Twas the Week Before Christmas

Winter has arrived! I could not believe it would be an overnight sensation. One day the yard was brown and ugly and the next day we had 14.6 inches of snow. I guess that old phrase really is true,"What a Difference a Day Makes!"
We had a snow day that I had assured my students would not happen! "The storm is arriving too early, it will be all plowed out prior to the beginning of school." I was delighted to be incorrect! For the first time that I can remember, school was cancelled the night before. The following day after, we had a late start. I could get used to this!

It did take is 2.5 hours to dig out. We helped the neighbors also but it was difficult even with a snowblower. The yard is beautiful, now I just need to get into the spirit of the season.

Autumn

I can't tell you Autumn is my favorite season because I love them all but the beauty of the fall colors is breathtaking.
Our trip to Eagle River was a week too soon. We saw colors but this is in our yard and the park. Eagle River was worth the trip, the Cranberry Festival is a must and the deep greens of the pines blended with trees changing for the winter was awesome.

The gardens are diminishing but there is still a tad of color, perenniels that won't surrender to the frost.

Penninsula State Park-Door County

This is one of our favorite get-aways besides Mackinac Island! We often drive up to Penninsula State Park, Door County. Fish Creek is a quaint little town and a stop at Hideside is always interesting.
We take our bikes, grill, and a picnic lunch. Lighthouse Point is a gem, it has a shelter, facilities, and privacy. We secure a parking place on the cul-d-sac and to the left of us it is totally private. The view is great, the only visitor we had this year was one lonely chipmunk-no seagulls.
The view is panoramic and the bike ride is spectacular. We watched people on the beach and wandered aimlessly through Fish Creek. It was windy but warm, relaxing and stress free! No, we didn't get to Wilsons for ice cream but maybe another time!

Rain

Rain! Yes! It has been almost a month with no rain-good thing we have a sprinkler system. I am so fortunate that Tony simply knows how to do everything. It took two years and sore knees but it has been wonderful not to drag hoses around to water flowers and the lawn. It saves money and water too. I can't believe it has been 9 years since we trenched the lawn -such a relaxing effect too as the sprinklers pop up and sprinkle, soothing water movement.
Tony never forgets to say-"I guess I'll water your flowers now!" Sometimes life is such that one needs all the soothing effects available. Even the hawks like to shower in the water!

Bricks, Bricks,and More Bricks

The project was overdue, the grass never grew and in the spring we had to deal with a flooded area that made access to the shed impossible. The grill buried in the ground looked out of place though necessary for s'mores, conversation, relaxed laughter, and the disposal of spring twigs.The project was much more complicated than we thought, it took many hours of digging, hauling and leveling gravel, and finally laying the bricks. Tony ordered extra bricks so we would not have to deal with a second delivery charge if we ran short. You can purchase several different sizes of circle brick kits to accommodate the fire ring we were constructing for the grill. This will not be finished until next Saturday if the weather holds, no rain for 24 hours. We had enough bricks to do a brick walkway by the pergola which was shaded, devoid of grass, and always a muddy mess when it rained. We filled in with black dirt, planted the grass, transplanted flowers by the walkway; only the application of sand by the grill remains to be done! Labor Day weekend should be free of labor!

Condo Renovation-The Rest of the Story

The beginning: Chris and Barry took out 4.5 tons of garbage; carpet, cupboards, dated plastic and neon ceiling light fixtures and let me tell you, it was greatly appreciated by mom and dad. Barry and Brian ripped trim for all the doors and windows and installed it in a day. The boys were really a big help. All the ceilings were painted white and we used creme on the walls even though it appears yellow. (Just the amateur photography.) This is a shot of the old and the new bathroom. Brian spent many minutes putting up all the finishing touches such as the new picture frame mirror, towel bars, towel ring, shower apparatus, and venetian blinds. I never would have been able to hang the mirror, it took an engineer!
The living room looked 100% better after the carpet was installed. We sanded the deck railing, stained it, and carpeted the deck. Our unit is on the agenda to be painted so that will improve the exterior appearance. I cleaned up the gas fireplace, stained it, and gave it two coats of varnish, I get the easy jobs. I'm glad we did not paint the woodwork by the fireplace, the tile was dark and it looks rich stained and varnished. We learned much from this project but not sure we want to attempt another project of this magnitude. It would be awesome to get it rented and finally have some good luck with our experiences as landlords.

Utah Vacation?

Yes, I am questioning the word vacation. Tony promised we would renovate the condo until 1 or 2 every day and then play. There was NO time for the play part of the schedule! We took out one part of the wall on the left to extend the kitchen and all the old neon lights to update it. I never knew how heavy sinks were, without Barry's strength, we would have been in trouble. He set it by himself and I could not even lift the box with Tony. It is handy to have handymen in your life!

We spent much time and money at Home Depot, I think it was worth it. We worked daily and the boys all helped, without their help, we would still be there. We finished at 12:45 the day we left for WI. It was grueling but necessary and the place looks great. Now if we can just get it rented.