A Weekend Well-Spent

Here it is the middle of December and getting colder by the minute, I swear! Lots of work to do, but I am progressing well, considering the short amounts of time I can get here and there to devote to the cabin. 

Arriving home Saturday morning, I decided to get myself settled in and started the unpacking process or, as I like to call it, nest fluffing. My dream is to one day live in a Class C motor home full time. As part of the process to get to that dream, I have been trying to shed the tons of 'stuff' collected over a lifetime. Unpacking on Saturday was an eye opener. There are still too many things it might be too hard to let go of. Of course, there are lots that are designated to go to other households, also. I think one day I will have all possessions down to a manageable load. 

The item I love to tote around most that I will have to one day let go of is my bookcase system. Bricks and boards. You can't beat it for versatility.

Brick, board, brick, brick, brick, board, brick, brick, brick......

Unload a few boxes, and you get

a bookcase! I love it. 

The light in this room bothered me. A good cleaning, maybe some rearranging, is in order. What do you think?

Which do you like better? That way, or this?

Me, too.

I noticed the a/c intake was looking bad.

Yep, a tad on the dirty side. It is supposed to be baby blue.

I did some work with that partition in the kitchen. 

I figured out how to get this thing out of the kitchen without taking it apart. However, in order to get to the metal strip holding it all to the floor, I had to get this panel out of the way, so I guess I did need to take it apart. It will be easier for me to deal with in pieces. I am not sure I could manage the weight of the whole thing at once. 

And removed another shelf off the top of it, too. 

My daughter used the excuse of bringing me a table and chairs to come check on me. I know that is what she is doing, but don't tell her I am onto her scheme. I am always tickled to see her and she knows more than anyone that I do need looking in on occasionally. While she was visiting she had me find the ree-ree tool and she went to work fixing the refrigerator doors so they will open on the right, which will fit this kitchen so much better. 

Ta-da! Misty wondered how often I would try to open the doors from the left side before I get used to the 'new' doors. I am behind in my blogging, so am reporting Saturday's work on Monday evening. Misty, the answer so far, from Saturday night to Monday night, is FIVE. So far. 

I ran into a friend today. She was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. I promised her that if the chemo made her hair fall out, I would shave my head. Well, it did, and I did. We were both bald by the middle of November, 2009. Today we checked out each other's hair and had a long talk about it being a year since that all happened. On Christmas Eve of last year she told me to start growing my hair back. Two months later hers made a reappearance. She is now fully recuperated and very healthy, thank goodness. If you have a friend with cancer, any kind of cancer, give them an extra hug today, would you? It makes a world of difference in the ability to heal, knowing there are folks out there who care. 

God bless.

We are insulated now!

Evening, folks! I am so proud of the work I did today. Unfortunately it isn't going to be all that interesting to look at. However, the cabin is as insulated as I can make it in the short term. 

We have curtains over every window and door, and some have both curtains and plastic. I only have the window in the kitchen at the counter left to do, and it is not too bad about transferring the cold inside, so far anyway.

Even though the plastic is still showing, I think those french doors in the entry hall look better with clothes on, don't you? 

This is the door to the back room. Can't even see that shower curtain, can you?

The kitchen window and door are all snug!

The front door is also well quilted now.

Last, but not least, the window in my room is covered. And to think I did this all with a staple gun! I will hate myself later when I start filling in holes and painting, but folks, the heater is set on 62 and it is still warm in here. That works for me!

After I got the curtains up I started moving things around again.

This last one will be my office, once I have it unpacked and set up. It still just looks like a jumble of boxes, but if you look closely you will see a quilt. That is my desk. There is stuff both behind and in front of it but hopefully soon it will look nice. Always optimistic, that's how old birds like me keep going! 

My plate was full this evening with other things not at the cabin, so I didn't get too far out here. Tomorrow I am going to go see some kids o' mine, but I will be back Sunday to work on this some more. I'd be tickled to have you join me then! 

'Til Sunday, if the Good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise!

It's getting cold!

Folks, it is getting cold around here. 

After a day of lazing yesterday, to recuperate from the move on Sunday, and after a long day at the office today, I came home and decided it would be a good idea to winterize a bit. The heater ran all night long non-stop last night, and I surely don't want to start facing a gargantuan electric bill, so must do some preventative medicine right now.

First on the list tonight was getting the shop lights taken down in my room. They were attached to the same power source as the ceiling fan, so I couldn't run the fan without sleeping under a florescent light. Not a choice I would make willingly. I got out my trusty 'step-stool' because I still haven't talked anyone into toting a ladder out here for me. I have a ladder to use, just can't get it in a compact car, don'tcha see. Here is what I used instead.

I step up on the pot, then up on the desk, and I can reach most everything I need to, at least right now. I am sure OSHA would not approve, but they didn't bring my ladder out here for me either, so they don't get a vote. 

I had three light fixtures to take down. This one was over the bed, so I could stand on it to reach that left side. I had the desk right by the bed so I could step over onto it to reach the other chain. 

All three fixtures were plugged in to the box right there by the fan. While I was up there I did clean the fan, but didn't take a picture and now it is running, which doesn't make for a good photo. You will just have to trust me that it is now clean. 

Next I headed for the entry hall, which is where the thermostat is located. I could feel cold air coming in around the french doors.

Always one to recycle, reuse and not buy unless I just have to, I had dragged home some plastic sheeting from work. The things businesses will throw away, I swear!

With a borrowed electric staple gun it didn't take very long at all to get the plastic hung over the doors.

I have curtains to layer over the plastic, but I forgot the box of staples to reload with, so will have to borrow the gun again tomorrow evening to finish this project.

I took that whiteboard down in the back room and put it over the door to the 'storage room' where all the soap factory stuff is.There is another door in the back room to use to access this room, so the factory folks can still come get stuff as they make room for it at their new place.

And I found an old shower curtain and put it over the door to that back room. I had to tape it up as I had used all the staples already. Thank goodness for packing tape!

I am not sure where the credit goes, whether it is the weather being warmer than last night, or the plastic over the door, or blocking those two extra rooms, or the ceiling fan in my room circulating the air throughout the open parts of the house, but tonight the heater is cycling on and off as it should be doing and it is toasty and warm. I still have the kitchen window and door to address and also a window in my room. I also need to go buy one of those plastic strips you stick at the bottom edge of a door to keep drafts out. I have two more rugs to bring out from my daughter's house, also, which will make my toes like getting up in the morning. I think once I get all that done I will be able to meet the electric bill head on! For right this minute though, the only head-on I am interested in involves my pillow!

They say it might rain tonight, so try to stay dry, y'all! 

'Night!

Moving Day!

Welcome to December, folks!! Hasn't it been lovely!

I had fun while on my latest trip. On one of the days I babysat. I was home alone with a 16 month old, with no vehicle, and looked out their back door to see this....

A quick call to 911 and I found out the fire department was doing a controlled burn in the national park right next door. I told that gal that I was alone with a baby, and on foot besides. If that fire got out of control I wanted her to come get me and that baby out of the fishing pond before we got pneumonia! She giggled and promised we were in no danger. Even the little calves were bunching up as far from that fire as possible! I was sure glad when the smoke cleared. I could just see fire marching across that dry pasture and knocking at my door.

Moving day arrived too soon. I arrived home this morning at 9am and started loading my little car. People, I guarantee I can stuff a car plumb full! Believe it or not, I had already unloaded a bunch of it before I remembered the camera! 

Then the elves and pixies showed up!

That's my son, Garrett, hiding behind the truck. My daughter, Misty,  is at the gate. We have entirely too much fun, don't we? Those kids had the rest of my stuff loaded, transported and unloaded in one trip, too! Giggles abounded when they were trying to get the full sized mattress into the van. My grandson, Mikey, got plowed backward and then trapped between the seats in there, but he escaped with very little injury. Getting that mattress back out of the van was even more fun. hehe

Once the vehicles were unloaded Misty left for a meeting. Garrett and Mikey moved that last tree for me, so I now have my tree-lined driveway. It is just as I imagined it. 

Once he had done his Paul Bunyan imitation with the logs, Garrett left to take his family to have their pictures taken with Santa. 

Mikey hung in there though. He declared he had to clean to make sure I was living in a clean house. What a fella! The microwave oven I brought out is on it's last leg, rusting out on the inside, etc. Hey, a gal has to make due at times, and right now I still haven't any cookware to speak of, so at least can nuke that food. Mikey scrubbed that thing clean, too. Kin to his Toobie, for sure!

Meanwhile, I unpacked boxes and sorted things until time to take him back to his mama. Once I had delivered him and gone by the grocer's for some supper (and breakfast), I headed HOME. Wow, I am really in my own place again. It's been awhile, I won't lie to you. You know what I did first once I got the groceries put away, don't you? That's right, I took a big ol' bubble bath in that beautiful claw-footed bathtub! Lots and lots of hot water to soak the sore muscles and clear the mind, that's the prescription for the evening! 

And now, if you will indulge me, I know my mama will want to know how things look today, so let me attach photos....these are for you, Mother. And then I am going to bed! 'Night, y'all!

"My room"

(Notice the heating pad is already warming up for me!)

The 'office', 

And last, but never least, the kitchen...