Observing New Years Day

Bob and I observe New Years Day, in that we note the passage of time and the change of date. We say “Happy New Year!” to each other before turning into bed, and again when we wake up. We may say it to family, friends, and strangers we interact with. But other than that, life goes on. We eat no special food and drink no alcoholic beverage. We retire at about 9:00 pm and (I, always the earlier riser) arise on January 1st before 6:00 am. We attend no parties. We do, however, observe that neighbors like to set off firecrackers at midnight. We observe that some people enjoy making promises to themselves that they will be better people than they have been. For us, that’s always a daily goal. 

Yes, we observe New Years Day. But we really don’t celebrate it.

The bathroom rehab plods on. I always imagine that projects like this will happen like they do on tv shows. One day to demo! The next day to lay flooring! Then a third day to pull out the toilet, remove the six tiles still around the hole in the floor, lay flooring over that area and replace the toilet with the new one! Granted, that might be a few hours more but we can finish in one day, right? Then, hey, take a week to finish up the flooring, touch up the walls, and add trim molding. Don’t push yourself. Maybe have painters come out and do their thing. Modify that vanity that used to be a dresser, let’s call that another week. So all in all, we are talking 2 1/2 weeks, start to finish. 

Hahahahahahaha!

It’s been five days so far and most of the tile is removed, with the help of our super-strong grandson and a very loud tool we rented from Home Depot. Maybe half of the nails that hold the subfloor in place have even removed. We’re not sure if the subfloor has been nailed and glued down but that’s a definite possibility since the people who originally laid this floor didn’t intend for it ever to be changed. Grandson Alex is willing to come over daily for an hour or two but it’s hard work and there’s only room for one person at a time in that room, so it’s slow-going.

It will get finished!

I find myself reflecting on hidden blessings. About a year ago we were in Mesa, AZ and got the word that our basement in NJ had flooded. Such an aggravation at the time, arranging for people to pump the basement, pump it again, then install a new sump pump. Because of that, we decided to move up our relocation date. If we hadn’t done that, we may not have done all the work on the house that we have done, so a lot of that would still be ahead of us. I wouldn’t have volunteered my time at the local thrift store, which has been fun for me as well as a help for our community. And I might have continued to worship virtually rather than finding a home church and women’s Bible study, which have enriched my life immensely. So it was definitely the right decision.

I’ll keep you posted on the bathroom project as it progresses. I’m also finishing up a roller towel weaving project and will share that next time if I can get it finished.

2024 Update on the House

It has been a whirlwind year. When last I posted, it was July and things we were recuperating from our Big Move. We’ve done a lot to the house this year:

New walkway and steps installed

Stairways and upstairs rooms professionally painted

Whole house power washed

Foundation repaired

New heat pump HVAC system installed

New roof

Solar panels installed

Two large trees that were hovering over the house removed

Electric vehicle charger installed

Insulation blown into both attics to increase to 49-R-value

New back door installed with the help of son Tim and grandson Alex

While we did most of the work ourselves in 2023, this year the majority was done by professionals. Age is finally catching up to us I think, and the couple of jobs that we might have tackled a couple of years ago (power washing and using scaffolds to paint stairwells, maybe even installing a walkway) were now beyond our abilities. Having said that, Bob has started demolishing the downstairs bathroom with the help of Alex, our 18 year old grandson. We purchased an antique oak dresser and will be converting that to a vanity, and we still have flooring left over from the kitchen/living room…so aside from a new toilet, there wasn’t much else to purchase. Bob can take his time converting the dresser to a vanity once the rest of the bathroom is finished. It’s going to be a big improvement.

And while Alex and Bob tear things up, I get to play with Jillian! She has asked to learn to knit, and has taken to it quickly! She also wanted to learn to spin yarn yesterday so we played with that as well.

Bisbee has settled into NJ living very well, and has even decided that our family is his family. He was standoffish at first but now enjoys when people stop by. He’s such a joy!

We had a wonderful Christmas gathering on the 22nd, and it was such fun to have everyone over. It’s amazing how many people can fit into this little house.

Until next time, wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year.

Our last winter in AZ

So much has happened since the last time I posted, dear reader. In November Bob and I adopted Bisbee (named after one of our favorite small towns in Arizona.) A DNA test showed that he is 55% Chihuahua, 20% poodle, and the rest is Pekingese, Pomeranian, Cocker Spaniel, and American Eskimo. We just call him a long-haired Chihuahua mix. At just 4 pounds, he is a little bundle of love!

Bisbee is about 2 1/2 years old and was rescued from a hoarder house in Yuma, AZ, with over 100 dogs. He’s a cuddler and now gets all the attention that I’m sure he missed in his first couple of years.

Not long after adopting Bisbee, I came down with a sinus infection, that progressed into an ear infection in both ears. My doctor (and all the other area doctors) suddenly became unavailable around Christmas time and it took weeks to get in to see an ear/nose/throat specialist. I lost all hearing for over six weeks, which was incredibly isolating. I was unable to talk with people since I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I couldn’t talk on the phone. I couldn’t her the TV. I didn’t feel as though I could drive, since I couldn’t hear honking or sirens. Or hear cars approaching when walking across a parking lot. Bob had to shout to be heard, which he hated to do.  

Eventually I was able to see an ENT and he put tubes in both ears, which made a huge difference. I also got bilateral hearing aids. Hearing in crowds is still a little hard but things are so much better than they were. 

While we were going through this, we got a phone call from daughter Catherine who was tasked with checking regularly on our house in NJ. We had a foot of water in the basement. Uh oh. Bob called around and got Roto-Rooter out there the next day. They pumped it all out (twice,) dried out the basement with multiple fans, then had a new sump pump installed. After paying a hefty bill, which was well worth what they did, we were all set. But we realized that living so far from our home was really not for us. So Bob and I decided it was time to sell our AZ home and move back to NJ for good.

The first person we told about selling our place told his sister who lived across from us. By evening we had people touring our home and the next day the deal was made and a closing date was set. Our good friend and neighbor was looking for a house with a new AC system and low maintenance, and since we had replaced everything in our house including a new roof, windows, appliances, water pipes, downstairs flooring, bathroom shower, etc, it was just right for her. And we were thrilled our home was going to someone we cared about!

Bob and I rented a 16 foot Pod and moved all our stuff into it, including my two floor looms. It was a big job!

But it all fit, and off it went to NJ. We were delighted to have one last visitor—our nephew Danny who was taking a much needed vacation out west. It was great seeing him!

We had made the decision to drive our Honda CRV rather than sell it and fly back (mostly because of Bisbee, to be honest) and we made the trip in five days. Staying in dog-friendly motels limited our choices of places to stay but Bisbee traveled like a champ and we got through the ordeal without picking up bedbugs (my #1 fear.)

It’s good to be home! I’ll write more in another post on what we’ve been up to since we arrived.

What’s New?

I meant to write this post weeks ago but better late than never, right? Here’s an update on the house renovation.  The kitchen is finished and it has surpassed my expectations.

I chose white Café appliances, which please me to no end. And we hired Home Depot to put in the countertops and tile backsplash.

The bedroom now has carpet, although we haven’t yet painted the walls.

The stairs look much better now.

Ditto for the craft room (here it is set up for company.)

We had a wonderful summer, and have put all future renovations on hold until next spring. It’s good to take a break from all that!

Big Changes in 2023

Deepest apologies for the sound of crickets on this blog for the last six months. A quick catch-up: We sold our motorhome just after the New Year, and then immediately put an offer on a home in NJ. This is a house that is very close to daughter Catherine, being only 1 mile away. She initially toured the house while we FaceTimed with her, and then she returned with daughter Kristen a week later on another video call with us so we’d have another opinion.

Ugly kitchen during FaceTime tour

While it’s on a busy road, the layout really works for us; a large open kitchen/living area, two bathrooms, a large main BR with en suite (something I’ve never had), a bonus/guest room, and a huge craft room. It also has a nice sized garage to serve as Bob’s woodworking shop and a large shed for garden tools. The house itself is not too big, only about 1724 square feet, but it will suit us well. 

I had forgotten how drawn-out the process of buying a home is. The seller had to jump through quite a few hoops before the town would sign off on the certificate of occupancy. We arrived in NJ the first week of April, expecting to pass papers a few days later. It actually took a month before all the ends were tied up and we could see the house in person for the first time. Nothing really surprised us when we did our walk-through. Before we bought it we knew the house was smelly (incontinent dog, smoking owner) and dirty, the kitchen cobbled together with scrounged materials. So now the work to make this house ours has begun.

Everything has been scrubbed down, and smelly bits have been removed. Mold has been remediated. Walls and ceilings have been painted on the first floor. The downstairs floors have been torn up and are being replaced with a lovely LVP floor that will wear well and tie the rooms together. Our kitchen has arrived and we are beginning to assemble everything. Three dead trees have been removed from the backyard and another tree has gotten a long-overdue trimming. Tomorrow the ducts will be cleaned and the appliances will arrive. Strapping on the foundation will be installed within the next week or so, ensuring a safe and sturdy base for this house for many many years to come.

Our realtor, Mary Ann, has been invaluable in all of this, offering us names of contractors who are reputable in the area. 

Our plan is to complete the downstairs (kitchen/living room, guest room) this year, and then take a break. Next year, if the Lord is willing, we will tackle the main bedroom and bathroom, and then the following year my craft room will get a makeover. Sometime during the next two years the downstairs bath will get new floors and updated vanity. Patience, patience!

I’ll post some “after” photos as rooms are finished. 

End of 2022

Well, happy New Year, y’all! Bob and I have had a good year. Our health is good. While the motorhome has not yet sold, we know that the right person will come along and will have many new adventures in it. Until then, we have been keeping busy. Bob has been making beautiful things, as usual. He recently made me a bowl that I just love.

He added little divided trays to the jewelry box he made me a while back.

He built a cutting board for the kitchen.

And installed the last four replacement windows to the front and deck side of the house. In addition, he was asked to be the treasurer of the park’s woodshop so that has kept him pretty busy!

Some of the projects I finished this fall: I finished the coasters that I was weaving earlier in the season, fulling them so that they would be nice and thick.

I wove a cotton scarf to keep my neck warm on cool morning walks.

I wove some log cabin cottolin towels on my 16” wide Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom…

…as well as some 8 shaft undulating twill towels and dishcloths on my big Macomber loom.

I sewed up an organizer to hold the presser feet for my sewing machines.

We had a nice Christmas and did some caroling around the park.

We keep busy. Bob golfs every Monday, and is a monitor in the woodshop at least one morning a week, while I keep up with the Fiber Arts group and have been helping a couple of friends in the park with their weaving.

Bob and I hope that next year brings joy, peace, and health to all of you.

Selling the Motorhome

I know that I’ve been remiss in posting and I do apologize. We arrived in Mesa without any difficulties and spent close to a week completely emptying out and deep cleaning the motorhome, because we have made the difficult decision to put it on the market. The plan is for us to find a small home in NJ near family and for us to stay there from roughly April through September. We will keep our little home in Arizona and will fly back and forth seasonally. It was a big decision for us to make but we both felt it was time for this change. Our motorhome is for sale on consignment at Camping Nation RVs in case any reader is interested or wants to tell a friend. We were pleased to find out that this dealer will finance older coaches and also offers extended warranties for them as well.

We left a lot of things in NJ for our new home: dishes, woodworking tools, some craft room supplies, books, a few items of clothing. I’m shipping a few things to my daughter’s house to hold for us, too. So I’ll be able to sew and weave when we get back there. It will be fun to set up a new craft room, and of course Bob will have a work space, too, for his woodworking.

We had some rain here in AZ this past month, along with some high winds. Fortunately we didn’t have any damage but a part of the wall around the park (not near our house) came down. But we did have projects.

Bob has been working on replacing more windows in the front of the house; we now have just one left to replace but are having trouble locating that particular size. I’m sure we’ll find one eventually.

I made a new liner for my bike basket…

…and have been working on weaving some winter trees on my 16” Ashford Rigid Heddle loom.

In health news, Bob and I got our flu shots, and we were pleasantly surprised to have no reaction to them at all. We are waiting two weeks, then Bob will get his Covid booster but I have to wait a few more weeks until I can get mine, since I had Covid in August.

Scheduled activities in the park will be starting up next week and we are looking forward to that. Bob starts golfing this Friday.