Missing in Action

I must apologize for not blogging.  First I didn't think I had anything interesting to write.  Then I got out of the habit.   I have also had some physical challenges that have made it difficult to keep up with everything.  They aren't serious in the sense of being life threatening.  I have four kinds of arthritis plus some pinched nerves.  The result is that I have quite a bit of pain.  That level of pain slows me down, so it takes longer to get things done.  It also keeps me from getting a good night's sleep.  Thursday I will be seeing a pain specialist in Louisville.  The plan is to get epidural shots in my lower back to decrease the pain.  So things should be improving.

We have been busy here at the house.  We have had some problems that have had to be addressed.  There was the water in the basement in June.  The mold was finally removed, and last week a company came out to fix the basement so there won't be any more seepage during rainstorms.  Now we are waiting on the restoration company to come and repair everything that was torn up in the process of repairing the structural problems.  They were supposed to come today and replace the part of the deck that had to be removed, but it is raining, so it is postpone ed.  Then they still need to put up drywall in the basement, paint it, and lay the new tile flor (to replace the ruined carpet).  Poor Beth and Ian have had to live down there with this mess since June.

In other exciting homeowner news we also have had to replace the gutters and deck roof.  The gutters were actually falling off part of the house, and at least one downspout has a huge hole in it.  Then there were two faucets (kitchen and upstairs bathroom) that were leaking and had to be replaced.  We now have quite beauti8ful faucets in both rooms.  We also had a hole develop in the front lawn.  The plumbing company brought a backhoe and dug up part of the hillside and uncovered a crushed drainage pipe.  that too has been replaced. 

Beth and I (especially Beth) have done quite a bit of work in the yard.  All the shrubs have been nicely trimmed.  The dead and diseased shrubs have been removed.  We have started a compost pile in anticipation of having a tiny garden next summer.  A stone planter by the front sidewalk has had the clay soil worked with peat and sand added to improve it, a most backbreaking job.  I planted pansies and some prennials in the planter yesterday.  We have gotten almost everything done before winter sets in.

Beth and I have also been busy in the craft room.  We have made some gifts for Christmas.  We knitted scarfs for my daughter Sarah's children.  I am sewing doll clothes for my youngest granddaughter.  I must admit that those tiny, fiddly bits just about drive me crazy.  I made a bitty photo album for Sarah.  Beth decorated a special candle for a friend.  There are some other projects under way, but I cannot discuss them online right now.

I brought home a dog from the shelter in August.  Trixie is about two years old.  She is a Havanese Bischon.  She had spent all her life in a small cage on what is called a puppy mill.  That is where the dogs are just bred over and over to produce purebred dogs to sell to pet stores for a high price.  She and the other dogs there had not been properly cared for.  In fact it is clear that she was abused. Last June the authorities investigated the puppy farm and removed all 200 dogs.  I brought her home to socialize her, but decided to keep her.  Slowly she is responding to love and care. 

We are looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday next week.  My daughter Jane and her family are arriving from California on Saturday to spend a few days with us.  It has been so exciting to plan for their visit. 

So that is mostly what is going on here in Indiana.  I hope I won't go missing again.

This d That

I am sorry for not blogging for so long.  I was waiting in hopes that I could download some photos for my house and of a Spring Mill State Park where we went last month, but it just hasn't worked out.  We have been very busy getting settled into our new house.  We have also had to deal with the results of a rainstorm that dropped (according to the news) between 4 and 5 inches of rain in about three hours.  We had water seep into a small area of the basement soaking the carpeting.  During the process to have the area dried, it was discoered that there was mold in the drywall and studs.  The restoration company told us that it was likely from seepage at some time in the past.  The previous owners had signed a disclosure document for the sale of the house stating that there were no moisture problems in the basemednt.  However, our insurance company has found that they filed claims in 2004 and 2006 for water damage.  Right now we do not know how much more damage there may be from these previous problems.  We will be consulting a lawyer on Tuesday of next week for possible help in paying for what might be many thousands of dollars of damage.  This is not something I really want to do, but I see no other way to correct the problem.

In addition Beth and Ian car was parked on the street.  We live on a gentle hillside.  There was an actual flash flood that came down the hill and flooded their car, leaving 3 inches of water inside of it.  The car has been repaired, but will not be registered as a car that has been in a flood.  That makes it worthless for the purpose of sllng it, if they wanted to replace it in the future.  Again, they are dealing with the car insurance company.

In mauch more cheerful news we have enjoyed having friends over for barbecues.  On the 4th of July we celebrated with fireworks.  This Thursday my friend Gay Campbell is coming for a short visit.  She and I taught school together in California. 

Beth and I have started going to a Sit and Stitch group at our public library.  It is just a relaxing two hours each Thursday when we bring some kind of needlework and chat while we work on projects.  Beth brings something different every week.  I have been bringing an embroidery project.  Others bring knitting and crocheting. 

I have also starting goig to a monthly reading discussion groupat the library.  Our next book is one I have alrearead and enjoyed.  It is The Number One Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith.  It is not a detective story but a work of fiction set in Botswana about a lady who starts a detective agency.  It is the first in a series of books that are quite enjoyable.  I highly recommend it.

I hope I will be better about bloogin. Have a great week.

In the Land of Boxes

It has been a week since I moved into my new home.  Beth and Ia moved in the next day.  You cannot imagine what the house looked like after the moving company drove away.  There were so many boxes that there were only paths between them in most rooms.  We have all worked very hard to get thigs unpacked and put away.  There are still some boxes left to unpack, but the end is in sight.  There isn't much other news, since almost all we hae been doig is trying to get settled. 

Which Way is Up?

The great move is more or less under way.  The moving company should be here almost any minute to pack all my worlldly belongings.  Since my things will not be moved until Tuesday (Monday is a holiday in the USA), I will be more or less camping for a few days here in the house. 

All of the work has been finished at the new house.  I now have a laundy room on the first floor.  The bathroom iin the basement has a shower and a new sink.  Rooms have been painted.  Stair rails have been installed.  Various little things have been repaired. 

Beth was released from the hospital Monday after a two week stay.  The good news is that the changes in her medication and the treatments seemed to have been very effective.  She is doing so well, better than I can remember in a long time.

Beth's husband Ian is going to set up my computer at the new house, so I should be on-line quickly, but I may be too busy for a few days to check blogs. 

Lazy Hedgehog

I have been quite busy, but very lazy about blogging.  So, let's see what is going on here in Indiana.

We have had a lot of rainstorms and wind.  Twice when I was out driving in a storm, I thought it was snowing.  The "snowflakes" were actually petals from flowering trees.  There was a day recently when it was snowing, but the ground had warmed up enough that the snow did not stick.  That is okay with me.  We are all weary of cold, rain, snow and ice for now.  We did have four days of temperatures in the high 80's, but today we are back to cooler temperatures and rain.  In fact it is supposed to rain every day for at least the next week.  As you can imagine, my grass and flowers are flourishing with all the moisture.

Saturday, one of those four warm, sunny days, we had the garage sale.  It is funny, we call them garage or yard sales,  but we are neither selling a garage or a yard.  It was quite successful, in fact far more successful than I hoped for.  It is amazing how much stuff we can accumulate.

Thursday I sign the papers for the new house and get the keys.  Sunday afternoon, Beth and I drove over to the new house and walked around the yard.  We were looking at what plants are there, and what we might want to do in the yard.  The present owners have allowed some shrubs to get far to overgrown.  It may be impossible to prune them down to a proper height, so they may have to be removed.  There are three nice, big maple trees in the back yard.  There is also a tree in the far back corner that I have not been able to identify.  It has the remains of blossoms on it, but I cannot tell if it is a flowering tree or a fruit tree.  There are also a number of unidentified plants coming up, so the yard is somewhat like a surprise package that will in time reveal its treasures.

I recently had to have minor surgery on my shoulder which made it a little hard to type, but it is now healing.  It is just always something, isn't it? 

Here is a cute joke.  A pastor was busy writing his sermon.  His little daughter came and asked him what he was doing.  He explained that he was writing his sermon.  She asked how he knew what to write.  He answered that he prayed and God told him what to write.  She then asked why he had to erase things if God was telling him what to write.

Enjoy spring!