It's been raining, and the driveway looks really muddy. I dread all the mud at Creekside. Yesterday Janie and I scattered some straw to keep us a little up out of the mud, but it gets everywhere. The men (and I) track in a lot.
Steve was in a bad mood most of the day, and it gets on everyone's nerves. We all walk on eggshells trying to not set him off, but he explodes every so often anyway.
Cherokee suggested that we ladies go to this re-sale shop in Bean Station, and Janie and I leaped at the chance. I got three blow mold candles. Two are the traditional candle look, and one is a outdoor lantern. They were marked down to 75% off, so they were a really good buy.
Guy left early to go to a doctor in Clinton, but we saw him going at a high speed towards Bean Station when we were on our way back to Creekside.
Stucco gave out in the cold and wind, and quit some early, too. It was quite cold, and there was a brisk breeze.
Steve worked under the house most of the day, getting ready to jack up the sunroom for more support and to keep the floor level. It had been built unproperly.
Janie brought some lovely turkey and gravy, with some kind of pumpkin bread for dessert. It was all really good. She loves to cook, and I just don't have the time to, and her offerings are always welcome.
I talked Steve into letting me give her a set of roof trusses that fit mobile homes. She's been wanting some for a small outbuilding on their place, and had mentioned some that I have. I had a purpose for the ones she asked about, so I gave her these in place. I'm thinking about mine for a garage/laundry room at Creekside. I often find pretty good buys at yard sales on the most unlikely building materials. I think the people having the sales are a bit amused that a small woman knows what the materials are and what they're used for. I talk them down a bit, too.
I've wound up with a mix of building materials stored out in the barn, and she was welcome to these trusses. She's all excited about getting them, and already has Pete planning her little shed.
Cherokee seemed a little worried and distracted yesterday. She doesn't like to discuss her problems, so we don't know what might have been bothering her.
I didn't sleep well towards morning, and I'm wondering about performing my duties today.
Yesterday Janie and I re-painted the closet upstairs, and also the hollow-core doors that I'm taking Barbara to use for her snow village shelves. I couldn't find the trim paint for the woodwork in the closet, so we have that to finish today. I found it just after Janie had left, but it was getting late, and I waited to paint until today. Everyone likes it white, so I won't paper or paint with color in there. I still have the window treatment to build. It's going to be a type of shadow box, with a painting of a wall niche in it, to look like a garden wall. It will go well with the outside appearance of the house.
My feet are hurting so badly that I couldn't stand the bedcovers any more, so I'm up, limping around the house.
My throat still sounds terrible, but it's feeling just a little better. It still feels like I've been swallowing needles. The steroids have me running to the bathroom about every 10-15 minutes.
I'd rather go to the bathroom more often than have the usual edema associated with Prednesone useage. It's unlikely that I'll be going to any flea markets for long shopping expeditions, though.
Brenda Newberry told me that she gained 30 pounds while on a similar dose, and it took her 6 months to lose it afterwards.
I've been painting on some yard ornaments for use this spring, and the living room is a mess. Steve hates the mess, but my treasures do turn out nicely. I gave Mary a lot of things I'd painted for Christmas presents.
I need to get going. There's much ahead.
Faune is about the only person to evey leave me a comment, but I enjoy her little remembrances and advice. She's been a true friend to me for many years. I'm glad that she's not the only friend I have. I treasure them all.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011 AM
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, but Steve doesn't like it, and yesterday was a huge yawn. I think he hates Jesus or something.
He doesn't want to help with the decorations, the clean-up, the extra wiring for the outdoor nativity set, or much of anything else, and I have all the work to do. Then he gripes about all the time I'm wasting. But it is important to me. I love the music, the foods, the visits with friends, the lights, and the secular version of celebration of when Jesus was born. I know it's not reality that He was born in December, but it's the celebration of His birth, so I go with it, in a big way.
Everyone loves the outdoor nativity, and it's rather extensive. I've found two more wize men (ARE there any more wize men?) and they didn't get here in time for this year's display.
The yard at Creekside is a great place to display the set. Ann Casson, the publisher of the Grainger Today, stopped by to compliment me on my display. That meant a lot to me.
Steve and I both worked up at Creekside yesterday. He crawled around under the house, getting prepared to jack up the floor of the downstairs sunroom. It is not supported very well, and bounces slightly when we walk on it. He's getting ready to level and support it much better, using some of the lumber that I purchased last spring from Jim Warwick, the man who sold me a lot of building materials, paint, and plumbing fixtures.
These particular beams spent the earlier part of their life supporting a carosel, and they're about 6X4, which is a LOT better than what has been holding up the floor. There should be a noticeable difference in the soundness of the floor after all this work.
I cleaned and painted an upstairs closet, and then worked on the closet doors that I'm going to give to Barbara so that she can put her snow village on display all year, as I do now. I hit on the idea of using those closet doors one day while at Habitat for Humanity. They look just like solid boards, but are much lighter, wider, and will give a better surface for Barbara's houses.
Now, Barbara, there's your mention.
I built a shelf a foot down from the ceiling all around my dining room, kitchen, and hallway to put mine on when we built our house. I have so many snow houses now that I will have to expand quite a bit. I'm going into the library next. I will be using the slightly larger houses there, and the shelf will be further from the ceiling.
The sun is up on Clinch Mountain, and Steve is up now, so I'll post more later.
It's off to the work at Creekside.
He doesn't want to help with the decorations, the clean-up, the extra wiring for the outdoor nativity set, or much of anything else, and I have all the work to do. Then he gripes about all the time I'm wasting. But it is important to me. I love the music, the foods, the visits with friends, the lights, and the secular version of celebration of when Jesus was born. I know it's not reality that He was born in December, but it's the celebration of His birth, so I go with it, in a big way.
Everyone loves the outdoor nativity, and it's rather extensive. I've found two more wize men (ARE there any more wize men?) and they didn't get here in time for this year's display.
The yard at Creekside is a great place to display the set. Ann Casson, the publisher of the Grainger Today, stopped by to compliment me on my display. That meant a lot to me.
Steve and I both worked up at Creekside yesterday. He crawled around under the house, getting prepared to jack up the floor of the downstairs sunroom. It is not supported very well, and bounces slightly when we walk on it. He's getting ready to level and support it much better, using some of the lumber that I purchased last spring from Jim Warwick, the man who sold me a lot of building materials, paint, and plumbing fixtures.
These particular beams spent the earlier part of their life supporting a carosel, and they're about 6X4, which is a LOT better than what has been holding up the floor. There should be a noticeable difference in the soundness of the floor after all this work.
I cleaned and painted an upstairs closet, and then worked on the closet doors that I'm going to give to Barbara so that she can put her snow village on display all year, as I do now. I hit on the idea of using those closet doors one day while at Habitat for Humanity. They look just like solid boards, but are much lighter, wider, and will give a better surface for Barbara's houses.
Now, Barbara, there's your mention.
I built a shelf a foot down from the ceiling all around my dining room, kitchen, and hallway to put mine on when we built our house. I have so many snow houses now that I will have to expand quite a bit. I'm going into the library next. I will be using the slightly larger houses there, and the shelf will be further from the ceiling.
The sun is up on Clinch Mountain, and Steve is up now, so I'll post more later.
It's off to the work at Creekside.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
December 22, 2011 AM
Yesterday was our anniversary. We didn't do anything special. We just worked at Creekside.
Steve's parents called to wish us a happy anniversary, but that was the only thing that was unusual in any way.
Stucco finished the ceiling in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and it is so pretty.
I had him do it in the same style as the walls and ceiling in the library, and I'm happy with the results. He's going to put a plaster medallion around the light fixture, which will finish the ceiling with stunning interest. He can do almost anything with plaster.
Janie is back, and I love it. I teased her about getting drunk and spending her long weekend falling down and rolling around in the floor. She has a new car. It's a small van, with electric doors, and it's super clean. She just loves it. The headlights are really dim, and she commented that she needed to get some re-surfacer or new lights. I suggested that we try the local Dollar Store, and they had the re-surfacer cheap. It beats the price of new headlights.
Our new tail light came in the mail yesterday. Randy Reagan had broken the old one backing into a tree back in the summer, and I had just neglected to get it replaced. Steve got a ticket for having a broken tail light Saturday night, and he ordered this one off the internet.
It rained on and off all day yesterday, but Janie and I worked in the house. It doesn't seem like we get much done on most days, because as soon as we get an area cleaned for work, the men come through and make another mess.
Everyone in Rutledge compliments me on my blow mold nativity set in the yard. Some of my characters don't have lights, but they are still pretty.
Cherokee and I worked all one day setting up all the characters and the manger. Janie came and helped, too.
It's time to get to work.
Steve's parents called to wish us a happy anniversary, but that was the only thing that was unusual in any way.
Stucco finished the ceiling in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and it is so pretty.
I had him do it in the same style as the walls and ceiling in the library, and I'm happy with the results. He's going to put a plaster medallion around the light fixture, which will finish the ceiling with stunning interest. He can do almost anything with plaster.
Janie is back, and I love it. I teased her about getting drunk and spending her long weekend falling down and rolling around in the floor. She has a new car. It's a small van, with electric doors, and it's super clean. She just loves it. The headlights are really dim, and she commented that she needed to get some re-surfacer or new lights. I suggested that we try the local Dollar Store, and they had the re-surfacer cheap. It beats the price of new headlights.
Our new tail light came in the mail yesterday. Randy Reagan had broken the old one backing into a tree back in the summer, and I had just neglected to get it replaced. Steve got a ticket for having a broken tail light Saturday night, and he ordered this one off the internet.
It rained on and off all day yesterday, but Janie and I worked in the house. It doesn't seem like we get much done on most days, because as soon as we get an area cleaned for work, the men come through and make another mess.
Everyone in Rutledge compliments me on my blow mold nativity set in the yard. Some of my characters don't have lights, but they are still pretty.
Cherokee and I worked all one day setting up all the characters and the manger. Janie came and helped, too.
It's time to get to work.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
My very favorite Sister Worker sent me an e-mail scolding me for not up-dating my blog often enough, so it's time to do so.
I love Betty, and I really listen to her advice (on ALL things) and want to honor her counsel.
It's our anniversary. Twenty-six years. I wouldn't have believed we would make it this long. I have such intollerance, and Steve has such a temper, that I would have thought that we would have killed each other by now. I don't believe in 'fortune telling' or such, but once I saw on one of those table mats in a Chinese restaurant that his sign and mine should NEVER attempt a relationship.
I guess we've beat the odds.
I believe that we determine what we want to be and do, and that, if we apply ourselves, work hard, and seek God's will for our lives, we can overcome almost anything that does not kill us.
That's about how I feel towards 'Creekside', our new house.
It's so much work, and it seems that so little is getting done. We work all the time, but so much of what we do is not visible. People stop by to see the progress, and I can see the look of disappointment on their faces. It's likely on mine, too.
You don't see the miles of plumbing, wire, insulation, and structural repairs that go into an old house re-do, but if they're not done correctly, you still have a dump.
Going to shop for and collect building materials, trips to the tool-rental shop, errands that are essential for building a house, and even taking away the garbage take so much time.
Janie has been a great help to me, and is almost always bubbly and cheerful, but she, like myself, is only one person, and can do only so much. When you balance the amount of work with the size of our staff, you can tell that we're not exactly sitting around the wood stove drinking tea.
I don't know if I've mentioned the wood stove. We installed a small one in the living room, and vented it up the fire place flue. It helped with beating the cold, but was not adequate, by a long shot. I had bought another one at a closing hardware store last summer, and it's like a barrel (quite a bit larger than the smaller one) and we traded them out. There's a HUGE difference!
The barrel type takes much larger logs, and it heats the house very comfortably. I still have lots of insulation to install, but we're fairly warm right now, with the nice heat from the wood stove.
Steve almost always gets mad at me for such purchases, but then recognises the need I knew would arise when we get the use from them later.
Shawn has bought himself a new truck, and it's a beautiful shade of purple. He came by last night to help his father for a while. He's such a handsome, pleasant man.
Stucco is working in the (formerly) striped room upstairs, and he is ready to do the plaster on the ceiling. I had seen a ceiling detail in the home of Gary and Norma Burkett several years ago that some Brother Worker had done for them, and I described it to Stucco and asked him if he thought he could replicate it. He not only replicated it on a scrap sheet of sheetrock, he improved it! He took a wallpaper brush and manipulated it to make the medallion section look like the tail feathers on a peacock. It's going to be beautiful. He can do almost anything with plaster and stucco. He spoils me.
Some of the rooms are about ready for paint, paper, and surface finishing, but I don't want to do them until all the plaster dust is finished. I get so impatient, but I would hate to finish a wall, then have someone bump something into it and make a mess of it.
I hope Janie and I can get back to the floor installation in the upstairs sunroom sometime soon. That is going to be one more stunning transformation. We're putting down engineered wood flooring, and it's beautiful. I've had it in my parlor, entrance foyer, and library here at Clairemont for many years, and it wears well and stays so nice.
I can't believe Christmas is almost here, and I'm so ill-prepared. I put most of my blowmold nativity set on the front lawn of Creekside, and I've had RAVE reviews. Ann Casson, the publisher of Grainger Today (our local newspaper) stopped by my table at the Down Home last week to comment on my 'lovely nativity'. If I had the time, I'd put more into it. I like to remind people what the season is supposed to be about.
Cherokee said that people were slowing down on Rutledge Pike to look at it. We had some problems with getting the lights going for it, and last night was the first night it was lit. Until then, people just had to observe it in daylight.
My physical condition is steadily worsening. I can't sleep, and I can't get going. I'm tired all the time, my voice sounds terrible, I cough, have to clear my throat, have difficulty swallowing, and I feel like I've swallowed needles. I'm passing some blood in my stools, which have shown a dramatic increase.
That's the clinical report.
Steve has become quite concerned sinse he's been home this time, and has made me an appointment with another ear, nose, and throat man. I go for my initial visit tomorrow. Several people around town have commented on the fact that I look 'un-well', or look like I don't feel good. And they see me only when I'm in public, and 'on'. I put on quite a show of being the same as before I became ill, but it's becoming harder all the time, and people can tell that there's something wrong. I'm not as bubbly, funny, and energetic as I once was, and I find it harder and harder to 'fake' it for my adoring public.
I do very little at Clairemont any more, and it's showing. I used to do everything: the livestock, fencing repairs, buildings for the livestock, home repairs and maintenance, the up-keep on the vehicles, the yard work, and just general maintenance. This year, I've failed miserably.
My hernia surgery knocked me out of mowing and heavy yard work, and then all the troubles with my throat made (makes) me feel like I've been rode hard and put up wet.
I'm very weak (compared to what I was), and I'm constantly exhausted. It's not just being tired, it's total exhaustion. When I'm doing something strenuous, my hands tremble from the effort.
I still play the instruments (when I have the time) but you can easily tell that I'm just too tired to put much into the music, and that I'm terribly out of practice.
Betty Pike and I used to play together, I've played with Margaret Cook, Irene Snider (now Schaffer), Annette Tallent (now dead), and I was the organist for the All-County Gospel Music Association when I was a bit younger and had more time for such things.
I don't believe much of anyone would want me now.
Mary (my sister, Mary Kelly) was in Rutledge yesterday to have two teeth pulled. She had asked me to get Dr. Foutch (who is my dentist) to do them for her. He warned her about how much pain she would have. She's one tough cookie.
She didn't feel like coming to Creekside, so I still have some of her Christmas gifts for her. They're stored up there, as is about everything else I own. The 'stuff' gets in the way, and makes all our work a lot harder. I erected a hoop barn in the back yard, and we're storing things like floor tile, lumber, insulation, cabinets, and materials in it, to keep them on the site and keep the space clear in the house. We've got a lot of things in the garage of the house, but it's ricketty and needs to be torn off the side of the house, and a better one built. I'm going to put the laundry room and (possibly) another bath between the new garage and the kitchen.
Steve and I went up to Kenny Singleton's property to look at what it would take to get the roofing tile away from there. Kenny gave me some terra cotta roof tiles, and they're the same product we have on the rest of the house. I'm planning to use it on the new garage/laundry room/bath when we build it. Kenny is not well, and I'm trying to get that tile before there might be a new owner for the property, which is low ans swampy. They might not be as accomodating as Kenny.
The ground is wet, and has been for the last few weeks. I think there's supposed to be rain today, if it didn't start in the night. I'm going to need to move some cut firewood from Clairemont to Creekside soon, and I'd like to have the fields dry when we do the job. It's some wood that the Byrds cut when they were working for me. It's dry, but stacked out in the fields where they worked, and will definately take some work to get it into the bed of the truck and up to Creekside. Wood heat feels so good, though.
An old family friend from Dante died recently, Wayne Fine. He was a really nice man, with such community good will. He helped everyone and anyone. He and his wife, Barbara, lived beside our farm, at the corner of Brown and Greer Road.
Another death, Bill Looney. He had run a restaurant in the building that used to be 'Shine's' here in Rutledge. He was a nice man, with a great sense of humor.
Barbara and I always watch the obits. There's your mention, Barbara, so don't call me and 'rag' on me. I mention you a lot of times, but when I do, it's not fit for public viewing.
I've got to get off this computer and get to work.
So much to do, so little time.
I love Betty, and I really listen to her advice (on ALL things) and want to honor her counsel.
It's our anniversary. Twenty-six years. I wouldn't have believed we would make it this long. I have such intollerance, and Steve has such a temper, that I would have thought that we would have killed each other by now. I don't believe in 'fortune telling' or such, but once I saw on one of those table mats in a Chinese restaurant that his sign and mine should NEVER attempt a relationship.
I guess we've beat the odds.
I believe that we determine what we want to be and do, and that, if we apply ourselves, work hard, and seek God's will for our lives, we can overcome almost anything that does not kill us.
That's about how I feel towards 'Creekside', our new house.
It's so much work, and it seems that so little is getting done. We work all the time, but so much of what we do is not visible. People stop by to see the progress, and I can see the look of disappointment on their faces. It's likely on mine, too.
You don't see the miles of plumbing, wire, insulation, and structural repairs that go into an old house re-do, but if they're not done correctly, you still have a dump.
Going to shop for and collect building materials, trips to the tool-rental shop, errands that are essential for building a house, and even taking away the garbage take so much time.
Janie has been a great help to me, and is almost always bubbly and cheerful, but she, like myself, is only one person, and can do only so much. When you balance the amount of work with the size of our staff, you can tell that we're not exactly sitting around the wood stove drinking tea.
I don't know if I've mentioned the wood stove. We installed a small one in the living room, and vented it up the fire place flue. It helped with beating the cold, but was not adequate, by a long shot. I had bought another one at a closing hardware store last summer, and it's like a barrel (quite a bit larger than the smaller one) and we traded them out. There's a HUGE difference!
The barrel type takes much larger logs, and it heats the house very comfortably. I still have lots of insulation to install, but we're fairly warm right now, with the nice heat from the wood stove.
Steve almost always gets mad at me for such purchases, but then recognises the need I knew would arise when we get the use from them later.
Shawn has bought himself a new truck, and it's a beautiful shade of purple. He came by last night to help his father for a while. He's such a handsome, pleasant man.
Stucco is working in the (formerly) striped room upstairs, and he is ready to do the plaster on the ceiling. I had seen a ceiling detail in the home of Gary and Norma Burkett several years ago that some Brother Worker had done for them, and I described it to Stucco and asked him if he thought he could replicate it. He not only replicated it on a scrap sheet of sheetrock, he improved it! He took a wallpaper brush and manipulated it to make the medallion section look like the tail feathers on a peacock. It's going to be beautiful. He can do almost anything with plaster and stucco. He spoils me.
Some of the rooms are about ready for paint, paper, and surface finishing, but I don't want to do them until all the plaster dust is finished. I get so impatient, but I would hate to finish a wall, then have someone bump something into it and make a mess of it.
I hope Janie and I can get back to the floor installation in the upstairs sunroom sometime soon. That is going to be one more stunning transformation. We're putting down engineered wood flooring, and it's beautiful. I've had it in my parlor, entrance foyer, and library here at Clairemont for many years, and it wears well and stays so nice.
I can't believe Christmas is almost here, and I'm so ill-prepared. I put most of my blowmold nativity set on the front lawn of Creekside, and I've had RAVE reviews. Ann Casson, the publisher of Grainger Today (our local newspaper) stopped by my table at the Down Home last week to comment on my 'lovely nativity'. If I had the time, I'd put more into it. I like to remind people what the season is supposed to be about.
Cherokee said that people were slowing down on Rutledge Pike to look at it. We had some problems with getting the lights going for it, and last night was the first night it was lit. Until then, people just had to observe it in daylight.
My physical condition is steadily worsening. I can't sleep, and I can't get going. I'm tired all the time, my voice sounds terrible, I cough, have to clear my throat, have difficulty swallowing, and I feel like I've swallowed needles. I'm passing some blood in my stools, which have shown a dramatic increase.
That's the clinical report.
Steve has become quite concerned sinse he's been home this time, and has made me an appointment with another ear, nose, and throat man. I go for my initial visit tomorrow. Several people around town have commented on the fact that I look 'un-well', or look like I don't feel good. And they see me only when I'm in public, and 'on'. I put on quite a show of being the same as before I became ill, but it's becoming harder all the time, and people can tell that there's something wrong. I'm not as bubbly, funny, and energetic as I once was, and I find it harder and harder to 'fake' it for my adoring public.
I do very little at Clairemont any more, and it's showing. I used to do everything: the livestock, fencing repairs, buildings for the livestock, home repairs and maintenance, the up-keep on the vehicles, the yard work, and just general maintenance. This year, I've failed miserably.
My hernia surgery knocked me out of mowing and heavy yard work, and then all the troubles with my throat made (makes) me feel like I've been rode hard and put up wet.
I'm very weak (compared to what I was), and I'm constantly exhausted. It's not just being tired, it's total exhaustion. When I'm doing something strenuous, my hands tremble from the effort.
I still play the instruments (when I have the time) but you can easily tell that I'm just too tired to put much into the music, and that I'm terribly out of practice.
Betty Pike and I used to play together, I've played with Margaret Cook, Irene Snider (now Schaffer), Annette Tallent (now dead), and I was the organist for the All-County Gospel Music Association when I was a bit younger and had more time for such things.
I don't believe much of anyone would want me now.
Mary (my sister, Mary Kelly) was in Rutledge yesterday to have two teeth pulled. She had asked me to get Dr. Foutch (who is my dentist) to do them for her. He warned her about how much pain she would have. She's one tough cookie.
She didn't feel like coming to Creekside, so I still have some of her Christmas gifts for her. They're stored up there, as is about everything else I own. The 'stuff' gets in the way, and makes all our work a lot harder. I erected a hoop barn in the back yard, and we're storing things like floor tile, lumber, insulation, cabinets, and materials in it, to keep them on the site and keep the space clear in the house. We've got a lot of things in the garage of the house, but it's ricketty and needs to be torn off the side of the house, and a better one built. I'm going to put the laundry room and (possibly) another bath between the new garage and the kitchen.
Steve and I went up to Kenny Singleton's property to look at what it would take to get the roofing tile away from there. Kenny gave me some terra cotta roof tiles, and they're the same product we have on the rest of the house. I'm planning to use it on the new garage/laundry room/bath when we build it. Kenny is not well, and I'm trying to get that tile before there might be a new owner for the property, which is low ans swampy. They might not be as accomodating as Kenny.
The ground is wet, and has been for the last few weeks. I think there's supposed to be rain today, if it didn't start in the night. I'm going to need to move some cut firewood from Clairemont to Creekside soon, and I'd like to have the fields dry when we do the job. It's some wood that the Byrds cut when they were working for me. It's dry, but stacked out in the fields where they worked, and will definately take some work to get it into the bed of the truck and up to Creekside. Wood heat feels so good, though.
An old family friend from Dante died recently, Wayne Fine. He was a really nice man, with such community good will. He helped everyone and anyone. He and his wife, Barbara, lived beside our farm, at the corner of Brown and Greer Road.
Another death, Bill Looney. He had run a restaurant in the building that used to be 'Shine's' here in Rutledge. He was a nice man, with a great sense of humor.
Barbara and I always watch the obits. There's your mention, Barbara, so don't call me and 'rag' on me. I mention you a lot of times, but when I do, it's not fit for public viewing.
I've got to get off this computer and get to work.
So much to do, so little time.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
I'm up pretty early, even for me.
Yesterday was one of those horrible days that I couldn't do anything but sleep. I don't believe it's exhaustion, though I am pretty tired. I think it's some type of migraine. If I even sit up for a few minutes, I throw up, and exhaustion does not do that to you.
I feel so much like a lazy bum when I do that all day.
Steve is still home, and he took pretty good care of me.
He went up to Creekside, but said there didn't appear to be much done by the workers who were supposed to be there all day.
Janie had called early to say that she had to go to North Carolina, so that's understandable.
I'd like to see more results from Stucco and Guy. There's no reason that two grown men can't get one bedroom plastered in one day.
I'm going to have to clean house again, I'm afraid.
Janie and I haven't got any more flooring laid yet, as we've been called away on small chores and haven't got the time to get started with the adhesive and mess that laying floor entails.
I'm just purely tired of working on that house. I'd like to see more results, and I'm really tired of all our money going into that house with so little result.
I'm getting started off in the wrong direction this morning, so I'd better close my blog and go do some craft painting.
Yesterday was one of those horrible days that I couldn't do anything but sleep. I don't believe it's exhaustion, though I am pretty tired. I think it's some type of migraine. If I even sit up for a few minutes, I throw up, and exhaustion does not do that to you.
I feel so much like a lazy bum when I do that all day.
Steve is still home, and he took pretty good care of me.
He went up to Creekside, but said there didn't appear to be much done by the workers who were supposed to be there all day.
Janie had called early to say that she had to go to North Carolina, so that's understandable.
I'd like to see more results from Stucco and Guy. There's no reason that two grown men can't get one bedroom plastered in one day.
I'm going to have to clean house again, I'm afraid.
Janie and I haven't got any more flooring laid yet, as we've been called away on small chores and haven't got the time to get started with the adhesive and mess that laying floor entails.
I'm just purely tired of working on that house. I'd like to see more results, and I'm really tired of all our money going into that house with so little result.
I'm getting started off in the wrong direction this morning, so I'd better close my blog and go do some craft painting.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I got up fairly early this morning, and have a few minutes to catch up on this blog.
Night before last was an experience from hell. I couldn't sleep, no matter what I tried. Before the night was out, I had taken 2 1/2 Ambien, 4 Benadryl, 4 Nyquil, 2 Paxil, 3 Neurontin, 2 Skelaxin, and several Valerian. I still could not sleep.
What had brought all this on was the exhaustion with dealing with all the stress in my life.
I've horribly neglected Clairemont, our lovely home, I've worked relentlessly on Creekside,
I've had two surgeries, all my lovely, treasured birds have either been stolen or killed by varmits, our home was burglarized, I've been totally drained by this on-going disease, and our white truck tore up.
Steve had used the truck to back up to the front of the house at Creekside (to unload some fire wood) and it wouldn't go back out of 4-wheel drive. He cussed, yelled, and blamed me for the problem, but I had not driven that truck in days.
It just got me all nervous, and everything came together to create the perfect storm.
...and it did. I started crying about 10:00, and didn't stop until about 4:00 in the morning.
Steve felt badly about un-loading on me, but you can't un-ring a bell.
I stayed home all day Monday, to rest and get myself back together. It must have helped, because I'm back on my regular schedual again. I still feel weak and tired, and my throat sounds like a rumbling dog, but I'm not haveing emotional outbursts and wanting to stay in bed all day.
Our little cat, Sweety, is in heat for her first time, and she's drove us wild with all her anticks.
Steve had never seen a cat in heat, and he wondered if something had made her sick. I said "Yeah, She's love sick".
We'll (meaning I) will have toget her fixed before this happens again.
Things are coming along slowly, but VERY slowly at Creekside.
Poor Janie works herself to death, and she's (like me) seeing so little done for the money.
Stucco has gone off again, and says he can't do anything else until I get a room clear, where he can work.
One bedroom upstairs has only his Baker's scaffolding in it, which he will need to do that ceiling, and he could certainly finish the wall in the stairwell around the new windows there.
Cherokee is just disgusted with him. I'm about to get that way.
I'd just really like to get that house finished.
My house needs my attention. It's sure not as nice as when I was here every day. I just come in, have soup, crackers, a piece of bread with some soda or kool-aid, take my bath, and go to bed. The next morning, it's up and getting ready to get out the door.
I've not been having Mary come so often to clean, because I need to help her, so the house and yard is not looking well-kept.
Janie and I got the front put on the tomato house, where we're storing a lot of the building materials (at Creekside). The rain had been just blowing in for over a month, and it needed to be done. The menfolk didn't show any inclination towards it, so we did it ourselves. It looks pretty good, for two old, white, Southern women to have done it.
Janie brings the most delicious dishes to work. She brought a home-made cheese ball that Steve went bonkers over. She really shows an interest in the old house, and in US. She reminds me so much of my mom. She's full of drive and energy, and she's got some really great ideas. She says that I've taught her so much, but she's given more than she's recieved. She stands up for me, and I'm glad to have her.
The Preliminary Hearing for the bandits is coming up on December 16 (Lawrence's birthday), and I plan to be there. Barbara has tipped off the prosecutor's office that this burglary has really caused me a lot of stress, and that she'd appreciate it if he would bear down a little. She will be there in the court room, wearing a hat, of course (as will I), but she won't look as nice in hers as I will in mine.
The little surprise I had been working on for her was a Christmas Hat. I had made her one last year or before, but it had gotten burned, lost, or mis-placed in her house fire last summer, and she had strongly hinted that she would love to have another of my artistic and original creations for this season. I delivered it to her at the salon shere she gets her hair done, and everyone raved about it.
It's not even daylight yet, and, already, I feel tired.
I might go back to bed for about 30 minutes or so.
Dr. Duck says my red blood cell count is pretty low, and I'd imagine that's one of the reasons for me tireing so easily. I need to eat more chicken liver and green, leafy vegetables,
I've always presumed that Barbara ate enough for both of us. She sure looks it.
Night before last was an experience from hell. I couldn't sleep, no matter what I tried. Before the night was out, I had taken 2 1/2 Ambien, 4 Benadryl, 4 Nyquil, 2 Paxil, 3 Neurontin, 2 Skelaxin, and several Valerian. I still could not sleep.
What had brought all this on was the exhaustion with dealing with all the stress in my life.
I've horribly neglected Clairemont, our lovely home, I've worked relentlessly on Creekside,
I've had two surgeries, all my lovely, treasured birds have either been stolen or killed by varmits, our home was burglarized, I've been totally drained by this on-going disease, and our white truck tore up.
Steve had used the truck to back up to the front of the house at Creekside (to unload some fire wood) and it wouldn't go back out of 4-wheel drive. He cussed, yelled, and blamed me for the problem, but I had not driven that truck in days.
It just got me all nervous, and everything came together to create the perfect storm.
...and it did. I started crying about 10:00, and didn't stop until about 4:00 in the morning.
Steve felt badly about un-loading on me, but you can't un-ring a bell.
I stayed home all day Monday, to rest and get myself back together. It must have helped, because I'm back on my regular schedual again. I still feel weak and tired, and my throat sounds like a rumbling dog, but I'm not haveing emotional outbursts and wanting to stay in bed all day.
Our little cat, Sweety, is in heat for her first time, and she's drove us wild with all her anticks.
Steve had never seen a cat in heat, and he wondered if something had made her sick. I said "Yeah, She's love sick".
We'll (meaning I) will have toget her fixed before this happens again.
Things are coming along slowly, but VERY slowly at Creekside.
Poor Janie works herself to death, and she's (like me) seeing so little done for the money.
Stucco has gone off again, and says he can't do anything else until I get a room clear, where he can work.
One bedroom upstairs has only his Baker's scaffolding in it, which he will need to do that ceiling, and he could certainly finish the wall in the stairwell around the new windows there.
Cherokee is just disgusted with him. I'm about to get that way.
I'd just really like to get that house finished.
My house needs my attention. It's sure not as nice as when I was here every day. I just come in, have soup, crackers, a piece of bread with some soda or kool-aid, take my bath, and go to bed. The next morning, it's up and getting ready to get out the door.
I've not been having Mary come so often to clean, because I need to help her, so the house and yard is not looking well-kept.
Janie and I got the front put on the tomato house, where we're storing a lot of the building materials (at Creekside). The rain had been just blowing in for over a month, and it needed to be done. The menfolk didn't show any inclination towards it, so we did it ourselves. It looks pretty good, for two old, white, Southern women to have done it.
Janie brings the most delicious dishes to work. She brought a home-made cheese ball that Steve went bonkers over. She really shows an interest in the old house, and in US. She reminds me so much of my mom. She's full of drive and energy, and she's got some really great ideas. She says that I've taught her so much, but she's given more than she's recieved. She stands up for me, and I'm glad to have her.
The Preliminary Hearing for the bandits is coming up on December 16 (Lawrence's birthday), and I plan to be there. Barbara has tipped off the prosecutor's office that this burglary has really caused me a lot of stress, and that she'd appreciate it if he would bear down a little. She will be there in the court room, wearing a hat, of course (as will I), but she won't look as nice in hers as I will in mine.
The little surprise I had been working on for her was a Christmas Hat. I had made her one last year or before, but it had gotten burned, lost, or mis-placed in her house fire last summer, and she had strongly hinted that she would love to have another of my artistic and original creations for this season. I delivered it to her at the salon shere she gets her hair done, and everyone raved about it.
It's not even daylight yet, and, already, I feel tired.
I might go back to bed for about 30 minutes or so.
Dr. Duck says my red blood cell count is pretty low, and I'd imagine that's one of the reasons for me tireing so easily. I need to eat more chicken liver and green, leafy vegetables,
I've always presumed that Barbara ate enough for both of us. She sure looks it.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Monday Dec. 6, 2011
This is not a good time for me to post, as I haven't been to sleep yet, and I'm a little jumpy and nervous.
Steve and I went to lunch today at Gondelier's in Jefferson City, and it was nice.
After that, the trouble started. Steve disagreed with every decision I made, even about how to get out of the parking lot. We went to Lowes, and he didn't like anything I did there, either.
I can't please him.
My nerves are in a state, and I'm either crying all the time or I'm totally 'wacked out' on the bed.
He says he's leaving Tuesday, and it's past time.
The white truck started giving trouble this evening on the way home from Creekside. Of course it was my fault, and I got yelled at for the problem, even though I had'nd driven the car for several days. I think some of the brake calipers are too tight. But it's just another upset in a long line of others.
Patty and Jack came by with her two grand children. They're a 'rescue' from their parents.
Patty loves what I'm doing with the house.She can hardly wait until it's finished. I can't wait, either.
I picked up rocks in the front yard this afternoon. It was pretty out, with just a slight chill in the air. No worked today but Steve and I. We didn't get a lot accomplised, because we had so much company They all want the grand tour. I'm glad to what off all we've done,
The outside is looking great, and Stucco will be proud to have done so much to help make the house so beautiful. He sure is a master craftsman.
I'm sleepy now, but I need some rest.
Steve and I went to lunch today at Gondelier's in Jefferson City, and it was nice.
After that, the trouble started. Steve disagreed with every decision I made, even about how to get out of the parking lot. We went to Lowes, and he didn't like anything I did there, either.
I can't please him.
My nerves are in a state, and I'm either crying all the time or I'm totally 'wacked out' on the bed.
He says he's leaving Tuesday, and it's past time.
The white truck started giving trouble this evening on the way home from Creekside. Of course it was my fault, and I got yelled at for the problem, even though I had'nd driven the car for several days. I think some of the brake calipers are too tight. But it's just another upset in a long line of others.
Patty and Jack came by with her two grand children. They're a 'rescue' from their parents.
Patty loves what I'm doing with the house.She can hardly wait until it's finished. I can't wait, either.
I picked up rocks in the front yard this afternoon. It was pretty out, with just a slight chill in the air. No worked today but Steve and I. We didn't get a lot accomplised, because we had so much company They all want the grand tour. I'm glad to what off all we've done,
The outside is looking great, and Stucco will be proud to have done so much to help make the house so beautiful. He sure is a master craftsman.
I'm sleepy now, but I need some rest.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 26, 2011 PM
I can't sleep (again), and I'm trying to make my eyes so tired that sleep will come.
I got up at about 4:30 this morning, and have worked hard all day, and I'm truely beat, but sleep is elusive.
Steve is resting peacefully. Hardly anything keeps him awake.
I've finally got the upstairs sun room ready for the wood floor. It's manufactured wood, which is like a thin plywood, with a beautiful finish. It's exactly the same floor as we have in the front rooms at Clairemont, and it's worn well. It's a little laborous, because you have to glue each piece in place, but it has the appearance of real wood floors.
The wall paper in the sun room is fabulous. I've created the look I hoped for. It appears that you're looking over a picket fence at rolling hills and Amish-like farm houses in the distance. It's actually two borders, but has the look of a wall mural. Everyone is stunned at how nice it looks, but I seem to have the ability to envision things and how they will look before I create them. It has been a lot of work, but a labor of love.
The floor, window trim, and baseboards are the finishing touches.
Janie had some stomach trouble today, and she thinks it's a new medication for her artharitus that's the problem. She says it's great for the pain, but such meds often cause bad side effects.
Cherokee brought a great pasta salad to share with us all today. Steve loves pasta.
It was warm today, but this evening, it's raining a cold rain and blowing a very cold wind.
I'll be glad for the wood stove at Creekside.
My respiratory problems continue. I'm totally stumped at what it may be, as are my doctors.
I feel so weak and useless.
It's hard to get a good deep breath, and I tire so easily.
The cows got out Sunday while I was bedridden with this awful disease, and Steve was not inclined to go after them. He told me he had walked the fence, and that there was nothing out of order. I went up out to check again, and the gate up into the woods was wide open. Footprints in the mud left little doubt that they had taken to the woods. They are still gone, and Steve doesn't want to help me recover them. He would have them up in a minute if it could be done by pointing and clicking.
I'd say some farmer will have them at the auction this Wednesday.
Stucco and Shawn are working on the ceiling in the old upstairs bathroom. They amaze me with their skill. I'd say their arms and shoulders are tired tonight.
Kenny Singleton, a local man, came by and expressed an interest in the camper I have for sale.
He's been a good friend, so I'm going to give him a bargain price. He's coming by tomorrow to talk to me, as I was busy today, and couldn't talk to him.
Steve is re-hanging the front door, as it was done improperly before. It's a beautiful door, with beveled glass and gold caming. It's eight feet tall, and very heavy, but a stunning door.
I've got a surprise gift for Barbara, but it's a secret, so I'm not going to tell her.
She needs a gift membership to Jenny Craig.
I got up at about 4:30 this morning, and have worked hard all day, and I'm truely beat, but sleep is elusive.
Steve is resting peacefully. Hardly anything keeps him awake.
I've finally got the upstairs sun room ready for the wood floor. It's manufactured wood, which is like a thin plywood, with a beautiful finish. It's exactly the same floor as we have in the front rooms at Clairemont, and it's worn well. It's a little laborous, because you have to glue each piece in place, but it has the appearance of real wood floors.
The wall paper in the sun room is fabulous. I've created the look I hoped for. It appears that you're looking over a picket fence at rolling hills and Amish-like farm houses in the distance. It's actually two borders, but has the look of a wall mural. Everyone is stunned at how nice it looks, but I seem to have the ability to envision things and how they will look before I create them. It has been a lot of work, but a labor of love.
The floor, window trim, and baseboards are the finishing touches.
Janie had some stomach trouble today, and she thinks it's a new medication for her artharitus that's the problem. She says it's great for the pain, but such meds often cause bad side effects.
Cherokee brought a great pasta salad to share with us all today. Steve loves pasta.
It was warm today, but this evening, it's raining a cold rain and blowing a very cold wind.
I'll be glad for the wood stove at Creekside.
My respiratory problems continue. I'm totally stumped at what it may be, as are my doctors.
I feel so weak and useless.
It's hard to get a good deep breath, and I tire so easily.
The cows got out Sunday while I was bedridden with this awful disease, and Steve was not inclined to go after them. He told me he had walked the fence, and that there was nothing out of order. I went up out to check again, and the gate up into the woods was wide open. Footprints in the mud left little doubt that they had taken to the woods. They are still gone, and Steve doesn't want to help me recover them. He would have them up in a minute if it could be done by pointing and clicking.
I'd say some farmer will have them at the auction this Wednesday.
Stucco and Shawn are working on the ceiling in the old upstairs bathroom. They amaze me with their skill. I'd say their arms and shoulders are tired tonight.
Kenny Singleton, a local man, came by and expressed an interest in the camper I have for sale.
He's been a good friend, so I'm going to give him a bargain price. He's coming by tomorrow to talk to me, as I was busy today, and couldn't talk to him.
Steve is re-hanging the front door, as it was done improperly before. It's a beautiful door, with beveled glass and gold caming. It's eight feet tall, and very heavy, but a stunning door.
I've got a surprise gift for Barbara, but it's a secret, so I'm not going to tell her.
She needs a gift membership to Jenny Craig.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 AM
I didn't sleep hardly at all last night.
I don't know if I've covered in my blog that Dr. Little said that my sleep study at the Sleep Disorder Center was inconclusive, because I didn't sleep enough...WELL DUH!
If I could sleep well, I wouldn't have been there. He wouldn't prescribe me anything to help me sleep, and wanted to re-do the sleep study. I should think that not sleeping well would be enough indication that a patient needs sleeping medication.
There's some mighty strange people walking around out there.
The Sheriff's Office still has not contacted me about the arrest and preliminary hearing for the burglars. He doesn't even know that I know the date of the trial, at which they'll be bound over to the grand jury. There's surely nothing grand about the legal system, and I plan to let them know about it.
Someone breaks into your home, you have it on video, they take your belongings, they then take your belongings and mutilitate them, sell them to a pawn broker for 'scrap gold', the police find out about the sale, catch the criminals, and there still has to be this long, drawn-out legal process .
I would figure that if they're caught in the act, especially by legal officials, that would be quite enough.
........and then we find out that one of them was on parole when they broke into my house. Just how much more outrageous can this get??
I'm not told anything about the up-coming hearings, but I'll bet the crooks are kept up-dated!
My nerves are shot, my health is giving me a fit, I can't get a proper diagnosis or medical care, and it's mostly because of some criminals stealing my stuff to fund their drug activity and good times. And, yes, I'm mad!
The work at Creekside is dragging along so slowly that you can see the dead lice falling off.
Janie is up-beat and cheerful, and ever-so-helpful, but Stucco's work is slow, slow, slow.
I had him to remove the shadow box from the wall in the upstairs bedroom, because Randy had broken it installing it. He nailed it in with huge finishing nails, and broke the delicate trim around the mirror. I got mad every time I looked at it, so I just had it removed and the wall plastered smooth over the place where it was to be set into the wall. I had especially framed for that shadow box, and it angers me that someone would take it upon themselves to damage it beyond repair by improperly installing it.
Janie and I went yesterday to get another wall-paper border to use in the upstairs sunroom. We had to make a trip to Habitat to get a load of foam mattresses, anyway, and it was not far out of the way to go by Knox Rail Salvage and get a border that we liked better than the one we had.
We had painted the sunroom day before yesterday, and we are now ready to wall paper it with a 'chair rail' height scene of a picket fence, with a pastoral scene behind it. It will make the room look very 'outdoorsy'.
We're already trying to match some engineered flooring we found at Habitat, and we're going to use that on the floor in that room. It's a large room, so it will take quite a bit, but it will be so pretty, and we want to get just ONE room finished. We've worked so hard for so long.
One of the borders has to be trimmed, and Janie took them home with her last night to trim them while she watched TV. She really shows an interest in the project.
It's been raining all week, and the ground is muddy and sticky. I can't see Richland's Creek yet, but I'd say it will be out of it's banks this morning. It's still pretty dark out, but not too cool.
The new wood stove at Creekside is a hit with everyone. They love to sit around it and gossip.
The foam mattresses that I bought at Habitat are to be cut in half and used between the floor joists for insulation. I got them for $2.00 each, which is a truely good price, and they will make excellent insulation. It will also avoid the prickly fiberglass, and the resilence will hold the foam in place. I got three truck loads of them, so they should go a long way. I bought three old knives at Goodwill to use for cutting them in to, so I won't ruin any good cutlery. It will be a little more work, but will be less bothersom than working with fiberglass overhead.
We are trying to get a lot of the materials and supplies out of the house, so we won't have to move everything to be able to make room to work. It's a hassle to have everything in your way all the time.
We erected one of those huge tomato-growing sheds made of metal hoops and heavy-weight plastic out in the back yard, and that's where most of the material is being stored.
It's sure handy to have a dry place for everything.
Steve slipped yesterday on the deck while he was putting up a porch light fixture, fell onto the railing, did a flip, and fell to the ground. He was badly bruised, and lost some skin. I tried to do a little work on him, but he couldn't stand it, so I gave him pain meds and sprayed him with some skin-regenerative medication. He slept poorly last night, too. We both sweated all through the night. I feel like I need a shower this morning, and I'll likely get one.
It's not foggy, and it's light enough now that I can see that Richland's Creek is out of it's banks from all the rain. It's not as high as I've seen it before.
I don't drive through the water anymore. There's all kinds of things that float down that creek.
I need to get my shower and start getting ready for my day. They are full of activity and bustle.
I didn't mention Barbara, but I made her mad a few days ago when I told her that I had bought 5 hats at the Goodwill for $9.00! They need a little work, but they are truely splendid, and I beat her to them. |She's the Blaine Hat Lady, but I'm the Queen of all Hat Ladies.
I don't know if I've covered in my blog that Dr. Little said that my sleep study at the Sleep Disorder Center was inconclusive, because I didn't sleep enough...WELL DUH!
If I could sleep well, I wouldn't have been there. He wouldn't prescribe me anything to help me sleep, and wanted to re-do the sleep study. I should think that not sleeping well would be enough indication that a patient needs sleeping medication.
There's some mighty strange people walking around out there.
The Sheriff's Office still has not contacted me about the arrest and preliminary hearing for the burglars. He doesn't even know that I know the date of the trial, at which they'll be bound over to the grand jury. There's surely nothing grand about the legal system, and I plan to let them know about it.
Someone breaks into your home, you have it on video, they take your belongings, they then take your belongings and mutilitate them, sell them to a pawn broker for 'scrap gold', the police find out about the sale, catch the criminals, and there still has to be this long, drawn-out legal process .
I would figure that if they're caught in the act, especially by legal officials, that would be quite enough.
........and then we find out that one of them was on parole when they broke into my house. Just how much more outrageous can this get??
I'm not told anything about the up-coming hearings, but I'll bet the crooks are kept up-dated!
My nerves are shot, my health is giving me a fit, I can't get a proper diagnosis or medical care, and it's mostly because of some criminals stealing my stuff to fund their drug activity and good times. And, yes, I'm mad!
The work at Creekside is dragging along so slowly that you can see the dead lice falling off.
Janie is up-beat and cheerful, and ever-so-helpful, but Stucco's work is slow, slow, slow.
I had him to remove the shadow box from the wall in the upstairs bedroom, because Randy had broken it installing it. He nailed it in with huge finishing nails, and broke the delicate trim around the mirror. I got mad every time I looked at it, so I just had it removed and the wall plastered smooth over the place where it was to be set into the wall. I had especially framed for that shadow box, and it angers me that someone would take it upon themselves to damage it beyond repair by improperly installing it.
Janie and I went yesterday to get another wall-paper border to use in the upstairs sunroom. We had to make a trip to Habitat to get a load of foam mattresses, anyway, and it was not far out of the way to go by Knox Rail Salvage and get a border that we liked better than the one we had.
We had painted the sunroom day before yesterday, and we are now ready to wall paper it with a 'chair rail' height scene of a picket fence, with a pastoral scene behind it. It will make the room look very 'outdoorsy'.
We're already trying to match some engineered flooring we found at Habitat, and we're going to use that on the floor in that room. It's a large room, so it will take quite a bit, but it will be so pretty, and we want to get just ONE room finished. We've worked so hard for so long.
One of the borders has to be trimmed, and Janie took them home with her last night to trim them while she watched TV. She really shows an interest in the project.
It's been raining all week, and the ground is muddy and sticky. I can't see Richland's Creek yet, but I'd say it will be out of it's banks this morning. It's still pretty dark out, but not too cool.
The new wood stove at Creekside is a hit with everyone. They love to sit around it and gossip.
The foam mattresses that I bought at Habitat are to be cut in half and used between the floor joists for insulation. I got them for $2.00 each, which is a truely good price, and they will make excellent insulation. It will also avoid the prickly fiberglass, and the resilence will hold the foam in place. I got three truck loads of them, so they should go a long way. I bought three old knives at Goodwill to use for cutting them in to, so I won't ruin any good cutlery. It will be a little more work, but will be less bothersom than working with fiberglass overhead.
We are trying to get a lot of the materials and supplies out of the house, so we won't have to move everything to be able to make room to work. It's a hassle to have everything in your way all the time.
We erected one of those huge tomato-growing sheds made of metal hoops and heavy-weight plastic out in the back yard, and that's where most of the material is being stored.
It's sure handy to have a dry place for everything.
Steve slipped yesterday on the deck while he was putting up a porch light fixture, fell onto the railing, did a flip, and fell to the ground. He was badly bruised, and lost some skin. I tried to do a little work on him, but he couldn't stand it, so I gave him pain meds and sprayed him with some skin-regenerative medication. He slept poorly last night, too. We both sweated all through the night. I feel like I need a shower this morning, and I'll likely get one.
It's not foggy, and it's light enough now that I can see that Richland's Creek is out of it's banks from all the rain. It's not as high as I've seen it before.
I don't drive through the water anymore. There's all kinds of things that float down that creek.
I need to get my shower and start getting ready for my day. They are full of activity and bustle.
I didn't mention Barbara, but I made her mad a few days ago when I told her that I had bought 5 hats at the Goodwill for $9.00! They need a little work, but they are truely splendid, and I beat her to them. |She's the Blaine Hat Lady, but I'm the Queen of all Hat Ladies.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Tuesday, 11/21/11 AM
It's a foggy, drizzly morning, and I just don't want to get started with my day. Steve is sleeping in, so I have a few minutes to catch up on my blog.
I still feel terrible. There seems to be no proper diagnosis, thus no proper treatment.
I've had a cold, on top of the upper respiratory infection that's been plauging me for the last year, and I sound like a cross between a fog horn and a demented drag queen. No one wants to talk to me on the phone, as they can hardly understand me. They say my throat sounds makes their throat hurt.
Creekside is coming along, but very slowly. Stucco is tired of working on that old house, and about everyone else is, too. Janie keeps up spirits with her hard work and the fact that she often brings home-cooked food for everyone.
We re-painted the upstairs sun room last evening, as the former nice paint job had become a little care worn. We plan to start the wall paper in there today. It's a chair rail that looks like a picket fence.
Steve worked on the overhead lights in the downstairs sun room last night.
He liked my idea of putting remnants of padded linoleum on the kitchen floor to keep down drafts until we finish the floor in there. It makes quite a difference.
Stucco and Guy (a new boy working for us) carried a lot of stuff out to the plastic house yesterday. It gives us a lot of room to work in the house without having to move stuff all the time.
More later.
I still feel terrible. There seems to be no proper diagnosis, thus no proper treatment.
I've had a cold, on top of the upper respiratory infection that's been plauging me for the last year, and I sound like a cross between a fog horn and a demented drag queen. No one wants to talk to me on the phone, as they can hardly understand me. They say my throat sounds makes their throat hurt.
Creekside is coming along, but very slowly. Stucco is tired of working on that old house, and about everyone else is, too. Janie keeps up spirits with her hard work and the fact that she often brings home-cooked food for everyone.
We re-painted the upstairs sun room last evening, as the former nice paint job had become a little care worn. We plan to start the wall paper in there today. It's a chair rail that looks like a picket fence.
Steve worked on the overhead lights in the downstairs sun room last night.
He liked my idea of putting remnants of padded linoleum on the kitchen floor to keep down drafts until we finish the floor in there. It makes quite a difference.
Stucco and Guy (a new boy working for us) carried a lot of stuff out to the plastic house yesterday. It gives us a lot of room to work in the house without having to move stuff all the time.
More later.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Today was just a tiny bit slower, as Stucco was out sick. He had been feeling badly for a few days, and I suggested that he take a day to rest. I could slow down a bit with the work, as I wasn't so busy keeping things done for him.
Janie and I cleaned some this morning, but I got to looking for something (I forget what it was now) and didn't get as much done as I wanted.
I cut insulation this afternoon and put it around the bathroom windows, which had been replaced, and the huge new window in the stairwell. Janie didn't want me up on two ladders at one time, but I had to get it done, as I figure Stucco will want to finish the wall when he comes back to work.
Janie, Cherokee, and I went to the new barbeque place (where Shine's used to be) for lunch. It's nothing special, but they have a small salad bar with three soups. The potato soup was really good.
Two deputies came in while we were there, and both spoke to me and were very nice. They said they understand my anger, and they don't take the negative comments about the sheriff's department personally.
Renae and Kelly from the Goodwill came in while we were there, and sat next to us.
We went to the Goodwill after lunch, and Janie found me this lovely hanging light for a porch.
Everything was 75%, so I got a few bargains. Renae told me she had been reading my comments on Topix about the home burglary, and she is very glad that I like her.
I think I might have came across as a little dangerous, and definately NOT someone you cross.
She loved my comments, though.
Joan told me tonight that she just hopes nothing happens to me as retaliation. I told her that if good people have to remain silent about crime, they might as well be dead. I will speak my piece with my last breath, and I will always call wrong what it is.
Jim McManus wrote in Lynn's blog about the costs to a relationship from fibromyalgia, and he's pretty good with it.
He misses the things they might have been able to do if it weren't for Lynn's illness. I know the feeling. I've been alone most of my adult life, and I know how it feels to not be able to plan things to do with a companion.
I think I'm a computer widow now.
Steve spends all his time on the computer. It's almost like being married to an invalid. If he's away from the screen for more than an hour or so, he gets cranky and ill-tempered.
I just do things alone.
Cherokee's mother is home from the hospital now. None of the other children came to help with her care at the hospital. They sent her home without her being able to walk. We saw Dr. Duck at lunch, and he said he would order home nurses for her. Cherokee just can't do everything that needs doing. She's staying there so much now that I'm afraid that her mother will be put out of her apartment, as there are rules for how long company can stay. They might have to made allowance for Cherokee to stay there, as 'mom' just can't be alone.
Cherokee is distraught over all this, but there's only so much she can do.
I wish I weren't so busy with everything, so I could sit with 'mom' a little to give Cherokee a break.
It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow, then turn cold, and I'm dreading that. Working in that big old house at Creekside in cold weather is no picnic. It can't be as bad as last winter was, and Stucco is going to put in a wood stove for me, but I'd still rather work in warm weather.
The wood stove will be temporary, but will really help keep the place warm this winter while we're working there.
I'm tired. I'm going to take a bath and get ready for bed.
Janie and I cleaned some this morning, but I got to looking for something (I forget what it was now) and didn't get as much done as I wanted.
I cut insulation this afternoon and put it around the bathroom windows, which had been replaced, and the huge new window in the stairwell. Janie didn't want me up on two ladders at one time, but I had to get it done, as I figure Stucco will want to finish the wall when he comes back to work.
Janie, Cherokee, and I went to the new barbeque place (where Shine's used to be) for lunch. It's nothing special, but they have a small salad bar with three soups. The potato soup was really good.
Two deputies came in while we were there, and both spoke to me and were very nice. They said they understand my anger, and they don't take the negative comments about the sheriff's department personally.
Renae and Kelly from the Goodwill came in while we were there, and sat next to us.
We went to the Goodwill after lunch, and Janie found me this lovely hanging light for a porch.
Everything was 75%, so I got a few bargains. Renae told me she had been reading my comments on Topix about the home burglary, and she is very glad that I like her.
I think I might have came across as a little dangerous, and definately NOT someone you cross.
She loved my comments, though.
Joan told me tonight that she just hopes nothing happens to me as retaliation. I told her that if good people have to remain silent about crime, they might as well be dead. I will speak my piece with my last breath, and I will always call wrong what it is.
Jim McManus wrote in Lynn's blog about the costs to a relationship from fibromyalgia, and he's pretty good with it.
He misses the things they might have been able to do if it weren't for Lynn's illness. I know the feeling. I've been alone most of my adult life, and I know how it feels to not be able to plan things to do with a companion.
I think I'm a computer widow now.
Steve spends all his time on the computer. It's almost like being married to an invalid. If he's away from the screen for more than an hour or so, he gets cranky and ill-tempered.
I just do things alone.
Cherokee's mother is home from the hospital now. None of the other children came to help with her care at the hospital. They sent her home without her being able to walk. We saw Dr. Duck at lunch, and he said he would order home nurses for her. Cherokee just can't do everything that needs doing. She's staying there so much now that I'm afraid that her mother will be put out of her apartment, as there are rules for how long company can stay. They might have to made allowance for Cherokee to stay there, as 'mom' just can't be alone.
Cherokee is distraught over all this, but there's only so much she can do.
I wish I weren't so busy with everything, so I could sit with 'mom' a little to give Cherokee a break.
It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow, then turn cold, and I'm dreading that. Working in that big old house at Creekside in cold weather is no picnic. It can't be as bad as last winter was, and Stucco is going to put in a wood stove for me, but I'd still rather work in warm weather.
The wood stove will be temporary, but will really help keep the place warm this winter while we're working there.
I'm tired. I'm going to take a bath and get ready for bed.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
I haven't posted lately, because of time constraints, fatigue, worry, and depression.
The burglary of our home has me totally distracted with worry and depression, and I'm totally frustrated with the Sheriff's Office in Grainger County.
They have not only failed to let me know what's happening, I've called them and been given false information over the phone from them.
I'm anticipating that there might be some kind of lawsuit before all this mess is over.
The criminals were caught quite by accident in a routine traffic stop in the first place.
Now, I've learned that they're using illegal cell phones to call all over the county to try to get someone to come and bail them out.
I suggested to the Sheriff's Department that they might walk some of the prisoners past the metal detectors that all the public has to walk through to get into the court room. That's not going to happen.
I'm still so sick with this respiratory infection that I can hardly make myself understood over the phone, and I don't have the time or energy to go do the job of prosecuting criminal activity.
I am not going to just let this go away, though.
I am going to pursue these criminals as long as I have a breath left.
I've not got much done at the house at Creekside or here, either. I feel terrible all the time, and it's really hard to breathe. I've been in bed all day today, and my legs still hurt terribly.
Stucco put in the huge, lovely window for the stairwell this week, and it's truely dramatic. He didn't insulate around it properly, though, so I had to pull it all out and start it over.
I limped home last night.
I'd better mention Barbara. She told me how to contact the Attorney General's office to talk to them about this fiasco.
But she's still ugly, she smells bad, and her momma dresses her funny.
The burglary of our home has me totally distracted with worry and depression, and I'm totally frustrated with the Sheriff's Office in Grainger County.
They have not only failed to let me know what's happening, I've called them and been given false information over the phone from them.
I'm anticipating that there might be some kind of lawsuit before all this mess is over.
The criminals were caught quite by accident in a routine traffic stop in the first place.
Now, I've learned that they're using illegal cell phones to call all over the county to try to get someone to come and bail them out.
I suggested to the Sheriff's Department that they might walk some of the prisoners past the metal detectors that all the public has to walk through to get into the court room. That's not going to happen.
I'm still so sick with this respiratory infection that I can hardly make myself understood over the phone, and I don't have the time or energy to go do the job of prosecuting criminal activity.
I am not going to just let this go away, though.
I am going to pursue these criminals as long as I have a breath left.
I've not got much done at the house at Creekside or here, either. I feel terrible all the time, and it's really hard to breathe. I've been in bed all day today, and my legs still hurt terribly.
Stucco put in the huge, lovely window for the stairwell this week, and it's truely dramatic. He didn't insulate around it properly, though, so I had to pull it all out and start it over.
I limped home last night.
I'd better mention Barbara. She told me how to contact the Attorney General's office to talk to them about this fiasco.
But she's still ugly, she smells bad, and her momma dresses her funny.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Wednesday, November 12, 2011 Early AM
It's very early in the morning, and I can't sleep. My sleep habits have always been so totally inappropriate. I can't seem to sleep at the right times, and then the next day, I feel like I've got a head cold. I know I need a C-pap machine, but I just haven't taken the time to go to the doctor and get matched to one.
I'm always tired. Before I began construction at Creekside, if I had slept poorly, I just stayed in bed a little later in the morning. That's not possible now. I have to struggle out from between the sheets and get to work. I tell Sweety that 'Mommy has to go to work'.
She always follows me to the door, and meets me inside the back door when I come home in the evenings. That's really nice of her, but she's given the Flokati fleas again. I have tried almost everything to get rid of them, but there's always a come-back group. Steve loves having her in the house, but I don't like tiny black, quick, jumping bugs on my feet when I go to the bathroom.
She may have to become an out-door cat.
I am in a state of nervous prostration over the home burglary. I've heard rumours that Penny is denying doing it, and that she will get the usual '11-29, reduced to time served, pay fines and court costs', and that's it.
The court system treats me like I haven't had a loss, suffered any pain, or had my peace destroyed by all this. She could actually be walking the streets right now for the meager price of $800.00!
I have worked hard all my life, and I married a good man who works hard to give us both a good life, and in one day, some drug-addicted criminal can come into our home against our will and steal thousands of dollars worth of our possessions, and they get a suspended sentence!
Where is justice in that???
I get so mad at all these liberals who campaign for the good of criminals. I want to go out to wal-mart and slap some of them.
Otherwise, Janie is working out very well, and she just keeps at it. Did I tell that she brought some wonderful vegetable soup to work with her the other day. She's promising spaghetti today. She complained that she didn't have a good place to wash dishes, so I stopped off at the Family Dollar Store on my way home last night and got her a nice, new dish pan. If she wants to wash dishes, I'll help her all I can.
We all went to the Habitat yesterday, and I found these magnificent windows for the stairwell. They are actually two units, one being large and square, and the other being an 'eyebrow' window to fit over it. It will flood the stairway with light, and look quite dramatic from outside. It took Stucco and Shawn both to get them in the house, and Stucco was worried that there might not be enough wall space to mount them. It is actually a blessing that they're so large, as some of that wall had extensive water damage, and it will now be cut out and the window will take it's place.
I also found some tile exactly like that in the upstairs bath, which I had made a trip to Crossville to get about a month ago. I bought it, just because it was much cheaper and less trouble, and I will have some to play into decor somewhere else. It's called Crystal Pink, and it's really pretty tile.
I love going to the habitat stores where they have 'man things'.
Janie is great about giving me suggestions for the house. I like that. It indicates to me that she's really into our project. She always has an upbeat spirit about everything. She reminds me quite a bit of my mother, and I sometimes look closely at her after she says or does something. I just now realized why I was doing that. I must tell her, and I hope it makes her feel good.
We got some padded linoleum at the habitat yesterday, too, to put on the kitchen floor. I've waited on doing the kitchen floor because I didn't want plaster tracked from the other rooms of the house onto the floor in there. But there are cracks that you can see through, and the now-cold morning air just 'whooshes' up between the cracks, and it's pretty cold. We can leave the linoleum down when we install the underlayment for the tile, and it will still act as a thermal barrier. I really need to get under the house and finish the insulation, but I'm dreading it.
It's quite strenuous work, with the crawling and pulling along the many layers of insulation and the tools with which to install it, and you're crawling where cats have gone to the toilet for years.
My hair always gets full of dirt, and I eat about a gallon of it. It's just an odious chore, but someone (small) has to do it. That's me, on this job. I had done half the kitchen floor when we took up the old rotten floor, but we only had to remove half the floor, so there's quite an area that needs more attention.
It's supposed to rain today, so this may be a chance to get after it.
Tonight figures out to be 'hair night' anyway, so I might screw my courage to the flash point and 'get 'er done'.
I really would like to have a kitchen, where we could wash things, and, with Janie bringing food and wanting to wash dishes, it's about time we went ahead with it. Then, we can mount the base cabinets. They've never been mounted, just set in place, but without a sink. It's time, Shelby.
I also found some (two) lovely sconce lights for the living room yesterday. They're beveled glass, which will match the front door glass, and they have three candles in each fixture. I was delighted to find them so cheaply, too. I got two light fixtures that don't match, but compliment each other, and I'm thinking of using them in the kitchen.
I just love playing house at Creekside. It 'pumps' me.
My throat is really sore, and has been for quite a while, and I sound terrible. Everyone tells me to go to a doctor, but I've already been to the doctor twice, and to the E.R. once. No one can even tell me what is causing my trouble, so we can't really treat it effectively.
Faune, a friend from near Nashville, wrote me an e-mail to say that she's really concerned about my health. She a long-time friend, and she really cares about people.
But, I just don't know what else to do. I know I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I think the home burglary affected my recovery from the flu and the double pnemonia, but I still think some doctor somewhere could help me in some way. I can't sleep for smothering, and I can't finish a sentence without stopping to take a breath. I've aged 10 years in the last one year.
Some man is supposed to come and do some more levelling on the front yard, but it looks really good already. Jack Muncey, the head of the Rescue Squad, came by to bum some light fixtures for their new building, and he said that me filling in the yard was the one thing that most changed the appearance of the house. It really does look a lot better with the dirt there rather than the old road bed. I want to get some grass sewn, but not yet. I want it level first. That will take a lot more dirt....and MONEY
Then I want to start the fish ponds and waterfalls. Janie and I are already planning points of interest, and we think a lot alike.
Sister Valentine told me I would make the house dramatic and splendid. f I live long enough.
The new plastic house is helping to get some of the clutter out of the way, and it's slowly beginning to be easier to work in the house. Steve says he likes that idea. I do, too.
There's still just so much to do.
I need to go lay back down for a spell, as I'm getting a headache.
Here's your mention, Barbara.
I'm always tired. Before I began construction at Creekside, if I had slept poorly, I just stayed in bed a little later in the morning. That's not possible now. I have to struggle out from between the sheets and get to work. I tell Sweety that 'Mommy has to go to work'.
She always follows me to the door, and meets me inside the back door when I come home in the evenings. That's really nice of her, but she's given the Flokati fleas again. I have tried almost everything to get rid of them, but there's always a come-back group. Steve loves having her in the house, but I don't like tiny black, quick, jumping bugs on my feet when I go to the bathroom.
She may have to become an out-door cat.
I am in a state of nervous prostration over the home burglary. I've heard rumours that Penny is denying doing it, and that she will get the usual '11-29, reduced to time served, pay fines and court costs', and that's it.
The court system treats me like I haven't had a loss, suffered any pain, or had my peace destroyed by all this. She could actually be walking the streets right now for the meager price of $800.00!
I have worked hard all my life, and I married a good man who works hard to give us both a good life, and in one day, some drug-addicted criminal can come into our home against our will and steal thousands of dollars worth of our possessions, and they get a suspended sentence!
Where is justice in that???
I get so mad at all these liberals who campaign for the good of criminals. I want to go out to wal-mart and slap some of them.
Otherwise, Janie is working out very well, and she just keeps at it. Did I tell that she brought some wonderful vegetable soup to work with her the other day. She's promising spaghetti today. She complained that she didn't have a good place to wash dishes, so I stopped off at the Family Dollar Store on my way home last night and got her a nice, new dish pan. If she wants to wash dishes, I'll help her all I can.
We all went to the Habitat yesterday, and I found these magnificent windows for the stairwell. They are actually two units, one being large and square, and the other being an 'eyebrow' window to fit over it. It will flood the stairway with light, and look quite dramatic from outside. It took Stucco and Shawn both to get them in the house, and Stucco was worried that there might not be enough wall space to mount them. It is actually a blessing that they're so large, as some of that wall had extensive water damage, and it will now be cut out and the window will take it's place.
I also found some tile exactly like that in the upstairs bath, which I had made a trip to Crossville to get about a month ago. I bought it, just because it was much cheaper and less trouble, and I will have some to play into decor somewhere else. It's called Crystal Pink, and it's really pretty tile.
I love going to the habitat stores where they have 'man things'.
Janie is great about giving me suggestions for the house. I like that. It indicates to me that she's really into our project. She always has an upbeat spirit about everything. She reminds me quite a bit of my mother, and I sometimes look closely at her after she says or does something. I just now realized why I was doing that. I must tell her, and I hope it makes her feel good.
We got some padded linoleum at the habitat yesterday, too, to put on the kitchen floor. I've waited on doing the kitchen floor because I didn't want plaster tracked from the other rooms of the house onto the floor in there. But there are cracks that you can see through, and the now-cold morning air just 'whooshes' up between the cracks, and it's pretty cold. We can leave the linoleum down when we install the underlayment for the tile, and it will still act as a thermal barrier. I really need to get under the house and finish the insulation, but I'm dreading it.
It's quite strenuous work, with the crawling and pulling along the many layers of insulation and the tools with which to install it, and you're crawling where cats have gone to the toilet for years.
My hair always gets full of dirt, and I eat about a gallon of it. It's just an odious chore, but someone (small) has to do it. That's me, on this job. I had done half the kitchen floor when we took up the old rotten floor, but we only had to remove half the floor, so there's quite an area that needs more attention.
It's supposed to rain today, so this may be a chance to get after it.
Tonight figures out to be 'hair night' anyway, so I might screw my courage to the flash point and 'get 'er done'.
I really would like to have a kitchen, where we could wash things, and, with Janie bringing food and wanting to wash dishes, it's about time we went ahead with it. Then, we can mount the base cabinets. They've never been mounted, just set in place, but without a sink. It's time, Shelby.
I also found some (two) lovely sconce lights for the living room yesterday. They're beveled glass, which will match the front door glass, and they have three candles in each fixture. I was delighted to find them so cheaply, too. I got two light fixtures that don't match, but compliment each other, and I'm thinking of using them in the kitchen.
I just love playing house at Creekside. It 'pumps' me.
My throat is really sore, and has been for quite a while, and I sound terrible. Everyone tells me to go to a doctor, but I've already been to the doctor twice, and to the E.R. once. No one can even tell me what is causing my trouble, so we can't really treat it effectively.
Faune, a friend from near Nashville, wrote me an e-mail to say that she's really concerned about my health. She a long-time friend, and she really cares about people.
But, I just don't know what else to do. I know I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I think the home burglary affected my recovery from the flu and the double pnemonia, but I still think some doctor somewhere could help me in some way. I can't sleep for smothering, and I can't finish a sentence without stopping to take a breath. I've aged 10 years in the last one year.
Some man is supposed to come and do some more levelling on the front yard, but it looks really good already. Jack Muncey, the head of the Rescue Squad, came by to bum some light fixtures for their new building, and he said that me filling in the yard was the one thing that most changed the appearance of the house. It really does look a lot better with the dirt there rather than the old road bed. I want to get some grass sewn, but not yet. I want it level first. That will take a lot more dirt....and MONEY
Then I want to start the fish ponds and waterfalls. Janie and I are already planning points of interest, and we think a lot alike.
Sister Valentine told me I would make the house dramatic and splendid. f I live long enough.
The new plastic house is helping to get some of the clutter out of the way, and it's slowly beginning to be easier to work in the house. Steve says he likes that idea. I do, too.
There's still just so much to do.
I need to go lay back down for a spell, as I'm getting a headache.
Here's your mention, Barbara.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Tuesday, November 5, 2011 AM
Barbara complained that I have not been blogging enough, so I'm going to try to catch everyone up this morning.
It's been a while, so I'm sure I'll miss some important things.
Penny and Randy were caught in a routine traffic stop in Sneedville last week.
They are the duo who ran off with each other from Creeekside a few weeks ago, and came up to Clairemont and broke in. They made off with my jewelry, which was an extensive collection of saphires, rubies, diamonds, pearls, topaz, emeralds, and some stones that my jeweler, Mark Enix, of Fountain City Jewelers, had custom designed for me.
I'd say the collection was worth well over $50,000.00 in value. At first, I didn't realize what all they had taken, and gave the police a lower extimate.
The Sheriff's Office in Grainger County recovered some of the pieces, but they had been mutilated by having the stones gouged out with needle-nosed pliars. I knnow I'll never see any more of my lovely jewelre again. They had pawned my lovely rings for 'scrap gold' and had got $300.00 for them.
The Sheriff's Office has not been keeping me informed, and I have to try to find out when court appearances are happening. They had promised that I would be kept fully aprised of the situation as it advanced. They haven't yet told me that Penny and Randy have been arrested.
Work at Creekside is going slowly, as usual. Stucco is somewhat slow, as the work he's doing now is not really a one-man job. There's too many distractions, too.
Janie is working out really well. She's a local lady who used to volunteer at the Goodwill with me, and she's "Little Miss Sunshine". She works really hard, and all the time. She sees the things a woman sees, and keeps cleaning and putting things where they belong. She's a great help.
Yesterday, she brought a huge crock pot of homeade soup which was wonderful.
I'm now wanting to get going on the kitchen, so that she'll have somewhere to work with her creations. She loves to cook, and we all love to eat.
We put up one of those round, plastic-covered growing houses in the back yard, to store lumber and materials in, so that we'll have more floor space in the house, and so that we can get some of the piles of lumber out of the yard and under cover before the winter weather sets in. It's at least 20 degrees warmer in it on a sunny day.
My health has not had much improvement. I'm very hoarse, and my voice squeeks whenever I talk. I have quite a bit of trembling, and I still wonder about the possibility of some kind of light stroke during all this ordeal.
I had enough stress just taking care of Clairemont, then we took on Creekside, and began the revolving door with the employees, and now this home burglary and the loss of my possessions, and my nerves are shot. I've noticed that I'm very 'jumpy' and almost jump out of my chair when something suddenly startles me. I suspect that that's a reaction to nervous distraction.
The sun is shining on Clinch Mountain, so I must get started with other chores.
Sinse I mentioned Barbara at the beginning of this post, maybe she'll accept that as enough.
I'm 'Off and Runnin'!
It's been a while, so I'm sure I'll miss some important things.
Penny and Randy were caught in a routine traffic stop in Sneedville last week.
They are the duo who ran off with each other from Creeekside a few weeks ago, and came up to Clairemont and broke in. They made off with my jewelry, which was an extensive collection of saphires, rubies, diamonds, pearls, topaz, emeralds, and some stones that my jeweler, Mark Enix, of Fountain City Jewelers, had custom designed for me.
I'd say the collection was worth well over $50,000.00 in value. At first, I didn't realize what all they had taken, and gave the police a lower extimate.
The Sheriff's Office in Grainger County recovered some of the pieces, but they had been mutilated by having the stones gouged out with needle-nosed pliars. I knnow I'll never see any more of my lovely jewelre again. They had pawned my lovely rings for 'scrap gold' and had got $300.00 for them.
The Sheriff's Office has not been keeping me informed, and I have to try to find out when court appearances are happening. They had promised that I would be kept fully aprised of the situation as it advanced. They haven't yet told me that Penny and Randy have been arrested.
Work at Creekside is going slowly, as usual. Stucco is somewhat slow, as the work he's doing now is not really a one-man job. There's too many distractions, too.
Janie is working out really well. She's a local lady who used to volunteer at the Goodwill with me, and she's "Little Miss Sunshine". She works really hard, and all the time. She sees the things a woman sees, and keeps cleaning and putting things where they belong. She's a great help.
Yesterday, she brought a huge crock pot of homeade soup which was wonderful.
I'm now wanting to get going on the kitchen, so that she'll have somewhere to work with her creations. She loves to cook, and we all love to eat.
We put up one of those round, plastic-covered growing houses in the back yard, to store lumber and materials in, so that we'll have more floor space in the house, and so that we can get some of the piles of lumber out of the yard and under cover before the winter weather sets in. It's at least 20 degrees warmer in it on a sunny day.
My health has not had much improvement. I'm very hoarse, and my voice squeeks whenever I talk. I have quite a bit of trembling, and I still wonder about the possibility of some kind of light stroke during all this ordeal.
I had enough stress just taking care of Clairemont, then we took on Creekside, and began the revolving door with the employees, and now this home burglary and the loss of my possessions, and my nerves are shot. I've noticed that I'm very 'jumpy' and almost jump out of my chair when something suddenly startles me. I suspect that that's a reaction to nervous distraction.
The sun is shining on Clinch Mountain, so I must get started with other chores.
Sinse I mentioned Barbara at the beginning of this post, maybe she'll accept that as enough.
I'm 'Off and Runnin'!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
I need to blog to catch up on everything, but I'm almost entirely bed-fast with this disease that's draining my strength and making me so weak.
I've been in bed all day, dozing on and off, and I still feel tired and weak.
I can't even find out what it is, or I'd treat it myself.
I've been in bed all day, dozing on and off, and I still feel tired and weak.
I can't even find out what it is, or I'd treat it myself.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
November 1, 2011, AM
It's been several days sinse I last blogged.
I've been terribly sick with some strange malady that two visits to the doctor and one visit to the Emergency Room has not diagnosed. I'm on quite a bit of medication, but nothing seems to help. I'm so weak I feel like I'll fall if I get up, and I want to sleep all the time. That is very un-like me.
I haven't felt like going up to Creekside (or anywhere else, for that matter), even though Steve has coaxed me and even tried to bribe me.
He says that the plaster work is coming right along, and I'm really glad to hear that. They're working in the living room and the dining room. I had wanted them to finish the upstairs first, so the dirt could come 'down and out'.
I plan to go up there today, to get things under control and headed in the right direction.
Missy, our white outdoor cat, has gone missing. She had begun to look a little bedraggled, and I asked her if she had a cold. When Steve came home, he asked where she was. I had been too sick to spend much time outside, so I hadn't missed her.She might show up, yet, but she was a porch cat.
I'm hitting too many wrong letters (I'm not back up to 'snuff, yet') so I'll write more later.
I've been terribly sick with some strange malady that two visits to the doctor and one visit to the Emergency Room has not diagnosed. I'm on quite a bit of medication, but nothing seems to help. I'm so weak I feel like I'll fall if I get up, and I want to sleep all the time. That is very un-like me.
I haven't felt like going up to Creekside (or anywhere else, for that matter), even though Steve has coaxed me and even tried to bribe me.
He says that the plaster work is coming right along, and I'm really glad to hear that. They're working in the living room and the dining room. I had wanted them to finish the upstairs first, so the dirt could come 'down and out'.
I plan to go up there today, to get things under control and headed in the right direction.
Missy, our white outdoor cat, has gone missing. She had begun to look a little bedraggled, and I asked her if she had a cold. When Steve came home, he asked where she was. I had been too sick to spend much time outside, so I hadn't missed her.She might show up, yet, but she was a porch cat.
I'm hitting too many wrong letters (I'm not back up to 'snuff, yet') so I'll write more later.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
October 30, 2011
I don't post much anymore. I've been so ill that I'm not too sure what day it is, and, now that Steve is home, I don't have to care. He's taking over many of the household chores, for which I'm thankful.
The doctors and I (I'm a pretty good diagnostician) cannot seem to find out what all is wrong with me. I'm beggining to suspect a small stroke. No conventional medications seem to be helping, and I'm still not better.
I have trouble walking, and I have to hold onto things to maintain my balance. I can't seem to think straight, or keep coherent thoughts in my mind until I finish a sentence.
My appetite is not good, and I don't want to drink anythig. Steve keeps trying to tempt me with 'exotic' foods and drinks, but it's not working too well.
I haven't left the house all day. I'm not too sure if it's night or day, but it's dark outside.
I'm terribly weak and 'trembly'.
All I can seem to do is lay around.
More later.
The doctors and I (I'm a pretty good diagnostician) cannot seem to find out what all is wrong with me. I'm beggining to suspect a small stroke. No conventional medications seem to be helping, and I'm still not better.
I have trouble walking, and I have to hold onto things to maintain my balance. I can't seem to think straight, or keep coherent thoughts in my mind until I finish a sentence.
My appetite is not good, and I don't want to drink anythig. Steve keeps trying to tempt me with 'exotic' foods and drinks, but it's not working too well.
I haven't left the house all day. I'm not too sure if it's night or day, but it's dark outside.
I'm terribly weak and 'trembly'.
All I can seem to do is lay around.
More later.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday PM Late
This is just a catch-up post:
My old friend, Faune, who is one of the only people who ever post a comment on my blog, e-mailed me this afternoon to say that she is worried about me. She hadn't seen a blog lately, and I hadn't e-mailed her, so she wanted me to become more internet-active again.
I have been awfully busy, which is normal for me, but I've been pretty sick, so the busy part has drained my energy to the point that I've not felt like much else.
The home robbery of several weeks plays constantly on my mind.
It's terrible that our society has sunk to the point that convicted criminals are walking the streets and robbing people. The drug craze which has swept across the whole world is turning whole communities upside down. I believe that soon, people will be afraid to leave their homes because of the likely hood that some drug-crazed criminal will rob them while they're gone.
I've had three homes robbed, and the police and law enforcement agencies have never resolved the burglaries, though we've known the people who have robbed us each time.
Gifts that loved ones have given me over many years are now gone, because I was away from my home working to be able to pay taxes to support a law enforcement network that has failed me. Just how just is that???
My health is in a terrible shape, and Joan, tha manager of the local Family Dollar, told me this evening that I needed a vacation. I can spell that word, but I'm not sure I know what it means.
I've worked hard all my life, and I'm not one bit sorry. I just hate it that people who do not work can take my belongings and not have to pay.
Cherokee and I went to Knoxville today to get a window exchanged that was the wrong size. We stopped by to cheer the lady who'se the owner of a wallpaper shop. She's terminal, but soilders on. There was an antique shop opening near-by, so we went there, also. I found a bunch of crystal door knobs for $2.50 each. They will look so nice with the ones in Creekside. They're really hard to find, and I was delighted to get them,
I also bought a blow-mold snow man. I collect blow-mold, and it's hard to find, also. I got it for $5.00, which is a real steal. It's about 3 1/2 to 4 foot tall. He's in good condition, and won't need much restoration.
My chest is full of congestion, which makes it hard to breath, and keeps my energy level down. I tried to buy some sudafed this morning at Okie's in Blaine, and they will only sell it now if you have a prescription. Our government has run amuck.
I know criminals make meth with sudafed, but a little old lady with a granny knot doesn't really fit the profile of someone who might put a few poison articles together and sell the product to some fool who wants to burn their teeth.
Stucco and Shawn got a lot of the plaster done in the dining room and the living room. It's as smooth as a baby's butt.
Janie didn't work today, and she would have really made a difference. She had some child to return to it's parents.
She is expected back tomorrow.
I spent this evening putting some shelves in the basement to store all the paint and stains. There are a lot of them, and they were just setting all around the house. They will be out of the way down in the basement.
I couldn't sleep, so I got up to post a little. I've now posted a little, and I'm feeling my eyes burning, so I think I"ll try to go back to bed for a while.
My old friend, Faune, who is one of the only people who ever post a comment on my blog, e-mailed me this afternoon to say that she is worried about me. She hadn't seen a blog lately, and I hadn't e-mailed her, so she wanted me to become more internet-active again.
I have been awfully busy, which is normal for me, but I've been pretty sick, so the busy part has drained my energy to the point that I've not felt like much else.
The home robbery of several weeks plays constantly on my mind.
It's terrible that our society has sunk to the point that convicted criminals are walking the streets and robbing people. The drug craze which has swept across the whole world is turning whole communities upside down. I believe that soon, people will be afraid to leave their homes because of the likely hood that some drug-crazed criminal will rob them while they're gone.
I've had three homes robbed, and the police and law enforcement agencies have never resolved the burglaries, though we've known the people who have robbed us each time.
Gifts that loved ones have given me over many years are now gone, because I was away from my home working to be able to pay taxes to support a law enforcement network that has failed me. Just how just is that???
My health is in a terrible shape, and Joan, tha manager of the local Family Dollar, told me this evening that I needed a vacation. I can spell that word, but I'm not sure I know what it means.
I've worked hard all my life, and I'm not one bit sorry. I just hate it that people who do not work can take my belongings and not have to pay.
Cherokee and I went to Knoxville today to get a window exchanged that was the wrong size. We stopped by to cheer the lady who'se the owner of a wallpaper shop. She's terminal, but soilders on. There was an antique shop opening near-by, so we went there, also. I found a bunch of crystal door knobs for $2.50 each. They will look so nice with the ones in Creekside. They're really hard to find, and I was delighted to get them,
I also bought a blow-mold snow man. I collect blow-mold, and it's hard to find, also. I got it for $5.00, which is a real steal. It's about 3 1/2 to 4 foot tall. He's in good condition, and won't need much restoration.
My chest is full of congestion, which makes it hard to breath, and keeps my energy level down. I tried to buy some sudafed this morning at Okie's in Blaine, and they will only sell it now if you have a prescription. Our government has run amuck.
I know criminals make meth with sudafed, but a little old lady with a granny knot doesn't really fit the profile of someone who might put a few poison articles together and sell the product to some fool who wants to burn their teeth.
Stucco and Shawn got a lot of the plaster done in the dining room and the living room. It's as smooth as a baby's butt.
Janie didn't work today, and she would have really made a difference. She had some child to return to it's parents.
She is expected back tomorrow.
I spent this evening putting some shelves in the basement to store all the paint and stains. There are a lot of them, and they were just setting all around the house. They will be out of the way down in the basement.
I couldn't sleep, so I got up to post a little. I've now posted a little, and I'm feeling my eyes burning, so I think I"ll try to go back to bed for a while.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday PM
I'm still sick with whatever this bug is that's going around. I can hardly breathe, my chest hurts, and I have almost no energy. I believe the stress of all the trouble caused by Penny Bailey is part of the reason I can't seem to get well. I'm going to have her charged with intense mental cruelty and anguish to me when the lazy, good-for-nothing cops ever catch her worthless hide.
That is, if I don't get a shot at her first.
It's been a revelation to me just how cheaply a few 'friends in low places' have offered to bump her off for me. I guess she's hated all over.
Elaine told me today that Rhonda finally heard from Randy, and he's told her he's never coming back home. Well, he's got seven years of parole he's violated, so he'll be somewhere for a long time if the sheriff ever catches him.
I don't know how two such worthless low-life's can breathe good air. He just walked away from three adorable boys and a good wife. Penny had not raised any of her three children, either.
But I f**ked up her life. Yeah, RIGHT!
She sure has a rich fantacy life.
Elaine told me that Kerry has tried to come on to Rhanda. He'd sure be moving up in the world, that's for sure.
I can't believe the creepiness of these people.
Steve went back to work tonight, so I'll be pulling it alone for a few days. He's not going to be gone long this time. He says he wants the overtime he can get on the job, that he misses on his paycheck when he's home.
My gout in my right middle toe is very painful tonight. It's been troubling me for quite a while.
I've never know so many people with flu, phenomia, gout, and like diseases. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that the nigger in the white house is poisoning the general population with something. He's just that low.
I haven't got any appetite, and I usually eat like a horse.
John McInerny, a local boy, called me tonight to see if I'd loan him enough money to get to the hospital, as he's sick with the same thing. He offered to sell me a lawnmower for the money. I feel for him, if he's got what I've had.
I finally got all the tile and trim finished in the new upstairs bathroom (last night), and it's really pretty. Steve wouldn't mount the light fixtures for me, though. He said something about feeling a draft coming out of the light fixture. It's from the badly-detoriated overhang upstairs, which will be fixed someday. He didn't believe me when I told him, and even pointed out to him the damage.
I think he was dropped on his head when he was little. He wants to tear off the entire roof to see where the air is coming from. I have a better idea. I'll cut off his air, and see if that doesn't fix the draft.
I'm so bright, when I was little, my momma called me 'Son'.
That is, if I don't get a shot at her first.
It's been a revelation to me just how cheaply a few 'friends in low places' have offered to bump her off for me. I guess she's hated all over.
Elaine told me today that Rhonda finally heard from Randy, and he's told her he's never coming back home. Well, he's got seven years of parole he's violated, so he'll be somewhere for a long time if the sheriff ever catches him.
I don't know how two such worthless low-life's can breathe good air. He just walked away from three adorable boys and a good wife. Penny had not raised any of her three children, either.
But I f**ked up her life. Yeah, RIGHT!
She sure has a rich fantacy life.
Elaine told me that Kerry has tried to come on to Rhanda. He'd sure be moving up in the world, that's for sure.
I can't believe the creepiness of these people.
Steve went back to work tonight, so I'll be pulling it alone for a few days. He's not going to be gone long this time. He says he wants the overtime he can get on the job, that he misses on his paycheck when he's home.
My gout in my right middle toe is very painful tonight. It's been troubling me for quite a while.
I've never know so many people with flu, phenomia, gout, and like diseases. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that the nigger in the white house is poisoning the general population with something. He's just that low.
I haven't got any appetite, and I usually eat like a horse.
John McInerny, a local boy, called me tonight to see if I'd loan him enough money to get to the hospital, as he's sick with the same thing. He offered to sell me a lawnmower for the money. I feel for him, if he's got what I've had.
I finally got all the tile and trim finished in the new upstairs bathroom (last night), and it's really pretty. Steve wouldn't mount the light fixtures for me, though. He said something about feeling a draft coming out of the light fixture. It's from the badly-detoriated overhang upstairs, which will be fixed someday. He didn't believe me when I told him, and even pointed out to him the damage.
I think he was dropped on his head when he was little. He wants to tear off the entire roof to see where the air is coming from. I have a better idea. I'll cut off his air, and see if that doesn't fix the draft.
I'm so bright, when I was little, my momma called me 'Son'.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Saturday PM
I've terribly sick with the Hong Kong Flu, and had a kidney infection, a UTI, and severe respiratory distress to go with it.
I'm still not back up to par.
I can hardly type, and can't play the piano.
I only ate two slices of toast in a week, and drank very little fluid, but slept almost non-stop.
I didn't wash my hair for a week, and didn't even go out on the porch to feed the cats.
I finally went to the ER in Jefferson City on Thursday night. We were there for HOURS. NEVER go to the ER if you're in a hurry.
I was so miserable the whole time. Dorothy Reagan's daughter took care of me, and she is very nice, but I was impatient to get out of there.
Friday, Sister Valentine called to tell me that Brother Valentine had died. The funeral is tomorrow. He was a fine man, and will be sadly missed. I hope all will be OK with Sister Valentine. She will be rattling around in that huge house alone now.
I don't know if I will be able to drive over for the funeral, which will be at Blue Springs Church of God.
Brother Ingrhan will be holding the funeral, and he doesn't like me. There's not too much love lost.
A detective located some jewelry that Penny Bailey pawned in Tazewell, which sounds suspiciously like mine. She's never rightfully owned a piece of jewelry in her whole worthless life. She and Randy had gone to Jefferson City and robbed the CVS at gunpoint, so the best thing that could happen to her is for her to get behind bars quickly. Otherwise, she could wind up face down in a ditch. She's been warned.
I'm going to get a receipt from Robert's for the repairs to her jeep, which I will also present as claims against her when she comes to trial, if she lives to show up in court.
I finished the tile work in the new upstairs bathroom today, and began cleaning the tile to get it ready for grouting. It has quite a bit of adhesive on it, though I tried to be careful to not get any on the surface of the tile. Steve is going to set the toilet as soon as I get the grout finished.
The bathtub surround is gorgeous, being set in travertine and copper ceramic.
It's taking forever to get all the work done.
I so want things to get finished.
My eyes are burning, so I'll post more later.
I'm still not back up to par.
I can hardly type, and can't play the piano.
I only ate two slices of toast in a week, and drank very little fluid, but slept almost non-stop.
I didn't wash my hair for a week, and didn't even go out on the porch to feed the cats.
I finally went to the ER in Jefferson City on Thursday night. We were there for HOURS. NEVER go to the ER if you're in a hurry.
I was so miserable the whole time. Dorothy Reagan's daughter took care of me, and she is very nice, but I was impatient to get out of there.
Friday, Sister Valentine called to tell me that Brother Valentine had died. The funeral is tomorrow. He was a fine man, and will be sadly missed. I hope all will be OK with Sister Valentine. She will be rattling around in that huge house alone now.
I don't know if I will be able to drive over for the funeral, which will be at Blue Springs Church of God.
Brother Ingrhan will be holding the funeral, and he doesn't like me. There's not too much love lost.
A detective located some jewelry that Penny Bailey pawned in Tazewell, which sounds suspiciously like mine. She's never rightfully owned a piece of jewelry in her whole worthless life. She and Randy had gone to Jefferson City and robbed the CVS at gunpoint, so the best thing that could happen to her is for her to get behind bars quickly. Otherwise, she could wind up face down in a ditch. She's been warned.
I'm going to get a receipt from Robert's for the repairs to her jeep, which I will also present as claims against her when she comes to trial, if she lives to show up in court.
I finished the tile work in the new upstairs bathroom today, and began cleaning the tile to get it ready for grouting. It has quite a bit of adhesive on it, though I tried to be careful to not get any on the surface of the tile. Steve is going to set the toilet as soon as I get the grout finished.
The bathtub surround is gorgeous, being set in travertine and copper ceramic.
It's taking forever to get all the work done.
I so want things to get finished.
My eyes are burning, so I'll post more later.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, 09/29/11, PM
More Trauma Drama!
Last night, Cherokee and I were sitting in front of Creekside, talking before going home for the night. We usually do that, and we so enjoy each other's company. We had gone on an adventure earlier yesterday, which I will talk about later.
Penny drove up in her jeep, and got out and started yelling and cussing me. She said that I had 'fu**ed up her life', and that I did not have a concience. I asked her why she felt that way, and she said that it was because I had told about her and Randy running off together. I told her that I had just told in my blog what Rhonda (Randy's wife) had told me about their whereabouts and activities. She said that she had last seen Randy Friday afternoon when she had dropped him off at 'a blue house on Highway 92'. I don't know which house she had been talking about. However, Elaine (Rhonda's mother) had said that Penny had called and offered to bring Randy home on Sunday if Rhonda would not ever say anything to him about runnion off with Penny. If she did, they threatened to take her car.
Then, after she had yelled at me, she asked me to give her $20.00. I refused, of course. I figured she had already cost me enough. Not so.
When I got home, the house here at Clairemont had been broken into. Whoever had done it had come in through a dining room window, and stolen all my jewlery, valued at about $20,000.00-$30,000.00, many of the pieces being custom made by Mark Enix at Fountain City Jewelers.
They had done 'something' to my bed, and I'm not sure I want to know about that, but I sure changed the sheets. The house had been gone through, but not too much taken but the jewelry.
Tonight, Steve came home and re-played the video on the burglar system. It was two tall, skinny people wearing jackets exactly like that one Penny had worn at my house when she was working for me. They had come up from the creek, to avoid detection by Otto, who Penny knows is nosey. It's almost like she has been gathering information to use for this event. You can clearly recognise her forehead and eyes, and some clothing, and her stance and walk are unmistakable.
Steve is presently working on computer-enhancing the images for the Sheriff's Department, and we plan to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, and perhaps beyond.
Randy is a convicted felon, which means that if he's convicted, he will have to serve his former sentence (he's on probation) and any more time from this incident.
If he's caught and sent to prison, I'm going to visit and get some large, black buck to take him as his girlfriend. He'll get out next walking funny.
Casper, the sheriff, is as useless as tits on a boar hog, but I have a couple of friends named Smith and Wesson who can catch about anybody.
I hope you're reading THIS post, Penny, and you're thinking about all the ways I can f**k up your life NOW!
You ain't seen nothin' yet, girlfriend.
I gave you a job, loaned you money, helped you in every way I knew how, and you're paying me back by stealing my jewelry out of my house.
And don't think I'm worried about what you'll say next. You're a common thief, and I'm not afraid of you. Do you know what a good shot I am? Do you know how many guns I own? You just might learn soon. Or maybe you'll never know what hit you. Or who! Or WHEN!!!
Be afraid, fool, Be VERY afraid.
I've got friends in low places.
Matter of fact, I've BEEN in low places.
I saw you in my own video camers while you stood on the porch of my house and sent your boyfriend in to do your dirty work for you, and steal a pillow case off of my bed to carry off my jewelry. Are you really so stupid that you think he'll take the rap alone? Not so.
You're what's known as an accessory. He's what's known as a repeat offender, and he won't be in the liberal Grainger County Jail this time...he'll be dealing with the state prison officials in Nashville.
How tight are the family jewels feeling NOW?
You know, revenge is not only sweet, it's therapeutic.
I'm gonna get you, sucka!
Last night, Cherokee and I were sitting in front of Creekside, talking before going home for the night. We usually do that, and we so enjoy each other's company. We had gone on an adventure earlier yesterday, which I will talk about later.
Penny drove up in her jeep, and got out and started yelling and cussing me. She said that I had 'fu**ed up her life', and that I did not have a concience. I asked her why she felt that way, and she said that it was because I had told about her and Randy running off together. I told her that I had just told in my blog what Rhonda (Randy's wife) had told me about their whereabouts and activities. She said that she had last seen Randy Friday afternoon when she had dropped him off at 'a blue house on Highway 92'. I don't know which house she had been talking about. However, Elaine (Rhonda's mother) had said that Penny had called and offered to bring Randy home on Sunday if Rhonda would not ever say anything to him about runnion off with Penny. If she did, they threatened to take her car.
Then, after she had yelled at me, she asked me to give her $20.00. I refused, of course. I figured she had already cost me enough. Not so.
When I got home, the house here at Clairemont had been broken into. Whoever had done it had come in through a dining room window, and stolen all my jewlery, valued at about $20,000.00-$30,000.00, many of the pieces being custom made by Mark Enix at Fountain City Jewelers.
They had done 'something' to my bed, and I'm not sure I want to know about that, but I sure changed the sheets. The house had been gone through, but not too much taken but the jewelry.
Tonight, Steve came home and re-played the video on the burglar system. It was two tall, skinny people wearing jackets exactly like that one Penny had worn at my house when she was working for me. They had come up from the creek, to avoid detection by Otto, who Penny knows is nosey. It's almost like she has been gathering information to use for this event. You can clearly recognise her forehead and eyes, and some clothing, and her stance and walk are unmistakable.
Steve is presently working on computer-enhancing the images for the Sheriff's Department, and we plan to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, and perhaps beyond.
Randy is a convicted felon, which means that if he's convicted, he will have to serve his former sentence (he's on probation) and any more time from this incident.
If he's caught and sent to prison, I'm going to visit and get some large, black buck to take him as his girlfriend. He'll get out next walking funny.
Casper, the sheriff, is as useless as tits on a boar hog, but I have a couple of friends named Smith and Wesson who can catch about anybody.
I hope you're reading THIS post, Penny, and you're thinking about all the ways I can f**k up your life NOW!
You ain't seen nothin' yet, girlfriend.
I gave you a job, loaned you money, helped you in every way I knew how, and you're paying me back by stealing my jewelry out of my house.
And don't think I'm worried about what you'll say next. You're a common thief, and I'm not afraid of you. Do you know what a good shot I am? Do you know how many guns I own? You just might learn soon. Or maybe you'll never know what hit you. Or who! Or WHEN!!!
Be afraid, fool, Be VERY afraid.
I've got friends in low places.
Matter of fact, I've BEEN in low places.
I saw you in my own video camers while you stood on the porch of my house and sent your boyfriend in to do your dirty work for you, and steal a pillow case off of my bed to carry off my jewelry. Are you really so stupid that you think he'll take the rap alone? Not so.
You're what's known as an accessory. He's what's known as a repeat offender, and he won't be in the liberal Grainger County Jail this time...he'll be dealing with the state prison officials in Nashville.
How tight are the family jewels feeling NOW?
You know, revenge is not only sweet, it's therapeutic.
I'm gonna get you, sucka!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
September 28, Wednesday AM
Well, someone (and you KNOW who you are, Lynn) called me yesterday morning to tell me that I need to get some rest. She says she can't feel like I enjoy my work at Creekside anymore.
She's right. I'm sorry if I've burdened my readers with the sad fact that I'm frustrated, tired, depressed, and anxious over that project, but it's true.
Lynn is very in-tune with my feelings, though she's far away geographically, and she felt that I needed a kick in the pants to get me back on track.
That's what friends are for.
Lord, send a revival!
....or a massage therapist!
I've been tired and frustrated for some time with all the work, the dust, the fact that I've neglected my own house and yard, that I don't have as much time for my friends, that I don't have time for church, that I don't have the energy (and time) for going to flea markets and yard sales, and that I haven't recovered from the throat surgery I had in the early summer.
I'm still quite hoarse, and my throat feels like I've tried to swallow needles. I don't know if rest would help, but I haven't really tried to get enough rest to find out.
I need to.
I'm going to try to re-assess things, think some, pray a lot, rest, and take a new direction with all the work and drive. I really need to see something really big get finished, I think. That always inspired me and gives me strength.
Lynn says she'd love to come and help me for about a week, but she's too much fun to run around with, so we'd just spend more of Steve's money. He'd send her home in a desperate act of self defense. I don't know if his American Express Card could stand Lynn and me shopping for a week.
I'm going to be thinking today about all the things I need to do to get a new start and new feelings about this house project and my health issues. I'll try to blog again tonight and let everyone know what I'm thinking. Faune Gerber is about the only one who writes to me about my blog, and I love her comments. She sure has the energy for projects. She needs to bring Armin up here to help for about 6 months. That would be a great turn-around.
He's put new floors in her house, re-done the kitchen cabinets, done some landscaping, and many other projects. I think I need some of his pills.
Enough for now. I'll try to be more up-beat and get more done. Film at 11:00.
Barbara, here's your mention.
You can call me now to tell me what a bad writer I am.
She's right. I'm sorry if I've burdened my readers with the sad fact that I'm frustrated, tired, depressed, and anxious over that project, but it's true.
Lynn is very in-tune with my feelings, though she's far away geographically, and she felt that I needed a kick in the pants to get me back on track.
That's what friends are for.
Lord, send a revival!
....or a massage therapist!
I've been tired and frustrated for some time with all the work, the dust, the fact that I've neglected my own house and yard, that I don't have as much time for my friends, that I don't have time for church, that I don't have the energy (and time) for going to flea markets and yard sales, and that I haven't recovered from the throat surgery I had in the early summer.
I'm still quite hoarse, and my throat feels like I've tried to swallow needles. I don't know if rest would help, but I haven't really tried to get enough rest to find out.
I need to.
I'm going to try to re-assess things, think some, pray a lot, rest, and take a new direction with all the work and drive. I really need to see something really big get finished, I think. That always inspired me and gives me strength.
Lynn says she'd love to come and help me for about a week, but she's too much fun to run around with, so we'd just spend more of Steve's money. He'd send her home in a desperate act of self defense. I don't know if his American Express Card could stand Lynn and me shopping for a week.
I'm going to be thinking today about all the things I need to do to get a new start and new feelings about this house project and my health issues. I'll try to blog again tonight and let everyone know what I'm thinking. Faune Gerber is about the only one who writes to me about my blog, and I love her comments. She sure has the energy for projects. She needs to bring Armin up here to help for about 6 months. That would be a great turn-around.
He's put new floors in her house, re-done the kitchen cabinets, done some landscaping, and many other projects. I think I need some of his pills.
Enough for now. I'll try to be more up-beat and get more done. Film at 11:00.
Barbara, here's your mention.
You can call me now to tell me what a bad writer I am.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday AM early
It's still dark out, but I've been up for a while.
I can't seem to sleep anymore, except for just short naps.
I'm tired all the time. My throat is not better, and I have some trouble breathing, and I suspect that the swelling and scarring on my throat is partly the reason for my breathing difficulties.
My feet and legs hurt constantly, and i't surely caused by my blood not being oxygenated well.
I've been trying to get a lot done at Creekside, but it seems that I only take one step forward to slide back another.
Cherokee and Stucco are distracted with trying to get Shawn out of jail, and are of little use. Stucco wants me to advance him money on jobs to use for bail money. Creed Daniel told him to not waste money on bail, but to save it for the expense of a trial.
I got them in contact with Peanut, who is an old friend of mine from cosmetology school from many years ago. She's trying to help them in any way she can, and I so appreciate that.
I started putting the tile on the front of the whirlpool surround in the new upstairs bath yesterday evening. It looks really nice, and I'm not having too much trouble doing all the cutting and fitting of the tile. I'm using travertine for the field, with several types of accent tiles, which makes things interesting. It's going to be a beautiful, earthy bathroom, softened with pink and pretty trims. I finally got all the floor put down, without it looking too patchy. It's going to be a really pretty bath.
I just wish Randy were still here to put the toilet back in for me. He and Penny have hurt so many people with their little adventure.
I haven't made a decision yet as to which vanity I will use in that bath, but I want something unusual and elegant, to go with the decor, which is a sort of 'tumbled marble'/Italian/Roman look.
I'm depressed and anxious about almost everything.
Betty Pike wrote me a very nice e-mail inviting me to Convention, and I'd love to go and enjoy the peace and contentment on those lovely grounds again.
Steve will be home this weekend, so I guess that kicks in the head any intention of going anywhere I want to go.
I need to get my day started.
Off and running.
Oh! I'd better mention Barbara.
I can't seem to sleep anymore, except for just short naps.
I'm tired all the time. My throat is not better, and I have some trouble breathing, and I suspect that the swelling and scarring on my throat is partly the reason for my breathing difficulties.
My feet and legs hurt constantly, and i't surely caused by my blood not being oxygenated well.
I've been trying to get a lot done at Creekside, but it seems that I only take one step forward to slide back another.
Cherokee and Stucco are distracted with trying to get Shawn out of jail, and are of little use. Stucco wants me to advance him money on jobs to use for bail money. Creed Daniel told him to not waste money on bail, but to save it for the expense of a trial.
I got them in contact with Peanut, who is an old friend of mine from cosmetology school from many years ago. She's trying to help them in any way she can, and I so appreciate that.
I started putting the tile on the front of the whirlpool surround in the new upstairs bath yesterday evening. It looks really nice, and I'm not having too much trouble doing all the cutting and fitting of the tile. I'm using travertine for the field, with several types of accent tiles, which makes things interesting. It's going to be a beautiful, earthy bathroom, softened with pink and pretty trims. I finally got all the floor put down, without it looking too patchy. It's going to be a really pretty bath.
I just wish Randy were still here to put the toilet back in for me. He and Penny have hurt so many people with their little adventure.
I haven't made a decision yet as to which vanity I will use in that bath, but I want something unusual and elegant, to go with the decor, which is a sort of 'tumbled marble'/Italian/Roman look.
I'm depressed and anxious about almost everything.
Betty Pike wrote me a very nice e-mail inviting me to Convention, and I'd love to go and enjoy the peace and contentment on those lovely grounds again.
Steve will be home this weekend, so I guess that kicks in the head any intention of going anywhere I want to go.
I need to get my day started.
Off and running.
Oh! I'd better mention Barbara.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday Am...very early
So much information, and much that I wish I didn't have to tell you readers or keep as a reminder to myself in some other day, if I live and the Lord tarries.
On Thursday, we learned that Teddy Swinney had hanged himself in their front yard. Leslie, his wife, found him that afternoon when she went home from work.
We later learned that he had said that he was going to kill himself because he was facing jail time for not paying child support. His daughter will now face each day knowing that her father had rather hang himself than feed her. What a message to leave for those behind.
All of Rutledge has been talking so much about it.
Cherokee and I went by to sign the register at Smith's yesterday.
He looked nice.
Friday evening, Rhonda, Randy's wife, came by pretty late to get him from work. I told her he had left some time before, and had actually left early, because he was riding with Penny. She had wanted to leave early to take her sister home to Virginia.
Rhonda said that Randy was perhaps at Penny and Kerry's house, visiting with Kerry. He now has a lot of time to visit, as he's not working anywhere.
He and Penny have been having some disagreement over her working for me, and he had made some snide remarks about Penny being 'my slave girl'.
She had told him that SOMEONE in the household needed to have a job, as his mother is now making the house payment.
She had asked if she might stay in the camper at Creekside, and I told her it was fine with me if she needed a place, knowing that, at any time, she could become homeless.
Well, yesterday afternoon, Rhonda and Elaine waved Cherokee and myself over to the side of the road, and asked me to meet her at the Elementary School parking lot to talk with her.
Rany had not come home at that time, and she told us that she had suspected that he and Penny were off somewhere together. Kerry had called Penny's mother's house, and Penny had not arrived there yet.
None of this is my fault, of course, but I've been caught in the middle, and I don't like it a bit.
I doubt that I'll be able to keep either employee. I don't want that kind of behavior in or on my property. Rhonda had also told me that Penny and Randy had put a mattress on the floor in one of the upstairs bedrooms, a mirror to show if anyone was coming up the stairs, and a bell on the door to indicate if anyone opened it.
I didn't do any of these kinds of things. I go there to work.
There's other news, too, but my head is hurting me, so I'm going to go back to bed and try to sleep just a little more.
On Thursday, we learned that Teddy Swinney had hanged himself in their front yard. Leslie, his wife, found him that afternoon when she went home from work.
We later learned that he had said that he was going to kill himself because he was facing jail time for not paying child support. His daughter will now face each day knowing that her father had rather hang himself than feed her. What a message to leave for those behind.
All of Rutledge has been talking so much about it.
Cherokee and I went by to sign the register at Smith's yesterday.
He looked nice.
Friday evening, Rhonda, Randy's wife, came by pretty late to get him from work. I told her he had left some time before, and had actually left early, because he was riding with Penny. She had wanted to leave early to take her sister home to Virginia.
Rhonda said that Randy was perhaps at Penny and Kerry's house, visiting with Kerry. He now has a lot of time to visit, as he's not working anywhere.
He and Penny have been having some disagreement over her working for me, and he had made some snide remarks about Penny being 'my slave girl'.
She had told him that SOMEONE in the household needed to have a job, as his mother is now making the house payment.
She had asked if she might stay in the camper at Creekside, and I told her it was fine with me if she needed a place, knowing that, at any time, she could become homeless.
Well, yesterday afternoon, Rhonda and Elaine waved Cherokee and myself over to the side of the road, and asked me to meet her at the Elementary School parking lot to talk with her.
Rany had not come home at that time, and she told us that she had suspected that he and Penny were off somewhere together. Kerry had called Penny's mother's house, and Penny had not arrived there yet.
None of this is my fault, of course, but I've been caught in the middle, and I don't like it a bit.
I doubt that I'll be able to keep either employee. I don't want that kind of behavior in or on my property. Rhonda had also told me that Penny and Randy had put a mattress on the floor in one of the upstairs bedrooms, a mirror to show if anyone was coming up the stairs, and a bell on the door to indicate if anyone opened it.
I didn't do any of these kinds of things. I go there to work.
There's other news, too, but my head is hurting me, so I'm going to go back to bed and try to sleep just a little more.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Hectic Thursday
It's been a wild and crazy day.
Shawn Richards, Cherokee's and Stucco's son, was arrested this morning at work for the wreck of last January. He has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, and Dirk Daniel told me that he will most surely do time in prison for that. They want me to loan them the money for his bail, but he would do better to serve some time in jail, which will go towards his time in prison.
While they were gone to Knoxville to try to get to see him, we got the news that Teddy Swinney had hung himself in his yard. He is the fellow who stole my purse. His wife is a sweet lady who works at the Down Home, and probably knew of his drug addiction, but not of all the thefts he has perpetrated. He had told someone that he would kill himself before he would go to jail for not paying his back child support. Now his daughter will face every day knowing that her father would rather kill himself than feed her.
His father is a local pastor, and Leslie's parents are both ordained pastors, so Leslie will have a LOT of local community support.
He was a nice person, but was a victim of the ever-present drug culture in society today. I didn't like him much after I learned that it was he who had stolen my purse, and then got caught by Stucco trying to steal money from my purse at a later time.
I had supper at the Down Home with Gary Hern, and we discussed the unreality of someone making it to heaven after suicide, but the preachers at his funeral will probably try to preach him into heaven.
When I got home this evening, Sweety had caught and killed a mouse...in the house! I don't know how it had gotten in, but she had surely worked it over and killed it about as dead as a salt fish.
They try to come in about this time of year.
I'm awfully tired, and I hurt all over, so I'm going to take some meds and try to rest some.
I just don't feel well at all.
Shawn Richards, Cherokee's and Stucco's son, was arrested this morning at work for the wreck of last January. He has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, and Dirk Daniel told me that he will most surely do time in prison for that. They want me to loan them the money for his bail, but he would do better to serve some time in jail, which will go towards his time in prison.
While they were gone to Knoxville to try to get to see him, we got the news that Teddy Swinney had hung himself in his yard. He is the fellow who stole my purse. His wife is a sweet lady who works at the Down Home, and probably knew of his drug addiction, but not of all the thefts he has perpetrated. He had told someone that he would kill himself before he would go to jail for not paying his back child support. Now his daughter will face every day knowing that her father would rather kill himself than feed her.
His father is a local pastor, and Leslie's parents are both ordained pastors, so Leslie will have a LOT of local community support.
He was a nice person, but was a victim of the ever-present drug culture in society today. I didn't like him much after I learned that it was he who had stolen my purse, and then got caught by Stucco trying to steal money from my purse at a later time.
I had supper at the Down Home with Gary Hern, and we discussed the unreality of someone making it to heaven after suicide, but the preachers at his funeral will probably try to preach him into heaven.
When I got home this evening, Sweety had caught and killed a mouse...in the house! I don't know how it had gotten in, but she had surely worked it over and killed it about as dead as a salt fish.
They try to come in about this time of year.
I'm awfully tired, and I hurt all over, so I'm going to take some meds and try to rest some.
I just don't feel well at all.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Saturday afternoon
It's been a busy time. I went to Crossville Tile to try to get more of the upstairs bathroom tile (I only needed a few pieces) and they told me that the pattern I need had not been made sinse 1991.
They did not keep obsolete material, so I was out of luck. I did find some other tile while I was there that I like a lot, though. I got some small glass tile that I hope to use in making some 'stained glass' windows. I'm going to try one in the upstairs closet that has a window. I think it would be terribly interesting, and a fun project that I could do sitting down. Cherokee is going to help me with them. We're going to glue the glass blocks onto sheets of plexiglass, so that the windows can be removed and changed if we get tired of them. I must mention Barbara, so I'll say that we're not going to ask her to help us. They will also give some insulation value.
There's many shapes of them, but they're all with square corners, so putting them together will be fairly easy, and like working a puzzle, to make the most interesting window units.
Cherokee and I really enjoy each other's company. She's a delight to me, and I try to be useful and helpful to her as well.
Stucco has created some of the most beautiful window surrounds in the free world on the house. That man is so gifted. He made one window surround that he had described to me, and I didn't think I would like it. After he was finished, I loved it!
He can do anything with his hands.
I had forgotten to get one of the colors of the glass tiles that I wanted, so I called Crossville Tile to get them to hold it for me. So, on Friday, Cherokee, Stucco, and I went back to Crossville to get them. Stucco went nuts over all the tile and the easy availability of them. He, too, is disgusted with the way they set the tiles out in a field and let the weather, the high-lift operators, and customers mis-use and abuse those lovely tiles. He, like myself, has been hungry, and he hates waste. He can make almost anything over, or make it work in another manner, and he seldom throws anything away. His personality and mine work together well.
We really enjoyed our trip together, though it was a little crowded in the cab of the red truck. The white truck would have been a better choice, but it needs alignment, so we had to drive the red truck.
They told me at Crossville Tile that they had some of the tiles in the color I wanted, but that they were 'mat', which is not as heavily textured as the ones I really wanted. I picked up a box, but when we got back to Rutledge, they did not match as closely as I had hoped. I've got some more thoughts on how to manage the shortfall, and I'll see what I can do.
Marsha Higgs came by last night to see me. She is the widow of Jack Higgs, who was one of the most tallented men I've ever known with wood. She has been wanting her kitchen floor covered with slate, and I had told her once that she could do it herself if she applied herself. When she saw my tile-laying efforts, she was quite impressed. She has always loved my tastes, and she had not seen Creekside until last night. She likes what I'm doing with it. Jason, her son, has been faithful in visiting me sinse his father died. Jack and I were old friends, and he's sadly missed by many. I really wish he were here to give me some tips on wood for the house.
Randy is doing a fantastic job on some of the wood-work. He is so gifted. He is another man who can do almost anything. I had asked him to sand the trim to get it smooth for re-painting, and when he got it ready for me, he had sanded all of the old paint off of it. It's old-growth antique pine, and is incredibly beautiful wood. I'm going to use most of it in it's natural color with just a polyurethane coating on it. He brought a lot of beauty out of that old wood that many people might have discarded. He reminds me of the poem, "The Touch of the Master's Hand".
He and Penny took the old paneling off of the wall in the stair well yesterday while Cherokee, Stucco, and I were gone to Crossville. More bad news. The wall is badly rotted under the south-facing window. Stucco said that the brick window sill is mostly the culprit, as they are somewhat porus, and water can seep through them. It's not all bad though. I had planned to raise the roof of the back porch, which will then cover the area from outside, and it can be repaired from inside. We are going to replace that window with a fixed window, which will not open. It's beveled glass that is totally beautiful. I bought it at Habitat. Stucco will then stucco the window trim, which will keep out moisture. He sure can do good windows.
There was a huge drug bust in Rutledge this past week. Casper and his merry band of functional illiterates went to serve a warrant on a man I know, and they smelled meth being cooked. He had a meth kitchen in his basement. He is a junk dealer, which is why I knew him. Barbara (there's another mention for you, Barbara) and I often bought Christmas decorations from him.
He seemed like a nice man, but I don't think nice people cook meth. His home is not far from mine. Drugs are the down-fall of society.
I've got to get to work, so I'll write more, later.
Now, Barbara, don't you be calling and scolding me for not mentioning you in my blog.
And you're still fat, so you need a little more Jenny Craig and a lot less Sarah Lee.
If you were ever to really visit Hillshire Farms, they'd hook you to a plow.
They did not keep obsolete material, so I was out of luck. I did find some other tile while I was there that I like a lot, though. I got some small glass tile that I hope to use in making some 'stained glass' windows. I'm going to try one in the upstairs closet that has a window. I think it would be terribly interesting, and a fun project that I could do sitting down. Cherokee is going to help me with them. We're going to glue the glass blocks onto sheets of plexiglass, so that the windows can be removed and changed if we get tired of them. I must mention Barbara, so I'll say that we're not going to ask her to help us. They will also give some insulation value.
There's many shapes of them, but they're all with square corners, so putting them together will be fairly easy, and like working a puzzle, to make the most interesting window units.
Cherokee and I really enjoy each other's company. She's a delight to me, and I try to be useful and helpful to her as well.
Stucco has created some of the most beautiful window surrounds in the free world on the house. That man is so gifted. He made one window surround that he had described to me, and I didn't think I would like it. After he was finished, I loved it!
He can do anything with his hands.
I had forgotten to get one of the colors of the glass tiles that I wanted, so I called Crossville Tile to get them to hold it for me. So, on Friday, Cherokee, Stucco, and I went back to Crossville to get them. Stucco went nuts over all the tile and the easy availability of them. He, too, is disgusted with the way they set the tiles out in a field and let the weather, the high-lift operators, and customers mis-use and abuse those lovely tiles. He, like myself, has been hungry, and he hates waste. He can make almost anything over, or make it work in another manner, and he seldom throws anything away. His personality and mine work together well.
We really enjoyed our trip together, though it was a little crowded in the cab of the red truck. The white truck would have been a better choice, but it needs alignment, so we had to drive the red truck.
They told me at Crossville Tile that they had some of the tiles in the color I wanted, but that they were 'mat', which is not as heavily textured as the ones I really wanted. I picked up a box, but when we got back to Rutledge, they did not match as closely as I had hoped. I've got some more thoughts on how to manage the shortfall, and I'll see what I can do.
Marsha Higgs came by last night to see me. She is the widow of Jack Higgs, who was one of the most tallented men I've ever known with wood. She has been wanting her kitchen floor covered with slate, and I had told her once that she could do it herself if she applied herself. When she saw my tile-laying efforts, she was quite impressed. She has always loved my tastes, and she had not seen Creekside until last night. She likes what I'm doing with it. Jason, her son, has been faithful in visiting me sinse his father died. Jack and I were old friends, and he's sadly missed by many. I really wish he were here to give me some tips on wood for the house.
Randy is doing a fantastic job on some of the wood-work. He is so gifted. He is another man who can do almost anything. I had asked him to sand the trim to get it smooth for re-painting, and when he got it ready for me, he had sanded all of the old paint off of it. It's old-growth antique pine, and is incredibly beautiful wood. I'm going to use most of it in it's natural color with just a polyurethane coating on it. He brought a lot of beauty out of that old wood that many people might have discarded. He reminds me of the poem, "The Touch of the Master's Hand".
He and Penny took the old paneling off of the wall in the stair well yesterday while Cherokee, Stucco, and I were gone to Crossville. More bad news. The wall is badly rotted under the south-facing window. Stucco said that the brick window sill is mostly the culprit, as they are somewhat porus, and water can seep through them. It's not all bad though. I had planned to raise the roof of the back porch, which will then cover the area from outside, and it can be repaired from inside. We are going to replace that window with a fixed window, which will not open. It's beveled glass that is totally beautiful. I bought it at Habitat. Stucco will then stucco the window trim, which will keep out moisture. He sure can do good windows.
There was a huge drug bust in Rutledge this past week. Casper and his merry band of functional illiterates went to serve a warrant on a man I know, and they smelled meth being cooked. He had a meth kitchen in his basement. He is a junk dealer, which is why I knew him. Barbara (there's another mention for you, Barbara) and I often bought Christmas decorations from him.
He seemed like a nice man, but I don't think nice people cook meth. His home is not far from mine. Drugs are the down-fall of society.
I've got to get to work, so I'll write more, later.
Now, Barbara, don't you be calling and scolding me for not mentioning you in my blog.
And you're still fat, so you need a little more Jenny Craig and a lot less Sarah Lee.
If you were ever to really visit Hillshire Farms, they'd hook you to a plow.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Monday Morning
I'm foggy this moprning...even more foggy than the weather.
I got the tile put in the sides of the windows in the new upstairs bath room yesterday. It's really pretty. Stucco says that I'm doing a good job on the bathroom floor. I hope so.
I need a few more tiles before I can finish laying all the floor area, and I'm going today to try to find some to finish that project.
The tile I put into the windows is a small (3"X3") dark green tile with quite a bit of texture, though the finish is smooth. It will clean easily, and will dress the window nicely. And, it won't rot. When I pulled the quarter-round material off the windows, I learned that whoever had installed the Plexiglass windows had not even sealed them with caulk or any other product to prevent air or water leakage. Well, They're sealed now. I also cut the trim pieces and got them sealed with Polyurethane to dry overnight, and they will be put in place today. The windows will be dressed nicely.
If I can find enough tile to finish the floor in the new bath today, it will be finished as soon as I lay the tile. Then, I'm going to start on the Sun Room. It shouldn't take too long, as it's about finished now. I'm going to put laminate floor in there, so it will go faster than all the tile with it's cutting and fitting.
I worked some last night on 'tightening' the bloor in the sun room, to make it more 'squeek-proof' when it's finished.
Work Work Work.
Betty says Sharon Weirwille is doing really great. That's an answer to prayer. She was at Convention Preps. I'd love to go this year. Perhaps.
I so miss those times of spiritual refreshment and rest amoung such good people.
I'd especially love to see Alma Bartlett and Cynthia Thomas again, two of my favorite Sister Workers. I'd love to see Vickie Billings, too, but I doubt she will be there.
Seeing Betty Pike would be great, and getting to spend some time with her. And Deloris Richards. And Illa Brawdy. The list grows as I think of all the good people I know and love who are still in that holy church.
God Bless Them All.
I got the tile put in the sides of the windows in the new upstairs bath room yesterday. It's really pretty. Stucco says that I'm doing a good job on the bathroom floor. I hope so.
I need a few more tiles before I can finish laying all the floor area, and I'm going today to try to find some to finish that project.
The tile I put into the windows is a small (3"X3") dark green tile with quite a bit of texture, though the finish is smooth. It will clean easily, and will dress the window nicely. And, it won't rot. When I pulled the quarter-round material off the windows, I learned that whoever had installed the Plexiglass windows had not even sealed them with caulk or any other product to prevent air or water leakage. Well, They're sealed now. I also cut the trim pieces and got them sealed with Polyurethane to dry overnight, and they will be put in place today. The windows will be dressed nicely.
If I can find enough tile to finish the floor in the new bath today, it will be finished as soon as I lay the tile. Then, I'm going to start on the Sun Room. It shouldn't take too long, as it's about finished now. I'm going to put laminate floor in there, so it will go faster than all the tile with it's cutting and fitting.
I worked some last night on 'tightening' the bloor in the sun room, to make it more 'squeek-proof' when it's finished.
Work Work Work.
Betty says Sharon Weirwille is doing really great. That's an answer to prayer. She was at Convention Preps. I'd love to go this year. Perhaps.
I so miss those times of spiritual refreshment and rest amoung such good people.
I'd especially love to see Alma Bartlett and Cynthia Thomas again, two of my favorite Sister Workers. I'd love to see Vickie Billings, too, but I doubt she will be there.
Seeing Betty Pike would be great, and getting to spend some time with her. And Deloris Richards. And Illa Brawdy. The list grows as I think of all the good people I know and love who are still in that holy church.
God Bless Them All.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Barbara Barbara Barbara
Barbara's all upset that I don't mention her enough on my posts.
Most fat, ugly people don't want the public talking about how fat and ugly they are, but Barbara has such a HUGE ego that she just can't live without mention on my blog. Now she's gone and got her boxers all up in her butt, and I just HAVE to mention her, or she'll have a coniption fit.
She's at the beauty salon this morning, and she needs it really badly. It wil take them hours with the windows open to get all the stink out of there, but I guess they need the money, so they just keep on trying to get her to looking a little less like she needs to be back in her coffin before the sun comes up. Darla Daniel sure has her work cut out for her. I would want to get my beauty equipment all sullied up by working on such a project. I'd say it's an act of Christian Charity on Darla's part.
Steve didn't sleep well last night. I was all cross-ways on the bed this morning, and I guess I'd gone to sleep that way, leaving him just a little room at the foot of the bed. I so wish I could get my sleep disorders diagnosed and cared for. I toss and turn all night, and get up feeling like I've been beaten up. I'm groggy all day, and want to lay down, but I know it would just be another session of tossing and turning. My legs hurt so badly this morning. I guess I kicked all night.
Most fat, ugly people don't want the public talking about how fat and ugly they are, but Barbara has such a HUGE ego that she just can't live without mention on my blog. Now she's gone and got her boxers all up in her butt, and I just HAVE to mention her, or she'll have a coniption fit.
She's at the beauty salon this morning, and she needs it really badly. It wil take them hours with the windows open to get all the stink out of there, but I guess they need the money, so they just keep on trying to get her to looking a little less like she needs to be back in her coffin before the sun comes up. Darla Daniel sure has her work cut out for her. I would want to get my beauty equipment all sullied up by working on such a project. I'd say it's an act of Christian Charity on Darla's part.
Steve didn't sleep well last night. I was all cross-ways on the bed this morning, and I guess I'd gone to sleep that way, leaving him just a little room at the foot of the bed. I so wish I could get my sleep disorders diagnosed and cared for. I toss and turn all night, and get up feeling like I've been beaten up. I'm groggy all day, and want to lay down, but I know it would just be another session of tossing and turning. My legs hurt so badly this morning. I guess I kicked all night.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
I had another one of those 'sleepy migraines' day before yesterday, when all I could do is sleep. If I get up to eat or go to the bathroom, I throw up. I have to have the room dark, and can't even stand to sit up in bed. There's little pain in my head, but the rest of my body hurts, which is about usual. I've just developed this type of migraine lately, and, at first, I laid it to exhaustion.
The work at Creekside goes on. I'm currently frustrated with the tile in the new upstairs bathroom. I thought I had plenty of tile for the room, which is a distinct pink color, and is a little rough in texture. After I got to doing the actual laying of it, I discovered that I don't have enough. It's close, but just not enough. There's so many odd cuts and angles that it was almost impossible to figure before the actual laying. I would have made a checker-board pattern with some other tile had I known in time, but I wasn't about to start over with the job. It's Crossville Tile, so I might can find more if I went to the factory in Crossville, but that will take about half a day to get there and back with the tile. I SO wish I could feel like I'm making some progress.
I bought a top border yesterday, but I'm not totally sold on the idea that it's perfect for that room.
It's really pretty, and about the only border that the wall paper shop had that would work at all, with color. Tile wall paper is hard to match with border, I think.
..and I'm so particular with that house.
We slept late this morning. We don't get home until late, so we don't want to get started too early.
Steve did not get the new door for the kitchen installed, so we're still behind on that project.
I went to a place down on Papermill Road to get another one after he took out the former one.
That man is so nice, and he lifts and moves those doors and windows like they're lego blocks. He has the lowest prices in East Tennessee for doors and windows.
Stucco has not been back to work. I haven't heard from him or Cherokee. I went by their house yesterday, but they were not there. Steve is about as mad as a hornet over the work not being done, as Cherokee and I told Stucco he would. I have to live with the rage, though.
Well....another day.
I need to get to Lowe's for some more mastic for the ceramic tile I CAN lay.
The work at Creekside goes on. I'm currently frustrated with the tile in the new upstairs bathroom. I thought I had plenty of tile for the room, which is a distinct pink color, and is a little rough in texture. After I got to doing the actual laying of it, I discovered that I don't have enough. It's close, but just not enough. There's so many odd cuts and angles that it was almost impossible to figure before the actual laying. I would have made a checker-board pattern with some other tile had I known in time, but I wasn't about to start over with the job. It's Crossville Tile, so I might can find more if I went to the factory in Crossville, but that will take about half a day to get there and back with the tile. I SO wish I could feel like I'm making some progress.
I bought a top border yesterday, but I'm not totally sold on the idea that it's perfect for that room.
It's really pretty, and about the only border that the wall paper shop had that would work at all, with color. Tile wall paper is hard to match with border, I think.
..and I'm so particular with that house.
We slept late this morning. We don't get home until late, so we don't want to get started too early.
Steve did not get the new door for the kitchen installed, so we're still behind on that project.
I went to a place down on Papermill Road to get another one after he took out the former one.
That man is so nice, and he lifts and moves those doors and windows like they're lego blocks. He has the lowest prices in East Tennessee for doors and windows.
Stucco has not been back to work. I haven't heard from him or Cherokee. I went by their house yesterday, but they were not there. Steve is about as mad as a hornet over the work not being done, as Cherokee and I told Stucco he would. I have to live with the rage, though.
Well....another day.
I need to get to Lowe's for some more mastic for the ceramic tile I CAN lay.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Labor Day PM
Wierd weather. Yesterday, it was insufferably hot, and today, visitors wore sweaters.
It rained hard all day, and the rain was pretty cold, which may have been a factor in the cool weather. It feels good to me.
I worked in the new upstairs bathroom today, finishing the prep for the ceramic tile for the floor and starting the arduous task of laying it. It's pink, and a little rough, which will make it less likely to cause slips and falls. It perfectly matches the walls. I hope I have enough. It's going to be close, but I have an idea to 'stretch' it.
Steve wouldn't help me with the job, preferring, instead, to take down the kitchen door. He didn't think it worked right, but even a door that doesn't work right is better than no door at all, which is what we now have. He felt that a sheer curtain hung in the doorway would be adequate to keep out all the night-roamers. Lotsa Luck.
We were really hungry and tired when we came home. I made some of my famous cream of chicken soup, which is really meaty with lots of chicken chunks. It was great for a cool evening.
I'm tired, but Steve doesn't want to get his bath and go to bed, so I'm going alone.
It rained hard all day, and the rain was pretty cold, which may have been a factor in the cool weather. It feels good to me.
I worked in the new upstairs bathroom today, finishing the prep for the ceramic tile for the floor and starting the arduous task of laying it. It's pink, and a little rough, which will make it less likely to cause slips and falls. It perfectly matches the walls. I hope I have enough. It's going to be close, but I have an idea to 'stretch' it.
Steve wouldn't help me with the job, preferring, instead, to take down the kitchen door. He didn't think it worked right, but even a door that doesn't work right is better than no door at all, which is what we now have. He felt that a sheer curtain hung in the doorway would be adequate to keep out all the night-roamers. Lotsa Luck.
We were really hungry and tired when we came home. I made some of my famous cream of chicken soup, which is really meaty with lots of chicken chunks. It was great for a cool evening.
I'm tired, but Steve doesn't want to get his bath and go to bed, so I'm going alone.
Labor Day The Day No One Works
I will work today, though I'd really like to rest.
There's no rest when you have so much to do and you're the cheap help.
Steve and I worked on Creekside yesterday by ourselves.
It Started storming here as a result of the hurricanes elsewhere (there's several now going), and the rain came off the top of the house like a fire hose. Steve got out in the rain and started trying to fix it so that the run-off would not get too near the foundation of the house, but mostly he was just yelling at me. I had been upstairs finishing the wallpaper in the new bathroom, minding my own business, but he just couldn't resist the temptation to yell at me for something.
The wallpaper in the new bath is slightly 'padded', which makes it feel 'cushy', and it's in a tile design, with a small flower on some of the tiles. I perfectly matched the grout color (a deep peach) with the paint for the upper part of the walls, and I'm using the paper to just make wainscoating. It's really pretty, and the paper looks like mosiac tile on the walls. It's just 32 inches high, the height of chair rail, but it looks so nice that I wish now that I'd made it a little higher. I think I have an idea to 'raise' the top of it.
I'm having some mental/emotional pain over some trama-drama with my relationship with a good friend. I won't discuss it now, but it's really got me disturbed. My friend won't answer my calls, and won't return my messages.
Sweety, the new house cat, is really enjoying her father's visit home. She is the most affectionate cat, but wants to lightly bite. I wish I could break her of that habit. There will never be another perfect cat like Yoda.
I've dismissed the workers at Creekside for the week. I need a slower pace for a while, and I don't want Steve and them to have a clash of wills. I think they probably need a week off, too, as the hard work and the heat is getting to everyone. It's supposed to cool down this week, with rain predicted for every day. I hate the thought of all that mud, and the rain will wash the dirt off of a bunch of broken glass and rocks in the yard at Creekside, which I will then feel obligated to pick up.
It's job security.
Richland's Creek is not yet out of it's banks, but the way it's raining, it's only a matter of time.
There's so much litter and trash people throw out, and broken tree limbs that clog the water and make the creek rise when it rains. Also, the fact that Rutledge is in a valley makes the rain run off into low areas, which contribute to flooding.
I covered all my outdoor-stored lumber yesterday, so it will be more likely to stay dry.
I need to get a storage barn or tomato growing hoop house built to store all the lumber and building materials that don't need to get wet. Cold and wet weather is coming soon.
More later on the progress.
There's no rest when you have so much to do and you're the cheap help.
Steve and I worked on Creekside yesterday by ourselves.
It Started storming here as a result of the hurricanes elsewhere (there's several now going), and the rain came off the top of the house like a fire hose. Steve got out in the rain and started trying to fix it so that the run-off would not get too near the foundation of the house, but mostly he was just yelling at me. I had been upstairs finishing the wallpaper in the new bathroom, minding my own business, but he just couldn't resist the temptation to yell at me for something.
The wallpaper in the new bath is slightly 'padded', which makes it feel 'cushy', and it's in a tile design, with a small flower on some of the tiles. I perfectly matched the grout color (a deep peach) with the paint for the upper part of the walls, and I'm using the paper to just make wainscoating. It's really pretty, and the paper looks like mosiac tile on the walls. It's just 32 inches high, the height of chair rail, but it looks so nice that I wish now that I'd made it a little higher. I think I have an idea to 'raise' the top of it.
I'm having some mental/emotional pain over some trama-drama with my relationship with a good friend. I won't discuss it now, but it's really got me disturbed. My friend won't answer my calls, and won't return my messages.
Sweety, the new house cat, is really enjoying her father's visit home. She is the most affectionate cat, but wants to lightly bite. I wish I could break her of that habit. There will never be another perfect cat like Yoda.
I've dismissed the workers at Creekside for the week. I need a slower pace for a while, and I don't want Steve and them to have a clash of wills. I think they probably need a week off, too, as the hard work and the heat is getting to everyone. It's supposed to cool down this week, with rain predicted for every day. I hate the thought of all that mud, and the rain will wash the dirt off of a bunch of broken glass and rocks in the yard at Creekside, which I will then feel obligated to pick up.
It's job security.
Richland's Creek is not yet out of it's banks, but the way it's raining, it's only a matter of time.
There's so much litter and trash people throw out, and broken tree limbs that clog the water and make the creek rise when it rains. Also, the fact that Rutledge is in a valley makes the rain run off into low areas, which contribute to flooding.
I covered all my outdoor-stored lumber yesterday, so it will be more likely to stay dry.
I need to get a storage barn or tomato growing hoop house built to store all the lumber and building materials that don't need to get wet. Cold and wet weather is coming soon.
More later on the progress.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011 AM
I seldom post in the mornings any more, and it's because I rush around trying to get some things done here before I go up to Creekside for the day.
Once I'm up there, it's so hard to quit there and come home to do anything, so if something needs doing here, I need to do it in the morning.
This house has suffered miserably while I've been so busy at Creekside.
I feel like there's just not enough of ME to do all I need to do.
There's enough hours in the day, there's just not enough strength and time to do all I want to get done.
I went to Habitat on Merchant's Road yesterday to get some tile to go around the windows in the new upstairs bathroom at Creekside. It takes so long to get there from here. I found some lovely parquet floor tile there, and the nice fellow in charge made me a really good price on it, so I bought it. I'm considering using it on the floor in our downstairs guest bath here at Clairemont. The congoleum in there was damaged by a heating pad we use on the floor in the winter, and we've not repaired it yet. That's a project for us for later.
I also bought some beautiful ceramic tile accent pieces for use at Creekside. I'm thinking I might use tile to trim the windows in one of the baths. It would look nice, and the window moisture would not be a problem with tile. That house still has moisture problems.
The man at Habitat forgot to load the tile I had gone there for. I hate to take the time today to go back for it. I might just wait to get it at another time. Steve is coming home tomorrow, and he doesn't like to go to that kind of place with me. We're always interested in different types of things, and can't agree on anything.
I found a great wood stove on Craig's List for the basement at Creekside. I had bought a small wood stove a few weeks ago for there, but this one is really big, and will hold bigger fires for longer. It looks like one of those stoves made from a 55-gallon drum, but is actually steel, with all the fittings and even a small rack on the top to hold a pot for cooking or heating water. The man who sold it met me at Habitat, so it saved a trip.
Stucco has now got the stucco put around the tall front windows in the downstairs sun room. They're dramatic, being 7 1/2 feet tall, and arched at the top. When I walk into that room, I get the feeling that the front wall is gone. They look splendid on the front of the house, and let in so much light. They're low-e, and face north, so they will not get full sun, but will be warmer in the winter. When we cut into the wall, we found all kinds of junk stuffed into the wall cavities.
There were old newspapers, cold drink bottles, and a varied assortment of junk. I'm not sure if the papers were intended for insulation or not, but they didn't do a very good job if they were. I'm stuffing the cavities with foam and fiberglass.
I used some table place mats to staple to the plywood in the bathroom, where we made the window smaller. They're the foam type, a little spongy, and they really insulate well in small spaces. I had lined the walls in my Hobby Hut with them last winter, and they work really well when you want a lot of insulating factor with not much loss of space. I get them at Goodwills and yard sales, and I like the ones with square corners. You can cut them with a knife or scissors, and they're good for sliding back into really tight places. Not just anyone can have Vera desingns inside their walls.
I painted the walls and ceiling in the small upstairs bath. The ceiling, of course, is white, and the walls are an antique dusty rose color that matches perfectly (because I mixed it) the grout lines in the wallpaper I'm going to use for the wainscoating. It is a padded tile design, with a small flower, and it looks amazingly like ceramic tile. It's really pretty.
The lady at the wallpaper store and I had a friendly visit while I was there. She has cancer (brain tumor) and is terminal, but is really up-beat, and she loved the way I joked with her and made her laugh. She wants me to visit her agian, and I will, not just for a visit, but she has a lovely and large assortment of wallpapers, which I love. Steve doesn't like wallpaper, but I do. I use it a lot.
I had bought some silk flowers at some yard sales (surprise!), and I put them out in the flower beds that Debbie had cleaned out at Creekside. She came by for her paycheck yesterday evening, and she loved the flowers. I told her to 'Just smell them', and she got down on her knees to sniff them before she realized that they were silk. They add a lot of color to the front of the house, and I love teasing people, so they're a good foil for me. I think I'll go upstairs and get into my stash there and take along some more this morning to put out. It will make things look good for Steve when he gets home.
We were talking last night about perhaps having the hired help to take next week off, so we can be just us two working together and not having to worry about other people being around. His people skills are not the best, anyway, so it might be a relief for everyone if there's not so much going on. The workers are getting tired, too, and I'd think they would like a few days off.
Randy was off part of day before yesterday, and all day yesterday, for his grandmother's funeral. She lived here in Rutledge.
Stucco and Cherokee have a new van. They traded some work on a car for Jason Higgs for it, and Cherokee is thrilled to have another car. She had gone to see her grandson (who is in foster care) yesterday, and the former live-in (for Cherokee's son) slashed her tires in the parking lot. She had to call Stucco to come and get her, and she was in Maryville. Most of his day was useless.
A weasel has got into my last pen of pigeons and killed most of them. The ones who are still living had blood on their throats yesterday morning, and I'm dreading going up there this morning to see what's been done. Weasels slash the throats of their victims and suck their blood. They can go through a key hole, and are almost impossible to trap.
I've decided to just give up on birds. There are way too many varmits and thieves around, and I'm tired of supporting both cultures. I still have six peafowl, and I"ll keep them. For now.
I feel like I'm out of control, and I don't like that feeling.
I need to get ready and go up to Creekside.
....and take some flowers. The 'fast-blooming kind'.
Oh! I didn't mention Barbara. She's still fat.
Once I'm up there, it's so hard to quit there and come home to do anything, so if something needs doing here, I need to do it in the morning.
This house has suffered miserably while I've been so busy at Creekside.
I feel like there's just not enough of ME to do all I need to do.
There's enough hours in the day, there's just not enough strength and time to do all I want to get done.
I went to Habitat on Merchant's Road yesterday to get some tile to go around the windows in the new upstairs bathroom at Creekside. It takes so long to get there from here. I found some lovely parquet floor tile there, and the nice fellow in charge made me a really good price on it, so I bought it. I'm considering using it on the floor in our downstairs guest bath here at Clairemont. The congoleum in there was damaged by a heating pad we use on the floor in the winter, and we've not repaired it yet. That's a project for us for later.
I also bought some beautiful ceramic tile accent pieces for use at Creekside. I'm thinking I might use tile to trim the windows in one of the baths. It would look nice, and the window moisture would not be a problem with tile. That house still has moisture problems.
The man at Habitat forgot to load the tile I had gone there for. I hate to take the time today to go back for it. I might just wait to get it at another time. Steve is coming home tomorrow, and he doesn't like to go to that kind of place with me. We're always interested in different types of things, and can't agree on anything.
I found a great wood stove on Craig's List for the basement at Creekside. I had bought a small wood stove a few weeks ago for there, but this one is really big, and will hold bigger fires for longer. It looks like one of those stoves made from a 55-gallon drum, but is actually steel, with all the fittings and even a small rack on the top to hold a pot for cooking or heating water. The man who sold it met me at Habitat, so it saved a trip.
Stucco has now got the stucco put around the tall front windows in the downstairs sun room. They're dramatic, being 7 1/2 feet tall, and arched at the top. When I walk into that room, I get the feeling that the front wall is gone. They look splendid on the front of the house, and let in so much light. They're low-e, and face north, so they will not get full sun, but will be warmer in the winter. When we cut into the wall, we found all kinds of junk stuffed into the wall cavities.
There were old newspapers, cold drink bottles, and a varied assortment of junk. I'm not sure if the papers were intended for insulation or not, but they didn't do a very good job if they were. I'm stuffing the cavities with foam and fiberglass.
I used some table place mats to staple to the plywood in the bathroom, where we made the window smaller. They're the foam type, a little spongy, and they really insulate well in small spaces. I had lined the walls in my Hobby Hut with them last winter, and they work really well when you want a lot of insulating factor with not much loss of space. I get them at Goodwills and yard sales, and I like the ones with square corners. You can cut them with a knife or scissors, and they're good for sliding back into really tight places. Not just anyone can have Vera desingns inside their walls.
I painted the walls and ceiling in the small upstairs bath. The ceiling, of course, is white, and the walls are an antique dusty rose color that matches perfectly (because I mixed it) the grout lines in the wallpaper I'm going to use for the wainscoating. It is a padded tile design, with a small flower, and it looks amazingly like ceramic tile. It's really pretty.
The lady at the wallpaper store and I had a friendly visit while I was there. She has cancer (brain tumor) and is terminal, but is really up-beat, and she loved the way I joked with her and made her laugh. She wants me to visit her agian, and I will, not just for a visit, but she has a lovely and large assortment of wallpapers, which I love. Steve doesn't like wallpaper, but I do. I use it a lot.
I had bought some silk flowers at some yard sales (surprise!), and I put them out in the flower beds that Debbie had cleaned out at Creekside. She came by for her paycheck yesterday evening, and she loved the flowers. I told her to 'Just smell them', and she got down on her knees to sniff them before she realized that they were silk. They add a lot of color to the front of the house, and I love teasing people, so they're a good foil for me. I think I'll go upstairs and get into my stash there and take along some more this morning to put out. It will make things look good for Steve when he gets home.
We were talking last night about perhaps having the hired help to take next week off, so we can be just us two working together and not having to worry about other people being around. His people skills are not the best, anyway, so it might be a relief for everyone if there's not so much going on. The workers are getting tired, too, and I'd think they would like a few days off.
Randy was off part of day before yesterday, and all day yesterday, for his grandmother's funeral. She lived here in Rutledge.
Stucco and Cherokee have a new van. They traded some work on a car for Jason Higgs for it, and Cherokee is thrilled to have another car. She had gone to see her grandson (who is in foster care) yesterday, and the former live-in (for Cherokee's son) slashed her tires in the parking lot. She had to call Stucco to come and get her, and she was in Maryville. Most of his day was useless.
A weasel has got into my last pen of pigeons and killed most of them. The ones who are still living had blood on their throats yesterday morning, and I'm dreading going up there this morning to see what's been done. Weasels slash the throats of their victims and suck their blood. They can go through a key hole, and are almost impossible to trap.
I've decided to just give up on birds. There are way too many varmits and thieves around, and I'm tired of supporting both cultures. I still have six peafowl, and I"ll keep them. For now.
I feel like I'm out of control, and I don't like that feeling.
I need to get ready and go up to Creekside.
....and take some flowers. The 'fast-blooming kind'.
Oh! I didn't mention Barbara. She's still fat.
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