rox,
Good to hear from you. Are we settled? Well, kind of, I guess. My first priorities for the new place were to get some landscaping done and to get the trail cut through the woods for the kids and their ATVs. My wife did the majority of the shrub planting. I still have a few azaleas and some other things that I need to find a place for (we bought more than we really needed) and I had one beautiful Japanese maple die on me that i will re-plant in the Fall. The front lawn is a disaster. We planted fescue seed. Heavy rains washed anout 20% or more away before it germinated, leaving large bare areas. Now, I can't find more seed and its really too hot to plant fecue seed now anyway. So, the yard will be a real eyesore until Sept./Oct.
Inside, my wife has not yet hung pictures. I think she is waiting for her decorator to help with the placement. Because of Harry's illness, we haven't had any items on our punch list addressed, but those are relatively minor things. More on Harry later.
Thins at the old place are moving even more slowly. I just finished painting a picket fence today. Talk about slow. Due to the problem of over-spray on our neighbor's cars and homes, I had to use a brush and roller. Between primer and paint, I probably have 20 hours or more in that project. And I'm still waiting for my fence company to get me some replacement pickets (which will also have to be primed and painted). Next, I need to paint the front porch railings and stain the front porch and rear deck. I'm hiring someone to pressure wash the house and paint the exterior shutters. If it requires climbing a ladder, I'll hire someone to do it.
Julie started painting some trim in the house, but the paint wasn't right so still have alot of work to do there (I'm thinking now I'll hire a painter to do that). And despite recommendations to the contrary, I think I'm going to replace the carpet before putting the house on the market. She did get the garage painted and has done a substantial amount of interior cleaning.
Compared to most folks here, we are extremely slow at getting things done. Kids have only been out of school for a week and it seems like Julie spends much of her day as a taxi driver. I don't usually leave my office until about 7 PM, so most of my stuff has to get done on weekends. Throw in birthday parties, cookouts, etc., and, well, the time is slipping away on us. That is why I'll be hiring someone to do some of the things I had planned to do myself. Its just taking too long.
The kids are enjoying their spaces. The screened porch is Julie's favorite place in the house. She also loves her kitchen. Her office is still a work in progress, but she does like space.
Back to Harry. He completed 2 rounds of chemo, which were very hard on him. Lost his hair and about 30 lbs of weight (which he joking said was not enough). Sadly, a follow-up MRI showed no improvement in his status. The tumors are either as large or larger than before chemo. So, he is scheduled for surgery on June 13. Despite these setbacks, he remains in good spirits and has an amazingly positive attitude.
As far as pictures go, I am going to do a final photo wrap-up once things are finished. Believe it or not, we still have a couple of light fixtures that we are waiting for as well as a replacement plumbing fixture. And I want Julie to get her pictures hung and whatever other little touches completed before I do the final photos. I may even wait until the I get some grass filled in in the front yard. Maybe not that long.
Again, thanks for asking. I wish there was more progress to report, but we are moving as fast as our old bodies will allow. I need to get Eddie out here. he would have things knocked out in about 3 days.
BTW, congratulations on the olive awards. Good job!
