Christmas trimming

Lydia and David went to the Yuletide concert with us last night and helped us trim our tree today. We also made some Christmas goodies! A very nice day, indeed. Now, if we just had the shopping done!

So peaceful

It's been snowing for a little over 2 hours now. We're busily storing up water in the tub and I've filled a couple of gallon jugs. Doug has gone to home depot to see about some kind of propane heater. So, you know the power is not going out! Danny is waiting to be picked up over at Magic Hill. He did a bunch of mailing list updates for Magi Strings today. Anyway, I put on my favorite Christmas CD and belted out a few carols and thought about how much I love all of you. Oh, and Doug's bringing me a peppermint mocha!

Christmas Lights

When I came home this evening this is what Doug was doing


and here's how it looks so far. He plans to do a little refnining I guess, in the light of day.

Here's a brief synopsis of our Thanksgiving weekend. Made the cranberry sauce on Wednesday evening and got around to the turkey soup last night.

Theo loves household tools and is so delighted when he find one.

This turned out to be a huge production!

There is still a lot of putting away and organizing to do in our new house, and of course, it seems like the owners are going to be back any day now and we'll have to move out - but we're very comfortable here and it was so great to have a houseful of dear folks here on Thanksgiving. We need to have a little open house soon so local friends can drop by. Completely informal I think. I'll probably just invite people by email or something. I'm thinking next Sat. afternoon, or maybe the following. Of course, it depends on which weekend I might be able to entice the Kennewickians to come.

Hello

I would post a picture of the turkey soup simmering on the stove, but the computer won't display my pictures right now. So, maybe later.

getting there

There are guys here this morning to install the concrete blocks under the edge of the house, known is "block skirting".
I took a picture of these trees a couple of weeks ago in a parking lot that I frequently sit in. I'd like some of these in our newly denuded front yard.

well, we snuck in

the front door doesn't quite close so here are some premature pictures of the inside of our new house.


looking through the family room windows

living room window

wallflower in the living room

looking from where Doug was standing through the dining room to the family room

Doug in the "master" bath


me in the mistress tub

kitchen

Hmmm, this must be pretty boring. It's going to be much nicer to actually live there than to just take pictures.

the homestead

Note the Vermont maples Doug's dad sent us 26 years ago turning in the background!

hello hello

I couldn't resist sharing this happy guy with you all, taken last Friday on a quick trip to the "Ham".

Woody sitting right about in the middle of the house, with me standing in the front corner of our bedroom.

He's going to miss all this warm dirt!

mud pour today

this is a big step closer - have you heard the house is scheduled to be delivered on Thursday between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm? yup


I'll post a picture of the whole slab at some point before the house is on it. It looks like a big skating rink or something.

needs goalposts

Guys came yesterday (Monday) about this time and put up these forms, but no cement truck yet. They might have to reclaim this spot from Woody who has decided it's his new ball field! He brings all his balls in here and just runs around with them. I think he likes it because they don't roll over the boards!

laundry with view

Here's the view of the house from the little shed. Of course, once the house is actually there the laundry room will be in it and the little shed will be rakes, shovels, pots, wintering over spot and whatever else will fit in it.



This nice flat spot has been ready since Thursday afternoon for the foundation to be poured. Foundation guy didn't come on Friday and I'm guessing nothing will happen until Monday at least. Doug is standing by the front corner stake.

a little washing.....a little paint

can you picture it? The plan is to paint it to match the color of the new house, which is either "Eucalypus" or "Distant Mountain" I don't remember which we chose for the house color and which we chose for the trim color. It still has spots that need covering, and some more roof and insulation.



I'm planning on having hollyhocks and sweat peas growing all around it.

This last picture is one that Danny took last week of the guy responsible for all the destruction, er . . . demolition.

Boppin' on the little shed

It's about time they knock off for dinner. Microwave again. It's T-38 hours until Sunday morning and I still need about 6 more people to do it. Today has been so patchwork. I'll keep trying tomorrow.

Friday afternoon

Tyler and Chris stopped by after work, just in time to say hi to Andy, Sarah & Theo.
Things are getting pretty open around here.
This tree is such a pretty shape from the bottom. We'll probably keep a few slices. These pictures would have been better, but the camera I grabbed was Doug's Pentax (it was the same color as mine) so.......... not so hot shots.

right out the window

the first few trees were down by early afternoon

today?

They called about an hour and a half agoto say he's on his way.

Tuesday, August 28 12:30 pm

OK we're ready. PSE came and shut off the power. Doug and Ken are diggin up phone cable so we can get our landline functioning again (something about a little phone booth in a tree). Heavy equipment guy, who was expected yesterday, is not here yet. Doug goes back to work tomorrow. I still have tons of stuff to find places for in our new HQ. Did a bunch of laundry today, in the former big, now little, shed with no walls. My camera is out of batteries and I don't have any idea where to get some. Gotta go to Port Orchard now to do something I tried to do yesterday, but was too tired to accomplish - take Danny a pair of contacts. I managed to get up there with no case and only one lens. I felt like just sitting down on the sidewalk, closing my eyes and falling asleep in hopes that someone would come along who would know what to do. Got more sleep last night, but I sure wish we could go on a road trip and just get out of here. Wouldn't that be nice?

piano moving

while thinking about how to get the piano onto the trailer.......
Doug sez "do you think we can just bring through over the corner?"
Ken sez "I dunno, I have gotten to the place where I'm thinking about thinking"
it's like they're professional piano movers already!

The moving van is here!

This is Ken's big trailer ready for a load




Danny's room, missing him.

waiting for something to change . . .

anything.



Heavenly Muse, Spirit who brooded on
The world and raised it shapely out of nothing,
Touch my lips with fire and burn away
All dross of speech, so that I keep in mind
The truth and end to which my words now move
In hope. Keep my mind within that Mind
Of which it is a part, whose wholeness is
The hope of sense in what I tell. And though
I go among the scatterings of that sense,
The members of its worldly body broken,
Rule my sight by vision of the parts
Rejoined. And in my exile's journey far
From home, be with me, so I may return.

Wendell Berry, from Remembering, a novel


and Doug wanted you to see these


the big shed becoming little