Pictures! Pictures!

Okay, here are pictures of the window insulation and the work in the garage (still in progress)

You can see the long strips we used for the large window and the rectangles we used for the multiple pane windows/doors.

We have noticed a difference and are fans.  We can see through the bubble wrap enough to know if its a cat on the porch or a possum.

Jackie working at painted the garage wall with sealant paint (sitting down on the job!).  We do the grout/mortar lines with cement repair grout and then paint that and the masonry blocks.  The paint is thick and hard to get on but it'll help stop the mildew in the garage and basement.  Not easy work for these disabled bodies, however!

JFK Rememberance

50 years ago today my father was stationed at Ft Worth, Texas - right next to Dallas.

Mom's story: Bob, Mom and I were taking a nap (I was 3-4 years old) and they had the radio on.  The news that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.  Both pairs of feet hit the floor at the same time.

Bob quickly got dressed, pulled what money he had out of his pockets and put it on the dresser, kissed me and then kissed Mom and said he didn't know when he'd be home.  My father was in the Army and was a fine soldier - a drill sergeant, soldier of the month many times, and more. 

No one knew what was happening - chaos and disbelief swamped the entire nation but especially in Texas.  Everyone waited by phones, televisions and radios, many people hovering around appliance stores or beauty parlors, anywhere there was a tv or a radio.

Then came the word hours later that President Kennedy was dead and the nation went numb and then into a depression.

Fifty years later we're still asking why and who.  Was the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, the only shooter?  Was he part of a conspiracy, knowingly or unknowingly?  Was he a fall guy?  Will we ever really know?

Tom Sawyer? Bubblewrap, paint, candles, flower pots

Well, I didn't have to pull a Tom Sawyer to get my sister to help paint the garage wall with sealing paint.  We moved things around so we can get the car in and out easier.  We got the trunks up on bricks to prevent any risk of water damage (unless the house washes away).  It's supposed to rain and be colder this week so we jumped in and started painted the worst area for the dampness and seepage through the masonry blocks. 

I painted the one wall before but hadn't gotten very far on the garage wall.  We got about a third done and part of that was a second coat on what I had already done.  The colder weather snuck up on us so we're trying to work to get the most of this one wall done to cut down on the mildew and mold.  Between caulking, sealing paint, bleach and concrete caulking, we're gaining on the mildew.

We also got draft dodgers up on the doors, got painter's canvas up in the living room to cut down the area we heat with small heaters and we put up bubble wrap on the windows (bubble side out - measure, cut and attach with plain water).  The bubble wrap acts like insulation at a fraction of the cost of window film and works better than just plastic.

We've noticed a difference.

I'm also heating my room at night while I'm on my laptop or reading with tea light candles in a bread cooking tin - over 3-5 tea lights I place a small terracotta pot with the bottom (now the top) hold covered.  Over that is another terracotta pot with the drain hole left open.  The small pot heats up from the candles and the heat is caught between the two pots and warm air is forced through the drain hole - a convection heater at work.  It takes the chill out of the air and keeps my hands from freezing while trying to type.  I can tell when the candles are burning down, there is a difference in the air.

Pictures to follow





 

Once a Marine, Always a Marine

from dry, grass and mud covered thrashed Doc Martens to SHINY Doc Martens - saddle soap, scrub brush, polish, a little water, a little heat, more polish and lots and lots of rubbing!

Dream Fulfilled Mom

Hey,

We've got the wall and more of bookcases like we planned when we saw how large the family room is.  We spaced out the books and it looks a lot better.  I've a bit of work yet to do on the lowest shelves on the craft books (crochet, quilting, etc) and I left room for more Jewish, history, and fiction books

Inbetween shots - This is after I organized the fiction paperbacks.

This is my desk area with stacks of books that need to be included in the list and cataloged.  Yes, I'm that meticulous with my books.

Wall and a half of bookcases and a lot of books

My Stephen King collection

Projects delayed

Jackie and I got hit with the flu and cold weather is hitting our bones and sinus problems.  The almanac says its going to be a cold winter - terrific.  We finished with the wall and more of bookcases - now I just have to rearrange the books better and we hung painter's canvas drop cloths across the living room to reduce the space that we're gong to try and heat. That should save on the heating bills and so should a balanced payment plan with the power company. We've gone more than a year with no late payments and all payments in full.  I'm really proud of us - it was a long, tough year but we made it through with just my SSI.  We didn't go anywhere or buy anything other than necessities but we made it through.

We're considering a trip to Savannah at the end of the month - start seeing some of the state.

Pictures will be up soon

Elizabeth P.

Hey Mama;

Been an up and down couple of weeks, eh?  It's been easier with reliable transportation and not going into an absolute panic over money.  We know things will be tight eventually but for now being able to have a full freezer of food and being able to take Grady to the vet is good.

Downside: Jackie lost her birth Mom yesterday.  We've known it's been coming but it's still hard.  In some ways having you go so quickly was good but it left us reeling and still does.  I can't believe it was less than 2 weeks, Mom.

Downside: Grady has bounced back a little but he won't recover, not with feline HIV. We'll do what we can for him.  My stubby tail stubborn boy - still has some fire in him.

downside: with the recent project with the bookcases, cleaning and moving things racked out my back for a week and it's still not recovered, damnit.

neutral: I start some intense counseling this week and Jackie has treatment for her back on Thurs, day after my appt in Atlanta.  We'll see how this works - two days in a row is a bit rough on us at this point but a lot easier with a decent car.

neutral: going to see how much it'll cost to get the Bronco fixed, really fixed. Get the panel fixed, a decent radio installed and then maybe do a cammo paint job on it.  A good paint job is several hundred dollars, close to $1,000.  I can do cammo a little at a time.

positive: the other cats seem in decent health - Fuzz Bot makes me laugh almost daily and that's a good thing this last year, Mom.

coming up on the year anniversary - it hurts like hell, Mom.  We miss you.