Lady bug invasion!

Howdy, folks! Glad you could make it back by. 

Yesterday several of the locals noticed that there seemed to be lady bugs everywhere. I even saw several buzzing around the kitchen light at the cabin. I woke up this morning to what looked like a lady bug war zone below a window in my room at my daughter's house. 

I was not aware of a 'leak' at that window, so they must have come in through the doors, which were all open to let in some cool air last evening when it was so hot and muggy. They must have sensed this cold front that is plowing through the nation. Let's pretend they settled in my room because I am so sweet. Right. I thought these poor lady bugs were dead. 

When I finally got home this evening they were still there, lying on the floor in poses of lady bug rigor mortis. Now, at bedtime, there is a miracle going on. They are crawling up onto my bed, flying around my monitor and sitting on the pillow beside me, looking for all the world like they are reading as I write. I hope they aren't harsh critics! My theory is they came in to escape this cold front that is blasting through, but got too cold during the night, going into hibernation. They must have heard the heating pad turn on when I got home and are crawling up here to share the heat. That's okay, too. I ain't afraid of no lady bugs! 

It is nearly time for me to move into the cabin to live. Sunday is moving day; I think I told you that last night. So far, that date is holding. Tonight when I got out to the cabin with my third (or fourth, I've lost track) car load of possessions, I made sure the floor in the front room was cleared. When we get my rug out there it can be laid down and my bed set up while I have helpers around. 

All clear! I even walked around the room, making absolutely sure all the spots of wax and soap, lotions and potions were gone, and am happy to report the floor is ready for that rug.

The kitchen had to be cleared out as well. My daughter is donating a kitchen table and chairs to the cause, so a spot must be made for those. How about right by the window?

Everything here got moved to the back room on the other side of the house in anticipation of starting work there once I am settled. The huge trash can, the mop bucket, and the organizer full of rags and towels; even the box with nails and such, all went to the small room on the other side of the house, since that is where I will begin the reclaiming of this house. 

Now, isn't this better?

It is amazing how much the stains on that partition stand out on the photos. It doesn't look nearly so bad in person, so to speak. That partition will eventually be taken apart and removed, so I am not too worried about cleaning it thoroughly. After the table is in, I will clean up whatever is obvious around it, then not worry about it until I start taking the thing apart. I hope I can salvage the wood out of it for some other project, but will just have to see as I go along.

Unloading the car was a real chore.

This is just part of the load I brought in tonight. All these boxes go under my bed. Photo albums, scrapbook boxes, my PROM dress (yes, we had proms in the Dark Ages, my dears). My daughter suggested I put these boxes in storage, but I can't. If I do, what will I put under the bed? I must have that space filled, so the maniac that escaped from the insane asylum can't crawl under there. Remember that old campfire story? Yep, must fill up the space under the bed with something!

The landlady has a new mattress and box spring for this house that need to be stored. It is too big for the room I will start out in, so I can't just set it up and use it. I had a bit of a problem trying to decide where to put it until I have room to set it up. (It will go in the room where all the soap factory stuff is stored now). There is no place that it will be safe and I surely can't be moving it around by myself. What with painting and cleaning going on all the time, I fear having it out there. I thought on it for over a week before the solution came to me. You see, I want to close off that front room, especially when cold weather comes in, like tonight. What I finally figured out is to use that mattress, etc, to block as much of that front room door from the entry way as I can, and then hang a curtain to keep the higher portion of the doorway blocked, as well. No sense in wasting electricity heating that area of the house, after all, when no one is going to be in it.

The problem is that I had stacked empty boxes in the corner of that front room, blocking the door to the back room; saved for use in packing up the things in the front room as I get time. So this is what it was looking like.

Moving the boxes out of the way was not a problem. Finding somewhere else to put them was. Isn't it always the way that when you move you feel like you are playing one of those tile games, where you keep moving the tiles around until you have a picture? I shuffled things around in there until I had a spot for the boxes. I think it looks better now.

The door out to the entryway can now be blocked off, as we will have access to the front room when needed through this door between the two 'bedrooms'. Ta-da. Give me a little time and I will figure it all out.

Tomorrow after I get off work I am going to go wander around Texas again, but will be back and raring to go Sunday morning. I have one truck lined up for sure, another that is a maybe at this point. If you aren't busy Sunday, come help me. There isn't much furniture, but man, I keep adding to the pile of boxes that have to go! (I need to find the hand mixer. How can I make cookies without a mixer? This is why I keep adding to the list. It is the fault of the cookies, I swear.)

Happy trails until Sunday evening, when I write the next blog entry - the first I will write AT the cabin! Have a good week, y'all!

Back after a long break

Sorry to have abandoned you lately, folks. On the 15th some bug got a hold on me, and to quote Rosanne Rosanadana, I thought I was gonna die! Coughing and feeling miserable, I was a very whiny patient, I'll tell you right now. I did go out to the cabin and to work on the 16th, but didn't have the energy to blog about it then. 

Once I got over that bit of evil, it was the holiday. I rode with family up to the Panhandle and had a good visit there. I want to thank my Mom for the goodies she sent back with me, which I will show you in a minute. And I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one,  as well.  Donations of pecan pie are being accepted, if there's any left at your house.

Now that the holiday weekend is over, it is time to get back to work. I took the carload of things I had brought back from Mother's house out to the cabin tonight after I got off work. After unloading that load, I rolled up the ol' shirtsleeves and got busy.

First let me show you the handiwork from the 16th. I really worked hard on that kitchen floor that day. I would pour warm, soapy mop water on an area about 2 feet wide and 4 feet long and let it soak while I worked on doors and windows. Most of the day the kitchen looked like this in one spot or another. 

The final product doesn't look very pretty yet, but it is now mostly clean, believe it or not.

While on our trip I found some wonderful ideas for refinishing this floor, which is actually subflooring. With the floors being so uneven I doubt tile or even a vinyl floor covering would work well in here. But I found some marvelous ideas, if I can figure out how to reproduce them. We will see as this project progresses.

While floors were soaking I started on the door and window in the kitchen.

After knocking down the dirt daubers nests I went to work scrubbing off the door facings and even cleaned the inside of the screen door! Scrubbing the door itself revealed a nice sturdy door. Needs paint, but I nearly hate to even say that any more, I've said it so much. After I got all the woodwork clean I worked on the glass. Took the curtain down and put it in with the laundry to do when I get near anyone's washing machine. 

Once the door was clean I attacked the window and it, too, looks much better. Look, you can see outside! Nature! Trees! Yeah! I need a ladder to do the outside panes on the window, couldn't reach them from the ground.

In between rounds of mopping, which progressed fairly quickly once I was past the high traffic areas, I had my choice of chores to do while waiting for the next floor section to soak. I decided to keep working on doors and windows and headed to the front room. 

Much better, I think. The bugs and mildew and dust are all gone. 

I didn't have the tools needed to fix the hinge on the entry way door. It became clear that it couldn't take much more use without the repairs, so I did the next best thing and put a stop to using that door for now by blocking it with one of those big wooden cabinets we had set out on the front porch.

As you can tell, it was getting pretty dark by then, and I was feeling worse and worse. For the next several days it was all I could do to drag myself to work and back home, so the cabin was sorely neglected.

Fast forward to today, the 29th. The plan (today; it may change tomorrow, or even in an hour, who knows) is for me to move in on Sunday. I have an area rug I want to use, so decided the biggest issue would be to get the front room floor clean, so the wax and soap spots don't ruin my rug. 

See all the black spots? That is what I have to remove. The white stuff near the top of the photo is Lysol cleanser, sprayed on with a spray bottle. 

The main trail of spots is in this general area. After scrubbing with a mop, I got down on my knees with a green scrubber and scrubbed the remainder off. Well, I did have to use my thumb nail to scrape some of it off. So much for that manicure! 

I think I mentioned that my mother sent things for me to use in my new home. While my floor was soaking I unpacked towels and window sheers and decorative items. Most of it went in my bathroom, with the following results.

It is starting to fill up! Notice my 'step' to use getting into and out of the tub.There are cinder blocks all around the house, so I put some of them to use. The edge of the tub is just high enough that it is difficult to get in and out of the tub, so this should help with that problem.

See that doll sitting on the top shelf? My grandmother Reagan, who we recently lost, crocheted that doll. Isn't she pretty? It won't take long to finish filling these shelves, once I start unpacking my things.

I hung the freshly washed kitchen sheer back on the kitchen door.

Mom had sent a pair of blue sheers, but they were too long for the bathroom window, so I put them on the front room door.

Notice the shelf on brackets to the right of the door? Every time I walked in or out that door I would hit my head on that thing. Yes, I have an overabundance of coordination and grace, I'll admit. However, my patience levels have been below par lately and that shelf reached out and tapped me once too often. I had in my possession an electric drill, so decided that tonight was the night to take that shelf down. 

The wall needs a good scrubbing, but after working on the floor all evening it was put to a vote and unanimously decided that could wait until tomorrow. (Hmm? Yes, it was just me out there. Why? Of course, it was unanimous. What's your point, anyway?)

Another chore I had thought about doing was also tabled until tomorrow. In the front room are three florescent lights. I want to take those down, however, I couldn't find the ladder I thought was here. It was getting too dark to tromp around outside to look for ladders or anything else. 

Tomorrow. I will do that job tomorrow. Right now I have to go back to my daughter's house and get another load packed and in the car to deliver out here tomorrow!

Thanks to Mother for all the goodies. I had fun fixing up the bathroom with them. 

Last on today's items to discuss, but definitely not least -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TRACY REUTHER!!! Forever 21! 

I'll see y'all tomorrow!

Monday, Monday

I went to the cabin on Sunday, but forgot the camera. Today I went back out with the second car load of my things. Have been battling cold with earache and sore throat, so I didn't do any cleaning out here today, just unloaded that second load of junk. However, I did take photos of the progress made yesterday, so will show those tonight. 

My daughter and I had moved one of the work benches out to the porch on Saturday. Yesterday I moved the other one, and made the cats a fort. 

The entry way is the one room I haven't shown you yet. Here is what it looked like the first day.

And here it is now.

Much emptier, don't you think?

The kitchen looks empty, too. I still can't get a good shot of that floor, but it was scrubbed and scrubbed yesterday. It still isn't clean, but it is getting there!

We found an issue yesterday. The white unit that was put there to protect the original wall behind it needs to come out of there, now that there isn't soap, lotions and candles being made. But as the landlord and I stood there discussing taking it off the wall, we realized it can't be taken out of the house. It is too big. It was built in the kitchen, so that problem never came up. I fear we will have to disassemble it. The landlady suggested a chainsaw, but I would worry the logs behind might get damaged. I am sure we will figure it out.

Here is part of the collection of blue speckled tin ware I found in the cabinets. I think it just fits the personality of the cabin. If you have any pieces laying around that you don't use, send them to me. I'll give them a good home! 

And this, my friends, is a ree-ee tool.

I have been assured that I can take those refrigerator doors off and put the hinges on the other side with this tool. I am going to leave it right here and check back tomorrow to see if the doors are changed. That should work, don't you think? Of course, that's what I thought about the exercise videos, too. I walk by the shelf and look at those tapes every day, but so far they haven't helped a bit. I hope this tool will do a better job!

The landlady brought me the cabinet doors for the cabinets over the stove. I sure hope they have crawled up there and attached themselves by tomorrow, also. I don't want to have to figure out how to get them to stay. Duct tape, perhaps? No. Even I know better than that. I have an electric drill coming and will have these installed in no time with that handy little devise. Patience, that's all it will take for now.

Load one of my personal effects was moved over from my daughter's house on Sunday.

I brought my tv, vcr and movies. I have noise again, yes!

I don't sit and watch it, I promise. I put on movies that I have seen so many times I know what is going on. Right now Blues Brothers 2000 plays over and over. It keeps strange noises at bay when I am out there with just the critters for company. Once we are moved in the house noises will be muffled somewhat, but in empty rooms any noise is very loud. With pecan trees hanging over a tin roof, there are some mighty strange noises I'd rather not hear so well.

As I said earlier, I am fighting a cold right now and feeling a bit sorry for myself over it. As I was driving back to town after I unloaded the car, I got to thinking about a lady we once knew who decided to try a home remedy she had heard about for a sore throat. She gargled with turpentine. Now I don't know about you, but I couldn't get that stuff near my nose, much less close to my tastebuds. She, however, took a big ol' mouthful of it and was gargling it way back in her throat. Her husband came in, and seeing that she hadn't heard him, decided to sneak up behind her and scare her. When he grabbed her he did scare her...and she swallowed the turpentine! When asked later if the home remedy worked she replied, "Well, I don't have hemorrhoids now!"  Bless her heart! I think I'll stick with cough drops! 

'Night, everybody!

Here comes the cavalry!

Happy Birthday, Mikey!

Happy Birthday, Tristan! Happy Birthday, Devon!

Howdy, everyone! I traveled, I saw, I became road weary. I want to say congratulations to the Bastrop Warriors, (my grandson, Christian, is #6), a fine bunch of 7 year-olds who have played an undefeated season of football and now go to the Super Bowl next Saturday. The best football an old grandma could ever want to watch, I'll tell ya! I was very impressed with the parents of those young players. Very spirited and supportive. Y'all rock! 

Well, the fun is over, and it is time to get back to the business at hand. I want to apologize right off, because I am typing this on Sunday morning, instead of last night when I should have. I got home and fell into bed after the day of working that was done. Let me tell you about it.

After feeding and watering everyone I got to work. Pulled the refrigerator out and cleaned behind it, which was not hard to do, as the refrigerator has wheels. Wheels! What will they think of next? It wasn't bad back there, just needed a good all over cleaning. I did kill a scorpion, so will have to remember to spray the bug spray back there. The floor is kind of mildewy looking near the back, and I wonder if there is a leak back there, so will have to keep an eye on it. It could just be leaking from the sink area right next to it. Remember it had leaked and was black. 

I was debating on whether to get the bleach water and start spraying this down when I heard the bugles. The cavalry had arrived. My sweet daughter had a rare day off and had come to help me! What a treat, not only for the help, but for the company, too. I stay at my daughter's while getting this place habitable but she stays so busy that I rarely get to visit with her. I'd like to introduce you to her. This is my daughter, Misty. Misty, this is everyone. 

She is so excited to be dancing with that broom!

When Misty walked in, this is what she saw. 

Would you have stayed?

I explained the mops were on the floor on purpose, soaking the spots off the floor. We discussed changing the doors over on the refrigerator. They open like this.

I think it would be more efficient if they opened from the right. Misty is refrigerator door-changing experienced, and gave me a tutorial on the matter. However, we did not get that chore done. Misty says I need a ree-ee ree-ee tool (another technical term, remember it) and we could not find one anywhere so that will have to go on the to-do list. I do happen to have a ree-ee ree-ee tool and a set of sockets to go with it, so will try to remember to bring them with me on another day. (Oh, the things you learn reading my blog, I swear!) 

My daughter is not shy when it comes to work, and she had a plan. I don't know that I could have even thought about moving some of the things she moved this day. I can clean and scrub all day long, but moving shelving and big benches would have done me in, I fear. With Misty there to help me, some major moving around got done! First she attacked the dark side of the kitchen. 

Packing, sorting, moving furniture. That woman is one of those white tornadoes we used to see on commercials...except she isn't bald and wearing a gold hoop earring! 

Ta-da! I still have the cleaning to do, and the floor will still take lots of time and patience, but I think we made loads of progress, don't you? 

Now, on to the next room. This will eventually be the den, but is the emptiest of the remaining rooms. I will move my things in here to start, then will work on one room at a time with the repairs and painting and doing things up right. Misty danced circles around me as we started emptying this room.The one thing we kept forgetting was to take 'before' shots. I do have the photos I took the first day, so will show you what my first look at this was. Since that day, the company has moved quite a bit of the boxes, jugs etc, out. We just had to deal odds and ends before getting to the furniture and fixtures. 

Notice the door? It leads out to the porch, which is where this bench went.

You can see a corner of that bench outside the window of the door.

These were racks they dried the soaps on. When Misty started clearing them out, most of the trays were already emptied. There are matching racks in another room, and the few trays that still held merchandise were moved into those racks. The shelving unit that had been in the kitchen was set up in that front room parallel to a shelving unit already in there. We folded one of these silver racks flat and laid it across the tops of both of those units to provide more storage space for light weight boxes still here (like packing peanuts). 

 This unit was fairly empty, but we had to get it out of the corner, which ended up being quite an adventure. See that upper corner near the stairway? It was wedged behind the stairs. Misty got under the stairs and lifted them enough for me to pull the shelves out. (Which was way quicker than my plan which involved disassembling the shelving unit.) I don't think I hit her in the head but twice or four times, poor thang!

This will be my closet while I stay in this room. (There are no closets in this house. They didn't invent closets until the 60's, when us hippies thought up all the good ideas. What? You don't believe me?) 

Here is the plan. We are going to take a smaller shelving unit from another room and put it in the corner farthest from the stairs, then put a clothes pole between the shelves and the steps. 

There! Now I just have to measure to see how long a pole I need and we will have a closet! The clothing will be the 'curtain' that hides whatever junk I end up throwing in there. 

And we have this room as done as we can get it today. I will need an electric drill to remove some wall brackets. Of course, there is lots to be cleaned, also. However, I have muscles and will-power with me today, so we are not bogging down in cleaning spots. 

We moved to the back room on the other side of the house. I haven't shown that room yet. It has been the least emptied since I first saw it, so it still looked much the same as in the first pictures.

This is the shelving unit we put in the 'closet'. All the boxes and bins went into the front room with the other factory items.

This is as empty as we are going to get with this room today.

This will be the room I start the restoration on. There is carpet laid on this floor. It has been reported that there are holes in the floor that you can see the ground through, so I am betting this will be my hardest room to do. Get the hardest part done first and the rest will be cake, that's my motto. For right this minute we just needed that one shelving unit that was backed against the roll top desk. Once I have moved in I will finish emptying the room and pull up the carpet to see what I am facing.

I know you must be wondering where all this stuff was put, so let me show you.

We disassembled two of these racks, stacked the trays out of the way and put the racks out on the porch for now. (That big spacious porch is getting pretty full!) The other rack has product on it, so it was moved over to the other wall. This wall, by the table.

That metal shelving unit from the kitchen was put just about where the baskets are hanging with one side to the wall. That is where we put the folded metal rack up above for extra storage. This is what that room looks like now.

The metal shelving unit that had been under the stairs took the space we'd uncovered taking out the red tray racks.

It was at this point that I gave completely out. I am ever so grateful to my daughter for spending time with me at the cabin. She could have stayed home and taken a nap, but came out and performed slave labor just to help her mama. What a wonderful gal! 

As I said, I was tired. We headed back to her house and I crashed. She still dealt with cooking and shepherding a gaggle of teen-aged boys celebrating one's birthday. I never heard them.

I am sitting here on Sunday morning, listening to the sounds of a household starting to wake up, trying to talk myself into getting dressed and heading back to the cabin. I should take my tv and vcr out there, maybe have some noise to work by. What do you think? Oh yes, I must not forget the ree-ree tool, either! I wonder if I could take the heating pad and duct tape it to my back while I work? Too much? Okay, I'll just wish it were there with me.

Y'all have a good Sunday. I am pretty sure I will be back here to see you this evening, if the Good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.