The front of the house

So this summer we said that we were going to finish the front of the house.  I am not sure if we put that in writing or not, but here's where we are at, now that it is officially fall...

In August, we left the husband home while my Mom and I took the kids up to NH for a weekend in the White Mountains.  While we were gone he was going to get to work on the front of the house.  When we came home, this is what we saw...  Yes, it always looks worse before it gets better.  Or so I have been told. We were hoping for more progress, but alas these things take time...LOTS of time.

It has been a very slow process, with work done off and on all summer.  We had to special order boards that were wide and long enough.  Most of the original boards were rotten with a lot of creature holes.

It is REALLY high, and difficult dragging heavy, long boards up there, not to mention nailing them in...  He tried to get me to help with one of the trim boards, but I get about to the top of the door and my vertigo kicks in.  I am pretty useless frozen to the ladder.  Jack actually helped him and yes, we had words about that.

The house is starting to look better though.  He talked a friend into helping him with the crown molding.  Here is a picture of the two of them, insanely crazy people up on ladders.  I couldn't watch and had to go in the house.  They came down in one piece, thankfully and got the job done!

Hey Brian, does your wife know where you are?

Up in the sky - aye yi yi

Pilchard is supervising - notice that she can't watch the action either...

Strike a pose - small men or giant ladders...

 I am not convinced that we will have the trim finished and the front painted before winter...but I am not giving up hope.  The missing trim over the bay window had rotted beyond repair and we have been unable to match it...might have to replace all the window top molding, but I hope not.  Clearly the landscaping  will have to wait until spring...

RIP Snowball

Summer 2011 - September 2013

Saturday morning I was awoken by a teary 11 year old, who told me one of his ducks had died.  He found her in the duck house that morning.  She was one of our original four ducklings that we got from Clem's (along with Nibbles, Sweetie and Ducky).  She didn't appear to be sick, but she hasn't been laying much lately and we think she may have had an impacted egg, which can be deadly.

Snowball, we will miss you and that goofy feather tuft on the top of your head.  Even Sweetie appears a bit bereft.  We buried her in the yard by the old shed, where Lucy (a previous owner's pet) was laid to rest.

Christmas in August...

Santa Larry (aka Dad) came for a visit about a week ago.  I don't know what happens when your Father visits, you, but mine brought with him a new shower valve.  Ok so maybe you aren't instantly jealous, but you have to understand that we have been using this

for the past almost three years as the old one broke/rotted off during our first week in the house.
We wanted to replace it, but also wanted to gut and remodel the entire bathroom and so kept putting it off...not thinking it would be three years later and now the vice grips are also starting to fail...

The funny thing is that the kids are so used to the vice grips that they didn't know how to work a shower dial!  My older one said, "wow that looks like a real shower knob".  It is!  My middle one said "how do you use it?".  My younger one said "don't think I am taking more baths."

The other fabulous side effect is the water no longer dribbles out, but is a torrent.  Water pressure, oh how I have missed you!

Here is an action shot of the newest hole in my wall...well worth it!

But wait...there is more...

We have these deck supports that are concrete footings.  There is no longer a deck, and the posts stick up just enough to trip you every time you walk by.  I have been asking the husband to get them out of here for three years now.  He spray painted them orange, but that doesn't help at night.  He also brought home some sort of gadget pry bar, but they are deep and did I mention, set in concrete...

So, my Dad has a Jeep, with a tow hook.  He hooked up a chain to the posts and ripped them out of the ground.  It was awesome.  We pulled out five big posts and also two tree roots that tripped you when walking behind the duck pen.




Woo Hoo!  Love you Dad.  Your vehicle is pretty cool too.