We have been truly lucky of late... usually living on the coast you get used to misty, chilly, foggy winters. And summers. However, we moved in a very unusual weather year. Since we have been here I think it has rained lightly once, and has been foggy maybe two afternoons... other than that the winter sun has been brightly shining, and we have loved it. But now the weather lady tells us we will finally be getting some rain. Thanks Roberta!
It is about 5 am and the wind is starting to blow hard enough to get my well traveled chimes on the front porch singing. They are larger chimes so they have a beautiful
baritone sound that I have always found relaxing. There is just something about sitting in your quiet home hearing the chimes slowly ringing. Love it. I have been dragging those chimes around for years, they have been ringing through 100 degree weather, -20 degree icy days, and have watched over golfers slogging through the rainy, rainy, rainy days in Oregon.
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Well, we have been very busy working on the house. There has been a lot more sheetrock, paint, trim, paint again and things are finally starting to take shape.
We could always see what direction we were going in but I know that has not been the case for all our visitors.
Here is David after, during, before replumbing, rewiring, repainting, and tiling the laundry room:
A lot of people walk in and are just overwhelmed with no walls... or many different types of walls, wires being reworked, and a migrating 3 foot tall refrigerator which gets plugged in to wherever there is an open spot. Ya just have to be patient and keep your eyes on the prize. (The prize being a finished home.)
Speaking of the refrigerator... it has been an interesting job trying to 'keep house' during the remodel. Fortunately, it was not completely out of my realm of experience but let me give you an idea of the joy of cooking in a house being remodeled. I have a 3 foot tall refrigerator, that has a "freezer section" about as big as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This refrigerator always seems to be in the way, so it frequently moves around the house. I cook in a combination of an electric skillet and a single extra burner...
That is it.
Once in awhile I use the crockpot but for anyone who has used a crockpot you know that the meals prepped usually leave plenty of leftovers... I mean that is the point. You make stuff and save part of it. Well, with a mini-fridge and no freezer there is no where to put leftovers so I don't use the crockpot as often as one would think. That leaves the single burner and the electric skillet.
I have to say... the electric skillet is a useless piece of equipment and I plan to get rid of that S.O.B. as soon as I have a range... and I think just to keep it company that single burner will be joining it. Because of this, lately we eat a lot of very similar meals... very similar. David is a good sport but I suppose when one has worked all day and is hungry just about anything will do.
Something did happen the other day at Sears though that gives me hope and will call for a celebration! There was a big ole MLK Jr. day sale at Sears and we ordered this lovely thing (queue Gregorian chant:)
Great sale, great stove, and I will be more than happy to cook on it... someday. We have to get our cabinets going first but when they are done this puppy will be all ready to hook up and I will be digging my cast iron pans out of.. well.. wherever they are right now!
Also... I did not want you to think we skipped Christmas.
It literally blew by!
That is a picture of my Grandson Donovan. That is what most of his pictures look like... I even had my camera switched to sports mode. He is just ALWAYS on the run. Anyway, he rolled in wearing his red footy pajamas and bright yellow Sponge Bob boots on Christmas eve and as usual he hit the ground running.
Remind you of someone?
Here he is below with his first view of Great Granny and Great Papa's tree sharing his excitement with David.
After this picture I think he jumped up and down twice and then ran off again.
Then of course after his batteries finally wore out and we were all exhausted ourselves,
he went down for the night...
but when he awoke Santa had visited and brought him exactly what he wanted.
Woody and Buzz
and he has played with little else since then.
