I carefully saved the rusty metal roofing from my last studio.

The space on the left is the "clean" studio.

The one on the right the dusty one. Mostly it is a wood working studio, but it can be used for different, even dirty media!

The center section will always be open. It gives weather protection to the side studios. It also provides space to work on larger projects.

The white figure sculpture goes back to my undergrad days in art school. She guards the place!

More on my ongoing studio project.

The deck is in place as well as the back wall, but no roof.

sharpening pencils

My family seem to enjoy picking on writers.

We should not. My only sister is a writer, one daughter has published a book and is at work on others, a grandson recently graduated with a BA from a creative writing program.

A young lady once told me that a writer is one who writes. Publishing or having anyone read is another dance.

But we notice that writers often spend a lot of time thinking and working about writing and a lot less about actually writing. (Visual artists are at least as easily distracted, but that is a different post!). In my family we call that “Sharpening Pencils.” Don’t know where that came from, but it is our way of saying we are busy about being creative and really not being creative.

So when some one asks me if I have been “making art” I often say: “No, right now I am concentrating on craft.”

There is nothing wrong with craft. I am educated as a sculptor. It is fairly easy and quick to sketch out an idea, to make detailed drawings, but actually producing the piece of sculpture art involves a lot of craft.

Now I have my own head confused. Do I make art? Do I craft? I think I live my life and let others make defections.

Since I met Shar I have been involved in a series of house remodels. My house, her house and now our house. But, I was able to convince her that as an artist I needed a place to practice my art.

So I have been involved in the art and craft of building myself a studio, and my version of pencil sharpening!

Empty deck chairs. 

futility

Some people go through hard times and come out stronger. 

Some of us buckle with hard times and some, it seems don’t have hard times at all.

I fit into the second category, I think and hope. 

Miriam’s illness and death have not strengthened my faith in anything but futility. I’m slowly coming back from the edge, but I am not coming back to the place I used to be. I seem to be on the same edge, but half a mile down.

Everything has changed, everything is new and yet nothing is new. I met a lot of new people, made friends with a few. I found and married a new woman and life goes on. Sharon is a good woman. She lost her husband not long before I lost Miriam. She understands more than she says. 

I haven’t asked her about her inner conflicts. Not sure she could put them into words.  From the outside she seems to fit in with the people that never get unnerved, no matter what happens, the ones that never have a bad day. I know that is not true. I tear up more readily than she does, but I have seen her eyes overflowing with tears. 

But life goes on.

Oh, it's a long long while
From May to December
But the days grow short
When you reach September

When the autumn weather
Turns leaves to flame
One hasn't got time
For the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down
To a precious few
September, November

And these few precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you

Oh, the days dwindle down
To a precious few
September, November

And these few precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you

Read more: Willie Nelson - September Song Lyrics | MetroLyrics

 

The county says I need a permit to build anything over 200 square feet, so I had two smaller buildings put up and now I am getting ready to frame in a covered deck between the two buildings.

deconstruction

Decades ago I built a temporary building to shelter my daughters and wife while I was building our house.

Through the years I have insulated the building, put a new steel roof in place, sheetrock, paint, custom cabinets, the whole thing.

A few years ago I sold the land but this year the new owner gave me permission to remove the building. That hats been the project in August. The weather was often very hot and it was hard for me to get too many hours working.

But now the building (and a smaller one on both sides) are down. The materials are stacked at my new place. IT was a big job, but it saved me a good hunk of money. It is amazing how much insulation goes into a small 144 square feet building.

Now to use this material to build a covered deck and a garage for my teardrop trailer.

By the time I get it all together, it is liable to be cold weather!

I’ll hurry!


Bridge over Snake River. Twin Falls Idaho.
I always get a tiny bit nervous driving over it!

h

Ahh. This was the good old days!

Ruby Mountains in North East Nevada.
Last year I spent a weekend in May there with my oldest grandson (who lives in Sacramento). It was fun and it was cold at night!

all mine

After my wife died, I was encouraged to join Match.com by members of my family.

It would be good for me to get out and maybe meet some new women. It was an interesting experience.

One grandmother winked at me, I winked back. I read her profile. She was ticked at the dishonesty of the men who posted. She would make a copy of the picture they posted on their profile and take it with her to their first “meet and greet.” She couldn’t tell who the guy was by his picture. She was a bit ticked.

I was in a teasing mood so I replied to her that the picture (the same on to the right here) is a couple of years old, that my teeth were mine, the hair was mine as were the joints and bones. The only two things I have lost are my virginity and my tonsils.

She read that and decided she needed to meet this crazy guy.

The ironic thing was that she fibbed about her AGE. She said she was 3 or 4 years younger, thinking it would put her in touch with a different group of men.

Anyway, we married last November. Getting close to anniversary #1? It has been good.

Looks like someone put some clear finish on this branch stump. Intriguing.

Dinner bell made from the top of a welding gas bottle. Bet it sounded good.

It is warm and very summer, but I have stayed pretty close to home and did not really enjoy the spring like I should. Not good..

shorter

The days are getting shorter.

Not a whole lot, but a few minutes a day. Mostly in the morning, I think.

Soon the days will get shorter very quickly and that horrible time change kicks in and it is dark about 5 in the afternoon. And it is cold at night.

I am not a great winter lover. The point of the shorter days the last of July is a reminder that colder times are ahead and get ready.

That is a micro car. Should be able to drive it on the sidewalk!

neighbor ring tail cat

The neighbor’s cat went missing the other day. It is not a particularly pretty cat, but it was loved by it’s owner.

The owner came to our house to inquire of any sightings we might have had. I had seen the cat exactly twice before and remembered that it’s back legs looked a bit too long and it had a ring tail.

Then the owner came back, and as I was listening my expression was a “smurk” as she would tell the animal control officer (who was called). The suspicion was that I “hated” cats (I don’t remember saying that), and that I had killed it.

So the Animal Control Officer came to talk to me. I eagerly said that the cat was not a problem to me and that I surely had done nothing to the cat in question. In fact, I did not even get very close to it!
Shar and I felt bad to be accused of harming the neighbor’s pet.

Then the next day the cat showed up. All was forgiven and apologies were offered (and accepted).

Here in Idaho it is legal to trap cats. The county Animal Control Officer said so!  That would include the neighbor’s beloved pet, if I choose! But it has to be done  “humanely” and the same word is used if you kill the animal. It has to be “humane.” Not sure what those words mean in this county.

Unless a cat is really being a problem, they can all live in peace at my place.

Birthday girl and her new purple bicycle. Taken with my iPhone 5.
When I was in San Francisco in May I saw beautiful pictures on billboards that would have the simple caption: "Taken with an Iphone".
Apple headquarters was near, but the quality is amazing. 

Party

We went to a birthday party this week.

The honoree was a sweet little 9 year old girl. A great granddaughter of Shars. It was a bit more complex, but explainable. The step father is a grandson of Shar’s. His wife’s daughter was the 9 year old. So, no blood relationship, but that does not matter much.

We arrived a few minutes late. Invitations had gone out to the family, grandparents, uncles aunts and such.

But the sad thing is that we were the only ones there. No one, not grandparents, not sisters or brothers even offered reasons why they would not or could not attend.

It made us sad, but ever so glad we were there.

not so ready

Move in ready, we were told.

The floors were new carpet and newer cheap laminate flooring. Both were hiding something I feared.

We took the laminate out and discovered lots of repair. The plumbing (notorious for leaks for this vintage) had leaked for years and massive hunks of floor had been replaced. But around the edges was evidence of water damage.

My plans were to put ceramic tile down in the kitchen and the bathrooms. But if I was ever going to change the piping it had to be before the tile.

So I began cutting  holes in the floor, lots of them.

By now the pipes are all in. I set up the system so I can turn off a bathroom or the laundry without affecting the rest of the plumbing. So, now we have a fully functioning kitchen: sink and prep sink; dishwasher and even the ice maker is working.

We have water to two bathrooms and the laundry room.

The main bath and the utility room have new tile floors.

We are living in a mess, but we are living!

I set the tile in the entry yesterday. It is 12 by 24 tile set in a herringbone pattern, and all in diagonal. Not fast to do, since nearly all the tile had to be cut, but it is in and looks good.

Tomorrow I begin the kitchen. It is the same sized tile and pattern, but this time without the diagonal trick.

Late next week the carpet is going in the living/dining/hall. Then the furniture can come in and be arranged by the lady.

It will really begin to look like a home then!

Our "old" house from the garden side.
I sold the acre (garden and shop) to my neighbor who had all the trees taken out. It looks very different and not nearly as inviting now.
But time goes on.

I had hoped to be moved in early enough to get the garden going.

The hope and plan was to move in and work on the house gradually.

But then we noticed some things. The water rain only hot in one spot and only cold in another. Hmm.

The Master shower dripped and the valve would not turn it off.

And it was early June when we finally moved in.

My house rented without putting out any advertisement. Her house sold in less than a week, so we were down to one house and it was time to move. Though we have been married for 2/3 of a year we have not really moved in together. I had a suitcase of clothes at her house and she had the same at mine.

But now we are combining of two houses. She owned a restaurant or two for a long time and there are more than a few containers full of silverware. My guess is that we could come up with a good sized box full. If you add in the kitchen goodies. . .

The new knife drawer has dozens of dull cheap knives and my expensive chef knife is lost among all the stuff.

Dishes: I have a set or two, she has a set or three.

Pots and pans? Hers are nice with glass lids. Mine are old, well used Revere models.

And it goes on and on.

I  have a granddaughter who could use a bunch of stuff as she sets up her kitchen. There will not be a shortage.

Flowers come in all colors!

it is over, the house is ours

Finally it is over.

We signed and initialed a stack of papers about an inch high. There was so much that they gave us a thumb drive with the paper copies on it. That is a LOT of pages.

I had to prove that I had the cash for the down payment. That was easy.

Then I had to prove that I had had the money for a while. I went back a year, but that month I deposited another check and that made it “dirty” so we kept looking.

Along the way they want to see a copy of the original building permit for the addition to the house. If the Mortgage Broker calls, they will say he needs to talk to Mike. Mike does not answer his phone, so Mortgage Broker left a message and Mike does not call back.  But I went over and asked face to face and I had the paper in 5 or 20 minutes.

When I came back to the Broker, they offered me a full time job!

But finally the i’s are dotted the t’s are crossed and the money is in the right place and the receiver has acknowledged that that part is all done.

So today I unloaded a trailer full of boxes of stuff. Shar’s stuff.We will get to my stuff later.

We may well take a month to get moved. I have to finish details on her house and get it on the market. Then I have to get my house ready to rent. All of this before I can begin building a shop at the new place.

By then it will be late summer, but that is OK. There are no deadlines!

OK, I won't!

paper chase

Today I chased papers.

First to the bank to get a form showing that I had the money I am using for the downpayment. Not just that I had it but that I had had it for a long period. I guess they want to make sure it is not mafia money.

Then back to the Mortgage Broker, Mike. The form did not say quite what he wanted, so he called the lady at the bank and we had a 3 way for a bit. Finally Mike was able to download the pertinent informtion.

Then he said they needed a copy of the permit for the addition that was done in '99. They called and were directed to another Mike. Calls to him went to his answering machine and he did not return calls. I said I thought I could get the information that was needed,

Took me about 10 minutes and I had a 4 page copy of the original. Lots of interesting information there.

We may buy this house yet.

Tiny and simple looks pretty good.

house? not sure

Having never bought a house before, I thought it could be done in a reasonable amount of time, but I may have been wrong.

We went to visit Shar’s mother (95 years old) to return to a flurry of emails from people we had never heard of before. There was a request for an engineer to examine this and an inspector to inspect that. All with fees and charges and on a house that was to have closed this week.

Shar fired off an email saying that we are not happy and that Dave is prepared to walk away from the deal. It looks that bad.

So I am in full fledged revolt. It seems that the statement that I am ready to walk away from the deal and sacrifice the money I have put into this project seemed to have caught some attention. I am not joking. The added fees and charges that are being asked for could easily be more than I have already spent, and I see no reason for it and of course, this means a delay for an indefinite time on the closing.

The question of the day: Will this fire up activity, can the closing be this week as scheduled or will it all be torpedoed? Not sure.

Daughter 1 bought a house some years back. At closing there was a $2000 charge that had not been discussed earlier. They got up and said “Make it go away or the deal is off” and they walked out. The charge went away.

Her suggestion: be patient, but rattle cages if necessary. Not sure about the first, but definitely on the last.

I once owned a VW bus of this vintage. It was not a pop top, but I built a pretty decent camper inside. Loved that rig.
Then I get to remembering a bit more about it. 19 or 20 mpg. Lots of 45 mph time going up hills. No AC, not much heat. A new engine every year and my nostalgia wanes a bit.
Until I stop to think of all of that I wish I had another one.

clean up time

It had been about two weeks since we were in my house.

Last evening when I walked in, it smelled a little off. I turned the kitchen light on, but the light did not. I didn’t think too much about it for a while, then I opened the refrigerator door and the light did not come on there either.

That was not good. I opened the freezer door and punched a bag of veggies. Gooey soft. Ouch. The refer had been off for long enough to defrost everything.

So I started cleaning out the freezer. Then the refer.

Along the way I was taking an armful of stuff to the garbage can and I dropped a glass bottle of the nasty hot sauce. The kind I might have eaten a bit of once, but not now. It shattered, of course. The floor is tile on concrete!

The whole house was filled with the full pungency of that hot sauce. While cleaning up there were times when the hot was enough to make breathing a bit interesting.

In time it was all cleaned up and put away. Half cup of baking soda helped the smell on the tile floor.

I guess it was time to clean out the refer and freezer. Now the refrigerator has that just moved in look!

This is about the time she graduated from high school. 

Three of my 4 daughters are red heads as was their mother. 

Does it amaze any one that I am partial to redheads, though I am married to a blonde now?

Love you Dea.

Happy Happy my daughter

Yesterday was the birthday of my third born.

For the next six weeks, she and her older sister will be the same age. I think some call that “dutch twins.” They have been good for each other through the years.

Birthday daughter lives in the San Francisco area. Wheels turn north and south, so see each other with some frequency. Her older son graduates from the University of Southern California (which, interestingly, is not a state school, but private!).

She has always been the outgoing daughter, the one always concerned about the welfare of others (her mother was really good at that one also). She has been an inspiration to all.

Her career path began when she was in high school. She worked for a small  print shop. Since then she has worked at all phases of the print industry, ending up as a graphic designer, the kind that is well paid for her work.

So, Dear Deanna, happy day after your birthday. I love you. (So does your new step-mom!)

My youngest daughter (Lia) a long time ago. Her daughter (Emily) looked so much like this when she was that size!

Savannah

Last weekend I attended a great grandson’s baptism.

While waiting for the end of the service I looked down the pew and saw Savannah. She is about 5 maybe, one of my new great grand daughters.

She looked at me and I signaled for her to come closer. She did an we had a conversation about not much. Then I asked her if I could hug her. She nodded her head. So I gave her a gentle grandpa hug. She was happy.

Shar has over 45 great grand kids (I have none), but now I am their step grandfather and I see them with now and then. There are two other cousins, Brooklyn and Hailey who call me grandpa  and come running for a hug.

All of this reminds me of the time my little girls were that size and of all the times I hugged them. Later it was granddaughters. Emily practically grew up in my house. I have hugged her thousands of times.

But my little granddaughters are not even teens any more. OK, the youngest is 17 and on a fast track to adulthood.

I miss all of those little ladies. I really do.

I smiled at a girl and got a girl and her dog.
Polly short for Pollyanna or Polyester or Polypropylene. has become my friend. Shar says that when I am gone Polly sits and watches the door. When I return she almost turns inside out in her happiness.
I really did not want a dog, but she is good one!

is there life after AD?

This is a sort of a second chance this Shar and I thing.

I had a very good marriage with Miriam. I adored her and always will, but that chapter is over and not by either of our choices.

Some years ago I began an essay titled: “Is there life after Alzheimer’s?” I was not sure. It seemed possible that the disease would suck whatever life was left in me. Besides after being Miriam’s guardian and keeper, telling her what to do and what to wear, could I make it work with a real woman?


I did not finish the essay. It was impossible then. Now it is moot. Of course there is life after AD.

As Shar and I become more and more comfortable with each other, as we get to be able to finish each others sentences more often, love grows and life goes on. So far it has been exceedingly happy.

When I was a young groom with a beautiful wife I often thought: “I don’t deserve this.” The other day Shar said to me: “I don’t know how I could be happier than I am right now.” That is a pretty heady evaluation from a new wife, and I agree. 

So, now as then, I wake in the morning and am still amazed that there is a beautiful woman asleep beside me, that thought keeps recurring.

Yes, there is life after AD, though it will be a different life.

I love you Sharon Louise.

Back deck on the house we are buying.
Not too bad. A bit of repair here and there. Shar has a nice set of patio furnture that will look good on this deck.
The left french door goes into the dining area (it is all one long room so you can call it what you wish), the slider goes into the mother-in-law suite that was added later.

iorny

I like to say that I am not 75 anymore.

By that I mean i cannot use that as any kind of excuse, for now I am a few notches to the right of 3/4.

So, I found it ironical this last week that a perfectly sane bank (oxymoron anyone?) approved us for a 30 year loan to buy a house. The fact that we are putting close to half the price down might have been a consideration.

But, now I have a date to look forward to. Just before my 108th birthday, we should make the last payment on the house.

Wow.

home

The front of our "new" house.
The color will change. The trim around the windows will change (some windows have plastic shutters, some never did), the landscaping trees in the picture will come out and new ones put in place, but it should be a comfortable home for us.
And, it is all on one level. No stairs once you get inside!

inspection

We are buying a house.

No question about that. We signed and initialed papers. Initiled to say we had read them knowing full well that NO ONE reads them, because some of them are unreadable.

Yesterday I met a new friend! He is a home inspector. Our new house has a lot of floor space, but he said it would not take him as long as it might so he knocked a hundred off of his fee for inspection.

He found where water was leaking (and took picture). He found a shingle that had lost it’s top coat. He found all sorts of fairly minor things (except for the toilet leak in the Master bedroom).

But there were no major problems. The structure is good. There are all sorts of cosmetic issues, but I can at least see them.

He had a tiny camera and took pictures of everything to back up his observation. He gave me the slide show and explained everything. Next he writes a report, complete with pictures and sends it to Barb, the realtor, and to me.

Barb says we will ask them to repair or replace everything that is on his list. We will ask for the moon she said. We will get a few things! I can live with that.

So Ralph became my special friend for the day.

Country mail boxes are interesting to say the least.

step party

Today is the birthday of my oldest step-daughter.

I have no idea of how old she really is, but I think she is younger than my oldest daughter, but not by too much. That makes her about. . . years old!

There will be a birthday party tonight, but since it is the night that my bride plays pool, I will be representing both of us. They live in a big super fancy house that belongs to a friend. It is on the market, as we say, and they are making it look lived in while it is being shown. They recently sold their house and the friend’s offer was fortuitous.

The house is in a super upscale neighborhood with roads that snake over the hilltop location. “Ahh look at that view!” sort of an area. The first time I was there I was a passenger, the 2nd time there was snow on the ground and it was dark. I did not set my smart phone and we had some issues finding the place.

Tonight I’ll let Seri guide me.

I understand being a step child. I became one when I was 8. But, until last November, I had never been a step parent. Kinda good¡

My mothers family are buried in this part of the cemetery in Walla Walla. I never met any of them, I am a generation or two removed, but I am pretty sure they were great people.

Bless  you all who have shown the way and then gone on.

Today is Miriam's birthday.

I will miss her today in a spacial way. I will shed a tear or two.

The day after tomorrow is the birthday of Shar's late husband Les. She will shed a tear as well.

Then we will get going.

We bought a house and will move into it in about a month and there is work to do here, a lot of work. The good thing is that the worst of winter is over and the temps are getting a little more conducive to indoor/outdoor work.

Still for one short moment, I will shed a tear for my beloved Miriam. Then I will hug my dear Shar. I am a lucky man. One who has been double blessed.

Stef and I the first time we met. She swiped my hat just before the picture was taken. She is a good kid and I am so blessed by our friendship.

Stef

After my Miriam was diagnosed with AD, I was hungry for any information about the accursed disease.

So I joined a chat room that was devoted to the issues I faced. When I logged on I was asked the regular questions. Who was I caring for? What stage? How old is she (and I)? I said that I was a grandfather, with 11 grand kids. After a while, a voice in the back asked: “Would you be my e-grandfather?”

Of course I have love enough for another granddaughter. A long time ago I read that while it is biologically important for kids to have parents, what is really important is that they have grandparents.  Of courses I said yes.

Her beloved grandmother was in the final stages of AD. She was 19 and a college student. She did not have a living grandfather. The grandmother had taken care of Stef all of her life, literally. She was terrified from all the changes in her life.

That was almost 8 years ago. We went through college, the death of her grandmother, personal issues of all sorts and then Miriam’s passing. It was a good friendship. When her parents first heard of the friendship they were horrified. Their 19 year old daughter was writing to a 70 year old grandfather. Gradually they accepted that I was not a threat and was indeed good for their daughter. When Miriam died the mother sent me a not of consolation.

We keep in touch. I have seen her a couple of times (Idaho is a LONG way from New York State!). Last summer she made a trip west and she stayed at my house for a few days. We explored this part of Idaho taking my new friend Shar as our guide.

We had a good visit. Thank you for your friendship Stef!

I have been blessed.

I remember gas at 24 or 25 cents a gallon, during a gas war. I had heard of gas at a huge station in Utah at 20, but that was a long time ago.
About that time a new car could be had for less than a thousand and a job might pay a dollar a day. So I guess it all has to be put in some context!

skin stuff

I went to the dermatologist today.

He looked me over and declared that a couple of spots were worthy of a biopsy, which he did, then he cut out a hunk of my body that had some sort of cancer.

The spot is behind my ear, so I cannot begin to see it, but the bandage is large and looks like it will be in the way big time when I do the sleep thing. The in house pathologist said they got all the bad stuff and that I would be OK (for now). Seems that once they start doing this skin cancer stuff they keep cutting, but I digress.

The whole incident took most of the morning. But while waiting for the pathologists we had a good visit with other patients and their minders. We all had temp bandages on various parts of our head.

It was an interesting experience. Not painful and not really much of a big deal, but that C word does get our attention.

Mask from a portion of a large and rather complex sculpture I did years ago.
It was meant to be a fairly loose self portrait.

zig zag

Friday we put in a bid on a house.

We bid a few thousand over the asking price. We had a notion that someone else might come in (actually we heard a rumor) at the asking price, so we sweetened the bid a little.

No word yesterday or today. Silence from all the realtors. I was sure we were out of the running. Then word came that the primary bidder, whose bid was the asking price, had given a check for the earnest money, and it bounced.

Ouch for them.

That puts us right in the front of the bidding. That does not mean we will get the house, but it means we did not lose the house today.

The house in question is in an older area (older meaning 70’s to current) with all sorts of real nice homes around. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on one level (very important). Then there is a mother in law unit that has been added.  That one has another bedroom, a bath and a living area, along with space for a small kitchen.

There is no shop or garage, but I could work around that one.

The lot is close to half acre and is totally fenced.

It would be a good house for us.

But as I tell Shar: “Don’t arrange the furniture yet!”

It snowed again last night. I know it is just January, but I have a stack of plywood panels to cut down and the only place available is outside. Winter can go away any time, even as I know we have a LOT of nasty weather ahead yet.
Grr.

learning

I did not know that a manufactured house (one built inside in a factory and then moved to a foundation) could only be moved once.

That is it can be moved from the factory to the foundation, but not off the foundation to anywhere else! If it happens the whole thing is not eligible for financing, apparently from any source. 

Wow.

We found a real nice place. The land was the right size, it had a double car garage with an apartment above (!). It had enough room and was in good shape. The owner was asking a hundred grand and it had to be all cash.

That explained why a nice place like that was on the market for so long. 

We could come close to raising that much cash, but it would leave us pretty pasted financially. So we made a lame offer. There was a full priced offer so ours was moot. 

Earlier we visited an historic house. Old brick, in the historical district of my town. We walked in the front door and I was ready to get out my checkbook. It was wonderfully put together. It had all of everything we might want. Well, pretty close to everything. It turned out that all three of the bedrooms were in the basement. The required windows (large enough you could exit in case of a fire) were not present and at our age, going up and down that many steps that many times a day did not make us happy. 

It was a beautiful house otherwise. 

The things you learn.

I have spent a lot of effort looking for the perfect tool box.
It does not exist I discovered.
But I keep looking and thinking and drawing. This one is pretty nice. Not sure how the tray fits into the box, but it sure looks good.

what would I like to do?

I was asked “If you weren’t remodeling this house what would you be doing?” Good question and not one with an easy answer.

Much of my life has been spent in some part of the modeling or remodeling business. I can do it. I don’t have anything to prove. I don’t mind the work as much as I am tired of living in a construction zone. I’d like to live in a clean finished space!

 So, what might I do? For one, I’d plan this year’s garden. Since I don’t know where I’ll be living next summer, logic is not to make too many plans just yet.

I could carve some wood, or make boxes or make a chair. That is the one thing I have never made: A good comfortable chair.

Shucks I might even read a book or three.

Not all scrap piles are as photogenic as this one. I look at these pieces, and wonder about the craftsman who installed them originally. Is he still alive (virtually all construction was and is done by guys -- unfortunately or other wise). What would he think of what I am doing?

walls

The joy of remodeling is the wonder of what is inside that wall!

The lady wants to widen what was a door. That means taking out some studs. I am not worried about strength. It is not a weight bearing wall. Along the way I need to run a power line for a light. Not really difficult, there will be more holes in the sheetrock and more repair.

So this morning I will take my faithful reciprocal saw (the remodelers gift from the tool gods). I’ll saw nails and studs and sheetrock and when I am finished it should make the lady a happy lady.

Then, there will be shelves. The last ones (there were 4) were supported by various pieces of narrow wood nailed to the wall.  Since I am not capable of doing anything that simple I’ll make thin tall cabinets with adjustable shelves and all the trimmings of little (One bank is 3” deep others 9") cabinets. There will 40 or 50 shelves!

That will keep me going for a few days.

ouch

One of the hazards of being a contractor is understanding what the customers really wants.

You think you have it figured out what they want. But there are no drawings or photographs for reference, but you are pretty sure you are on the right page.

Then you discover you did not even find the right book!

Being married to the customer does not make it a lot different, by the way!

my tiny

The front of my tiny house as it neared completion. At 300 square feet it is workable for one person, but not for two! It is located at my daughters house in Washington State.

We looked at three houses yesterday.

The first was not too far from my home. It was built in the 20’s and has been remodeled a time or two. It has a garage in the back yard that would make a fine studio/shop. The lot is small (a plus) and it is fenced. The downsize is that the house is 1200 square feet. Could Shar fit into that space. The price was right but it is essentially a one bedroom house with an office.
Verdict: If Shar can fit it would work well for us.

House two was 10 or 11 miles away. Same vintage, but much larger.
Two story with a quaint rather diminutive kitchen. Two baths, but not terribly wonderful. A small two story garage that looks totally out of place. The lot is big, wrapping around the neighboring tiny house.
Great project for someone with ambition and a bit of cash. We have some cash (very finite) and less ambition than we might have had a decade ago.
Verdict: Not for us.

House three was on an acre lot. It had a carport by the house, a barn and a nice sized metal shop. The lot was fenced with a block wall across the front of the lot.
Some previous owner had spent a pile of money putting on new stucco. But the house had been vandalized and would require a lot of work to get it habitable, and it was in a deteriorating neighborhood.
Verdict: No. Definitely.

But, Shar keeps bidding on  a house around the corner from where I live now. Three bedroom 60’s. Two car garage, parking and a decent metal shop. The downside is that the occupant seems to be a hostile renter, meaning that you might have to force them out, and while they are paying no rent the forcing process can take some time.
And because the renter is not cooperating (or seems so at this point), we cannot see the inside.
Verdict: It seems to be a decent house for us.

So the search and the financial gymnastics continue. Shar purchased the house we live in now from a bank last June. She had spent several months fencing with the bank before they arrived at an acceptable price.

I like little houses that have a lot of character.
Share likes them larger with lots of space.
We are working on that one!

house hunting

I have bought exactly one house in my life and it did not turn out well.

The lot where my house house sits was part of an inheritance and I built the house in 1976, 38 years ago.

Shar has bought and sold dozens of houses. Idaho, Washington, New Mexico, and those are just the ones I have heard her talk about!

So we are looking for the prefect house for us. Unfortunately we don’t have a perfect budget. But we look.  We see all sorts of interesting and even intriguing houses. But, so far, none have been right.

There is one around the corner from my house. It is a bit larger, on a corner lot, good parking spaces, a double garage and a shop in the back yard. It is being auctioned to the highest bidder, but there are dozens of ways the bank can make that last a long time. At the moment we have the high and only bid. But the process could take a long time, and success is not guaranteed.

Shar bid on one house last year. It was as close to perfect as any house we have seen. The bank said it was hers. Closing date was set, then the bank magically canceled her bid and sold it to someone else for less money. Obviously someone had a friend.

It is a crazy project, this houses buying thing.

My request for the new year

The last few years have been way to eventful.

In 2011 Miriam and I moved from the houses I built to Washington State to be closer to daughter 1 who was to help me care for Miriam as Alzheimer’s slipped deeper into her body.

In 2012 I thought I had sold our house in Idaho, but when the sale fell through I decided to not sell because “There may be time ahead that I cannot possible see when I will wish I had the house.” Then in May that year the storm sewer overflowed and dumped 30” of water into my house. The insurance company (State Farm) came through. They paid me more than the house was worth!

2013 My beloved Miriam lost her battle with Alzheimer’s. I moved back to our house and began the slow process of rebuilding: electrical; sheetrock; paint; trim; cabinets; floors etc.

2014 I met Shar and nothing has been the same! 

So with all of that drama I’d like 2015 to be a bit boring, but with Shar I know it won't be!

Please.

I didn't take this one last week!
I look forward to spring!

Happy Happy

2015

I have to wonder how this one will work out.

Last year was a year of change and not all good changes. I was holed up in the smallish master suite at my house. I was lonely and sad. This year I am not lonely and not so sad. That is good.

But as is my habit I am constantly analyzing everything. Shar says I am excessive about that one and she is right.

I used to start a long essay on new years day, evaluating my basic beliefs and wondering if they were still valid. Haven’t done that for a while.

This year may not have as many big changes, but there will be definite changes, maybe ore than I anticipate.

But it will unfold a day at a time and meanwhile: Happy New Years day.

May 2015 be a banner year.