Sukkot Greetings!

A harvest celebration.  We build a temporary booth that is open to the sky (covered with boughs and foliage).  We eat at least one meal in the booth a day, many will eat and sleep in the booth (Jewish form of camping?)

Mine was built today in a light sprinkle with wood from last year and tarps (car repair ate into my lumber budget).  Thank HaShem for my sister!  I was too short to lift the frame onto the railings!

Beginning the build - remove the tubs and gardening dirt, gather lumber

Drilled pilot holes for the LONG nails - attach long boards to posts

Frame is coming together

The frame sits on the deck railing and is pretty darn solid.


Next comes tying the tarps to form walls and weave line across the top, forming a "cat's cradle" to hold the boughs

and cut some brush for the top

Tada!

Even Holly the cat approves

L'Shana Tova!

L'Shana Tova!  Happy New Year

May everyone be inscribed in the book

Year One Progress

Packed up house and garage onto a tractor trailer

Packed a few items on top of the 25 yr old Bronco

Stacked cages/carriers of cats in back

Put dogs behind the seats

Drove across country – stopping each night – take luggage into room, take each cage and carrier inside, walk the dogs, clean the cages, feed and water cats, drop into bed

                Get up in the morning and reverse the order

                Take a day off of driving because of being heat sick

                Switch to night driving

Arrived in new state, new town, try to find house

Two months later, flew to CA and drove sister to new home

Bedroom 1

cleaned the rug, sanded the walls                                             

Painted the walls, painted stains on the ceiling

Painted baseboards                                                                         

Painted a border around the wall

Replaced outlet covers                                                                   

Pulled up the rug, padding and tack strips

Repaired closet doors                                                                     

New/used desk and chair

Decoupaged top of desk                                                              

 New mattress and springs

Hung shelves for collectibles                                                       

 Decorations

Sewing table as nightstand                                                           

Stripped bookcase and paint

Painted lamp, sewed beads on new lightshade                   

Hung mezuzah

Made Hanukkah menorah                                                            

Adapted 7 branch candelabra into SP menorah

Bedroom 2

cleaned the rug, sanded the walls                                             

Painted the walls, painted stains on the ceiling

Painted baseboards                                                                         

Painted a border around the wall

Replaced outlet covers                                                                   

Pulled up the rug, padding and tack strips

Repaired closet doors                                                                     

New/used desk and chair

New mattress and springs                                                            

Hang shelves for collectibles

Decorations                                                                                         

New headboard

Bedroom 3

cleaned the rug, sanded the walls                                             

Painted the walls, painted stains on the ceiling

Painted baseboards                                                                         

Replaced outlet covers

Pulled up the rug, padding and tack strips                              

Repaired closet doors

Repaired cutting table                                                                   

 Repaired desk

Repaired dresser                                                                                             

 Paint mirror frame

New mattress and springs                                                           

 Hung shelves for collectibles

Decorations                                                                                         

Painted headboard

New/used nightstand                   

Bathroom 1

Repairs to the pipes

Bathroom 2

Hung a mirror                                                                                     

Put together a cabinet and hung it

Painted

Laundry room

Repaired dryer                                                                                   

Built laundry cabinet

Table for laundry things                                                                                

 Shelves for canned goods

Dining room

Repaint trim (still working on it)                                                 

 Repaired sliding glass door

Tacked down lino at threshold                                                    

Hung mezuzah outside

Put together bookcases, place broken/repaired hutch on top

Painted around sliding glass door                                                               

decorations

Living Room

Cleaned rug                                                                                         

Replaced outlet covers

New curio cabinet                                                                            

Decorations

Pulled up carpet, padding and tack strips                              

 Chiseled up broken tiles

Repaired damaged wood                                                              

Built new threshold

Laid tiles                                                                                                

Hung mezuzah outside

Hallway

Pulled up carpet, padding and tack strips                               

Chiseled up broken tiles

Repaired damaged wood                                                              

Built new threshold

Laid tiles                                                                                                

Sandpapered walls

Painted walls and ceiling                                                                

Hung pictures

Family Room

Cleaned rug                                                                                         

Replaced outlet covers

Decorations                                                                                        

 Pulled up carpet, padding and tack strips

Chiseled up broken tiles                                                                                

Repaired damaged wood

Painted plywood                                                                               

New entertainment center

New desk                                                                                             

Filing cabinets used for DVD movies

Numerous bookcases                                                                    

 Repaired furniture

New easy chairs                                                                                

New/used side tables

New/used table                                                                                

Built curio cabinet for table

Rolling wooden chair

Kitchen

Touched up trim                                                                                

Replaced broken items

Had electrical worked on                                                               

New/used microwave table

New microwave                                                                                

Plumbing work done

Hung strip of wood with hooks for collectible cups            

Cleaned and stain grout on floor

Cut breakfast bar, sand bar, reattached edging

Basement

Swept and cleaned                                                                          

Organized boxes, tubs and trunks

Caulked walls                                                                                      

Wet/dry seal lock paint on walls

Replaced water heater                                                                   

Drain line repaired

Overflow line run from the water heater installed

Outside

Handrail at back screened in porch installed                          

Burn barrel taken down

Sewer repair/access line put in                                                   

Eave replacement

Gutter repairs                                                                                    

Roof repairs

Bushes trimmed                                                                                

Repair to retaining wall

Garden cleared out (garden overrun by weeds at times)

Pane replaced in window                                                              

More gutter repairs

Water pressure cleaned pavers                                                 

 Painted pavers with skid resistant paint

Painted steps in back                                                                     

 Driveway regarded

Downspouts extended                                                                  

Painted front door red

A/C repair done                                                                                

 Planted flowers, plants

Sept/October

Set up Sukkah on small porch off the dining room              

Take down Sukkah

Screened in porch

New futon frame                                                                              

Hung swinging chair

Hung mezuzah outside

                Out and About

Checked out large city near us                                                    

Found VA hospital and visit fairly frequently

Attended Pesach dinner                                                                                

Cherry Festival

Apple Festival                                                                                     

Gold festival

ALICE COOPER                                                                                   

 Roger Daltrey

Civil war memorial                                                                          

 Famous cemetery

Visited infamous civil war prison                              

Said goodbye to Jeannie, Oliver, Charlie and Addy this year

       Planned

paint front porch cemet

paint front railings

paint back porch

finish painting trim in kitchen and dining room

lay tile in family room and bedrooms

 

Turtles

Here are a FEW (very few) turtles that Mom has

Hallway Part 2

We cashed in our pennies (the ones we had set aside for a penny-floor entryway).  Since we did the tiles in the living room, we cashed in the pennies and got more tiles and started in on the hallway

note the stained, broken and chipped tiles.  The black spot is the intake for the A/C.

transition from the living room into the hallway

tiles being ripped up.  This entails sitting down on a stool and chiseling up the tiles with putty knives and hammers, i.e. extremely hurting backs after a very short time.

chip, chip, chipping away

my sister's comment about NY

the tile is up.  Now to scrape and clean the floor - the wooden part is a plywood repair job.

Ta Da!!!!