Saturday, November 5, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Obituary for Stephen Newby
Visitation Times:
- Monday October 17th 2011 4:00pm - 8:00pm
- Tuesday October 18th 2011 4:00pm - 8:00pm
Service Information
- Wednesday October 19th 2011 11:00am
-
Location
- Officiating: Mark Ruff
Interment Information
Heritage Burial Park
4000 S.W. 119th
Oklahoma City, OK
Friday, October 14, 2011
Steve Newby 1950 - 2011 RIP
My beloved husband, such a character, departed this realm this morning. I am surrounded by family and more are coming, so don't worry, I'm not alone. Many things to do over the next few days. We'll be collecting photos of him for a slide show, collecting songs that are representative of him and that he loved. Arrangements pending, Vondel L. Smith, South Western, Oklahoma City. More than that is yet to be determined. More information as it becomes available.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Bell Cross Photos on Facebook
You may CLICK HERE to see my growing album of photos from the Bell Cross Ranch trip.
Bell Cross Ranch
Bell Cross Ranch is a 10,000 acre ranch near Cascade Montana and is so named for a particular geological formation that looks like a bell. As I understand it, it is owned by a group of investors with whom my Dad is associated. A month or two ago he came up here for an event, and not long after that he sent out an email seeking interest in a family trip. Winters up here, wherever you are when it hits, you you better hope you have all your provisions in, because you're going to be there a while, so we'd need to go soon in order to beat the brutal winter season.
So the last Thursday of September I got up in pre-dawn darkness and Steve drove me to the airport to meet twelve other family members to leave on a 6:29AM flight. One more family member joined the party in Denver and we all caught the last leg of travel together, getting into Great Falls about 1:30 or so (local time). About a half-hour drive west, just past Cascade, we left the I-15 highway and drove up a gravel road to a ranch gate, and another good, long, winding way after that, arrived at The Lodge.
This is a five-star resort class facility, built like a large, comfortable, upscale home, built for comfort and for entertaining. There are ten suites here at the lodge, all named after wildlife. My cousin Kristen and I are staying in The Whitetail room.
In the cowboy days they used to build "Outposts" which were sort of like temporary settlements or camps. If you found an outpost you could stop there and find shelter without having to start completely from scratch building your own. There's a cabin, for instance. It's in a slightly sheltered area near a stream, a good place for a camp. Bell Cross has constructed some log fence with gates to define the area.
The cabin is old, not practical for current use, but it is interesting and historic. It has been used within the last one hundred years, which I can tell by a few slightly modern fixtures, such as a circa 50s metal cabinet, installed up high (to keep raccoons and maybe small bear out), and a wood stove constructed from a 55 gallon metal barrel. The cabin has a dirt floor, though, where plants try their best to sprout and grow, but it's too dark for them to thrive. The threshold is worn down and broken. I don’t remember seeing a door. The glass has been broken out of the window so long that you can't even find any bits of broken glass on the ground. You can see sky through the roof beams.
Up the hill, across the stream there's an outhouse, which has been "modernized" and "civilized" with bug screen, glassed windows up high on the gable ends for light, real toilet paper, fresh paneling on the walls, nice contemporary wooden toilet seats, electric Coleman lanterns, in case it's too dark for the window-lights to work, and art on the walls. And it's a two-seater, so all that on both sides.
The first day we got here we rode ATVs over to the old outpost area where Bell Cross has set up a picnic area with a rock pit for bonfires, surrounded by Montana-version-Adirondack-style chairs and rough-hewn log benches. There are several picnic tables about.
This morning some of our party mounted up and rode horses out to "The Outpost Cabin" for a picnic. Takes a horse and rider a little over an hour to make that ride. The rest of us ATV'd out there (more like a 25 - 30 minute ride on a motorized vehicle). On the way out there we came across one each rattle snake (now gone to the great snake warming road in the sky) and one bullsnake (who was sensible enough to slither into the brush before being invited to join the rattlesnake) in the road. The staff put on a very nice picnic for us and then some of us switched rides coming back.
Coming back I rode a pretty auburn horse with black feet, mane and tail, called Hollywood Stearns. Hollywood because that's his name, and Stearns, because that's the name of the guy that bought him and brought him to Bell Cross. Aunt Charlene had ridden Hollywood out to the picnic and she didn't seem to have had too rough a ride, so I thought Hollywood was the horse for me.
When we got ready to mount up to come back I told Carlene I was going to ride Hollywood and she said, "Oh, no!"
"Why? I thought he was a good horse."
"Hollywood kinda likes to be by himself and he wants to eat all the time, and then he gets behind and has to run to catch up with everybody else."
I said, "He sounds just like me!"
That got a chuckle from everyone and Uncle Lanny said, "You ought to get along just fine, then!"
But just to be safe, they had a wrangler go with me to "pony" Hollywood, leading him to keep him on task and also to keep him from running off since I am not a seasoned rider at all, and out of shape besides that. It was fun, and I can say I did it, I rode a horse. By golly.
About three quarters of the way back, I got a monster cramp in my upper leg, the sharp charley-horse kind. You know how when you get one of those you can’t work it out without dramatically shifting your position, and we were clopp-clopp-clopping along and I started hollering, “Ow! Ow! I’ve got a cramp! I have to get off! Aah! Cramp! Cramp! I have to get off!”
My wrangler, Roberto, a good, patient, kind man, helped me off the horse. I knew we had gone more than half way and I knew I could walk the rest of the way if I had to, but I also knew that when he got back to the barn he might send an ATV back for me. It also happened that the staff that had carried the picnic out to the outpost were yet to come back and I might be able to hitch a ride with them, so I told Roberto it was okay to take Hollywood on in to the barn. I started walking on some pretty wobbly legs, looking for a big rock to sit on, but all the sit-worthy rocks were somewhere else. Before you know it, though, the kitchen crew came along and gave me a ride back to the lodge.
Beat like a bad dog, I got me a nice hot shower, washed the dust out of my hair and eyes and started to download some of the pictures I’ve taken.
Tonight they have a band in for our entertainment and it sounds like supper will be ready before long. I’m going to go join the party now and will share more later.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Box Turtles and Deer
Annie the dog found a box turtle yesterday while she was outside with Steve. I'm sure she viewed it as an interactive toy, but then it did what terrapins do - it went inside, slammed the doors and windows shut and refused to come back out. Not to be deterred, Annie nosed it and rolled it and tossed it about until it was locked up tight, not to be budged.
I distracted Annie for a second, caught her by the collar, and picked up the turtle. Fairly decent sized yard turtle it was, a little smaller than half a cantaloupe. I walked it over to a spot closer to the garden, set it down, and insisted Annie come in with me. Annie, like most dogs, is fairly easy to distract most of the time ("Squirrel!"), but there are other times that, for all her apparent flightiness, she is amazingly focused. Or maybe just obsessive.
We'd been inside for a little bit when she became restless and made it quite clear that she wanted to go outside. Needed to go out! She was so insistent I thought maybe she had some unfinished business (having been so preoccupied with the turtle maybe she forgot to potty before). I clicked the lead on her collar and out we went. I was headed out to the place where she usually does her personal business, but she ran the line all the way out trying to go over to the garden where I had freed her captive earlier.
"No, come on over here. Don't you need to potty?" But it seems her elaborate dance to go outside was for nothing more than to go find her reticent and unwilling new acquaintance. She honed right in on the exact spot where I had set the turtle earlier. It was gone now, and Annie wanted like anything to go into the garden and find it. She ran this way and that, ears cocked, triangulating in on subtle movement in the underbrush where her terrapin had most likely headed. Annie can be amazingly strong for an under-forty-pound dog, but I was able to wrangle her back into the house.
I let her out this afternoon for a little while. By and by I heard barking. I asked Steve if that was a TV dog or Annie barking. I went to the front door to look, and it was Annie barking. Her back was up in a ridge and she was giving holy heck to something I couldn't see.
"What're you barking at, girl?"
She glanced back at me when I spoke to her and when she did, I saw the unmistakable white flag tail - two deer - and as Annie turned and took off after them, both deer ran left into the woods in front of the house.
Oh, brother, I thought, please don't go onto the woods and she didn't - she ran right past where they turned into the woods, and out into the field. Some strategy I don't understand? I don't know, but maybe the deer circled through the woods because the next thing I saw was one of the deer loping across the field and, just like a slow motion movie scene, flying over the fence like it wasn't even there. Amazing thing to see. And then there was Annie, barreling toward the fence.
Fortunately Annie seems to have a little bit of sense about where and how to go through the fence. It's a three-strand barbed wire fence in a state of deferred maintenance. It wouldn't hold a determined heifer (which is one reason we don't have one). Not at all impassable, but challenging. Annie ran back and forth until she found a place she could get through without injury and she was off across the big field going after the deer. There is no catching her when she runs like that, and she becomes determinedly deaf. You can holler yourself hoarse, but she'll come back when she's jolly well good and ready, so just save your voice and your sanity and go find something else to do until then. Which is what I did.
I went in the house and got the leash. I thought at some point she would come back and come close enough to me to snag her, but I also knew that, Annie being Annie, if she saw the leash, it'd be a big game of "You can't catch me!" Very annoying. So I tucked the leash into the back of my britches and walked out toward where she'd gone through the fence. Before I got there, she came back through, but she wasn't ready to settle down yet, and took off through our field, away from me and the house, little stinker. I walked out that way, too, trying not to look like I was following her (yeah, good luck with that) and about the time I was almost there, here she came bounding back, tongue hanging down to here. That's usually an indication she'll be agreeable to going in the house, but it has to be her idea.
She led me back toward the house, and sure enough, before we got there, darned if she didn't take out through the fence and across the big field again. That was a short trip and when she came back she was ready to come in. Led me to the front door, waited for me to open it, and trotted right in like she was the boss or something. As usual, she went over and crashed on the floor in front of the air conditioning vent, and I didn't hear a peep out of her for a good long while.
I must say, the Universe was having a good day when it called Central Casting and ordered Annie the Dog for us.
I distracted Annie for a second, caught her by the collar, and picked up the turtle. Fairly decent sized yard turtle it was, a little smaller than half a cantaloupe. I walked it over to a spot closer to the garden, set it down, and insisted Annie come in with me. Annie, like most dogs, is fairly easy to distract most of the time ("Squirrel!"), but there are other times that, for all her apparent flightiness, she is amazingly focused. Or maybe just obsessive.
We'd been inside for a little bit when she became restless and made it quite clear that she wanted to go outside. Needed to go out! She was so insistent I thought maybe she had some unfinished business (having been so preoccupied with the turtle maybe she forgot to potty before). I clicked the lead on her collar and out we went. I was headed out to the place where she usually does her personal business, but she ran the line all the way out trying to go over to the garden where I had freed her captive earlier.
"No, come on over here. Don't you need to potty?" But it seems her elaborate dance to go outside was for nothing more than to go find her reticent and unwilling new acquaintance. She honed right in on the exact spot where I had set the turtle earlier. It was gone now, and Annie wanted like anything to go into the garden and find it. She ran this way and that, ears cocked, triangulating in on subtle movement in the underbrush where her terrapin had most likely headed. Annie can be amazingly strong for an under-forty-pound dog, but I was able to wrangle her back into the house.
I let her out this afternoon for a little while. By and by I heard barking. I asked Steve if that was a TV dog or Annie barking. I went to the front door to look, and it was Annie barking. Her back was up in a ridge and she was giving holy heck to something I couldn't see.
"What're you barking at, girl?"
She glanced back at me when I spoke to her and when she did, I saw the unmistakable white flag tail - two deer - and as Annie turned and took off after them, both deer ran left into the woods in front of the house.
Oh, brother, I thought, please don't go onto the woods and she didn't - she ran right past where they turned into the woods, and out into the field. Some strategy I don't understand? I don't know, but maybe the deer circled through the woods because the next thing I saw was one of the deer loping across the field and, just like a slow motion movie scene, flying over the fence like it wasn't even there. Amazing thing to see. And then there was Annie, barreling toward the fence.
Fortunately Annie seems to have a little bit of sense about where and how to go through the fence. It's a three-strand barbed wire fence in a state of deferred maintenance. It wouldn't hold a determined heifer (which is one reason we don't have one). Not at all impassable, but challenging. Annie ran back and forth until she found a place she could get through without injury and she was off across the big field going after the deer. There is no catching her when she runs like that, and she becomes determinedly deaf. You can holler yourself hoarse, but she'll come back when she's jolly well good and ready, so just save your voice and your sanity and go find something else to do until then. Which is what I did.
I went in the house and got the leash. I thought at some point she would come back and come close enough to me to snag her, but I also knew that, Annie being Annie, if she saw the leash, it'd be a big game of "You can't catch me!" Very annoying. So I tucked the leash into the back of my britches and walked out toward where she'd gone through the fence. Before I got there, she came back through, but she wasn't ready to settle down yet, and took off through our field, away from me and the house, little stinker. I walked out that way, too, trying not to look like I was following her (yeah, good luck with that) and about the time I was almost there, here she came bounding back, tongue hanging down to here. That's usually an indication she'll be agreeable to going in the house, but it has to be her idea.
She led me back toward the house, and sure enough, before we got there, darned if she didn't take out through the fence and across the big field again. That was a short trip and when she came back she was ready to come in. Led me to the front door, waited for me to open it, and trotted right in like she was the boss or something. As usual, she went over and crashed on the floor in front of the air conditioning vent, and I didn't hear a peep out of her for a good long while.
I must say, the Universe was having a good day when it called Central Casting and ordered Annie the Dog for us.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Emergency Tie Kit
I love this! Great rescue item when confronted with a dress code issue....
http://www.bumblebeagle.org/ties/
If you're really in a hurry, click on one of these images for a pre-made tie.
http://www.bumblebeagle.org/ties/
If you're really in a hurry, click on one of these images for a pre-made tie.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Music and Annie the Dog
We've been digging out a few boxes at a time, going through them as we find them. There's a little be-careful required, since we're not all that interested in bringing in boxes of mouse-nest, if you know what I mean.
Steve found some of our music CDs and the player, so today we're listening to Beatles, Mark Knopfler, Jackson Browne, Leon Russell, Keb' Mo... and me, singin' right along. Sure has made the day zip by!
Found some quilt sections that we'd used as window treatment (more accurately door treatment, as covers for a pair of French doors) in Cooperstown. The windows are different shapes and sizes here, though, so I'm taking off the binding along one side of each piece in order to join the two pieces and make one larger one. This will make a good sized nap quilt. We do appreciate our nap quilts, we do!
Annie the Dog is pestering Steve. She picks at him until he scolds her, then she runs for cover in the knee hole under the desk where I'm on the computer. She's a pill!
Annie the Dog. Her personal philosophy is that if it's on the floor she has every right to it, whatever "it" is. On the floor, it's hers, to her way of thinking, so we have to be attentive as to what is on the floor. Or near the floor. Because the other part of that is this: if it's close to the floor maybe it means to be on the floor, so she can help it get there, and then it's hers! Anything within her reach - a towel or napkin hanging over the edge of the table - if she can "make" it get on the floor, of course it then belongs to her, she thinks. We've had to ban her from the bathroom and the laundry room. Quite a character, that one. Fortunately she doesn't like the stairs, so she won't come upstairs.
She knows people prepare food and sometimes eat in the kitchen, and she's all about that. I was making Grandmother Little's Strawberry Delight Jello dish, which uses strawberries and bananas among other things. The recipe calls for frozen strawberries, and I like to use fresh ones if they're in season, which they are right now, so I had a couple containers of strawberries, trimming and quartering them. Steve came in about the time I came across a huge strawberry. Looked like a shovel when I sliced it, it was that big. I offered it to him and Annie was right there, hoping someone would drop something tasty on the floor, so he asked her to sit and gave her a piece of his strawberry. She loved it! We discovered durig the construction of the dish that she also loves banana.
She seems to have some issue with "dog" food versus "people" food. She'll eat dog food, but she'll put it off as long as possible. I have discovered, though, if I want her to go ahead and clean her plate, that if I just break up some people food into kibble-sized pieces and lay it on her dog food, she will first daintily pluck the people food out from her dog food, and the next thing you know she's chowing down on her own food. Like she's supposed to. Funny little dog.
Steve found some of our music CDs and the player, so today we're listening to Beatles, Mark Knopfler, Jackson Browne, Leon Russell, Keb' Mo... and me, singin' right along. Sure has made the day zip by!
Found some quilt sections that we'd used as window treatment (more accurately door treatment, as covers for a pair of French doors) in Cooperstown. The windows are different shapes and sizes here, though, so I'm taking off the binding along one side of each piece in order to join the two pieces and make one larger one. This will make a good sized nap quilt. We do appreciate our nap quilts, we do!
Annie the Dog is pestering Steve. She picks at him until he scolds her, then she runs for cover in the knee hole under the desk where I'm on the computer. She's a pill!
Annie the Dog. Her personal philosophy is that if it's on the floor she has every right to it, whatever "it" is. On the floor, it's hers, to her way of thinking, so we have to be attentive as to what is on the floor. Or near the floor. Because the other part of that is this: if it's close to the floor maybe it means to be on the floor, so she can help it get there, and then it's hers! Anything within her reach - a towel or napkin hanging over the edge of the table - if she can "make" it get on the floor, of course it then belongs to her, she thinks. We've had to ban her from the bathroom and the laundry room. Quite a character, that one. Fortunately she doesn't like the stairs, so she won't come upstairs.
She knows people prepare food and sometimes eat in the kitchen, and she's all about that. I was making Grandmother Little's Strawberry Delight Jello dish, which uses strawberries and bananas among other things. The recipe calls for frozen strawberries, and I like to use fresh ones if they're in season, which they are right now, so I had a couple containers of strawberries, trimming and quartering them. Steve came in about the time I came across a huge strawberry. Looked like a shovel when I sliced it, it was that big. I offered it to him and Annie was right there, hoping someone would drop something tasty on the floor, so he asked her to sit and gave her a piece of his strawberry. She loved it! We discovered durig the construction of the dish that she also loves banana.
She seems to have some issue with "dog" food versus "people" food. She'll eat dog food, but she'll put it off as long as possible. I have discovered, though, if I want her to go ahead and clean her plate, that if I just break up some people food into kibble-sized pieces and lay it on her dog food, she will first daintily pluck the people food out from her dog food, and the next thing you know she's chowing down on her own food. Like she's supposed to. Funny little dog.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
End of June already?!
I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted here in "No, Really."
A few weeks ago we went to the Apple store and got me an iPhone. I must say, all the starry-eyed praise I've heard from other iPhone users - is true. It's an incredibly smart device. Listen, here's how smart this phone is: the iPhone is so smart, it does not find it necessary to make me look stupid to boost its own ego. Anyone who's been made a fool of by some smart thing knows that is an unusual thing in smartness these days. I'm glad I got it! iPhone.
Just a few days after that, the weekend before Father's day weekend, Steve and I were strolling through the Wally and I noticed he had fallen behind - he was there - and then he wasn't. I turned around to see where he was and I saw him standing before a glass counter display in the electronics department. Granted, Steve loves music as much as anyone of our generation, but it is unusual for him to fall out of formation like that, so I rolled back to see what he was looking at.
"See those little things there?" he asked, pointing at some shiny little devices about the size of a Ghirardelli chocolate you sometimes see around the checkout counter at the Walgreen's. "iPod Nano," he said, reading the placard. "When we were at the Apple store the other day, while you were waiting for your new phone, I was looking around the store and I put on a set of headphones - the old-fashioned kind that cover your ears - that was hooked up to one of these little things, and I could hear it! It was the best sound I've heard in a long, long time. And these little things? They hold thousands of songs!"
"Wow," I said, "That's something, isn't it?" In that moment, I could not wait to get back up to the Apple store and get him one.
In the following week, I got exactly that chance between a car-service appointment and a lunch date with a friend. I stopped by the Apple store and got Steve a tidy little iPod Nano, a set of headphones that cover his ears and a dock that he can plug his Nano into and listen without headphones.
On the way home from that day's errands, Apple gift in tow, the thought popped into my head, What if I brought a puppy home? I imagined myself saying, "Look what I got!" But I didn't bring a puppy home with me because that would be a decision we'd need to make together.
When I got home that day, straight out of the blue, Steve asked, "Can I get a puppy? I'd want to go to an animal shelter, interact, and see who resonates." Seems like one of those times we had the same idea.
In the following week it was extraordinarily difficult to keep from giving Steve his gift of music early, but somehow I managed to wait until Father's Day. He was surprised and pleased.
Meanwhile, the idea of getting a dog was still in the air at our house, and then KFOR news ran a thing featuring the Edmond shelter, about how with all the dogs (and cats) they have, they desperately need families to adopt some of those doggies (and kitties). We talked amongst ourselves about it and decided to center our search a little closer to home.
One day rolled into another, and last week I pulled up some information online about various shelters closer to us than Edmond. Last Thursday we decided to go check out some shelters and interview some dogs.
We ended up at the El Reno shelter where their inventory consisted of (1) a disheveled red and white spaniel looking guy who barked constantly, (2+) a little wiry terrier looking mom with a passel of little black pups, (3) their alleged daddy (but I wonder, because he was white, and there was not one light complected pup in the litter), (4) a pit bull (not available for adoption because he had killed a couple dozen of his neighbor's chickens), and (5) a medium sized red shepherd mix.
"This one's a pretty good little dog," Officer McClain said. "She followed some kids home the other day, and has stayed right on their porch for the last two days. I picked her up just today, and she came right over to me, licked my hand. Friendly. Pretty good little dog."
So we brought her home with us, and she is friendly and a good little dog. Here's a picture of her:
We brainstormed a series of names and settled on "Annie."
Called our family vet, Dr. Terry Wood's office, and they could see her on the following Monday (day before yesterday as I write). We took her in on Monday afternoon for a checkup, shots, and to get an appointment to have her spayed.
She's about 35 pounds and change. Doc estimates her to be about 8 months of age. He could not give her any shots, though, because she's expecting. About three weeks along, he figures, so we anticipate we'll be whelping a litter of pups in about six weeks. He said as soon as those are weaned we can have her spayed.
In an interesting twist, Dr. Wood had also picked up a dog for himself at the Mustang animal shelter a few weeks earlier that he figures must be a litter mate of Annnie's. Spittin' image, he said - same coloring, same patterning, appears to be the same age and build - only Doc's dog is a male, and Doc discovered his dog had already been neutered.
I am very curious to know more of the story behind these two dogs, but as smart as Annie is, neither she nor her brother speak English, so we'll just have to guess.
Thanks for reading....
~V
A few weeks ago we went to the Apple store and got me an iPhone. I must say, all the starry-eyed praise I've heard from other iPhone users - is true. It's an incredibly smart device. Listen, here's how smart this phone is: the iPhone is so smart, it does not find it necessary to make me look stupid to boost its own ego. Anyone who's been made a fool of by some smart thing knows that is an unusual thing in smartness these days. I'm glad I got it! iPhone.
Just a few days after that, the weekend before Father's day weekend, Steve and I were strolling through the Wally and I noticed he had fallen behind - he was there - and then he wasn't. I turned around to see where he was and I saw him standing before a glass counter display in the electronics department. Granted, Steve loves music as much as anyone of our generation, but it is unusual for him to fall out of formation like that, so I rolled back to see what he was looking at.
"See those little things there?" he asked, pointing at some shiny little devices about the size of a Ghirardelli chocolate you sometimes see around the checkout counter at the Walgreen's. "iPod Nano," he said, reading the placard. "When we were at the Apple store the other day, while you were waiting for your new phone, I was looking around the store and I put on a set of headphones - the old-fashioned kind that cover your ears - that was hooked up to one of these little things, and I could hear it! It was the best sound I've heard in a long, long time. And these little things? They hold thousands of songs!"
"Wow," I said, "That's something, isn't it?" In that moment, I could not wait to get back up to the Apple store and get him one.
In the following week, I got exactly that chance between a car-service appointment and a lunch date with a friend. I stopped by the Apple store and got Steve a tidy little iPod Nano, a set of headphones that cover his ears and a dock that he can plug his Nano into and listen without headphones.
On the way home from that day's errands, Apple gift in tow, the thought popped into my head, What if I brought a puppy home? I imagined myself saying, "Look what I got!" But I didn't bring a puppy home with me because that would be a decision we'd need to make together.
When I got home that day, straight out of the blue, Steve asked, "Can I get a puppy? I'd want to go to an animal shelter, interact, and see who resonates." Seems like one of those times we had the same idea.
In the following week it was extraordinarily difficult to keep from giving Steve his gift of music early, but somehow I managed to wait until Father's Day. He was surprised and pleased.
Meanwhile, the idea of getting a dog was still in the air at our house, and then KFOR news ran a thing featuring the Edmond shelter, about how with all the dogs (and cats) they have, they desperately need families to adopt some of those doggies (and kitties). We talked amongst ourselves about it and decided to center our search a little closer to home.
One day rolled into another, and last week I pulled up some information online about various shelters closer to us than Edmond. Last Thursday we decided to go check out some shelters and interview some dogs.
We ended up at the El Reno shelter where their inventory consisted of (1) a disheveled red and white spaniel looking guy who barked constantly, (2+) a little wiry terrier looking mom with a passel of little black pups, (3) their alleged daddy (but I wonder, because he was white, and there was not one light complected pup in the litter), (4) a pit bull (not available for adoption because he had killed a couple dozen of his neighbor's chickens), and (5) a medium sized red shepherd mix.
"This one's a pretty good little dog," Officer McClain said. "She followed some kids home the other day, and has stayed right on their porch for the last two days. I picked her up just today, and she came right over to me, licked my hand. Friendly. Pretty good little dog."
So we brought her home with us, and she is friendly and a good little dog. Here's a picture of her:
We brainstormed a series of names and settled on "Annie."
Called our family vet, Dr. Terry Wood's office, and they could see her on the following Monday (day before yesterday as I write). We took her in on Monday afternoon for a checkup, shots, and to get an appointment to have her spayed.
She's about 35 pounds and change. Doc estimates her to be about 8 months of age. He could not give her any shots, though, because she's expecting. About three weeks along, he figures, so we anticipate we'll be whelping a litter of pups in about six weeks. He said as soon as those are weaned we can have her spayed.
In an interesting twist, Dr. Wood had also picked up a dog for himself at the Mustang animal shelter a few weeks earlier that he figures must be a litter mate of Annnie's. Spittin' image, he said - same coloring, same patterning, appears to be the same age and build - only Doc's dog is a male, and Doc discovered his dog had already been neutered.
I am very curious to know more of the story behind these two dogs, but as smart as Annie is, neither she nor her brother speak English, so we'll just have to guess.
Thanks for reading....
~V
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Baking Bread Today
For the first time in this new house and the first time in a long time I'm baking bread today.
It's a comfort activity for me, baking our bread, almost a religious experience.
We're still finishing up some of the interior finish woodwork, still moving out of our temporary dwelling, but I'm baking bread today and it feels like home.
Baking Bread with the James Taylor channel on AOL - what could be more placid?
Maybe I'll add a photo of the finished product once it's baked.
If you're curious to know my recipe/method, you can see it here: http://eightsusquehanna.blogspot.com/2009/01/baking-day-and-other-projects.html, bearing in mind that asking me much of anything is like trying to get a drink of water from a fire hydrant. It is a fun read, though, and it will walk you through exactly how I make bread.
Thanks for reading!
Vicki
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Dodged Another Bullet
Last night the weather kids very clearly stated that we were very likely to have dangerous weather between three and five in the afternoon today.
This morning Steve and I did some work in the garden, mounding up potatoes, and weeding and mulching and then replanting the bare spots in the okra row. I told Steve not to set the sprinklers because we'd be having some rain later in the day, and oh, did we ever!
Big crazy mean tornado, grinding through Canadian County, EF5 tornado doing its level best to flatten El Reno and environs, rolling SLOWLY across I-40... long story short, leaving a long, wide path of destruction but missing us to the north...then a firing line of similar weather setting up again, missing us to the south. The whole time we're watching live continuous coverage with color Doppler radar on our local TV station AND the interactive weather map on the internet. For hours we watched intense weather patterns heading straight for us, only to dissipate slightly as they neared us as if opening a portal, sending the brunt of storms around to the north or to the south of us.
We did get about forty five minutes of pretty intense, no-kidding-I-really-mean-it rain right here on our little homestead, probably about two inches worth here. (I expect to see okra sprouts shortly!) Then the weather cleared out, moving on to the east, revealing clear skies and sunshine to the west, thank you very much. We had been so wrought up with watching all the color radars and being prepared to go blankets and pillows into our Safe Place that I had not made a move toward supper preparations, so when it was all done for us here, Steve said, "Wanna go up and get a Chick-fil-A or something?"
He went out to the front porch to wait while I locked up the house, and observed a small piece of torn leaf falling straight down from the sky, a little green piece of storm debris. Landed right on our porch.
Now we're back home for the night, and glad to be. Garden got a good quality watering. There's water in the pond across the road again, and even though it isn't quite full (yet?) it's another beginning. I saw an egret circling the pond again and the sounds of little froggies already fill the air. Doesn't take those frogs long at all!
Wonder what it's going to do tomorrow?
...Looking Forward,
Vicki
This morning Steve and I did some work in the garden, mounding up potatoes, and weeding and mulching and then replanting the bare spots in the okra row. I told Steve not to set the sprinklers because we'd be having some rain later in the day, and oh, did we ever!
Big crazy mean tornado, grinding through Canadian County, EF5 tornado doing its level best to flatten El Reno and environs, rolling SLOWLY across I-40... long story short, leaving a long, wide path of destruction but missing us to the north...then a firing line of similar weather setting up again, missing us to the south. The whole time we're watching live continuous coverage with color Doppler radar on our local TV station AND the interactive weather map on the internet. For hours we watched intense weather patterns heading straight for us, only to dissipate slightly as they neared us as if opening a portal, sending the brunt of storms around to the north or to the south of us.
We did get about forty five minutes of pretty intense, no-kidding-I-really-mean-it rain right here on our little homestead, probably about two inches worth here. (I expect to see okra sprouts shortly!) Then the weather cleared out, moving on to the east, revealing clear skies and sunshine to the west, thank you very much. We had been so wrought up with watching all the color radars and being prepared to go blankets and pillows into our Safe Place that I had not made a move toward supper preparations, so when it was all done for us here, Steve said, "Wanna go up and get a Chick-fil-A or something?"
He went out to the front porch to wait while I locked up the house, and observed a small piece of torn leaf falling straight down from the sky, a little green piece of storm debris. Landed right on our porch.
Now we're back home for the night, and glad to be. Garden got a good quality watering. There's water in the pond across the road again, and even though it isn't quite full (yet?) it's another beginning. I saw an egret circling the pond again and the sounds of little froggies already fill the air. Doesn't take those frogs long at all!
Wonder what it's going to do tomorrow?
...Looking Forward,
Vicki
Monday, May 23, 2011
Update on Steve's Shoulder
Steve is (counting on my fingers) four days post-op and is doing pretty well, due in large part to the fact that he is NOT out there trying to overdo it for once!
An outpatient, he was ready to go home as soon as he was awake enough to realize the surgery was over. He woke up HUNGRY and scarfed down about a half dozen little packets of crackers and a big ol' Dr. Pepper before he was released, and then a #2 cheeseburger, tater tots and half-Coke-half-Dr.-Pepper from Sonic on the way home, hardly any of which he remembered the next day, Versed.
The first day his arm was "asleep" most of the day because of the anesthesia they used, but he had a pretty rough night as the block began to wear off. Neither of us got much sleep Thursday night, which put me in mind of the days when I had new infants, of reminding myself to sleep when they slept, which I never seemed to remember when they were sleeping. After that first twenty four hours, though, he really did start feeling better, for which both of us are supremely grateful. I am very pleased with his progress. Se see the doc again next Monday.
A pretty girl sent us home with a satchel containing pressure wraps for his legs and one for his shoulder, along with a rechargeable pump that puffs the wraps up while he's wearing them.. The shoulder wrap has freezy stuff in it, so we put it in the freezer for an hour or so, and then put it on him to work its magic until the freezy stuff thaws out or until he's ready to get up. He's been up and about too much to get much use out of the leg wraps, but he's gotten a LOT of relief from the shoulder wrap.Someone was having a good day when they thought up freezy shoulder pressure wraps, I can tell you that.
This morning we took a leisurely walk the length of the field and back, had a bite of lunch, and now Steve is napping in front of the TV while I plink around on the computer with music in my ears thanks to earbuds and the James Taylor channel on AOL Radio.
An outpatient, he was ready to go home as soon as he was awake enough to realize the surgery was over. He woke up HUNGRY and scarfed down about a half dozen little packets of crackers and a big ol' Dr. Pepper before he was released, and then a #2 cheeseburger, tater tots and half-Coke-half-Dr.-Pepper from Sonic on the way home, hardly any of which he remembered the next day, Versed.
The first day his arm was "asleep" most of the day because of the anesthesia they used, but he had a pretty rough night as the block began to wear off. Neither of us got much sleep Thursday night, which put me in mind of the days when I had new infants, of reminding myself to sleep when they slept, which I never seemed to remember when they were sleeping. After that first twenty four hours, though, he really did start feeling better, for which both of us are supremely grateful. I am very pleased with his progress. Se see the doc again next Monday.
A pretty girl sent us home with a satchel containing pressure wraps for his legs and one for his shoulder, along with a rechargeable pump that puffs the wraps up while he's wearing them.. The shoulder wrap has freezy stuff in it, so we put it in the freezer for an hour or so, and then put it on him to work its magic until the freezy stuff thaws out or until he's ready to get up. He's been up and about too much to get much use out of the leg wraps, but he's gotten a LOT of relief from the shoulder wrap.Someone was having a good day when they thought up freezy shoulder pressure wraps, I can tell you that.
This morning we took a leisurely walk the length of the field and back, had a bite of lunch, and now Steve is napping in front of the TV while I plink around on the computer with music in my ears thanks to earbuds and the James Taylor channel on AOL Radio.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Steve's having some shoulder work done today. He told the doctor "Once I'm all fixed up and have that 92 mph fastball cookin' again, I'd like it if you could write a note for my file releasing me from dish washing."
Doc said, "Hmmm, actually, I usually prescribe 'washing dishes' as part of your post-op physical therapy..."
Updates as available....
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Thank God We Finally Got Some Rain!
Oklahoma has been in a drought.
The last week or so some weather has wound through the state, usually setting up east of us, and moving east. That evil rash of tornadoes over the last week? Fired up right here in Oklahoma - about thirty miles east of us, heading east. I do not relish heavy weather, not one bit, but we got nary a drop of rain out of all that commotion.
We've been keeping the garden alive with the garden hose. You can certainly keep your garden alive with a garden hose, but rain is the magic potion, and by golly, we finally got some, awaking early Easter morning to sounds of rain.
Not scary - no particular wind to speak of - a little easy lightening, a little light thunder - and rain, from light mist to gentle showers, most of the day. Enough to bring a little standing water in the low places, but not so much as to make the muddy places unbearable.
The birds are all thrilled. You should have heard them out there, singing their happy songs. It was a pleasure to hear!
Speaking of birds...
Birds have a sort of language. The specifics are different for different breeds, and, within breeds, may differ regionally - avian dialects, so to speak - but one consistent thing I've noticed is that they all use warning calls when they detect a threat of some sort. Around here the warning call we hear most often is one we refer to as "calling cat," a brief squawk that actually sounds like the birds are calling, "Cat! Cat! Cat!" I cannot reliably differentiate between a bird calling "Cat!" "Person!" or "Hawk!" but I definitely know a warning call when I hear it.
I was out by the well house a week or so ago, heard a bird calling "Cat! Cat!" and looked up to see what kind of bird it was. I stood still, looking toward the sound, trying to triangulate in on it and caught a flash of movement. I focused on the area of movement and saw a woodpecker working its way around the tree. I love woodpeckers and the way they work a tree - it's like they're standing on this vertical surface, moving side to side around the tree, which is what this woodpecker did.
I stood very still, watching, as the woodpecker made its way left and right. I noticed a perfectly round hole in the tree under an old stump of broken off branch, and thought, gee, wouldn't it be funny if a bird lived in that hole? As I stood there watching the woodpecker work its way around the tree, back and forth, it came to the hole and peeked in. Looked around (as if to see who was watching). Poked its head in the hole. Pulled its head out and looked around. Head and shoulders back in the hole, one last glance out, and then disappeared into the hole!
Awestruck, I stayed put, still watching, and saw a second woodpecker just a few branches away. I'm thinkin' we have a little woodpecker family making a home right out in the Sweetgum tree behind the house!
Pleased as punch to have gotten some rain, I stepped out to the garden to get a few photos. Too many to post in this blog entry, but I will give you a teaser and a link. Here is the teaser:
...And you can see the rest of the photos from today, if you wish, at http://gallery.me.com/vlnewby#100079.
The last week or so some weather has wound through the state, usually setting up east of us, and moving east. That evil rash of tornadoes over the last week? Fired up right here in Oklahoma - about thirty miles east of us, heading east. I do not relish heavy weather, not one bit, but we got nary a drop of rain out of all that commotion.
We've been keeping the garden alive with the garden hose. You can certainly keep your garden alive with a garden hose, but rain is the magic potion, and by golly, we finally got some, awaking early Easter morning to sounds of rain.
Not scary - no particular wind to speak of - a little easy lightening, a little light thunder - and rain, from light mist to gentle showers, most of the day. Enough to bring a little standing water in the low places, but not so much as to make the muddy places unbearable.
The birds are all thrilled. You should have heard them out there, singing their happy songs. It was a pleasure to hear!
Speaking of birds...
Birds have a sort of language. The specifics are different for different breeds, and, within breeds, may differ regionally - avian dialects, so to speak - but one consistent thing I've noticed is that they all use warning calls when they detect a threat of some sort. Around here the warning call we hear most often is one we refer to as "calling cat," a brief squawk that actually sounds like the birds are calling, "Cat! Cat! Cat!" I cannot reliably differentiate between a bird calling "Cat!" "Person!" or "Hawk!" but I definitely know a warning call when I hear it.
I was out by the well house a week or so ago, heard a bird calling "Cat! Cat!" and looked up to see what kind of bird it was. I stood still, looking toward the sound, trying to triangulate in on it and caught a flash of movement. I focused on the area of movement and saw a woodpecker working its way around the tree. I love woodpeckers and the way they work a tree - it's like they're standing on this vertical surface, moving side to side around the tree, which is what this woodpecker did.
I stood very still, watching, as the woodpecker made its way left and right. I noticed a perfectly round hole in the tree under an old stump of broken off branch, and thought, gee, wouldn't it be funny if a bird lived in that hole? As I stood there watching the woodpecker work its way around the tree, back and forth, it came to the hole and peeked in. Looked around (as if to see who was watching). Poked its head in the hole. Pulled its head out and looked around. Head and shoulders back in the hole, one last glance out, and then disappeared into the hole!
Awestruck, I stayed put, still watching, and saw a second woodpecker just a few branches away. I'm thinkin' we have a little woodpecker family making a home right out in the Sweetgum tree behind the house!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 |
| Three Sisters - Beans, Corn, Pumpkin |
As always, thanks for reading :)
Vicki~
Friday, April 8, 2011
This Year's Garden
As we continue to prepare this year's garden, here is a note about what we have in so far:
Potatoes, tomatoes, leeks, onions, sage, mint, lavender, rhubarb, horseradish, turnips, carrots, cabbage, lettuce and dill.
Yesterday we planted some beans called "Ireland Creek Annie Bean," an heirloom shell bean with a bush habit with "superb delicious flavor, makes its own thick sauce." I'll let you know about that later in the season.
Also some wax beans, some Edamame Soy beans, some Cilantro (which I LOVE) some Borage, more dill, and some castor beans.
Castor beans are not for eating - they are highly toxic. This particular variety is a red-leaf variety. Castor plants are tropical guys, but will grow as seasonal annuals here in zone 7. Why in the world would I have a poisonous plant in my garden, you may wonder. They are spectacularly ornamental, true, but Grandma Susie always had a castor plant out by her garden behind her house. She said they kept the gophers out of the garden, so we'll see about that, too.
I still have green beans, pole beans, squashes, cucumbers, pumpkins, and tomatillos to plant. Oh, and Sweet Potatoes, when the slips come in. I have a bed saved for the Sweet Potatoes :)
Will keep you posted!
Potatoes, tomatoes, leeks, onions, sage, mint, lavender, rhubarb, horseradish, turnips, carrots, cabbage, lettuce and dill.
Yesterday we planted some beans called "Ireland Creek Annie Bean," an heirloom shell bean with a bush habit with "superb delicious flavor, makes its own thick sauce." I'll let you know about that later in the season.
Also some wax beans, some Edamame Soy beans, some Cilantro (which I LOVE) some Borage, more dill, and some castor beans.
Castor beans are not for eating - they are highly toxic. This particular variety is a red-leaf variety. Castor plants are tropical guys, but will grow as seasonal annuals here in zone 7. Why in the world would I have a poisonous plant in my garden, you may wonder. They are spectacularly ornamental, true, but Grandma Susie always had a castor plant out by her garden behind her house. She said they kept the gophers out of the garden, so we'll see about that, too.
I still have green beans, pole beans, squashes, cucumbers, pumpkins, and tomatillos to plant. Oh, and Sweet Potatoes, when the slips come in. I have a bed saved for the Sweet Potatoes :)
Will keep you posted!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
We built 4'x8' boxes, 1' deep for raised beds, a dozen of them. Have potatoes in four of them, Roma (sauce) tomatoes in one, other heirloom eating tomatoes in another, and beets & parsnips in another. Planted in plain raised rows we have onions, turnips, carrots, cabbage, lettuce & dill, besides the leeks, onions, chives, rhubarb, horseradish (thanks Renay!) and other herbs we have out there already.
I stayed too long in the sun today, for which I'll be sorry later, but we sure got a lot done today. Good Day, yes.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
What'm I going to cook first?
My friend Renay in Cooperstown asked me what I's gonna cook first, now that all our inspections have passed.
I'm going to wash up "Vishu the Preserver" (my 22 qt canning pressure cooker) and can some homegrown carrots. They overwintered nicely in the ground but I had to pull them so the guy could run the tiller in the garden.
Okay, I hear you wondering, she calls her husband "the guy?" Ehhh - no. A friend of ours came out and ran the tiller so Steve could stay on task with the house. Put in a good eight hours tilling that garden up, but I did have to get the carrots out first. So I'm going to can them. I already have a box of new jars!
Tomorrow I am going to make up a nice, big cheesy tuna casserole with a crispy topping. Oh, are we looking forward to that!
I have to ask Steve if we can put stuff in the kitchen cabinets yet, because they don't have doors yet ("We don't need no steenkeen doors!") and I have to see if we need to put another layer of polyurethane on the cabinets.
Okay, I hear you wondering, she calls her husband "the guy?" Ehhh - no. A friend of ours came out and ran the tiller so Steve could stay on task with the house. Put in a good eight hours tilling that garden up, but I did have to get the carrots out first. So I'm going to can them. I already have a box of new jars!
Tomorrow I am going to make up a nice, big cheesy tuna casserole with a crispy topping. Oh, are we looking forward to that!
I have to ask Steve if we can put stuff in the kitchen cabinets yet, because they don't have doors yet ("We don't need no steenkeen doors!") and I have to see if we need to put another layer of polyurethane on the cabinets.
March 21, 2011
I am thrilled to report that as of 9:30 this morning, our house has passed all inspections! Thank you City of Mustang, Building Inspector Jerry Calloway, and Administrative Assistant Gayla Early! Gold Stars to you!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Nearly Done, Maybe?
The plumbing, heat & air guys are done, just left. All that is in and working. A few dribs and drabs of electrical work, lamps to install, and whatnot, but I think we're about ready for final inspection. Have put in a call to the inspector, so we'll see what he thinks - more news as it becomes available!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday March 7, 2011
Today is Misty's birthday! Delivered by a hard-line old-school doctor who did not believe in routine ultrasounds, we got to enjoy the surprise of discovering her gender when she was born. She's all grown up now, with a little girl of her own!
I had ranted about some workmen, but they've made everything right, now, and I like them again, so down with the rant.
I had ranted about some workmen, but they've made everything right, now, and I like them again, so down with the rant.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday March 3, 2011
Today Graham got the Lazy Susans installed in the corner cabinets, and then he and Steve continued installing clapboard to the front face of the house.
We're trying to stay on the plumbers' and electricians' schedules - the good thing about them being so busy is that it speaks well of the quality of their work that they're in such demand. The bad thing about it is that I can't just have them magically appear the second I call! We hope to see them tomorrow.
While we were having our lunch a couple guys and a dog in a big white pickup truck with out of state tags pulled in, looking to make us a deal on some equipment. Wasn't anything we needed, and they wanted to unload the whole lot for the hefty sum of 6K, which may or may not have been a good deal, I don't know. But here they were, way out here in the sticks hawking those goods - a couple generators, some kind of pumps (like firemen use, Steve said) and something else.
Steve was cordial enough to them, but it wasn't anything we were interested in (especially not for 6K - ouch!). Kinda gave me the willies, strangers pulling in, trying to sell big ticket items out of their truck like that. Steve sent 'em along on their way and closed the gate after 'em.
Directly, we saw that one of Mustang's Finest had pulled over a certain big white pickup with out of state tags and crates of equipment in the back. Havin' a little chat with the fellas, checkin' 'em out, right up at the stop sign on the corner. Apparently their story checked out enough to convince Barney, but they were advised to move along, now, which they did, along with their goods that they hadn't yet been able to talk anyone into buying.
We're trying to stay on the plumbers' and electricians' schedules - the good thing about them being so busy is that it speaks well of the quality of their work that they're in such demand. The bad thing about it is that I can't just have them magically appear the second I call! We hope to see them tomorrow.
While we were having our lunch a couple guys and a dog in a big white pickup truck with out of state tags pulled in, looking to make us a deal on some equipment. Wasn't anything we needed, and they wanted to unload the whole lot for the hefty sum of 6K, which may or may not have been a good deal, I don't know. But here they were, way out here in the sticks hawking those goods - a couple generators, some kind of pumps (like firemen use, Steve said) and something else.
Steve was cordial enough to them, but it wasn't anything we were interested in (especially not for 6K - ouch!). Kinda gave me the willies, strangers pulling in, trying to sell big ticket items out of their truck like that. Steve sent 'em along on their way and closed the gate after 'em.
Directly, we saw that one of Mustang's Finest had pulled over a certain big white pickup with out of state tags and crates of equipment in the back. Havin' a little chat with the fellas, checkin' 'em out, right up at the stop sign on the corner. Apparently their story checked out enough to convince Barney, but they were advised to move along, now, which they did, along with their goods that they hadn't yet been able to talk anyone into buying.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The tile guys got done on Friday (yay!).
Yesterday, Saturday, we scuff-sanded the kitchen cabinets. Today, Sunday, we're bringing the appliances out of storage into the house for installation this week (YAY!!).
Would-be burglars, be advised: Security is active here! Attempt skullduggery at your peril!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
February 24, 2011
The bathroom is (mostly) grouted now. There were a few sections they couldn't really finish until after the countertop guys finished in there, but that's done, now,so the tile guys have got the last bits of tile installed in the bathroom and will finish grouting in there soon.
The plumber came out and put a full day in. Got a lot done, but not everything. We decided to wait until the tile guys are done before we start yammering to have the plumber back out to finish.
Steve and Graham got the rest of the woodwork up around the kitchen windows, and on Monday, Steve and I performed an exhaustive marathon of staining and varnishing (sanding sealer) on all the cabinets in the kitchen so the tile guys could come in on Tuesday and sling mud in there. They really are careful, our tile guys, but they are moving mud and it does get on things, so if you have just bare wood hanging out where tilers are working, you are asking for trouble...and we don't want any trouble. So we stained and varnished and baby, got 'er done, complete with accessory stains-on-skin and varnish-in-hair, in spite of protective clothing. What a knockout beautiful job, though:
You can see that the tile guys got the "splash" laid, too. That's that brick-laid pattern you see on the wall.
(Those wires an' stuff aren't so pretty, but it is a work in progress.)
I tell you what, these tile guys - it ain't these cowboys' first rodeo, no sirree. They get right to work, don't dilly-dally around, and keep their stuff gathered up. They come in early enough and put in a good, no-kiddin' day, layin' that tile. Serious about their work, good natured, pleasant, easy to talk to if you need to, and they stay to task. Gold Stars from me all the way around, these guys.
We got our tile guys, by the way, through Bryan's Flooring. They only do jobs for Bryan's, and no kidding, Bryan's and their customers are lucky to have guys like this. If you're in Oklahoma and need a floor done, call Bryan's Flooring. Ask for Susie. She's the one who got us all fixed up and arranged for us to have these excellent guys.
Thanks for reading - we're still making noticeable progress every day, and I take pictures 'most every day right now (over 800 pics on file for this massive project!). I figger I'll organize them and have them printed up to put in a book when we're done, but for now, I'll just post another update in about a week or so.
Moving forward ~
The plumber came out and put a full day in. Got a lot done, but not everything. We decided to wait until the tile guys are done before we start yammering to have the plumber back out to finish.
Steve and Graham got the rest of the woodwork up around the kitchen windows, and on Monday, Steve and I performed an exhaustive marathon of staining and varnishing (sanding sealer) on all the cabinets in the kitchen so the tile guys could come in on Tuesday and sling mud in there. They really are careful, our tile guys, but they are moving mud and it does get on things, so if you have just bare wood hanging out where tilers are working, you are asking for trouble...and we don't want any trouble. So we stained and varnished and baby, got 'er done, complete with accessory stains-on-skin and varnish-in-hair, in spite of protective clothing. What a knockout beautiful job, though:
You can see that the tile guys got the "splash" laid, too. That's that brick-laid pattern you see on the wall.(Those wires an' stuff aren't so pretty, but it is a work in progress.)
I tell you what, these tile guys - it ain't these cowboys' first rodeo, no sirree. They get right to work, don't dilly-dally around, and keep their stuff gathered up. They come in early enough and put in a good, no-kiddin' day, layin' that tile. Serious about their work, good natured, pleasant, easy to talk to if you need to, and they stay to task. Gold Stars from me all the way around, these guys.
We got our tile guys, by the way, through Bryan's Flooring. They only do jobs for Bryan's, and no kidding, Bryan's and their customers are lucky to have guys like this. If you're in Oklahoma and need a floor done, call Bryan's Flooring. Ask for Susie. She's the one who got us all fixed up and arranged for us to have these excellent guys.
Thanks for reading - we're still making noticeable progress every day, and I take pictures 'most every day right now (over 800 pics on file for this massive project!). I figger I'll organize them and have them printed up to put in a book when we're done, but for now, I'll just post another update in about a week or so.
Moving forward ~
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Progress so far....
The countertop guys were here yesterday, got the kitchen and bathroom counters in. Here's a view of the kitchen:
Bathroom tile is in and the tile guys should be back tomorrow to grout the bathroom. Also, the plumbers are supposed to come tomorrow to top out the plumbing in the house. Once those things are done, we can apply for that certificate of occupancy! Thrilling progress! Still a lot to do, but these are huge milestones.
We're enjoying significant progress every day. Today Steve and Graham finished and hung this long cabinet and the window frames and sill for the kitchen windows:
Moving forward!
Bathroom tile is in and the tile guys should be back tomorrow to grout the bathroom. Also, the plumbers are supposed to come tomorrow to top out the plumbing in the house. Once those things are done, we can apply for that certificate of occupancy! Thrilling progress! Still a lot to do, but these are huge milestones.
We're enjoying significant progress every day. Today Steve and Graham finished and hung this long cabinet and the window frames and sill for the kitchen windows:
Moving forward!
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