This is my last blog for awhile...

...just wanted to post this so you don't waste time checking back.  If things improve I will post a few photos after all my home improvements are completed. 

Easter Dinner

Nice dinner at my sister's house.

Easter 2011

Sunny, delightful and spring-like---at last! Easter the way it should be! Going to my sister's house later and probably will make two posts today first it is just a walk around the yard.  At the Christmas Tree Store (one of my favorite stores) I bought the Easter lily for 60 cents.  Ninety % off --and it still has another bloom to open.  You will see my mountain pink phlox, pot of gold and my garden crane that is anchored with a jeweled stake. Loved the yellow hydrant and the storm drain grate with the engraved fish.  Hope the woodpeckers still like the tree that fell to the ground.  Leyland cypress not doing well.  Can you tell what the reason is?  I know thanks to my husband.  It has been used by a young buck to take the "velvet" off of his antlers or  "spikes".  The drought of last year may have taken its toll on my newly purchased crepe myrtle and my lilac bush.  Neither one has sprouted yet :(    The deer generally leave indigenous American Hollies alone but the hybrid holly that I purchased last fall was nibbled to near death this winter.  I now have it caged in chicken wire--not a pretty sight.

Wednesday--very spring-like

Some of the flooring is popping up but my contractor said it wasn't do to a lack of acclimation of the flooring materials.  He said that the foundation had settled a bit and a rather inexpensive fix would be to install a beam and jack the floor up a bit.  I will accept that solution and keep you posted on the results.

I'm still a HOARDER!

I have my living room set up but I found an imperfection in the floor installation.  There is a raised area of concern and will have to call back the contractor.  It is the corner so I an hoping the "fix"  won't cause me to move too much furniture.  Beware:  they say to have the materials set out for three days to acclimate to the environmental conditions of your home and if you don't this, this type of problem can occur.  I am still pleased with the work in general.  Right now I am putting too much stuff in my bedroom to make my decor work without the cluttered look in my living/dining room area and family room.  Three nice rooms but my bedroom is borderline hazardous.

Six o'clock in the evening...

... and this is the first time I checked in on my computer.   I did hire my nephew and my sister came with three of her boyfriend's children as well.  Moved all the big bureaus, desks and my huge dining room table. My sister helped and hung the valences and repositioned my couch to a place that I like.  Then we all went to lunch at the local diner.  Probably because the siding is off the wind is making the scariest of wind sounds.  The wind seems of sufficient strength to do damage.  It's just as you would hear on a typical movie with a haunted house during a storm.  I was thinking of calling my son because he likes sound bytes like that.  He could have recorded it for some of his projects.  He is a video photo-journalist.  House is still in a disarray but here are some photos.

Windy Friday

A cold windy day for April. I wire brushed 12 aluminum shutters in preparation for spray painting them with black Rustoleum.  Contractor told me I was saving about 40 dollars for each salvaged shutter.  The savings will help pay for my nephew's help in moving my furniture back.  I was ready to go to my doctor's appointment when I checked the calendar---oops--good thing I checked---it's for next Friday.

Talked to the Bus Driver

Nothing much happening today just more work on the house that is now covered with Tyvek.  I had been noticing a busdriver parking on the terrace behind my house each day around noon time.  I decided to walk up to her as she sat in the bus and introduced myself.  She told me that officials from the nearby high school told her she couldn't wait in the school's parking lot for the return of her students that had to go back to the vocational school.  Maybe she needed a better place to have a smoke.  Well, anyway, we had a nice chat on a beautiful spring day.

Yesterday's Title was Dumb

Why did I say "Job Completed"?  Yeah the floors are in but today was the start of an even bigger undertaking.  The helper ripped off most of the aluminum siding and most of the beadboard is in.  Also, I set myself on fire.  I reached up for the spices above my stove and the end of my jacket burned or should I say melted.  Just the day after I got a big complement on how flattering the jacket was.

Job Completed

More than April showers today. Roads were flooded and I was driving in the torrential rains but I didn't have to pull over.  Floors are beautiful but they are covered with protective cardboard.  The beadboard with chair rail molding will be started tomorrow.  Flossed my teeth last night and it pulled a filling out and the dentist was able to take me this early afternoon. Had late afternoon coffee with Patty.  Had to pick up my bargains that I had left in her car from our most recent shopping trip.  Stopped over to my sister's house and talked to my nephew.  I going to hire him and his friend to move the heavy furniture back into place when inside work is finished including more painting.

Promised 80's never arrived...

Four men working on the job.  I will have my bedroom rug installed by the end of the day and maybe some flooring.  It's a two day job. Still too cold for the camelia to open fully.

Bought an Area Rug

Met my friend Pat at the shopping center.  Went to Kohl's, BJ's and a discount place called Ollie's where I bought an area rug about a 6 x 9 size.  Just beautiful---made with 80% wool and 20% silk for 100 bucks.  Flooring people come tomorrow.  Hope to post photos of the camelia and the rug.

Still Chilly but Forecast is for 80's Soon

Still trying not to push any more furniture around.  I've got to hire some young people after the remodeling to move everything back into place.  My house is a total disarray.  I know where my handbag is and my medicine--that's it! I have stuffed shoved into two bathrooms the kitchen the family room, the front porch, and the extra bedroom.  All the heavy bureaus and tables have been left in place but most of the drawers have been removed.  Moved most of the house plants to the front porch.  Walked around the yard and dug out just two dandelions that were blooming.  My camelia has opened but it has been nipped by bugs.  I will take a photo of another bloom minus the bug bites when the others open up. 

Set Backs

It is Friday and the stucco painting was completed.  Not feeling well went to the doctors and got an antibiotic that caused worst problems.  I was worried that I would have to go to the hospital. So I stopped the meds and I seem to be better.  I have an appointment on Friday at the specialist.  Hope I recover enough to get through this week of interior remodeling.  Not so concerned about the siding work. Going to take it easy for a couple of days.

Waiting For Camelia

     My youngest granddaughter is Camelia and last year my daughter gave me a Camelia shrub. The tag claims that it is winter hardy for my area but I still think it needs a little extra care and last summer's drought was hard on many of the plants in my yard. So it is with great anticipation that I am waiting for my first bloom. The bud color is a brilliant reddish coral. Also I managed to find a painter who could paint my living room this week before my hardwood floors are installed. The guy said painting my stucco walls was like painting the back of an alligator. I also unloaded all the heavy dishes from my buffet and hutch. With all the weight removed I think it will be possible to move it around as needed for the installation of the bead paneling/chair rail and the flooring.

 

    

  

Jury Duty

Had gotten the Jury Duty notice and responded that I was a primary caregiver and asked to be excused.  I think I added a few other comments for insurance that I would get postponed but I never got an "excused" notice--well--it seems that you don't have to get the notice anymore they said that I should have called them back on a special  phone number.  So I got up early and spent 10 bucks for parking in Atlantic City and it was just a big mistake.  The worst part is that it does not count and I can be called back for duty at any time.  :(

Also lined up a painter for my stucco ceiling and halfway down on the walls.  I have five days to get that done before the hardwood floors go in.  It was a glorious day in Southern New Jersey but they say a cold front is coming in tomorrow.

Photos in Ocean City and the three Pats

End of another "Stay in Cape May"

Three Patty's (classmates of 1965) took off again for another jaunt and over-nighter in Cape May.  We ate at a Greek diner down in Cape May Court House, toured around Cape May looking for a jumping joint with a party-like atmosphere and found none so we eventually went back to Patty A's vacation home.  The mystery remained why is the road along the promenade and ocean lined with cars and there is hardly a parking space to be had yet most of the restaurants are closed and no visible activity anywhere. Got up Sunday morning and headed out for breakfast.  We shopped a little and then headed for Ocean City, NJ.  The Realtors must have staged a city-wide "Open House" event because you couldn't go down one street with out seeing several realtor signs inviting you to visit.  So we toured one beach front condo for 1.7 million with 5 smallish bedrooms mostly downstairs and then the upstairs had the grand view of the ocean and the kitchen was upstairs as well.  Patty A. at times seemed liked she was actually considering a move! --but the urged passed and she finally ended with the feeling that Cape May is the best location for a vacation home.
     Tomorrow I am scheduled for jury duty in Atlantic City.  I always wanted to be picked for a jury but not in Atlantic City.  You usually have to park in a garage two long blocks away from the court house complex.  I just don't think it is right to ask a 64 year old woman to do that.  Will post photos of this weekends jaunts.  Called a Atlanticare doctor referral service to find a gastroenterologist that is on staff at the local hospital and they said I called the right place and they would arrange an appointment for me on Friday but I never got a call back.