Feb 10th Progress Photos

I put up "dust curtains this morning to minimize the amount of dust getting into the bedroom areas once the sanding starts.

Tim Barnes, the guy who is taping the drywall for us, came this afternoon. He mudded all the seams and corners. He is coming back tomorrow evening to make the 2nd pass. Not sure if he will be back Friday to make the 3rd pass.

The total snowfall was 4-5" at our place. Overnight low was 15. The highest temp I saw today was 18, WeatherBug app says the high was 20..

Feb 9th - Brrh!! Cold in TN

I'm back in TN. Drove back Sunday. Kathy and I had been here for several days last week, drove here Mon, Feb 1st and back to MO on Fri, Feb 5th.

Our TN "cabinet", as Lydia, our great-granddaughter calls it.

 

Our view. Our property line is nearly 4,000' from the window. I plan on thinning out some of the trees so that we can see the "mountains" in the distance.



Things are a little more of a mess, and certainly more disorganized than usual. In preparation for having a guy tape the drywall in the kitchen and living room I've moved most stuff into the bedroom areas. I unhooked the temporary sink, just moved it away from the wall. I also left the refrigerator in the kitchen, just moved it away from the wall. Both the walls and ceiling are to be taped. I will put plastic up, over the door opening to the bedroom, before he starts sanding.

 I will also put plastic up across the opening to the future bedroom. No need to "wall it off" before he is ready to start sanding.

Once the taping is finished I will put a coat of primer on the drywall and maybe a finish coat of paint behind the area where the kitchen cabinets will go. Probably should put a finish coat on all of it before moving stuff back. After things are moved back I can proceed with putting up the remaining drywall, as I feel like it, and eventually get the guy back to tape the remainder. I'm considering building/buying a storage building (12'x16'?) so that I can move some tools & materials into it before installing the remaining drywall. It would be nice not to have to work around a push lawn mower, weed eater, gas can, 2 cycle gas can, shovel, rakes, extra plumbing fixtures, extra electrical supplies, left over shingles, left over siding, etc. I'm getting tired of moving them from one area to another as I work.

It started snowing about 4:30 yesterday afternoon. The snowfall is light and sporadic but we probably have 2.5" this morning. Forecast is to have another inch or two by tomorrow morning.

 

 

It is 20 degrees here now with the high forecast to be 26 today and 21 tomorrow. Overnight low is supposed to be 13 tonight and 11 tomorrow night. That is COLD for TN.

 

Even with the disorganization, furniture moving and snow I'm not "roughing it." Breakfast yesterday was eggs, side pork, hash browns, "hootch" ( homemade V8, but MUCH better), toast & coffee.

 



Jan 9th Favorite Christmas Present

Lydia gave us a calendar for Christmas. It is our favorite present. (I'm sure she had a little help from her Mom.)

Cover


Each month was a picture and a monthly calendar.

Jan



Feb


Mar


Apr


May


June


July


Aug


Sept


Oct


Nov


Dec

December

I haven't posted for a long time. Below are some December photos.

Grammy & Lydia relaxing in the hot tub. Been a warm December.


Interesting mural on a retaining wall at a Jefferson City gas station. The mural is makes it appear that there is a bridge and that you look down the highway. It shows what you would see, the capital building, if you could see through the retaining wall.


There used to be a bearing wall, supporting the upstairs and part of the roof, from the new post over to the corner by Doug, 15' long. We took it out and put in a new beam, and the post. The new beam is also supports an existing 12' beam that used to span between the dining room and living room. There will be no walls between the dining room, living room & kitchen when complete. There will be a large island. Kitchen is completely gutted.

 Christmas Dinner.


Lydia working with handicraft stuff she got for Christmas.


Saturday morning after breakfast. Trying out a new game. You put whipped cream on the paddle, spin a needle to see how many tries you have to see if the paddle pops up and splashes you with whipped cream.
 

 She finally got a some whipped cream on her face. Everyone but "stick in the mud" Gpa Bert gave it a try.
 

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

Sept 30th - Been A While

God is good!

It has been a long time since I've posted. I thought it was time to post a few photos and provide a few thoughts/comments/updates.

Kathy is doing great after her surgery. Hallelujah! We go to St. Louis Friday for a follow up with the surgeon and to get her staples removed.

Weather has been nice here, but DRY. I think it has been 3 weeks since I've mowed the lawn, not that I complaining about that.

I thought all the fish in our pond had died because the duck week had cut reduced the oxygen levels. All the big fish are dead but we do have small ones. I haven't noticed any catfish so far, which is fine with me. I wonder if the other ones were eggs that survived the time when the oxygen levels were so low. I still need to get another grass carp, but that can wait until spring.

I've been working for ARSEE/T&L some while here at home, 5-10 hours per week. I still enjoy it so I'll keep it up until ARSEE's work load gets back to normal, or until I get tired of it.

I've advertised the motorhome and CR-V on a couple of web sites. A lady may come from the Dallas, TX area to look at it this weekend. I've probably spent 4 hours, either on the phone or emailing her, to discuss the sale.

The photos aren't in any order.

Watching the construction from Kathy's room was interesting. They have 3 tower cranes working and are working 24 hours a day. When I took this photo there was a guy hanging out over the side of the building welding on a column and another, one up on the floor above him, doing something with a BIG torch.

Hot tub fun.

This was the view outside from my motel room window in St. Louis. This is not a parking lot, it is a traffic jamb on one of the main Interstates feeding into St. Louis. The morning we drove to St. Louis it took us less time to get the first 60 miles than it did the last 15. Makes me want to kiss the rural ground of central MO, but I'd much rather kiss the ground of rural TN <grin>. (Actually that isn't so. I wouldn't trade time with Kelsey and Lydia for anything.)

Picking cucumbers with Grammy. We have NEVER had cucumbers produce before. We might get a couple and then the vine would die. This year Kathy has given me 2 bags to give away at church, and she has given away more to others.

Sun bathing after "swimming" in the hot tub. Notice the ice cream cone. Its a rough life.

Last Saturday the girls made tomato juice. I helped by cranking the Squeezo.

 Hospital visitors

 Fixing/eating a waffle on tomato juice day.

May God bless you and yours. He certainly has blessed me.

Sept 7th - In Indy

Made it to Fishers, IN today with no problems. Traffic was much lighter than I expected, but I arrived here around 6:30 PM. It probably got a lot heavier later in the evening.

I will be working at ARSEE this week and head back to MO Saturday morning.

Several years ago I purchased a used tandem axle trailer in TN, to move the Kubota I bought in TN to MO. It had never been titled or plated. In TN you don't have to put plates on a trailer that you only pull in the state. (TN is such a grand state) In order to put a MO plate on it (so that I would have the privilege of paying MO personal property tax on it) I needed to have someone from the county Sheriffs office come out, inspect it, fill out the paper work to get a VIN #, etc. The trailer was to big to use for carrying firewood up to the house at our HILLY, WOODED 4 acres in MO.

I ordered a new 5'6"x10' single axle trailer last week. It is big enough to carry my Kubota and small enough to use to bring wood I cut back to the house. Yesterday afternoon I listed the tandem axle trailer on craigslist. By 8 this morning a guy came from 50 miles away, paid me $100 more than I had paid for it, and hauled it away. PTL!

Lydia went off to the park with Doug & Anthony this morning. She loves it when her Indy Gpa's come to visit. They will head back to Indy tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

God is good. May He bless you and yours.

Sept 4th - Nothing Exciting

We came back to MO last Saturday. Its a pretty boring 600 mile drive. Sure wished it was closer.

Nothing exciting going on here. Lydia stayed with us 2 days and was just a peach. Kelsey, Kathy & Lydia went out to lunch yesterday and Lydia was NOT a peach.

Kelsey had a Doctor's appointment today and all is well.

Doug & Anthony are coming Saturday evening and going back to Indy Tuesday morning. Lydia will be happy to see her Indy Grandpas.

I'm going to Indy (actually Fishers, IN, just northeast of Indy) on Monday, so that I can work in ARSEE's office, or go to the Tate & Lyle Lafayette plants as needed Tuesday-Friday. I will drive back to MO on Saturday. I'm still enjoying the work, and the money is nice.

God is good. May He richly bless you and yours.