Almost Finished!

The walkway and landscaping has almost been completed! Michael even "prettied" up the steps. If all goes well, the rest of the grading will be completed today, grass will be planted, straw will be spread, and a final check will be written. It has been a much longer project than I had expected, but I am so pleased with the final product. It doesn't look like the same house. I can't wait to see the lawn once the grass has had a chance to grow.

Major porch progress

As you can see from the pictures below, a lot has happened since the last post. Ceiling fans and electrical outlets have been installed, the railings have been added, steps have been completed, and the lattice work is almost done. Can't wait for this project to come to a close, but it has been worth the wait!

Porch Progress

Since returning home from Tennessee, progress has been made. The new roof is on, the satellite dish has been moved, and the porch rails are almost finished.

Tennessee Visit

A visit to the Smokey Mountains was the first order of business during my recent visit with Ron and Linda at Pigeon Forge. The mountains were beautiful, and I couldn't resist capturing some of the pretty flowers there.

Surprise!

When I returned home from my week in Tennessee, I found this wonderful surprise! I thought that work had not been done while I was gone only to find that the posts had been added and the roof framework begun.

The pounding resumes

Well, the guys are back putting on the decking. I will capture some pictures today after they have had a chance to work for awhile. I am so happy to see progress again.

Michael is in the process of sketching out some possible walkways after the porch is finished. Maybe when he emails the sketches, I will post them so that my loyal followers can vote on their favorite.

The porch takes shape

After much urging I am posting the latest pictures of the porch project. The framing has been done, the water spigot moved, and now we are waiting for the Trek boards to arrive.










Of course, Ginger made sure that she was in all of the pictures!

When it rains, it pours-- when it's hot, it's hot

As if there isn't enough going on around here, the AC is out again. I must have a major leak of freon and no one can come until sometime tomorrow.

The good news is that it is supposed to cool off overnight and tomorrow.

Day Two

Day Two of the renovation was less eventful. Most of the day was spent hauling off debris-- a few items still remain.

After some of the debris is carried off, a truckload of gravel arrives. Now where do I park my car?

The foundation gets a bath.

Planning a home construction project is exciting, but the process is not. I have decided to do some much needed repair to a leaky basement and to add a wraparound porch to my house. Prior to the beginning of this construction project, I had hoped to get some treework done. Well-- so much for planning. Both events occurred simultaneously and almost at the same time!

Knowing that things were about to happen, I wanted to capture a “before” picture or two to remind me where all of this began.

All the while the monster machine is waiting......

The Big Dig

Oops! There goes the shrubbery.

Monster Machine Snatches Shrubbery in Broad Daylight!

Trimming the trees

The redbud and crepe myrtle all got a new "do."

Snow again! But now there is a shiny new Tuscon in the driveway with all wheel drive. Maybe this time I will be able to make it to the top of the driveway!

I have lots to do, but so little ambition this morning. I should be working on my presentation for a workshop next week, getting ready for travel to Austin, or, at the least, cleaning house. Instead I would love to watch old movies all day!

Tomorrow is January 4, and that would normally be the signal to get back to work. This year will be quite different. I have officially retired, and now I will only work on special projects.

I am looking forward to getting back to crafting and pleasure reading in addition to restoring order to a house that has been neglected for several years. I have already started some of the clean up/clear out, but there is so much more to do.

My niece entered some thoughts on birthdays in her blog recently, and I look at this new phase in my life in much the same light. Retirement isn't really about leaving things behind, but more about looking forward to new opportunities. I am blessed to be able to retire and still plan to do some traveling without fear of poverty knocking at my door. No, I'm not wealthy, but I think I can live securely and comfortably, and that is truly a blessing when so many have lost jobs and homes over the past couple of years.

Here's to 2010-- a year that will hopefully bring greater peace, hope, and prosperity.

Getting on with it.

Well, it is back to work tomorrow. While I still feel immense pain at the loss of Dad, I know that getting back to a normal routine will help. The expressions of sympathy from so many personal and professional friends have helped to ease the sense of loss and loneliness.

I will be going to Honolulu in December for a professional meeting. This is my first trip to Hawaii-- I wish it could be a real vacation, but I am happy for whatever time I will have to see the sites.

Thanksgiving is just about here, and I will be spending the day with family at Ron's house. Lots of turkey, traditional sides, desserts, and visiting. How wonderful to set aside time to reconnect with friends and family and to focus on the many blessings in our lives.

Back at my old desk and doing fine

Well, I am a week and a half back at WVPT, and all is well. Everyone has been so welcoming, and my little departure is generally referred to as my "vacation."

Now it is on to setting up Intel courses and preparing for our National Teacher Training Institute. So, it is hit the ground running and get busy. Since I like to busy, that suits me just fine.

Speaking of busy, it is time to get to work, so......

If it is Friday, I must be getting an oil change.

Over the past 10 years, it seems that I have spent a number of Friday mornings at Jim Price Chevrolet getting the oil changed in my car, taking care of car inspections, and other such mundane automotive tasks.

Since I will soon return to a 5-day, 40 hr. work week, I am trying to take care of those chores that require me to be someplace other than in the office. One of those is the car care as described above. The other is pet care. Ginger is having a spa day at the vet's office. It never ceases to amaze me that her haircuts cost about 7.5 times more than my own.

I did enjoy myself yesterday at Charles Town and had a decent day on the slots (at least for me). Of course, I didn't win the $20,000 drawing, but Dick, Katie, and I had a nice time. While there were no big winners among us, neither were there any big losers. So we could all go home fairly content.