07

Click Here to view other notes related to the house

Previous photos are below, please scroll down...

Randy is putting down the next layer of flooring. He got two sheets cut and secured and the next photo shows where the plywood is stored out on his work table. The house is now empty and clean. Ready for more plywood.

The greenhouse in the background is now tight, insulated and has a heater to keep all those little tomato plants warm on cold nights.

There is the famous wave ! !

07-06-08

A week of vacation with a bit of work on the house every day. Sweet music to hear the hammering and know there is progress. This was a pose since Randy was not actually measuring anything. I have been trying to clear around the house and keep a pathway where he can work.

12-25-07

A few notes as the year 2007 draws to an end. Poor Randy has been able to do so little with the hernias yet to get the doctor's attention. The insurance is changing so he doesn't know yet if he'll have the same doctor. Time will tell. For now, everything he does gets long screws and his handy electric screw driver. Quite a gadget and saves his arm.

Over the summer, the mice and wasp had taken over the house but we are hoping that the next project for the house will be the doors which will keep out those creatures. We've had a sweet cat we named Oreo who had decreased the rodent population but in the last week seems to have disappeared. He is a tom cat popular with the lady cats so we can hope he will be back soon. I am also afraid that he does or did belong to a lady down the road. We miss him.

I've not been able to operate the brush cutter as it hurts my right hand. Leaves me unable to do much else until the effects have worn off. I hope to someday get our space to where a lawn mower will do the job.

Right now, Randy is finishing the nest boxes for the new hens. They will soon be old enough to start laying and he wants to be ready. It is all being done with those fancy long screws. Now, if I can just keep him from lifting the units by himself. I will be out there to help. Once they are finished and in place, he hopes to be back to working on the house. The doors, sealing all the seams and some painting. We will hope for a better year in 2008.

06-03-07

Hasn't the last 4 months just flown by in a blur? Yes, it has. First Randy could not use his left hand. The numbness kept him from doing much and when his entire arm was numb and tingling came the sharp pain in his shoulder. The doctor could hardly believe it had come on so fast but then Randy didn't tell him that he was building a house. Already Randy had given up using a hammer with his right arm and it was getting most difficult to do any work on the house.

Took to the end of February for Randy to finish the roof but he was so proud that it didn't leak. He was set to put on a second coat but that may not happen at all. We are happy that he got the first layer on. He must accept that he cannot lift and carry such heavy loads any longer, ever.

Randy bought the exterior trim and caulking this past week. Even got a new caulking gun. There are some not so heavy jobs that he can be doing now that won't hurt the healing of his new neck. Two more months of light duty and he can be doing more. He is so eager to be seeing progress.

I looked to see that it's been almost a year now that Randy's been working on the house. Incredible to look back and see the progress. Awesome. I am surprised that cleaning the area around the house has taken a low priority to all the other chores around here. Just getting the new chicken house finished has been a big chore. Lady had killed all the old hens and it is a challenge to remember we love her and must do what it necessary to keep her restrained. She is trying to get back with Max and make a new puppy but we can't have another one. Junior is just plenty.

02-11-07

All the tar paper had blown off so it was this past Saturday and he was up on the roof putting up more. So, it's been a month of the stuff blowing around and finally off. The horrid winds even blew off the 2x4s that were holding it down. Randy got a better stapler and it should do okay until he can get the shingle material down over the tar paper. We watch the forecast and perhaps after a week of dry days, there will be a weekend of mild temps and dry days so Randy can be back on the roof to get it finished. He spend last weekend securing some of the seams on the outside walls and it looks so nice and neat now. Beautiful.

01-14-07

Randy had tacked down the tar paper and laid boards over it to where it wouldn't blow around in the horrible winds. No work this weekend on anything outdoors. We are in the middle of a major arctic cold front. Complete with ice, sleet and a smattering of snow. The worst snow storm I can remember happened one year during the first week of April. We are not to spring yet. We have much cold yet to come, this is only the middle of January.

01-07-07

The roof has been started and Randy has the tar paper almost complete then it will be the shingle material. I don't climb ladders so you don't want to see what that looks like. Randy got a little bit done yesterday but today's gale force winds have kept him on the ground. He spent the day working in and cleaning the Shop and it is looking so very nice.