Dead Before Halloween

Rick and Stephanie got an unexpected opportunity to visit Gladys this fall, so they flew down on October 26 (which is teachers' convention for Rick) using some of the free accumulated miles we all had.  Since the Governor robbed Wisconsin teachers of bargaining rights in an effort to break the unions, (unfortunately, he was pretty much successful in doing so), teachers' convention was cancelled this year, but most schools had some semblance of a contract that allowed the teachers time off.  Rick figures this is the last time this will ever happen, so he used some personal days and the convention days to make a five-day trip to Gladys. Sadly, I could not afford to be away from my students for that long since the college does not have a teachers' convention in the fall, so I stayed home while Stephanie enjoyed a few days in the sun.

This was Stephanie's first time to see Gladys, and she got a taste both of beautiful fall weather and of some of Gladys' bad habits.  Rick had the water turned on for Gladys on Tuesday, October 25.  By the time that they arrived late Wednesday, Gladys had peed on herself again!  The water connection leaked where a bathroom sink will someday go in the main bathroom, and Rick and Stephanie arrived to a three-foot puddle.  Stephanie learned the first rule of visiting Gladys-- always know the way to Lowes or Home Depot.  After some work, Rick was able to pretty much abate the leaks although he said that he has a bucket installed under both bathroom sink connections.  Leaking sinks will not be a problem once they leave because we again will turn off the water to the house, but this certainly is a problem that we will have to solve once we return in June 2012.

Workman cutting trunk of the tree.

While they were down there, Rick and I decided that we needed to have the leaning tree in the back yard removed, hence the name of this blog.  The tree is down and dead before Halloween which is much sooner than we thought we would be rid of it.  The roots were half out of the ground, the tree was not healthy, and it grew around our electrical wires so that if it fell, the wires would go with it. It also dropped dirty, huge pods all over the yard.  We spent $500 to get it taken down, but it was certainly worth the hassle.  I have attached a few pictures of the process.

Grinding up the exposed roots and stump.

We hired a firm that was recommended to us, and they did a great job.  Rick said they very carefully dropped the tree, hauled the lumber away, and as the photos show, they also ground up the stump -- including all of the exposed roots that caused all of the problems in the first place -- and smoothed out the yard.

No tree! Now we have room for a lanai... someday.

Now that the yard is smooth, we can someday remove all of the stepping stones and pour a large slab foundation for a lanai.  We would like to have a screened porch that goes from the end of the Florida room to the end of the garage.  Someday...  Unfortunately, the other tree in the picture above also needs to be removed since it is 90% dead and fairly rotten.  We found evidence of termites near it in the summer, and it also will threaten the house if it falls.

Flower buds on the giant cactus

Stephanie sent a couple of other pictures just to show me what I am missing in the fall.  The first is of the 20 foot cactus in the back yard that has suddenly decided to bloom again.  Naturally, it will come into full bloom when we are gone.  It was just starting to bloom when we left in late July, and now the fall show of bright pink blossoms will again be enjoyed only by the neighbors.

Hibiscus in bloom.

She also said that my hibiscus on the south side of the house was beautiful, and she sent evidence of that too.  The hibiscus, at least, was kind enough to bloom all through the summer, so at least I got a chance to see those blossoms. The blossoms are usually quite large, and against the green foliage, they make quite a show.

They have had a fun time down to see Gladys.  Steve and Chris are down there also, so they have been able to see their house and to enjoy some time with them on this vacation.  Rick, of course, does not want to come home.  I do not blame him.  He said that the temperature should reach 77 today; the temp was 33 here in Wisconsin when I went to church this morning!  We can both smile though, because a very bad winter is predicted, and in the past two days, the East Coast has been hit with a terrible early snowstorm.  Parts of Massachusetts have received 24 inches of heavy, wet snow.  I'll take my future winters in Gladys any day!

I wish I could say that I would post again around Easter time, but I doubt that we will be able to fly down at that time.  Rick does not get much time off, and neither do I.  This will probably have to suffice until next summer.  I hope that Gladys has a safe, snug winter.  I cannot wait to see her in late spring!

A Tale of Two Homes

We are home -- in Green Bay, that is.  For now, this still seems to hold the title of "home" more than Gladys does, although as time goes on and we begin to split our year into six months in each place, that may change.

Our second day of travel toward Wisconsin began with a planned later start.  We were up at 5:00 a.m. (now in Central Time) and went down to the hotel lobby for breakfast.  Unfortunately, this was not a breakfast that Julia Child would have raved about.  The eggs were powdered, the formerly-frozen French toast sticks were reheated -- and now almost cold --  fossilized planks, and even the sweet rolls, according to Rick, were less than spectacular.  Ah, well... at least no one forced us to try the grits!

We got off to a good start from Athens, AL, and soon crossed the border into Tennessee.  We agreed that Rick would drive through Nashville, and I am so glad that he did.  On the way down to Florida, we were blessed with sunshine all the way, and up to that point in our return trip, the sun had also been with us.  Then Mother Nature remembered that she had not washed our truck in a while.  Just as we got to the southern part of Nashville, the rain started.  The more we got into the unfamiliar city, the harder the rain fell.  We soon found ourselves in the middle of a good, old-fashioned cloud-burst, gully-washer of a storm.  The windshield wipers could not keep up with the waterfall, so our visibility was approximately 2 feet in front of us.  The rain beat on the truck so hard, I thought that it would wash the paint off.  We could not hear the directions coming from the GPS system, and reading signs was impossible.  Naturally, we were in very heavy traffic since this was in the very middle of Nashville.

How we managed to navigate through that city still amazes me, but somehow we made the right turns, and we did not hit anyone or have anyone hit us.  Of course, once we were through the worst of it, the rain began to subside.  Go figure. An hour north of Nashville, the sun came out and the day turned hot.

We changed roles driving every few hours, getting out to stretch and to use the restroom, so by noon we were through Tennessee and Kentucky, and we entered Illinois.  Other than California, Illinois has to be the longest state in the nation to try to drive through.  (OK, I admit that Texas is large, too, but Illinois seems to go on forever.)  About mid-way through the state, our second "event" of the day happened.  I was driving, the sun was beating on me, and I mentioned to Rick that I was really hot.

"You're just having a hot flash," the smart-aleck replied.

"I don't care, " I said. "Turn the %$#& air conditioner down."

He obliged, but the truck didn't.  No matter what buttons he pushed, the air conditioner, which was NOT functioning, did not go on. He worked on the buttons and switches for about half an hour, checked the manual, and then began to fret about the fact that a new compressor could cost us a $1000 to fix.  None of this was making me any cooler.  We rolled down the windows and began to "enjoy" the 88 degree Illinois air.

When we reached Campaigne, we decided that since the GPS said we would be in Rockford -- our destination -- by 4:00 p.m. we might as well just push our limits a few more hours and drive home. The temperatures were not getting any cooler, and we did not want to face another day with a hot ride in the car.  We cancelled our hotel reservation, and continued on with Green Bay as our destination. With sore muscles and flat butts, we arrived home before 9:00 p.m. after approximately 14 hours in the car. 

I have no idea if the long drive left us so exhausted or if the bed really is that much more comfortable than the air mattress we have slept on for the past eight weeks, but when we hit the pillows a little over an hour later, that was all I remember.  The bed felt SO good that I was out cold for the night.  I am sure Rick snored, but even that did not keep me awake.

Side note: ironically, when Rick moved the truck in the driveway this morning, the air conditioning came on as if to apologize for its misbehavior the day before.  We hope that indicates that we just had a switch go bad on us.  We will find out when we take the truck in on Monday.

I beg Charles Dickens' forgiveness for altering the title of his famous work for the title of this last blog, but I now find myself trying to make a transition between two totally different worlds.  We have lived in this home in Green Bay for the past 21 years, and we have done extensive remodeling in that time.  I know every nook and cranny, I know where everything is stored, and we have worked very hard to make this home the best that it can be.  This home is a modest ranch house, but it seems like a luxurious palace after living in Gladys.  I have granite counter-tops in the kitchen and bathrooms, a dishwasher in which to place dirty dishes, Kohler fixtures everywhere, a Miele washer and drier in the basement, and beautiful tile in the newly remodeled bathrooms.  And this place seems so BIG!  We have a two car garage and a full basement that actually seems fairly empty since we took most of the furniture from there to Florida.  The landscape is green and lush (although a bit overgrown), and we each have our own home office from which to use our computers.

Gladys is a work in progress.  She shows great potential, but she also promises a tremendous amount of work.  We have only known her a couple of months in somewhat adverse weather conditions, but we know the true opportunity she presents.  We have made great strides in her infrastructure this year -- a new electrical panel and updated wiring in places, a new heat exchanger and air conditioner, all new insulation in the attic, removal of pests and termites, refinished terrazzo floors, and fresh paint in two rooms.  We know that doors and windows will be expensive upgrades that face us yet, as well as walling in a laundry room and moving the master bathroom wall.  All of those things must wait for a renewed budget and recovered energy.  She will be a beauty in time, and only when we finally have time to spend six months of the year in her (three years from now) will we really know what it is like to live in Florida. 

We hope that Gladys will become as much of a home to us as Green Bay is.  Right now Green Bay also means family, work, and responsibilities.  We have been blessed to have Lindsay and Christopher in town to watch over the Green Bay house, but since they just bought a home of their own, we know that we cannot keep imposing on them to care for our home next summer also.  Green Bay also means the responsibilities of work and paychecks so that we can maintain two homes.  This world is the familiar world of reality while Gladys still seems to be "playing house" without having to worry about the work side of life.  Gladys is "vacation" yet (even though we worked our butts off!) while Green Bay is structure and reality. 

We are caught between two cultures, so we will be interested to see how this will change as the years go on.  Will we reach a point where Gladys will be as much "home" to us as our home in Green Bay the more we make her our own?  Will both places become vacation homes after we both retire?  Will we be able to afford both homes once we retire?  All of those questions remain unanswered right now.

For now, Gladys is still an adventure with lots of unknowns.  Green Bay is welcoming, familiar security.  Eventually, I hope they both will become places that we can call "home".

I finish this blog with a bit of regret, but check on it again in June 2012 when we start Year 2 in our transformation of Gladys from a worn-out old lady into a grand old dame!

Greetings from Athens

I wish that the title referred to a sun-kissed city in Greece; unfortunately, the Athens we currently find ourselves in is in northern Alabama.  If you remember, the last time we came through this state, we followed a genuine horse's ass down the highway.  This time through we were spared the view of the equestrian behind, but happily we once again were blessed with sunshine while we drove.  Strangely enough, the sun is still brilliantly shining, but we can see pouring rain through our hotel window.

We spent most of yesterday packing what we wanted to take home into the truck.  Then we thoroughly cleaned the house, and we made sure it was ready to close up for 10 months.  We got to bed by 9:30 p.m., but I tossed and turned until after 11:00.  Rick was out cold and his snoring sounded like a full wood shop at peak production.

The alarm went off at 3:00 a.m., and by 3:30 we were out packing the truck.  We sadly left Gladys, but we got away before our goal time of 4:00 a.m.  After a couple of blocks we had to turn around and reset the thermostat from 79 to 80 degrees which meant that our new departure time was back to 4:00 a.m.  The City of Dunedin will come on Monday to shut off the water and to pick up our garbage can.

We made good time getting out of the Tampa area, although driving in the dark is not our favorite way to travel.  Rick drove the first 2.5 hours, and then we switched drivers as we reached northern Florida.  Getting around Tallahassee was painless.  We switched drivers again because I was having trouble staying awake and all went well until we crossed the state line into Alabama.

Then the phone rang. 

Since Rick was driving, I picked up the phone only to hear the voice of George K., our insurance agent for Citizens' Insurance.  For those who do not know, once Hurricane Andrew blew through Florida, all of the insurance companies abandoned the state.  People could not buy houses because they could not get any company to insure their purchases.  Finally, the state of Florida had to step in to insure homeowners, so they developed Citizens' Insurance.  George has already solved one small problem for us, but this time he delivered a bombshell.

"I just got a letter from Citizens', " he said, "and they have cancelled your homeowner's insurance."

"What?"  I said not too calmly. "Why did they do THAT?"

Apparently the inspector at the time of closing did not sign one form at the right place on our four-point inspection form, so Citizens' decided to cancel our policy.  George told us that we might have to have a new inspection.  I informed George that we were on our way back to Wisconsin, that he had all of the signed paperwork in front of him, and that we were not going to pay for another inspection on a house that was already approved.   He looked around our file and actually found the paperwork.  By that time Rick had pulled off the highway, took the phone, and reiterated what I had just said. George said that he would check back with Citizens' and would call us back.

This is hurricane season, and there is no way that a person can own a home on the coast of Florida and not have insurance. 

Thankfully, George called back and all is well.  He pointed out to the head office that our forms were indeed signed and he assured us that our insurance was intact.

If I started this day a bit sleepy and groggy, that jolt of adrenaline did wonders to wake me up. We made it safely to our destination in northern Alabama.  Tomorrow our goal is to drive as far as northern Illinois, and we should be back in Wisconsin, in our fully insured winter home, by mid-day on Sunday.

Deadline Approaches

Once again we find ourselves with too little time and too much to do.  Tomorrow is our packing day, and we must have everything ready to go by 8:00 p.m. We plan to be up at 3:00 a.m. on Friday with the hope of getting out of the Tampa area before 4:30 a.m.  If we can get on the road early, then we will be able to make our way at least to Tennessee before we stop for the day.

We have SO much to do yet!  We ran out of time, so we will not be able to put together our bathroom vanity. That will have to wait until next summer.  We must pack food, medications, clothes, and tools before tomorrow night.  We have to pack all of this into the truck so that when the alarm goes off at 3:00 a.m., we can be out the door by 4:00 a.m. at the latest.

I just plugged in the cooler so that will be ready for our food.  Before I go to bed tonight, I want to stage my medication and clothes for trip home.  Laundry is at the top of my list tomorrow, and then just deciding what goes and what stays.

This summer has taught me that I did not pack enough "good" clothes, I packed too many pairs of shoes, and I need to pack less shirts next time around.  I plan to leave most of my "work" and "paint" clothes for the summer here.  If Lindsay and Chris get their new house, I will need my winter work clothes anyway to help them with whatever task they need assistance to complete. 

We still need to measure and put in insulation boards in the windows.  We also want to measure all of the rooms so we have accurate figures to work with during our time in Wisconsin. We wanted to replace two boards under the walls before we leave, but that may not happen this year.  Then preparing is just a matter of getting everything into the truck, getting the bikes into the house, and making sure that everything else is covered and ready to rest until we return.

This may be the last time I write in this blog from Florida.  I will try to add at least one more post as we complete our journey home.  Home.  What a complex word that had become.  Wisconsin always has been and always will be home, but we are leaving a part of our hearts and minds here in our southern home, too.  Gladys has come a long way, and I have a feeling that we will be happy to come back next summer to enjoy her more genteel ways as we continue to make her a grand old lady.

Finishing Tasks

We are quickly working through our list of last-minute jobs that we want to complete before we head for home.  We worked all of yesterday morning and part of this morning to finish the caulking of the soffit vents.  They may not yet look pretty, but for now they will do because they will seal out the roaming fruit rats.  We think that we have at least solved our critter problems... no more rats and no more termites (as of Wednesday when they come out to treat for subterranean termites, too).

Rick cut branches away from the rooftop yesterday, too.  I swear that if all the people left Florida for a year, this whole state would quickly revert back to the jungle.  If you have even seen pictures of ancient Mayan ruins with trees growing through temple roofs, you know what I mean.  We trimmed one bush just before we tented the house, and it grew back two feet!  I could not believe it when I trimmed them again.  I am scared to death that if we are gone for 8 months, we will not be able to find the house when we return.

We did some touch-up paint of the house where some paint had started to peel away from the stucco (due to poor prep); however, we were disappointed to see that the touch-up was not an exact match.  It is slightly darker than the faded paint on the house, but again for now it will do.  We eventually want to paint the whole house, but we may not be able to do for a few more years when we can finally be down here in the cooler fall and winter months.

We have a couple more small indoor jobs to complete, and then we will tackle the job of packing.  Since we worked hard this morning, we took showers before lunch and then treated ourselves to an afternoon out.  Rick wanted to go to a winery in St. Petersburg and the drive up the beaches on the way home.  The Florida Orange Groves Winery is a quirky little place that has perfected fruit wines to the point of winning national and international awards.  We bought four bottles of wine: a blueberry, a raspberry, and two bottles of Hurricane 5 (a delicious blend of five different fruits).  We'll drink them this winter with fond memories of the day.

A day at the beach.

People can rent beach umbrellas and chairs, but we could not find an attendant to find out the price.

A Florida beach on a Tuesday afternoon.

On the way home, we found two wonderful public beaches: Maderia Beach and Pinellas County Beach just south of Clearwater Beach.  The first beach was white sand and great Gulf breezes.  The second beach was mostly crushed shells, but it is closer to our house and much bigger.  The attached pictures are of that beach.  We will definitely make time next summer to visit more than once.

A friend of mine bought a house in Clearwater (just south of here, sort of like how Ashwaubenon is to Green Bay) in 2006.  I looked up her property, and although it is a beautiful house in a great neighborhood, I was sad to see that she paid over $200,000 for the house, and it is now valued at $110,000.  Property continues to lose value here in Florida, but in the long haul I feel that our children will be able to make a nice profit someday if they choose to sell Gladys.

A Clean Coat of Paint

Dining room wall with white patch from the old air conditioner.

The past two days have been spent dolling Gladys up a bit more with a clean coat of paint in the living room and dining room.  As the pictures show, we started in the dining room with a wall that showed where the old room air conditioner once hung between the dining room and the garage.  A failed color swatch also had to be dealt with.  The pictures show how a once eye-sore of a wall turned into a wonderful backdrop for our new dining room furniture.

Dining room after the paint was completed.

Completed dining room with table added.

The former owner of the house, Jackie, had pictures hung everywhere.  Many were religious scenes and pictures of Jesus, and many were unknown because when she changed the art in the house, she never removed the old nails.  In the living room wall pictured here, we patched 24 nail holes. 

Living room with "patches" and selected color in painted swatch.

(In the Florida room, I removed 36 plastic wall anchors just above the windows where various curtain rods had hung over the years.  Again, when the draperies changed, the old anchors were just left while new ones were added to the walls.)

A brighter, cleaner living room and hall!

The old yellow (which really was more tan than yellow) was replaced with our new, bright, sunny yellow.  The pictures show how the dull rooms were brightened in the end.

Rick and I have discussed this decision for the last two days, and we have decided to return to Wisconsin early.  Lindsay is in the process of looking for a new house, and we want to be there if she chooses one and has a home inspection.  Additionally, our work is almost complete with the paint now on the walls, the summer humidity has really come in within the last week, and our money is gone.  So it is time to head north.  Tremendous storms delayed our scheduled termite treatment for Gladys yesterday, and they have been rescheduled for next Wednesday.  We will use this next week to do some last-minute tasks, and then we plan to head north on Friday, July 29 (Stephanie's birthday!).  We will be home no later than Sunday.

Pinellas County, were Dunedin sits, is known as the lightening capital of the United States, and we know why.  Yesterday we had probably the biggest thunderstorm that I have ever seen in my 57 years.  The lightening was literally in our neighborhood, and the house shook with the noise of the lightening more than once. My friend Rose would have loved it here as she says she feels snug in her house whenever storms come through.  Tonight, we again have the thunder and lightening rolling in, so I am not going to stay on this computer any longer.  Have a great day!

Delights and Disappointments

As I think I related earlier in this blog, my Grandfather Will always said, "If you buy something cheap, you get something cheap."  We found that out yesterday when we went to install the new kitchen sink.  We really TRIED to buy a good sink from Kohler, but when that came through damaged, we had to send it back.  We then figured that we probably will be replacing the sink in a couple of years when we get around to finishing the kitchen, so why not go inexpensive now and wait until we have the money to buy something good later.  (Re-read Grandpa's saying above...)

A faucet and sink!

Not great, but functional...

We bought a really inexpensive (euphemism for "cheap") acrylic sink that, unfortunately, transmits light if we hold it up to a bright bulb.  We put it in, vowing to be careful with sharp knives and other poking implements.  The installation went fine which was a miracle in itself since Chief Running-Water was in charge.  (I should not tease... he actually has gotten quite good with plumbing through the years.)  However, because the sink was manufactured with less than strict quality control, one of the strainer cutouts was a little bit off kilter. We used silicone caulk, as suggested, and watched as the sink strainer dripped down the pipes onto the floor.  This was on Sunday.  We washed dishes standing up, using the dishpans in the new sink, and quickly poured the water down the drain.  Minimal leaks. 

A sink, a refrigerator, a stove... a functioning kitchen at last!

Yesterday, we went back to the store, got some not-recommended-on-acrylic old fashioned plumber's putty, and Rick reinstalled the strainers.  Alleluia!  No leaks.  I now have a working refrigerator, a functioning oven and stove top, and a working sink installed in a counter-top.  While the kitchen will not appear in the pages of House Beautiful, it will suit our needs for the next couple of years since we will only be down here a couple of months each summer.

We also talked with a cabinetmaker here in Dunedin about getting the vanity Rick made spray painted.  I know that it kills him to paint cherry wood, but we both agree that a painted vanity will look better than a stained one in the main bathroom.  The cabinetmaker gave us a "guesstimate" of $300 to paint it.  We are considering our options, but neither of us feel that painting white by hand will work.  We would end up with too many brush marks, and it would be a shame to ruin such a nice vanity with a poor finish.

Today we started the day well.  The gutter installer came to caulk the leak we discovered in our problem corner in the house.  The leak may have been caused by the tenting of the house last week.  More leaks.  Did I mention Chief Running Water?  Anyway, that went well.

Rick also called Tim about coming in and cutting our lawn weekly. It just grows too fast and looks terrible if it is not cut that often.  Steve and Chris' lawn only needs cutting every other week, but not this lawn!  We do not want the house to look not lived in when we are gone, and two weeks' growth makes this house look like it is abandoned.  So more money must be budgeted for that.

We would both feel much better if our trailer would sell.  That would allow us to replenish our savings and still have some "slush" for windows and other repairs next year.  We'll have to see if some Snowbirds want a good trailer to come south in for the winter.  Anyone want a really nice trailer for less than 1/2 price?

The really disappointing side of today was when we learned that the original company who said that we did not have termites in the house at the time of the inspection refused to compensate us any money for the tenting.  They said that their report was just verbal and that they were not liable for anything.  Rick became very upset and had a bad day, but in the end we got our revenge.  Although we will not get any money from them, we let our real estate lady, Jen, know of the whole situation.  She was shocked to learn that they would not accept liability, so she probably will never use them at an inspection again.

Front of napkin holder

Back of napkin holder..island view!

My first vase for Gladys!

For some fun this afternoon, we went to Art from the Heart to pick up the pottery we painted.  I really like the fun vase that Rick painted, and he said that he really liked the napkin holder I painted. You be the judge.  I guess we "artists" are always more critical of our own work! Once again, neither piece will ever be auctioned off at Southby's, but they are fun and functional, so they will always be a part of Gladys.

Blue and green with yellow polka-dots!

We are going to try to get the living room and Florida room plastering finished this week.  When Rick went to use the sander this morning, the darn thing fell apart.  He said that the hook and loop disk on the bottom fell apart. We found a new one at our second home -- Home Depot -- so tomorrow we will be back in business.

On a funny side note, I have a pair of white clogs that I slipped into before we went to the pottery shop today.  As I got out of the truck, I almost fell off the shoe.  I said to Rick, "I don't know what is going on.  This shoe is really uncomfortable."  He looked at me and started to laugh. 

"Look at your shoe!" he said.

The blow-out!

I looked down and discovered that the whole shoe had separated. "What the heck happened?" I exclaimed.  The stitching had come undone, and the whole top part of the clog, almost to the toe, had blown apart!  I have no idea how it happened, but I do not remember the shoe being like that when I put it on today.   Although this was not as major as a tire blowing out on the truck, it did force us to drive home so I could change footwear.  Weird.

Another weird thing is the weather.  Stephanie called from Rochester, MN, and said that the actual temperature was 102 and that the heat index was 138 degrees.  She said the radio and TV had warnings all day that if anyone knew someone who did not have air conditioning, they should go and check on them or rescue them.    As she was taking to me, I checked the temperature here in Dunedin.  We had reached 94 during the day, but at the time we talked, the temperature here had dipped to 89.  Wisconsin has been hotter than Florida for the last three days.  I think I'll stay here.

We are both glad that we now have a functioning kitchen, that we have nice weather, and that we no longer have to deal with contractors.  We are making final plans on what to get done and what can wait until next year.  This has been a stressful time with lots of decisions, some stress, some fun, and great accomplishments thrown in for good measure.

Florida Colors!

I am happy to be home again where everything in the house (except for Rick and me) is dead.  Those of you who have been following this blog will know exactly why I am saying that.  No rats, no cockroaches, no termites... nothing!  (Imagine me smiling.) Maybe I am just getting macabre here in Florida.  When I am really angry lately, I find myself killing off the vegetation in the back yard, but I guess that is a healthy outlet since the flora in our yard really needs attention.

Dining Room and Baker's Rack

The paint swatch and former air conditioner hole will be painted.

Note the wine classes hanging from the top!

We have worked the last two days on getting things settled.  On Friday we picked up our new, crazy dining room set and "baker's rack."  This also is called a "pie rack" because traditionally pies were cooled on wire racks like this.  However, if you look closely you will see that the chef must have a drinking problem because this rack holds six bottles of wine and we have 14 wine glasses hung from the top!

Rick working on north wall.

It IS a bit bright!

Rick working hard not to be blinded by the color!

South wall finished. 

North wall with black refrigerator.

South wall and east wall -- with stove.  I can cook again!

Rick also spent the last two days painting the kitchen ceiling and kitchen walls.  We decided on a lime-sherbet green, and as we finished, it seemed overwhelming.  I assured Rick that once we had white cupboards in it (about three years from now) and white appliances (the black refrigerator will be replaced someday), the green walls would become "background" and would be just fine.  I am enclosing lots of pictures to show you the progress and final -- although temporary -- results so far.  We still have to move the 2 x 4 temporary counter top holder and make-shift sink arrangement into the kitchen.  I cannot wait to be able to stand up and do the dishes! 

The counter top will be our project tomorrow after we finish taking down our dilapidated fence.  We started taking it down last week because we had to get it away from the house so the pest control people could tent the house.  The fence is a hazard.  Boards are missing, staples are rusty and sticking out every which way, and the posts are rotten on the bottom.  Our neighbors, who have two small children, are delighted that we are disposing of the fence.  We cut each section into four pieces and stack them on the curb. We knew it was really bad because the "magic curb" didn't even work on this junk!  Last week we got rid of the first four panels, and this week we hope to get rid of at least three more.  Then next week, we can do the final two sections.  If the neighbors will let us put some of the fence into  their garbage, we might be able to get it all out this week.  Public works are great here in Dunedin, but people have to guess at how much "extra" garbage they can put out to get taken with normal pick-up.  If homeowners put out too much, then the city will come and get it with a "claw" truck and add a charge to the homeowner's garbage collection bill.

Slowly Gladys is starting to turn into a very nice old house.  She has fought us numerous times, but she finally has settled down and seems to now cooperate as we are trying to doll her up into a wonderful home once again.  My friend Rose reminded me that we were trying to dress Gladys for the prom, but first we had to be sure that she was wearing clean underwear.  We think that the underwear (electricity, plumbing, HVAC, termite control, pest control) is now new and neat, so now we can start to add the more colorful, clean, outer layers.