Finishing Up for the Year

2 months ago, frustrated because I couldn't get a day of vacation approved at work, I randomly signed up for vacation on November 9.  Didn't have a thing planned.  Just simply wanted a day of vaca.  

So we loaded up and took the scenic route to Too.  The two photos above were taken earlier in the fall, in October.  The trees are not nearly as pretty today as they were in the pics but we took the back roads and wandered our way to Too though Ringgold County, Lamoni and across on the Pleasanton Road to Mo.  We checked out the cabins and winterized the washer with the Instructions Himself got from the manufacturer. (yes, you use antifreeze in it, just like a toilet or sink drain.)  I put the wasp killer jar inside so it wouldn't take on any water, freeze and break.  We picked up a last item or two, moved the picnic table, re-locked the doors and headed home.  But not directly home as we wandered on over to Mt Moriah. 

I am so disappointed in the pic of the week old piglets.  I want to go back and use my camera instead of the phone.  These little darlings are adorable!  They are being pastured, rather than being raised in a barn like in the old days when I was a kid.    The piglets were out in the fresh air and the sunshine --  giving "cute" a new meaning.  Of course, they will end up on someones plate in a few years but meanwhile they are happy and free. 

The pigs are on the farm of Tim and Maryanna just down the road south and west of III.  These folks were our neighbors at III and Tim and his Amish helpers (and include Himself in the Amish helper category : )  built the big cabin.  Tim and Maryanna have raised and homeschooled a daughter who is in nursing school in St. Joseph and their son is a senior this year.  They used to travel the midwest in an RV helping to build churches.  They are now trying to be homesteaders and to live off the land growing vegetables in a greenhouse, raising pigs.  They have 180 chickens and sell eggs to the Amish (who sell the eggs from their Amish Country stores).  They have started a shiitake mushroom patch in their timber and Maryanna canned 32 pints (quart?) this summer.  They may or may not raise vegetables next year to take to the Kansas City Farmers Market.  The answer to that depends on which adult you ask. 

I found the tour of the farmstead and metal fabricating shop extremely interesting.  I like the idea of self-sustainability and re-purposing.  I like the whole idea of raising organic vegetables, pigs and chickens and living off the land.  I do. 

I have decided it is best that the piglet photo didn't come out so good.  If you could see how really cute and adorable they are, you would all run out and find a little piglet to keep at home!  see . . . better you don't go do that. 

After our visit and tour, we wandered our way back home -- to Bethany for a sandwich, north and then west thru Harrison Co and Worth Co, Mo through the old towns of Hatfield and Allendale.  Then again, taking the backroads thru Mt Ayr and Diagonal to slide on home before dark.  It was a good day. 

The photo above is just to let you all know that I have finally found a way that I can make me a Root / Storm cellar at Too.  I can do it this way!  I wasn't sure I would be able to dig down, get the floor and walls in and lay my door at a slant, etc . . . blah blah like in the standard old farmstead cellar of yore.  But this I can do!  So I'll research what vents and hardware I need, figure out the size of the door and before we all know it, I'll have us a storm cellar!  Oh, I mean root cellar.                                  

                                                                   You all come back . . .

Living Room Ceiling, DONE!! Another milestone

The picture above is what the living room looked like before any drywall was installed.  It looked hopeless.

Herself with her tool belt on ready to work!!the year, 2011

The next picture above is the day the drywall was installed.  I think  it was Memorial Day weekend, with Dana, Chad, Craig and myself doing the installing. the year, 2012

This picture is after I came down on a Thursday, taped, mudded, and sanded to prep for the final ceiling finish. October, 2012

And this picture is the finished ceiling with the the ceiling fans installed.  AND, THEY BOTH WORKED!!

Next step will be to start installing pine on the walls, but that will have to wait till next year.

Hazard Pay, or the pleasures of foam insulation

These boxes look innocent enough, but they contain "foam it green" spray insulation, fun to use, easy to install, saves money and time.  What more could a person ask for???

The picture below is one of the instructional videos provided by the manufacturer to aid us in what was ahead.  Looks clean and neat, so far.

\\


The picture below is me prepping for my journey into the unknown.

The picture below is ME, looks just like in the above mentioned video!!

The picture below is me lying on my back on rocks, sewer and drain pipes, trying to spray as much an area as I can without moving, and according to the instructions, if you stop spraying for 30 seconds, you must change spray nozzels. And as we were only provided with 13 of them, we had to move fast.

The picture below is me covered in my hazmat suit, covered with foam insulation, leaves, sticks, and whatever else.

The picture below, almost finished, as we ran out of spray with only about 10 square feet unfinished, however most of the cabin is now completely insulated. I am anxious to see if we have done any good, or if this was a waste of time and money.  Someday, i hope to finish the rest of the spray insulation, but may have to see if I can recruit a son, or son-in-law, to finish it for me. Over and out.
The BOI

And, now for the rest of the story.  HORRORS!!!!!.  It wasn't bad enough that i could barely move under the cabin. I was supposed to hold the nozzel approx 18 inches from the target, so most of the time i had to look straight up while shooting foam, which meant the overspray was coming directly down on me. It was a darn good thing I had the suit on, and the respirator, and the googles, but eventually the googles were so covered with foam that I couldn't see, and the respirator was becoming clogged so it was difficult to breath, the hazmat suit was catching on everything and eventually came off my head, which allowed some of the overspray to get into what little hair I have left, which in turn attracted dirt, leaves and sticks to be entanged in my hair.

Thanks to herself and a shampoo using acetone we got most of it out.  My sinuses were completely clogged up unitil today, my eyes were burning so bad i could hardly open them until this morning. 

And it was probably a good thing I had the respirator on, as it no doubt kind of muzzeled all the not so kind things I was muttering.  Hopefully no one heard as I even shocked myself a few times. I even told myself to shut the hell up once.

Anyway, its over. I feel much better today, and someday I may even be able to laugh about this.

And herself did a fine job. As we had to change nozzels quite often, that job fell to her, of which she did great. And she had to lug those 60 pound tanks around so the hose would reach wherever I needed to spray.  GOOD JOB!!!!

Fine Fall Day

I love this pic but I took it today with my phone and I know it won't print . . .  not enough pixels or pixies or Fairy Queens.  Not enough quality to print any size at all -- so it won't win any County Fair prizes.  In thinking about this beautiful photograph tho,  it is probably going to win the Too at Twin Lakes photo contest! 

How's that for taking care of myself!   

This weekend (or this Sunday and Monday visit) Himself is going to spray insulate the bottom side of the new cabin.  He has researched this procedure and insulation product.  He has asked questions.  He has purchased the pressurized tanks of foam, his haz mat suit and a respirator.  He is ready.  My role tomorrow is to call 911.  Not that I'll need to do that because Himself has done the research.  But.  Just in case. 

So, the pressurized foam had to be brought to room temperature which required 24 hours and to apply the material the outdoor temperature has to be 60 - 80 degrees.  The weather forecaster predicted warm temps so that is what brought us on this Sunday/Monday visit.  We came down this morning.  Lit the heater in the little cabin and Himself carried in the tanks of goop.  Then, with the day ahead of us and not wanting to just sit and watch a pressurized tank warm up (how could we tell ; )  we went to work. 

Himself puttied and primed and sorted and sifted.  I finished putting together this wood pile stand.  Then, we proceeded to fill it up.  We had a pile of wood on the ground, in a soggy pile so we sorted and stacked.    

We picked up logs and threw logs and stashed and carried and kicked logs.  We gotter  done!  Got the messy pile picked up, got the wood off the ground so it can dry out and opened up a path so that we can get a golf cart, a Dodge Journey or even a delivery truck down the hill to our cabin, if we need too.  Another benefit of getting the wood up off the ground is that varmits like rats and snakes and Mama Cats with 7 kittens can't be making nests in that wood pile.  Whew!  disaster averted! 

Come back soon for the rest of the story -- insulating the underside of the Big Cabin. 

Summer's Gone



This picture was taken in September and it always says to me that summer is over.

A young girl fresh from hot summer days.

Fresh memories of warm water and feet in hot sand.

Now the air has a chill; the water so cold.

Wind 'cross the lake raises goose bumps

on young girls' bare skin. 

Yep; Summer's gone. 

     



Fall Tour

We are in the cart.

Pedal to the metal.

Chuggin up hill

and zipping down. 

Maddie drives,

then cousin Gabrielle,

Audri declines.

We don't ask Bella.  Yet : )

We are taking the air,

checking the view.

Admiring Fall

in Mo, at Twin Lake. 

Reflections in the water.

Yellows, browns.

 Red leaves.  

Blue skies and impromptu days. 

Girls, crusing.

Hair blowing in the wind.

Silly and laughing,

enjoying life.     

Maybe next time

you all can come along

for the ride. 

Tree Trimmin Time at Two .

There's a person in that tree! 

Craig is up high in PaPa's and my treehouse tree.

That dead branch has hung there for about 3 years. 

Okay; maybe 4.  It wouldn't fall.

It was such an awkward area.

Himself climbed up with the chain saw

a time or two

but couldn't make the angle.

Son John climbed up with the handsaw

and was able to cut that dead branch down.

So after our tree-house tree was trimmed,

the crew moved up to Traci and Craig's.

Someone is in there, under the boughs of the cedar.

Someone is cutting and trimming. 

The bottom limbs were cut down, bottom up.

and acres of cedar boughs hauled away.

Tons. 

Some were saved to start bon fires.

Sawed up for another day. 

Joe's doing. Good Man!   

Traci and Craig's yard size has been doubled.

Their view of the lake is magnified.

The amount of shade they have to sit under

has increased dramatically! 

A good day's work is done.

One man's chore

is another man's entertainment : )

I have waited for and wanted this!  Isn't this great?  We had it delivered this past Wednesday and I had washed 3 loads in it before we left early Saturday morning.  The washer will save us carrying sheets/towels/rugs/clothes back and forth.  We have a dryer too but will have to wait until we get our electrical system updated but that's okay!  Right now, I love using the clothes line!  And I have an old fashioned drying rack upstairs in the big cabin for when it rains or for "dainties" that I don't what the world to see.  And I will hang shirts on hangers so as to avoid wrinkles.

The dryer will stack on top of the washer. 

And I'm living high on the hog! 

(PS:  it looks like I'm growing whiskers on my chin in this pic -- but I'm not!  There's a fan sitting beyond me and the controls of the fan appear to be growing on my chinny chin chin.  And let that be a lesson -- do not believe everything you see!  )



new room; bedroom

Himself and I spent a week at Too. We went down on a Saturday and stayed until the next Saturday morning.  That is the longest we have ever stayed there. The weather was good, it warmed up nice during the days and cooled off for good sleeping at night.  The Lake is still low, the area still needs rain but we had a couple of rains and the grass greened up and we even had to mow.

Good thing we had plenty of work to do!  It kept us moving and pretty much out of trouble.

We worked on the cabin a little, put together a closet unit for our bedroom, trimmed the "to-be" tree house tree, mowed, planted perennial flowers, cleaned and ate and slept!  We got in a couple of golfcart rides and even a walk or two.  I witnessed a spectacular sunshine one evening -- the sky tinted pink and as I watched intensified in color to darker pink, rose and finally deep bright red orange.  It was glorious! 

I love Hollyhock green.  What do you think?  our little bedroom will be sunny with two big windows but will look warm and cozy decked out in hollyhock green. 

Down to the big box store, we stumbled upon a closet organization kit.  We thought (and both agreed!) that we would like it for our bedroom closet -- rather than a real closet.  Of course, admiring an assembled display piece and taking home a 2X4X3' box and dumping out a couple of hundred pieces on the floor are two entirely different things.  We lay out all the pieces and instructions, looked at each other and asked "what the heck are we doing"?

Two days later and lots of muttering, mumbling and brow beating later, we were making progress.  (We are standing at the north end of the bedroom looking out the door at the stairway.  

Due to the nature of our installation and the amount of room we had, we had to make some mighty major adjustments but our persistance (and our frugality) paid off and we will end up with a unique storage unit for our new cabin.  





a projected weekend . . .

Himself and I had a long Labor Day weekend in Mo.  We went with intent and purposes and some of the intentions got done and some of the purposes completed.  (PS:  I wrote a post last evening only to have Blogger hiccup or my internet connection burped . . . but I lost the just completed entry in one fell swoop.  Now here I am, again, getting a warning that my entry has not been auto saved.  ????)

We went down Friday evening after work and got up bright and chipper Saturday morning.  The day started in our, now, familiar routine.  Himself went to work texturing and painting and I went to town.  This time I drove over to Bethany to Eckards, the flooring store.  We wanted carpet tiles and they assured me, over the phone, that they had them.  I like Bethany and hadn't been to shop since the days of III so in I jump into the Flintmobile and off I went. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our bedroom was taking shape.  I love the shade of green.  I do.  I like the ceiling fan and once we get the carpet smoothed down, I'm going to like it too.  At Eckards, I found only commercial grade, flat napped carpet and we wanted something a little more plush so Eckwards presented this old roll of foam backed carpet and I scooped it up and ran. 

We stained some pine to trim our windows and now just need window trim and baseboard.  I have my curtains, I think.  We'll need a new bed and bedspread and one room will be done! 

Himself's next self-assigned duty is to tape and mud the ceiling in the livingroom.  We have a whole week planned, coming up, so hope to make a lot of progress in that time. 

Meanwhile, when I wasn't able to help Himself, I was cleaning out corners of the little cabin and dragged out this 3/4 finished chair.  I had started it back before III came and went.  I had been dissatisfied with my work; didn't like the pattern; but after dusting it off and finding that I had the cane I needed to finish it, I plopped down on the front porch in the shade and finished it up.  It certainly isn't professional and I don't like it as well as the first seat I ever caned (this is the second) but it'll do. 

I am either going to paint the whole chair antique blue, seat and all, or just darken the wood and stain the seat to make it look older than it is. 

I dragged out more bits and pieces.  That long board in the photo above used to be the top back of that old blue buffet that was in this house when we bought it and which was used upstairs for years for storage.  Did you recognize it?  That and some gingerbread pieces got a coat of black spray paint, then I fastened them on to our old screen door to dress it up.  I like the looks of the door and it gives little hands a place to push other than on the screen.  Wish I had taken a picture of the finished product. 

Now, this old chair is probably 150 years old and hold the first seat I ever caned.  I have moved this chair from here to there and back again . . . and with the #9 wire holding it together, it did hold together.  Then some time in the building of the big cabin, this antique got broken.  I don't know if I'll "githerdone" but my intent is to glue and wire and shore up this old chair.  I want to put it back together.  It still has some bits and pieces of old white paint on it and the top back rail is worn smooth as silk from all the hands that picked it up and carried it and pulled it out and pushed it under the table or desk.  I hope I can at least get it to hold together "for decoration".  I know it will never be a functional chair again. 

So some of the "projected" is done, some not but the fun is in the doing and planning;  and the success or failure, keeps us moving on.  Thanks for stopping in.

Gittinherdone

Oh Yes!  dancing a jig.  Oh Yes!  jumping up and down.  Hubba Hubba! 

We are gettinher done!  Making progress.  Gonna have a finished bathroom  and finally have a washer and a dryer before long! 

Himself has finished all but one wall of the bathroom and he's honing in on the bedroom walls.  He is so close to being done in there, in fact, that Craig "cut in" the paint 'tween the ceiling and the walls last weekend.  thank you, Son!  Himself says he needs another coat of texture below but there's a hint of color on the walls and ceiling and I think I'm going to love it!  I think it will be warm and cozy. 

Now, back to the bathroom, we have a little classic and we have a little whimsey.  I'm calling it the Cottage look.  I love the old fashioned beadboard look and I wanted it laying sideways, not up and down -- tho either is appropriate for cottages.  (Sometimes in the old vacation cottages you found it painted institutional green or medium blue.  Sometimes white too.)  We chose white.  We sort have got a black and white scheme going.  I'm liking it a lot! 

And then the whimsey . . .

A year ago on vacation in Colorado, we found these. 

We found these right outside the Royal Gorge park.  (Thank goodness we stopped at that souvenir shop because the Royal Gorge, west entrance, was closed for the season.  Locked up TIGHT.  We tried to sneak in to no avail -- you ever try to drive across the Royal Gorge?  lol  Ended up, we had to go all the way around to the East entrance to get in . . .  for heaven sakes.  Anyway . . .

OMgosh.  I hope it is the angle of the photo . . . but if it isn't, that picture is not centered over the toilet tank . . . yikes.

Anyway . . . go on reading while I move that picture --

we met the Little Bear towel and TP holders . . . and we were charmed.  It was a bit of a rigamorole to get them bought (something about "last year's prices" lol) but buy them we did -- and then remembered that we had them!  That's pretty remarkable too!  lol

Anyway, progress is being made and we hope to really move ahead the week of September 9.  We have a week of vacation and plan on spending most of it at

Too at Twin Lakes

Milestones

Himself came down Thursday after I left for work.  He has worked in the new cabin for two days, mudding and sanding and sealing and texturing.  He has made great strides!  He has light fixtures and a ceiling fan mounted.  He has switch plates on.  We (or sorry, HE is getting ready to put on finishing touches!)  We are going to have two finished rooms!  Wow!  it will be soooo good!  and once the bathroom is finished, I'll get my washer.  If I don't get a dryer right away, it won't matter.  I have a clothes line and a drying rack : )  I just really need the washer.  It will cut out hauling dirty clothes home.

Also, once the bedroom is done, we are going to put in a  closet unit and we'll be able to leave clothes and swim suits here.  I can't wait!

Thank you, Mister!  for coming down and working so hard and consistently!!

Progress

Himself has had a couple of chances to work on the cabin this past month.  This past weekend, three days, we kept out of his way and let him at it.  The weather was cooler but the lake waters still warm from the 100+ degree stretch of weather so it was perfect on the beach and I and four children took advantage of the ideal conditions and hit it.  Himself took advantage of the freedom to work.  And work he did!

He is almost ready to start the finishing touches in the bathroom and bedroom.  He had mudded and sanded and mudded and sanded to his heart's (and his perfectionism's) content.  He is thinking he will go down today and leave me home to work so that he'll have a couple of uninterrupted days to finish the mudding and the sanding.   

I'll go down after work on Friday and see what I can do to help.  Okay . . . or  Not!  but I'll be there to cheer him on! 

I absolutely have not helped with the dry wall, mudding and sanding.  I am not inclined towards drywall.  I can't get interested.  I love boards and wood, rocks and bricks . . . but dry wall makes me want to turn and walk away.  Well, it does! I do turn and walk away! 

So thank goodness for Himself!  Thank goodness for his determination and sticktoitness.  Himself is a finisher . . . and a good thing!  If left to me we'd be living with 2X4 studs with maybe some insulation stuffed between or some paneling nailed up. 

Stay tuned! 

Lazy Days of Summer

I have been lazy this summer, writing.  I have not had the motivation but today I have determined to force myself through this block and get back to this on a weekly basis.  There's no reason not to write.  Well one and I'm going to wean myself away from FaceBook.  When it is all said and done, I would be far to say "I wrote every day in my blog" and not "I wrote every day in Face Book.  I have tried to write some historical/genealogical in Face Book but it gets swallowed up and lost.  It soon is buried in the wasteland of Face Book and unretreivable.  So, I will make this my priority! 

Besides, the more I write, the more I remember.

Ten Years Worth

January 2000

 I have this one labeled January 2001

but this isn't looking like January in Missouri. 

Wow!  Spring!

I can hardly wait!
Emerald City ?

The good ol' days.

June 2003
I loved that boat. 

No, he's not fishing.

He's got a boat out there.

A remote boat!  2004

2005.

This is the one and only photo

I found for this year.

Was I in a coma?

I know I had a digital camera. 

This must have been the year of my discontent. 

Really, I have no idea. 

Fishing buddies.

2006

This was one of our favorite spots.

Mid summer.  2007

Icy Day

2008

My kind of day

Fall 2009

Grandkids and their interest in a

Dead muskrat in the water.

wa hoo!  yes!

Wintery Day

Early 2010

I think this was the only time we spent at Too

where the road was snowed over.

There will be more days like this.

Promise to
Himself.
Happy Father's Day.
Love, the other side : )