Thursday, February 23, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Saturday AM
It's a very late morning here, as Steve worked a 'nightly' all night from home, and he badly needs rest today. I'm trying to be quiet, and staying in the far end of the house from him.
He got his bonus from his work, and it was nice. Not just the amount, but that they recognised him for what he has done and what he does. He is a slave to his job.
Janie and I went to Maryville yesterday to take her nephew and niece to the airport. Someone in her family had died in Arkansas, and she went to be with her brother, who lives there and it seems like he was closer.
They gave me the tour of their house, and it's just beautiful. He gave me a set of propane gas logs for the fireplace at Creekside, which are also unvented, so we will be able to keep the heat. They're wanting a 'pool table' type of light for their remodel of their garage into a 'man-cave', so I'm going to give them one I have that I didn't know where to use.
As with all of Janie's family, they are really nice people, with a good home that is clean and well-maintained. They live near Dumplin Valley Road.
Janie and I also went to a few sales along the way, and to a Habitat in Maryville. It is much more well-stocked than the one on Merchant's Road in Knoxville, and the place was swarming with people. Sometimes Janie and I are the only customers in the store on Merchant's Road.
They had a lot more things of all descriptions. I found some light globes that I needed for some light fixtures that had lost one or two along the way. They were more than Kevin would have charged me, but he might not have had them.
We plan to go again soon.
We went to a indoor flea market there, too, and I got Steve some jerky, which he loves.
I took Janie by to meet Jamie Combs at her salon. They loved each other on sight.
I had told Janie a lot about Jamie, and they felt like they already knew each other. I'm so proud of Jamie for being the fine lady she is, and for having the ambition to own her own business and make her own living. She works hard, and I'm glad that she has the success she does.
We got home late, so Janie just went on home, and I stayed at Creekside to sort the glass shades. Steve was sleeping a bit when I got home, so he could stay up all night.
My friend Faune Gerber had some sort of physical distress that landed her in the hospital for a few days. They can't seem to find out what her problem is yet. She regularly comments on my blog.
I've been home all morning, but not got much done, as I'm trying to be quiet, and I am chaffing under the duty. I want to get dressed and up to Creekside and get something done there.
There's still lots to do.
He got his bonus from his work, and it was nice. Not just the amount, but that they recognised him for what he has done and what he does. He is a slave to his job.
Janie and I went to Maryville yesterday to take her nephew and niece to the airport. Someone in her family had died in Arkansas, and she went to be with her brother, who lives there and it seems like he was closer.
They gave me the tour of their house, and it's just beautiful. He gave me a set of propane gas logs for the fireplace at Creekside, which are also unvented, so we will be able to keep the heat. They're wanting a 'pool table' type of light for their remodel of their garage into a 'man-cave', so I'm going to give them one I have that I didn't know where to use.
As with all of Janie's family, they are really nice people, with a good home that is clean and well-maintained. They live near Dumplin Valley Road.
Janie and I also went to a few sales along the way, and to a Habitat in Maryville. It is much more well-stocked than the one on Merchant's Road in Knoxville, and the place was swarming with people. Sometimes Janie and I are the only customers in the store on Merchant's Road.
They had a lot more things of all descriptions. I found some light globes that I needed for some light fixtures that had lost one or two along the way. They were more than Kevin would have charged me, but he might not have had them.
We plan to go again soon.
We went to a indoor flea market there, too, and I got Steve some jerky, which he loves.
I took Janie by to meet Jamie Combs at her salon. They loved each other on sight.
I had told Janie a lot about Jamie, and they felt like they already knew each other. I'm so proud of Jamie for being the fine lady she is, and for having the ambition to own her own business and make her own living. She works hard, and I'm glad that she has the success she does.
We got home late, so Janie just went on home, and I stayed at Creekside to sort the glass shades. Steve was sleeping a bit when I got home, so he could stay up all night.
My friend Faune Gerber had some sort of physical distress that landed her in the hospital for a few days. They can't seem to find out what her problem is yet. She regularly comments on my blog.
I've been home all morning, but not got much done, as I'm trying to be quiet, and I am chaffing under the duty. I want to get dressed and up to Creekside and get something done there.
There's still lots to do.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Friday
This might as well be Friday the 13th for me.
I washed my hair last night (I used to wash it every-other night), and a great deal of what is left came out. I woke at about 4:00 this morning, and reached up and felt my head, and it felt like I was bald.
For years I have had people come up to me in public places and tell me how beautiful my hair was, and now I have almost none. It's heartbreaking for me.
I don't want to go around my church friends because they feel like a woman has sinned if she cuts her hair. There was a funeral of an older man last night whose children were friends of mine for many years, and I just couldn't go. I don't know how a hat would do to cover my head, but I'd think it would slide off, with no hair to pin it to. I guess that ruins my reputation as the Rutledge Hat Lady.
I don't know if it will ever grow back, but I'm doing everything I can to get it to come back. I'm using Rogaine twice a day or more, I'm taking Finesteride, I'm not teasing what's left, I'm not using but two hair pins to hold my hair, I'm only shampooing once a week, and I'm avoiding using brisk strokes with the hair brush.
I've ordered several wigs on-line, but they haven't come yet, and I'm not sure they will be suitable when they do come. I've never been able to wear wigs. My head is too small, and they look wiggy on me. The children's wigs are terribly expensive. I wish Joanne Redmon still had her wig shop in Fountain City. She had the nicest shop with a fitting room. I'd just go and spend the day with her.
Janie has been so supportive during this ordeal. She has been wearing a little hair piece to the house, just to make me feel better about having to turn to hair devices. She has not commented about how my efforts to hide the thinning and loss sometimes look rather pathetic.
I'd like to kill Penny Bailey and Randy Reagan for doing this to me. They not only invaded my home and took my expensive jewelry, but they took my hair, which was a part of my body and health.
Steve is still home. I think he wants to be here to give me some comfort, and perhaps to keep me from killing myself or someone else. I'm going to throttle the first person who says something tacky about my appearance.
Well, enough about that miserable part of my horrible existance.
Janie and I have been working fools at Creekside. She inspires me and motivates me to keep going. I'm really tired, but it's a good kind of tired. I can see such results with the house.
We've got the dining room ready for the wallpaper.
We've also got one of the upstairs bedrooms ready for it's paper, except for a second coat of paint on the window trim. That's progress.
Steve has been working on a huge light fisture that I bought at Habitat. He's trying to get some sort of pully in the attic for it, so it can be lowered to change the bulbs. It's going to be in the stair landing area. I believe that's about the only place it would fit, as it's about four feet tall.
Janie and I aren't rushing him on that, as we'd like to get the ceiling painted first.
We got some suede powder to mix with the paint to hide some of the imperfections in the plaster and to make the ceiling look touchable. Yeah, RIGHT! It's ten feet tall at it's lowest point, and the light is going in the stairway, which will make it leave the ceiling at about 13-14 feet. It will hang in front of the huge window we had installed in the stairway landing area. You can see it in the landing from Rutledge Pike.
I suggested to him that a crank from an old, hand-crank ice cream freezer would make a good device, but he never likes my ideas. I already have one of those, and he wants to go to Lowe's and get something new.
Joy and Gary have not yet found a place to live.
Gary has repeired the red Dodge truck, and it's like a new one in it's performance.
He's going to be fixing the white truck next. I like having him around and available.
He's intelligent, he has a sense of humor, and he's a big, strong man, which makes him able to do heavy lifting. I've got to liking him a lot.
He drinks, though, and I don't like that in anyone.
Steve told me last night that he wants me to help him roll a round bale of hay to the cows this morning. We need to get the tractor home. We put some fuel in it yesterday afternoon, and it's ready to drive now, and the only reason to keep it at Creekside would be to work on the lawn with it.
Janie and I have a load of garbage to take to the dump today. Carzel Owen's step-sons operate it, and they give Janie and me things that other people throw away if we can use them. Once they gave Janie a bunch of vinyl siding. We'd like to get more of that.
I don't like to see things go to waste.
I washed my hair last night (I used to wash it every-other night), and a great deal of what is left came out. I woke at about 4:00 this morning, and reached up and felt my head, and it felt like I was bald.
For years I have had people come up to me in public places and tell me how beautiful my hair was, and now I have almost none. It's heartbreaking for me.
I don't want to go around my church friends because they feel like a woman has sinned if she cuts her hair. There was a funeral of an older man last night whose children were friends of mine for many years, and I just couldn't go. I don't know how a hat would do to cover my head, but I'd think it would slide off, with no hair to pin it to. I guess that ruins my reputation as the Rutledge Hat Lady.
I don't know if it will ever grow back, but I'm doing everything I can to get it to come back. I'm using Rogaine twice a day or more, I'm taking Finesteride, I'm not teasing what's left, I'm not using but two hair pins to hold my hair, I'm only shampooing once a week, and I'm avoiding using brisk strokes with the hair brush.
I've ordered several wigs on-line, but they haven't come yet, and I'm not sure they will be suitable when they do come. I've never been able to wear wigs. My head is too small, and they look wiggy on me. The children's wigs are terribly expensive. I wish Joanne Redmon still had her wig shop in Fountain City. She had the nicest shop with a fitting room. I'd just go and spend the day with her.
Janie has been so supportive during this ordeal. She has been wearing a little hair piece to the house, just to make me feel better about having to turn to hair devices. She has not commented about how my efforts to hide the thinning and loss sometimes look rather pathetic.
I'd like to kill Penny Bailey and Randy Reagan for doing this to me. They not only invaded my home and took my expensive jewelry, but they took my hair, which was a part of my body and health.
Steve is still home. I think he wants to be here to give me some comfort, and perhaps to keep me from killing myself or someone else. I'm going to throttle the first person who says something tacky about my appearance.
Well, enough about that miserable part of my horrible existance.
Janie and I have been working fools at Creekside. She inspires me and motivates me to keep going. I'm really tired, but it's a good kind of tired. I can see such results with the house.
We've got the dining room ready for the wallpaper.
We've also got one of the upstairs bedrooms ready for it's paper, except for a second coat of paint on the window trim. That's progress.
Steve has been working on a huge light fisture that I bought at Habitat. He's trying to get some sort of pully in the attic for it, so it can be lowered to change the bulbs. It's going to be in the stair landing area. I believe that's about the only place it would fit, as it's about four feet tall.
Janie and I aren't rushing him on that, as we'd like to get the ceiling painted first.
We got some suede powder to mix with the paint to hide some of the imperfections in the plaster and to make the ceiling look touchable. Yeah, RIGHT! It's ten feet tall at it's lowest point, and the light is going in the stairway, which will make it leave the ceiling at about 13-14 feet. It will hang in front of the huge window we had installed in the stairway landing area. You can see it in the landing from Rutledge Pike.
I suggested to him that a crank from an old, hand-crank ice cream freezer would make a good device, but he never likes my ideas. I already have one of those, and he wants to go to Lowe's and get something new.
Joy and Gary have not yet found a place to live.
Gary has repeired the red Dodge truck, and it's like a new one in it's performance.
He's going to be fixing the white truck next. I like having him around and available.
He's intelligent, he has a sense of humor, and he's a big, strong man, which makes him able to do heavy lifting. I've got to liking him a lot.
He drinks, though, and I don't like that in anyone.
Steve told me last night that he wants me to help him roll a round bale of hay to the cows this morning. We need to get the tractor home. We put some fuel in it yesterday afternoon, and it's ready to drive now, and the only reason to keep it at Creekside would be to work on the lawn with it.
Janie and I have a load of garbage to take to the dump today. Carzel Owen's step-sons operate it, and they give Janie and me things that other people throw away if we can use them. Once they gave Janie a bunch of vinyl siding. We'd like to get more of that.
I don't like to see things go to waste.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 Early AM
Yesterday was a busy day. Joy, Janie's sister, came and helped at Creekside, and she made a wonderful difference. That woman is a cleaning freak. She cleaned the upstairs west bathroom, and it sparkles, now. She shut the door so the men might take the hint and leave the nice bathroom for us ladies.
She washed windows, and helped Janie and me prime the walls in the rear bedroom, which had lately been a deep torquoise. There's a lot of fresh plaster work in that room, and primer was a necessary step before final color or wall paper. I think we're decided on a lovely Wisteria paper, which has a white background, and is just beautiful. We're going with white trim in that room. Having primer on the walls makes it feel mose like a house than a construction site. It also cuts the dust, which has been the bane of my existence for so long.
Gary, Joy's man, is working on the red Dodge truck, and I hope he can get it back as it should be. He's waiting for a part to come in at Robert's this morning to complete the job. He's such a beg, strong fellow, and seems willing to work. He's opening up a little more with us, and is beginning to seem like one of the family.
They have found a mobile home down towards Red House that they're hoping to rent, and I'm glad they're finding a home here.
Joy is not well, and Janie wants to 'mother' her, and having her close will take some worry off Janie.
Steve is researching on the internet how to hang the really huge chandelier in the stairway. It's about 3 1/2 feet tall, and hangs with a chain. It probably weighs about 75 pounds or so, and will need strong support in the attic for it's base and because of it's massive weight.
It's going to be a 'project' to get it hung, but it will look fabulous.
I've got two rolls of wallpaper that I'd like to use in the day room. They are very near the paper that was original to that room. Two rolls are not nearly enough, and it's out of print.
Steve found some on e-bay, but it's a little pricey, and I don't know if I'm that determined to have it.
Janie and I might take a sample to Knox Rail Salvage and see if we can match it there. Their wall paper is only a dollar a roll. It's amazing how much Janie and I agree on decorating ideas. She's such a fun lady. We become closer every day.
Cherokee's mother was supposed to have surgery sometime around now, but we haven't heard anything from her. She never tells anyone anything. I think she's afraid of burdening others with her problems.
What little hair I have left is still falling out. I'm despondant about it, but there's little I can do, other than what I'm doing now.
Penny Bailey is out of jail, which gives me some worry. Steve kept the news from me as long as he could, as he was afraid it would add to my stress. It does.
She's out of jail, and I'm still out of my jewelry. I don't feel that I'll ever be compensated in any way. Some Justice System.
I've heard that Rhonda is visiting Randy in jail every visitation day. He is having no social disgrace over this situation, and families just enable those who break the law by standing by them for years while they abuse society and the laws.
I don't want to write any more now, but I have to mention Barbara, the ugly one.
She washed windows, and helped Janie and me prime the walls in the rear bedroom, which had lately been a deep torquoise. There's a lot of fresh plaster work in that room, and primer was a necessary step before final color or wall paper. I think we're decided on a lovely Wisteria paper, which has a white background, and is just beautiful. We're going with white trim in that room. Having primer on the walls makes it feel mose like a house than a construction site. It also cuts the dust, which has been the bane of my existence for so long.
Gary, Joy's man, is working on the red Dodge truck, and I hope he can get it back as it should be. He's waiting for a part to come in at Robert's this morning to complete the job. He's such a beg, strong fellow, and seems willing to work. He's opening up a little more with us, and is beginning to seem like one of the family.
They have found a mobile home down towards Red House that they're hoping to rent, and I'm glad they're finding a home here.
Joy is not well, and Janie wants to 'mother' her, and having her close will take some worry off Janie.
Steve is researching on the internet how to hang the really huge chandelier in the stairway. It's about 3 1/2 feet tall, and hangs with a chain. It probably weighs about 75 pounds or so, and will need strong support in the attic for it's base and because of it's massive weight.
It's going to be a 'project' to get it hung, but it will look fabulous.
I've got two rolls of wallpaper that I'd like to use in the day room. They are very near the paper that was original to that room. Two rolls are not nearly enough, and it's out of print.
Steve found some on e-bay, but it's a little pricey, and I don't know if I'm that determined to have it.
Janie and I might take a sample to Knox Rail Salvage and see if we can match it there. Their wall paper is only a dollar a roll. It's amazing how much Janie and I agree on decorating ideas. She's such a fun lady. We become closer every day.
Cherokee's mother was supposed to have surgery sometime around now, but we haven't heard anything from her. She never tells anyone anything. I think she's afraid of burdening others with her problems.
What little hair I have left is still falling out. I'm despondant about it, but there's little I can do, other than what I'm doing now.
Penny Bailey is out of jail, which gives me some worry. Steve kept the news from me as long as he could, as he was afraid it would add to my stress. It does.
She's out of jail, and I'm still out of my jewelry. I don't feel that I'll ever be compensated in any way. Some Justice System.
I've heard that Rhonda is visiting Randy in jail every visitation day. He is having no social disgrace over this situation, and families just enable those who break the law by standing by them for years while they abuse society and the laws.
I don't want to write any more now, but I have to mention Barbara, the ugly one.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Sunday, Febuary 12, 2012
Yesterday, I had another of those 'Sleeping Migraines', which kept me in bed all day. Steve was impatient with me at first, but saw how I heaved and threw up when I tried to get up, so he soon turned compassionate and took pretty good care of me. It snowed on and off most of the day. It always snows on Jonquils, and they're blooming now.
I got an e-mail from Betty Pike telling me of Fred Denton's death. It had been expected for some time. She is good to keep me informed of the 'going-ons' within the Truth. Fred had been ill for a long time. He and his wife, Wilma, called themselves The Flintstones, and were well-liked. Wilma had never professed, I don't think.
At Creekside, I had asked Steve if we could convert the door between the living room and the downstairs sun room into a pocket door. I didn't want the door to swing either way, and this will be a good alternative. There's a wall space to accomodate it, and I think it will be a good idea. I had found a lovely french door for that doorway, and I think making it a pocket door will be nice.
Janie and I went up to Jo's for lunch on Friday. She has a small restaurant in Rogersville. She had struggled at first with her business, and I had helped her some with dishes, table cloths, and decorations, so I have a personal interest in her doing well there. She won't let me pay for my meals, which is a priveledge that I am careful to not abuse, and makes me feel appreciated.
We also went to a small shop there, where we found some little treasures.
We stopped at some other small places, and then got back home to Creekside and to work.
It was a nice diversion. I like to include Janie in my ramblings, as she does the driving, and we have so much fun. Our personalities blend so well.
I found some lovely pink draperies at one shop, and they will be a nice decoration for some room. I don't know yet where I'll use them, but they will come in handy, and the price was right. It's hard to find several pair of draperies at a re-sale shop, and all my rooms seem to have so many windows.
Gary, the man who lives with Joy, Janie's sister, started working on the tractor, which is the bane of my existence. It has never run right, and I'll be so glad if he can fix it. He's then going to repair the brakes and do a tune-up on the red Dodge truck. I picked up the parts at Doyle's, here in Rutledge. When he gets all that done, he plans to repair the white Dodge truck. We're going to keep him busy.
They're planning to move here, which will be nice, as Joy is so nice (much like Janie), and Gary seems willing to be a help. He's a great ol' big fellow, and can really be a help with the heavy lifting.
Guy, who had worked for us some time before, came by Friday night about 9:00, demanding money from Steve. He didn't get any. Guy had worked under Stucco, and I had paid Stucco, who said that he would pay Guy. We don't owe Guy anything, as I figure. He went on a tirade to Steve, telling him we were cruel to have worked him for so little, but we paid him what he had asked for.
Stucco still has a key to the house, as he still has a set of Baker's scaffolding there. We set it on the front porch last week, but he's not come after it yet. It was in the way of Janie's cleaning, and Stucco's not there anymore.
We find holes (still!) in the house every time we start to do something new. I don't know how anyone ever lived there.
The work I did to the sunroom floor has made such a remarkable difference. Everyone who walks on the floor comments about it. It sure feels stronger.
Friday evening, I worked some more on wrapping water pipes down in the basement. It was supposed to get down to 18 (I think) last night, and I was trying to get ready for bitterly cold weather. I told Steve to leave the lights on down there, and he said he might put a small electric heater down there, too. Running a little heat would certainly be better than broken plumbing.
I used some old socks of Steve's to wrap the bends and corners. They stretch like Ace bandages, and fit the bends better than anything else I've found. The pre-formed L-corner pieces you buy at Lowe's do not fit very well. They also do not perform well. So, I used what momma had always used...old socks. I taped them to the pipe bends, then started wrapping just like I would for a damaged wrist or elbow on a person. It made a pretty neat 'bandage'.
I don't know why builders don't just wrap plumbing while the wall cavities are open. It sure would be easier. I put foam pipe wrappings on our plumbing here while we were building. Some people asked why I did that, and I told them that it was to keep down noise of water passing through the pipes, and to prevent freezing, 'just in case'. This sure is a well-built house, and I'm glad we have it. It is a house built on a rock. Lots of them.
I got an e-mail from Betty Pike telling me of Fred Denton's death. It had been expected for some time. She is good to keep me informed of the 'going-ons' within the Truth. Fred had been ill for a long time. He and his wife, Wilma, called themselves The Flintstones, and were well-liked. Wilma had never professed, I don't think.
At Creekside, I had asked Steve if we could convert the door between the living room and the downstairs sun room into a pocket door. I didn't want the door to swing either way, and this will be a good alternative. There's a wall space to accomodate it, and I think it will be a good idea. I had found a lovely french door for that doorway, and I think making it a pocket door will be nice.
Janie and I went up to Jo's for lunch on Friday. She has a small restaurant in Rogersville. She had struggled at first with her business, and I had helped her some with dishes, table cloths, and decorations, so I have a personal interest in her doing well there. She won't let me pay for my meals, which is a priveledge that I am careful to not abuse, and makes me feel appreciated.
We also went to a small shop there, where we found some little treasures.
We stopped at some other small places, and then got back home to Creekside and to work.
It was a nice diversion. I like to include Janie in my ramblings, as she does the driving, and we have so much fun. Our personalities blend so well.
I found some lovely pink draperies at one shop, and they will be a nice decoration for some room. I don't know yet where I'll use them, but they will come in handy, and the price was right. It's hard to find several pair of draperies at a re-sale shop, and all my rooms seem to have so many windows.
Gary, the man who lives with Joy, Janie's sister, started working on the tractor, which is the bane of my existence. It has never run right, and I'll be so glad if he can fix it. He's then going to repair the brakes and do a tune-up on the red Dodge truck. I picked up the parts at Doyle's, here in Rutledge. When he gets all that done, he plans to repair the white Dodge truck. We're going to keep him busy.
They're planning to move here, which will be nice, as Joy is so nice (much like Janie), and Gary seems willing to be a help. He's a great ol' big fellow, and can really be a help with the heavy lifting.
Guy, who had worked for us some time before, came by Friday night about 9:00, demanding money from Steve. He didn't get any. Guy had worked under Stucco, and I had paid Stucco, who said that he would pay Guy. We don't owe Guy anything, as I figure. He went on a tirade to Steve, telling him we were cruel to have worked him for so little, but we paid him what he had asked for.
Stucco still has a key to the house, as he still has a set of Baker's scaffolding there. We set it on the front porch last week, but he's not come after it yet. It was in the way of Janie's cleaning, and Stucco's not there anymore.
We find holes (still!) in the house every time we start to do something new. I don't know how anyone ever lived there.
The work I did to the sunroom floor has made such a remarkable difference. Everyone who walks on the floor comments about it. It sure feels stronger.
Friday evening, I worked some more on wrapping water pipes down in the basement. It was supposed to get down to 18 (I think) last night, and I was trying to get ready for bitterly cold weather. I told Steve to leave the lights on down there, and he said he might put a small electric heater down there, too. Running a little heat would certainly be better than broken plumbing.
I used some old socks of Steve's to wrap the bends and corners. They stretch like Ace bandages, and fit the bends better than anything else I've found. The pre-formed L-corner pieces you buy at Lowe's do not fit very well. They also do not perform well. So, I used what momma had always used...old socks. I taped them to the pipe bends, then started wrapping just like I would for a damaged wrist or elbow on a person. It made a pretty neat 'bandage'.
I don't know why builders don't just wrap plumbing while the wall cavities are open. It sure would be easier. I put foam pipe wrappings on our plumbing here while we were building. Some people asked why I did that, and I told them that it was to keep down noise of water passing through the pipes, and to prevent freezing, 'just in case'. This sure is a well-built house, and I'm glad we have it. It is a house built on a rock. Lots of them.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sunday Febuary 5, 2012 Noon
I've got to catch up. My hair continues to fall out at an alarming rate. My fingernails have split into the quick, and I am now wearing glue-on nails to prevent injury and infection. Janie wants to get me in to see my endocrinolgist as soon as possible, and I'm all for it, if he can help me.
I'm to the point of using a full-cap wig, as my vanity just won't permit me to wear baseball caps or be seen in public bald. I've never been able to wear them, so this will be an adventure.
The work at Creekside is going along smoothly. Stucco is still gone. Janie and I are working with this fellow, Jr, who has some emotional problems, but is a good worker with a great attitude. He helped me with some styling on the dining room windows that turned out perfectly. They look as if they were always that way, and the products are very low maintenence, I had them in stock, and they were cheap....all which I just LOVE.
He has two of the upstairs bedrooms ready for primer, except for a little window trim, and I'm glad for that. We will have to get the trim pieces that he needs to finish, but it's fairly common, and Janie and I will probably go get the pieces this week, early. He is off Monday for a doctor's visit, and that will give us the chance to get the supplies he needs.
He did a general clean-up of the yard on Friday, and he did a really good job. He used some paving stones to make a sidewalk in the back yard, so we can stay up out of the mud.
Janie and I went to the Habitat in Dandridge on Friday, and they had a piano and an old antique organ that had been electrified, and I demonstrated them for Miss Ann. She recognised my hymns, and sang along with them. I told her that I liked that, as it meant that I was playing well and that she knew the songs of the church. She's the general manager there, and I like having her as a friend.
Janie got a good deal on some plywood and siding for her Hobby Hut.
One of Carzel Owen's sons gave me a new set of wood bi-fold doors that had come in to the trash dump that morning. I'll probably use them for shelving, but I was glad to get them. They're going to call us if they get any more siding. Janie will be glad to hear that.
Cherokee has not been by to see us. We asked about her at the Goodwill, but they don't see much of her, either. She did not look well the last time I saw her, and I worry about her health.
I took Barbara some things at Tangles on Friday morning, and got to see Elizabeth for a while. She is such an awesome lady, with so many stories to tell about her past, which is considerable...She's 97 years old, and her mind is as sharp as ever. I adore her, as does almost everyone else, and she's so much fun that she wins new friends every day. She's really fit into the culture of Blaine, Rutledge, and East Tennessee. Darla Daniel does her hair, and they just love each other. Darla dotes on her clients, and everyone who knows her loves her, too.
The girls at Tangles love to hear me and Barbara 'go at each other'.
I told Barbara that I had her another Christmas present, but I would have to bring it to her house in the truck...It would be a pair of shoes. Everyone loved the reference to her big feet.
I'd buy her a dress if the fabric outlet carried enough material to cover her. They carry foam rubber there, too, but she don't need any more padding. She needs more Jenny Craig and less Sarah Lee.
Skunks are all over all the roads, having been hit by cars during their very early mating. It's like spring now, with hardly any cold days in the very recent winter. My Jonquils are in bloom, and it always snows on Jonquils. I don't think we will have much winter. It's been nice to not have such high heating bills.
The wood stove at Creekside is a lot of work, but Janie and I keep the place nice and warm with it. We made a trip to Clairemont to get firewood one day while it was a little dry last week. We were able to pull the truck down into a pasture where there was wood stacked, and it saved a LOT of heavy carrying.
I have been working under the house, and I was appalled at the scarcity of nails in the floor support system. I started nailing the boards together better, and it turned into a three-day project, but the floor in the downstairs sun room no longer bounces when you walk on it. It's an amazing difference. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had not caught that situation. Other people, in the past, had gone under and put upright supports, but had not secured the 2X10's to each other, and that's what made the difference. Some of the cross-members had come loose from the foundation, and seemed ready to totally drop the whole floor. It's better now.
Betty Pike should be able to speak in meeting about some foundation work from that experience. Her father got a good laugh at me years ago when I told him that my barn was built on a huge rock, and he and Maw Pike came out to my farm and saw that rock. It's still there, as is the barn, which was built from Wormy Chestnut.
That wood really lasts. The huge timbers in the floor of Creekside are Chestnut, too. They're worth a tremendous amount of money, because Chestnut trees in the U.S. were wiped out by disease in the earlier days of America.
I'm glad the Lord has blessed me with having so much. I wish He'd now consider giving me the strength to care for it all as I wish to.
I haven't heard from Lynn. I don't know how her health is now. Steve has been lucky to have all his immediate family still. I don't know how he will deal with it when they begin to die, as we all will.
There was some younger man in the Truth who died week before last, according to an e-mail from Betty. I didn't know him, so I didn't send anything or go to the funeral.
An old school mate from Dante died last week....Gary Bell. They had lived across the creek from us when we were children. He was a really nice boy when we were growing up. He's had two brothers and his father preceed him in death. One was his twin, who we always called Runt.
I often think of some of the old neighbors in Dante. Many are still there. It seems like many of the Fine families are getting gone.
We're getting low on hay here, and it's good to see the longer days and the sunshine, which will grow some grass for the cows. I have two young bull calves that I need Ed Bowling to get to auction for me, while beef is high.
The peacocks are growing their tails and strutting, so mating for them is not far behind. I want to breed my Jave Green male to some hens. He's magnificent, and they bring a LOT of money.
Janie wants a peacock, but doesn't know if he'd last at her place. They make good watchdogs.
I can mimic a male calling and get mine to yelling. Well, I could before this throat pestilence.
I hate having to give up on singing. I used to love to sing along with BBN, a Christian radio channel. I don't have a song now. I can listen, though. And learn.
It will soon be time to mow. I'm not going to neglect the lawns at Clairemont this year. They still look bad from the scant service of last year. I'll have to take one day a week to work here this summer.
Janie and I are going to have a spring cleaning day, and probably a yard sale after it, to bring Clairemont back into shape and good form. It's a shame to neglect such a lovely home and grounds, which Steve and I both worked so hard to have.
The white Dodge truck, which is my favorite, is still not running right, and I'm going to have to have it towed or hauled on a roll-back to get it to someone to repair it. I'd like to get it to Gordon Treese, if he has the time to work on it. It's in the transmission or the 4-wheel drive works, but I have no idea what it is. It's a lot easier on fuel than the big red Dodge pick-up, and it has the enclosed camper, which is nice for hauling home my treasures found at Goodwills and yard sales.
Lakeshore Road has 18 miles of yard sales in the spring and fall, and I want to be ready for that this spring. Lynn said some time ago that she wants to come and go with me, but she'd better make a reservation. Janie and I are planning to go. We really should take a tractor-trailer rig.
I need to get busy with real work. I've been writing this for over an hour, and Steve must be thinking I'm having an on-line affair by now.
I'm to the point of using a full-cap wig, as my vanity just won't permit me to wear baseball caps or be seen in public bald. I've never been able to wear them, so this will be an adventure.
The work at Creekside is going along smoothly. Stucco is still gone. Janie and I are working with this fellow, Jr, who has some emotional problems, but is a good worker with a great attitude. He helped me with some styling on the dining room windows that turned out perfectly. They look as if they were always that way, and the products are very low maintenence, I had them in stock, and they were cheap....all which I just LOVE.
He has two of the upstairs bedrooms ready for primer, except for a little window trim, and I'm glad for that. We will have to get the trim pieces that he needs to finish, but it's fairly common, and Janie and I will probably go get the pieces this week, early. He is off Monday for a doctor's visit, and that will give us the chance to get the supplies he needs.
He did a general clean-up of the yard on Friday, and he did a really good job. He used some paving stones to make a sidewalk in the back yard, so we can stay up out of the mud.
Janie and I went to the Habitat in Dandridge on Friday, and they had a piano and an old antique organ that had been electrified, and I demonstrated them for Miss Ann. She recognised my hymns, and sang along with them. I told her that I liked that, as it meant that I was playing well and that she knew the songs of the church. She's the general manager there, and I like having her as a friend.
Janie got a good deal on some plywood and siding for her Hobby Hut.
One of Carzel Owen's sons gave me a new set of wood bi-fold doors that had come in to the trash dump that morning. I'll probably use them for shelving, but I was glad to get them. They're going to call us if they get any more siding. Janie will be glad to hear that.
Cherokee has not been by to see us. We asked about her at the Goodwill, but they don't see much of her, either. She did not look well the last time I saw her, and I worry about her health.
I took Barbara some things at Tangles on Friday morning, and got to see Elizabeth for a while. She is such an awesome lady, with so many stories to tell about her past, which is considerable...She's 97 years old, and her mind is as sharp as ever. I adore her, as does almost everyone else, and she's so much fun that she wins new friends every day. She's really fit into the culture of Blaine, Rutledge, and East Tennessee. Darla Daniel does her hair, and they just love each other. Darla dotes on her clients, and everyone who knows her loves her, too.
The girls at Tangles love to hear me and Barbara 'go at each other'.
I told Barbara that I had her another Christmas present, but I would have to bring it to her house in the truck...It would be a pair of shoes. Everyone loved the reference to her big feet.
I'd buy her a dress if the fabric outlet carried enough material to cover her. They carry foam rubber there, too, but she don't need any more padding. She needs more Jenny Craig and less Sarah Lee.
Skunks are all over all the roads, having been hit by cars during their very early mating. It's like spring now, with hardly any cold days in the very recent winter. My Jonquils are in bloom, and it always snows on Jonquils. I don't think we will have much winter. It's been nice to not have such high heating bills.
The wood stove at Creekside is a lot of work, but Janie and I keep the place nice and warm with it. We made a trip to Clairemont to get firewood one day while it was a little dry last week. We were able to pull the truck down into a pasture where there was wood stacked, and it saved a LOT of heavy carrying.
I have been working under the house, and I was appalled at the scarcity of nails in the floor support system. I started nailing the boards together better, and it turned into a three-day project, but the floor in the downstairs sun room no longer bounces when you walk on it. It's an amazing difference. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had not caught that situation. Other people, in the past, had gone under and put upright supports, but had not secured the 2X10's to each other, and that's what made the difference. Some of the cross-members had come loose from the foundation, and seemed ready to totally drop the whole floor. It's better now.
Betty Pike should be able to speak in meeting about some foundation work from that experience. Her father got a good laugh at me years ago when I told him that my barn was built on a huge rock, and he and Maw Pike came out to my farm and saw that rock. It's still there, as is the barn, which was built from Wormy Chestnut.
That wood really lasts. The huge timbers in the floor of Creekside are Chestnut, too. They're worth a tremendous amount of money, because Chestnut trees in the U.S. were wiped out by disease in the earlier days of America.
I'm glad the Lord has blessed me with having so much. I wish He'd now consider giving me the strength to care for it all as I wish to.
I haven't heard from Lynn. I don't know how her health is now. Steve has been lucky to have all his immediate family still. I don't know how he will deal with it when they begin to die, as we all will.
There was some younger man in the Truth who died week before last, according to an e-mail from Betty. I didn't know him, so I didn't send anything or go to the funeral.
An old school mate from Dante died last week....Gary Bell. They had lived across the creek from us when we were children. He was a really nice boy when we were growing up. He's had two brothers and his father preceed him in death. One was his twin, who we always called Runt.
I often think of some of the old neighbors in Dante. Many are still there. It seems like many of the Fine families are getting gone.
We're getting low on hay here, and it's good to see the longer days and the sunshine, which will grow some grass for the cows. I have two young bull calves that I need Ed Bowling to get to auction for me, while beef is high.
The peacocks are growing their tails and strutting, so mating for them is not far behind. I want to breed my Jave Green male to some hens. He's magnificent, and they bring a LOT of money.
Janie wants a peacock, but doesn't know if he'd last at her place. They make good watchdogs.
I can mimic a male calling and get mine to yelling. Well, I could before this throat pestilence.
I hate having to give up on singing. I used to love to sing along with BBN, a Christian radio channel. I don't have a song now. I can listen, though. And learn.
It will soon be time to mow. I'm not going to neglect the lawns at Clairemont this year. They still look bad from the scant service of last year. I'll have to take one day a week to work here this summer.
Janie and I are going to have a spring cleaning day, and probably a yard sale after it, to bring Clairemont back into shape and good form. It's a shame to neglect such a lovely home and grounds, which Steve and I both worked so hard to have.
The white Dodge truck, which is my favorite, is still not running right, and I'm going to have to have it towed or hauled on a roll-back to get it to someone to repair it. I'd like to get it to Gordon Treese, if he has the time to work on it. It's in the transmission or the 4-wheel drive works, but I have no idea what it is. It's a lot easier on fuel than the big red Dodge pick-up, and it has the enclosed camper, which is nice for hauling home my treasures found at Goodwills and yard sales.
Lakeshore Road has 18 miles of yard sales in the spring and fall, and I want to be ready for that this spring. Lynn said some time ago that she wants to come and go with me, but she'd better make a reservation. Janie and I are planning to go. We really should take a tractor-trailer rig.
I need to get busy with real work. I've been writing this for over an hour, and Steve must be thinking I'm having an on-line affair by now.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
January 31st PM
It's been a while sinse I've posted, so I'd better catch up.
Yesterday was the Grand Jury Trial for Penny and Randy. Penny plead guilty and got 5 years probation with irregular submission for drug testing, 125 hours of community service, court costs, and restitution to her victim (which will NEVER be paid). She was then placed (or kept) in cuffs to be sent to Jefferson County for trial there on charges of manufacturing meth.. I'd just LOVE to know what she was thinking while she was riding over to Jefferson County.
Randy was not ready to plead, so his trial was delayed for getting him ready for trial.
Stucco has left the work at Creekside again. He aledged that I owed him $1000.00 for the rest of the work he had done. I had already over-paid him, but Steve said to just give him the money and get rid of him. There's much less friction in the air now, and Janie and I are getting so much done by ourselves.
There was some problem up at the trailer with the heat, and Randy Newberry came to repair it. He then came to Creekside to collect his money, and got the 50-cent tour. He was very impressed with the progress Janie and I have made. He likes our taste, and is in awe of our abilities.
Steve decided that he didn't like the way the front door was hung, so he took it apart three days ago, and it's still not put back. It might never work right again. He's doing a lot of yelling about it.
I went into the crawl space to work this evening. It's a lot warmer and friendlier down there.
I'm nailing some supports at the junctions of joists, to tighten the floor up a bit. It was badly needed. some of the braces in the floor could be moved with the slightest pressure of your hand. I think they didn't spare any nails. I'm using 2X4 blocks and joist hangers....and LOTS of nails.
I've still not got all the insulation done down there. There's so many holes in that building, it's like a chicken coop.
Janie and I came up to Clairemont today and got a load of fire wood for the wood stove at Creekside. It was dry enough to take the truck down into the pasture, so it saved us from having to carry the wood up the hill by hand. We got quite a pile moved.
If we have cold weather now, we'll be ready for it.
I'm still losing hair, and my throat still sounds terrible. I don't know what to do.
Janie and I are contemplating a trip to Mayo Clinic in Florida soon. Maybe they can help me.
The Womack's dogs came the other day and killed Billy, our pet goat. They tore him all to pieces. I am so mad. Their dogs have caused so much grief for us. Billy was the oldest animal on our farm.
Yesterday was the Grand Jury Trial for Penny and Randy. Penny plead guilty and got 5 years probation with irregular submission for drug testing, 125 hours of community service, court costs, and restitution to her victim (which will NEVER be paid). She was then placed (or kept) in cuffs to be sent to Jefferson County for trial there on charges of manufacturing meth.. I'd just LOVE to know what she was thinking while she was riding over to Jefferson County.
Randy was not ready to plead, so his trial was delayed for getting him ready for trial.
Stucco has left the work at Creekside again. He aledged that I owed him $1000.00 for the rest of the work he had done. I had already over-paid him, but Steve said to just give him the money and get rid of him. There's much less friction in the air now, and Janie and I are getting so much done by ourselves.
There was some problem up at the trailer with the heat, and Randy Newberry came to repair it. He then came to Creekside to collect his money, and got the 50-cent tour. He was very impressed with the progress Janie and I have made. He likes our taste, and is in awe of our abilities.
Steve decided that he didn't like the way the front door was hung, so he took it apart three days ago, and it's still not put back. It might never work right again. He's doing a lot of yelling about it.
I went into the crawl space to work this evening. It's a lot warmer and friendlier down there.
I'm nailing some supports at the junctions of joists, to tighten the floor up a bit. It was badly needed. some of the braces in the floor could be moved with the slightest pressure of your hand. I think they didn't spare any nails. I'm using 2X4 blocks and joist hangers....and LOTS of nails.
I've still not got all the insulation done down there. There's so many holes in that building, it's like a chicken coop.
Janie and I came up to Clairemont today and got a load of fire wood for the wood stove at Creekside. It was dry enough to take the truck down into the pasture, so it saved us from having to carry the wood up the hill by hand. We got quite a pile moved.
If we have cold weather now, we'll be ready for it.
I'm still losing hair, and my throat still sounds terrible. I don't know what to do.
Janie and I are contemplating a trip to Mayo Clinic in Florida soon. Maybe they can help me.
The Womack's dogs came the other day and killed Billy, our pet goat. They tore him all to pieces. I am so mad. Their dogs have caused so much grief for us. Billy was the oldest animal on our farm.
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