have finally decided to pay me some money they owe me from 2003. LONG story. I'm not sure how long it will take to finally get the check, but at least they have decided they really do owe it to me.

And, finally, the realtor let me know that of the five people/couples that come to the open house at my Stoneborough Court house yesterday, three seemed interested. One has been before, but wants me to drop the price unreasonably low. Hopefully, one of the other two couples will be seriously interested. It's been on the market 4 months tomorrow. That may not sound long for some markets, but the economy & housing market are strong in the midwest, and, particularly, here. A month or so ago, Wichita was listed as the #1 market in the nation. So ... 4 months is a long time here!