Starry night on the prairie

I made up for doing nothing yesterday. It has been a busy day today. I woke up at 4:15 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. I had slept for five hours straight which is an excellent night of sleep for me. I finally got up at sunrise and took my shower and started my day.

I went to Emporia at 8:30. I had a bunch of errands to run. I mailed a birthday package, filled my car up with gas, got groceries, ordered a new dryer for the rental property, and made two stops to find deck paint. Sutherlands had made some for Jim Sunday but were unable to do so for me today – go figure. I went to True Value and after two clerks consulted for ten minutes they decided they could do it. Then they made one gallon at a time and shook it extra long. It took 30 minutes to get two gallons of paint.

I got the dryer at Guion’s – it was a quick and easy purchase but they couldn’t give me a clue as to when they might be able to deliver and install it. Maybe this week – maybe next week – maybe the week after that is all they could tell me. Guess they are having trouble with their delivery crew showing up for work. What a way to run a business. They are to call me when they know when they can come. Hope I am available that day – whenever it happens.

I didn’t get home until almost noon – way too long in town today. I ate lunch and took a short nap. After I got up I went out and painted about 1/3 of the back deck flooring. I was dripping sweat which is unusual for me – I usually don’t sweat. I came in to cool off and made a big batch of Chex Mix for the grandkids. They wanted that this time instead of cookies.

I made myself some tuna salad for dinner. It was easy and quick and I was hungry. I think I am going to run the Chex Mix into Emporia and get rid of it tonight. I love that stuff and it is too tempting to have it sitting around. I don’t eat that kind of thing any more but I do get tempted – especially when it is fresh and warm.

I may go back out tonight and paint some more. I would like to get the back deck done before Jim comes home Friday. I’m sure I will get it done – I have almost three days to do it in. It goes fairly quickly – I just have to think about where I am in relationship to what has been painted so I don’t paint myself into a spot I can’t get out of. So far the dogs have stayed off of it. In this heat it is drying quickly.

I would also like to get the chicken coop painted this week. I will stick with the deck and get it done first and then go get started on the chicken coop. I think I can do the coop without a ladder – I have a small two step one if I need one. The other ladders are still at the rental house. If I get the chicken coop painted then I need to go to the rental house and paint some more there.

I stopped by the rental house today and checked out the guttering. The handyman was putting up siding pieces. He said the guttering guys only worked till noon yesterday and didn’t come back. They haven’t communicated with me so not sure what their plan is to finish it. What they have put up so far looks really nice. Makes me want to get the soffits painted so they look nice too. The house is starting to come together outside now. I can’t wait to paint the windows as they will really make the house look nice.

It was in the mid 80’s today – felt warmer than that while I was out on the west side painting. The humidity level is high and there wasn’t much of a breeze. The dog days of summer have arrived. It is to get to the low 90’s later this week. I’m grateful I turned the A/C on as it was nice to come into a cool house after being out painting this afternoon.

The girls gave me 26 eggs today. We added a second water container to their yard for them. So far they seem to be tolerating this heat wave OK. We need to get some shade of some sort put up so they have a cool place to lay during the heat of the summer. I won’t be surprised if they slow down laying a bit as it continues to warm up.

I need to go out and water the new plants Jim put in before he left. In this heat and light wind things dry out quickly. The road is extra dusty right now. You could write your name in the dust on my coffee table right now. Not sure it is worth cleaning it as it will be covered in dust again soon.

Feels good to have had a productive day. I’m glad my errands are done and I can stay home for the next couple of days. I will spend the next couple of days outside painting and hope to get two things crossed off my to-do list. We will see how much I get done. Next week I’ll need to get back to the rental house and get some more painting done there. No lack of painting projects in my future.

Grateful I was able to get more deck painting today, grateful for dry days to do painting, and grateful I can stay home tomorrow and Thursday and Friday.

Sleep was almost impossible for me to find last night. My feet were aching and my legs were restless. I took three hot baths – that was the only thing that helped quiet my feet and legs. Nights like that sure seem to last a long time.

Jim took off for Stillwater around 2:00 today. I took a short nap after he left. I decided today would be a rest day for me and I didn’t get anything done except my egg delivery. I have had my favorite music on and have done absolutely nothing all day today. My soul needed a quiet day at home doing nothing.

Tomorrow I need to go to Emporia and run some errands. The grandkids decided they want Chex Mix instead of cookies this week so will pick up supplies to make that while I am in town.

Found out via my handyman that the guttering people showed up today at the rental house. I didn’t know they were coming. We had wanted to get the eves painted before they put the new guttering on. Guess I will get to paint around it now. I’ll go look at it tomorrow when I am out running errands. I wish they had let me know they were coming. I’m grateful the job is getting done sooner rather than later but it would have been nice to have been told what the plan was.

I sent nine dozen eggs with Jim today for him to pass out to our friends in Stillwater. I cleared out my stash again. They sure pile up quickly. The girls gave me 28 eggs today. I remembered to take them some water this afternoon and do the second gathering of eggs. That is something Jim usually takes care of.

I broke down and turned the A/C on today. It is nicer outside then inside the house. The humidity was high and I am hoping with the A/C on I can sleep better. We will see what happens tonight. I hate to run the A/C since the solar panels are down but the solar company is going to reimburse me for what I am having to buy from the electric company while the panels are down. This cool house is on them!

Whenever Jim goes to Stillwater I think how big and quiet this house is with him gone. The pandemic would have been a totally different experience for me if I had gone through it alone.

I fixed a piece of salmon for dinner tonight. Need to think of something to fix tomorrow night. It is hard to find something that only feeds one person. Not sure I can eat salmon three times in a row. I like it but not that well. It sure makes an easy to fix meal though.

I may go out tonight and paint for a bit. I feel guilty when I waste an entire day when I have so much painting to do. I have a small project in mind that I could complete tonight. The big project needs new paint that I will get tomorrow.

Grateful for empty space, grateful Jim had a safe trip to Stillwater, and grateful the guttering project has begun.

Not quite so productive day today. We did go to the rental house and Jim mowed while I did some painting. Each time we mow the yard looks better. We are still finding bits and pieces of tools, etc. that don’t belong in the yard. Jim pulled the climbing rose bush away from the yard so I could paint behind it today.

Last night I baked a triple batch of Snickerdoodles. I put some downstairs so our guest could have them with her coffee this morning. She took the leftovers with her – I think she liked them. She left around 9:00. I didn’t get to talk to her this morning. She was a quiet and kind guest.

I didn’t do any painting at this house today. I felt a bit blah today and took a nap this afternoon instead of going out to paint. Jim had to go to Emporia to get some more landscaping stuff and I slept while he was gone.

I did get three loads of laundry done. I have the sheets and towels washed that the guest used and need to go down and make up the bed. I pulled the trash this morning. She was very neat and didn’t leave much to clean up.

I need to go to Emporia either tomorrow or Tuesday and purchase a new dryer for the rental house. The one there only works if you dry two or three things at a time. That isn’t very convenient for my renter. She is going to take a picture of the plug and send it to me so I can tell them what kind of plug I need.

While I am in town I need to get two gallons of deck paint so I can get the flooring of the deck painted. I am going to push myself to get that project done in the next two weeks. I have had it on my to-do list for way too long and it is time to get it done. It will get too hot to be out painting if I wait much longer. The front decks look nice since they got repainted. It motivates me to do the back one now.

I also want to get a gallon of paint and paint the chicken coop. I haven’t painted it since I got it and it is starting to look a bit rough.

Jim is leaving for Stillwater tomorrow early afternoon. He has a long list of things to do while he is there. Maybe while he is gone I will get lots of painting here done. I have all the painting done at the rental house I can do without doing ladder work on the sides of the house. I am waiting on the handyman to replace a bunch more siding pieces and then I can finish up the sides of the house. Next up is to finish scrapping and then painting the windows. I do have some porch painting I can do this week if I make it in to paint. Every time I paint a bit it helps get me one step closer to finishing up this project.

I don’t have anything on my calendar until the 16th when I have to go back to Topeka to see my Endocrinologist. It is nice to have a whole week plus of empty space. I have been craving that lately.

It was another beautiful day on the prairie. Not quite as warm as yesterday as we only got up in the upper 70’s today. The clouds rolled in at some point and it looked like it might rain but it didn’t. We have a 50% chance of rain tomorrow and then it is going to warm up the rest of the week and stay dry. Not sure I am ready for the 90 degree days in the forecast but I am ready for the low chance of rain.

Feeling the urge to have a moon arising party to celebrate the full moon and the summer solstice. The full moon in June is the 24th and Solstice is the 20th. It has been a long time since I have been able to do that and feel an evening with like-minded people would be good for my soul. I need to figure out how to invite people that have been vaccinated though. It might be a bit rude to issue an invite and tell them they can’t come if they haven’t been vaccinated.

Jim has spent the last couple of days working on the flower beds in the front of the house. They sure are looking better. We have a drainage problem and he is working on solving that as well as making the beds look nice.

Grateful the yard at the rental property is mowed, grateful a bit more painting got done on the rental house, and grateful for a quiet day at home.

Had a productive day today. Went out this morning and finished painting the larger of the two front decks. Didn’t have enough paint left to do the smaller deck so went to the backyard and painted on the railing of the landing on the back deck. Didn’t quite get finished before I ran out of paint.

Took a short nap this afternoon and then went out and mowed the whole yard. It felt good to get that job done.

Jim went into Emporia to run some errands and he picked up another gallon of deck paint for me. After I was done mowing I painted the smaller deck in front. Still have lots of painting to do but it sure feels good to have the deck project under way again. We had to get a different type of paint as they don’t sell the one I had before. I will need to go get two gallons of a different color next week so I can paint the main flooring of the back deck. I have a gallon of the old paint left but it isn’t enough to do the whole floor and I don’t want to mix them in case the color match isn’t perfect. I have some steps to paint and I will use the old paint on them.

Grilled hamburgers for dinner tonight. Jim had a baked potato with his and I had carrots. Made for another easy dinner. Now to decide what to fix for tomorrow night. Jim is going to Stillwater Monday so I won’t cook as much next week with him gone. He is almost out of cookies so will need to get a batch made for him so he can take some to Stillwater Monday.

My lower back is screaming at me. I don’t think it likes me painting on my hands and knees. It just needs to get over itself as I am painting anyways.

I talked to our guest for a few minutes today. I didn’t see her yesterday to talk to her. She is leaving early tomorrow morning as she has to drive to Kandorado for a family birthday party tomorrow evening. She was a quiet and easy guest. She came in really late last night and I bet she will do the same tonight. She may be gone before I get up in the morning.

I permanently deactivated my Airbnb account today. I have enjoyed running the Airbnb but it is time to close that chapter of my life and move on. I will continue to allow special guests to come but I just don’t have what it takes to have frequent guests anymore. Jim and I enjoy our privacy too much to share.

We need to go into the rental house tomorrow and mow that yard and do some painting. We were going to try to avoid doing that while our renter was there but Jim wants to leave Monday morning and we need to get it done before he leaves.

I want to get some more painting on the back deck done tomorrow too. I still have some black metal to paint as well as the lower set of steps and some more railing pieces to paint. Some of the painting takes a long time as it is detailed and not a lot of room to paint in. The floor goes fairly quickly – it is just hard on my body. The ladders are still at the rental house so will have to do the stuff I can reach without a ladder.

It was another beautiful day on the prairie with temperatures in the low 80’s. There was a bit of wind today which helped keep it feeling cooler. We are to warm up even more later next week. Thinking summer has finally arrived. I have enjoyed the sunshine after we had so many cloudy, rainy days.

We haven’t made it downstairs to work on the moldy sheet rock yet. May have to let that project wait until Jim gets back from Stillwater. I don’t have any more guests coming in so no big deal if it waits. I may try my hand at removing it if I get brave enough to attempt it.

I don’t have anything on my calendar for all of next week so hope to get lots of painting done both here and at the rental place. One of these days I will get to do something other than paint – don’t see the finish line appearing anytime soon though.

We sat out on the back deck last night for about an hour after the sun set. The stars were magnificent last night. It is so nice to have it warm enough to sit out after dark now.

Grateful for the painting that got done today, grateful the yard is mowed, and grateful for my BBQ grill that makes fixing dinner easy as can be.

What a wonderful day on the prairie. Finally a summer-like day with temperatures in the high 80’s. It was too warm for me today – we went from cold to hot overnight.

Went out and cleaned the chicken coop this morning while it was still cool out. The girls always enjoy rearranging the straw when I get done. When I clean it monthly it isn’t a very hard job.

The house got hot this afternoon. Jim was working on the front flower beds and it was much cooler on the east side of the house outside then it was inside. I grabbed a bucket of deck paint and painted for two hours and got most of the bigger of the two front decks painted. I need to move the BBQ grill tomorrow and finish up the deck and paint the other small one. Feels good to have that job started.

We didn’t see much of our guest today. She left fairly early this morning, came home early afternoon but went to her room and then left about two hours after she came back.

The solar guy came and found out the problem with the system was an installation mistake. They were honest and told me upfront what had happened. They have to order parts and will be back in a week or two to fix it. They are going to reimburse me for the difference I had to pay to the electric company because the system wasn’t working correctly. This explains why I had a higher electric bill this winter and not last year. I appreciate their honesty and how they are handling it.

Got the results of my blood work back and the cancer markers are all still good. One of the two had a very slight increase but the doctor’s note said all was well. I will ask her about it when I see her mid June but sure it is nothing to worry about. Always good to get the confirmation that things continue to be good and there is no sign of the cancer returning.

The house is still warm this evening. I think when I get done writing I will go back outside and sit on the deck and enjoy the stars for a bit. We can hear the rodeo announcer from our back deck. The rodeo arena is over three miles away.

No real plans for the weekend other than going out to paint in the morning. I may work on the west side of the deck too. The flooring of that deck needs repainted too. We still have some steps and siding that never got painted before but Jim needs to do some sanding to it before I can paint that. But I can repaint the flooring. It all needs to be done before Jason’s wedding in September.

We do need to get downstairs and get the sheetrock removed from the bathroom and hallway so the wood can dry out and then we can put new sheet rock up. That will be a messy job but needs to get done.

The flower beds Jim have been working on sure look better. They were over grown and a mess. Maybe this year we will be around enough to keep them looking good all summer.

Next week I will get back to the rental house and paint. I will need to mow the yard both here and at the rental house next week too. Sure will be glad when we get the rental house done and I can turn the mowing over to our renter. We had told her we would mow until we were done painting as a compensation to her for not having the house painted before she moved in.

Hoping the handyman can spend some time on both this house and the rental next week and help me get some more progress made on both houses. Jim is going to Stillwater Monday and will be back Friday. He has his hands full with three houses to work on.

Grateful for a day of sunshine today, grateful for a clean chicken coop, and grateful the deck project has gotten started again.

Got up this morning and finished cleaning the house. Our guest arrived around 1:15. She is very nice and fun to visit with. She spent the afternoon in her room getting ready for tonight. She left around 4:00 and we probably won’t see her until much later tonight.

Jason called and asked us to come to town and watch Cody for them for a bit. We walked Cody to a park that is close to Jason’s house. There were four or five other kids at the park and Cody had a great time playing with the other children. It was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and listen to the children play.

When Jason and Melissa came to get Cody we went to the Chinese restaurant that is close by and picked up some dinner. Took it back to the park and sat on the picnic tables to eat dinner. Came home after we were done eating.

I’m tired tonight for some reason. I took a nap this afternoon so am not sure why I am so tired this evening. It might be an early bedtime for me.

We didn’t get any work done on repairing our mold/mildew problem today as we had to get the house ready for our guest. We will get at it tomorrow.

Tomorrow the technician is coming to fix our solar system and get it back up and running. Not sure what time the person is showing up. Other than that we don’t have anything on the calendar that we have to do. Hoping to get the chicken coop cleaned out and some sheet rock removed from the bathroom and hallway tomorrow.

No plans for the weekend. Our guest will be here until Sunday morning but she doesn’t require much time or attention now that the house is clean.

It was so nice to have the sun shine all day long today. We didn’t even have much wind today. It was the perfect afternoon to spend at a park. I needed a day when the sun was out all day. It helped dry things up a bit and lift my spirits.

I had a touch of a headache all day today. I think it is probably allergy related. The cottonwood puffs are in the air and they get me every year.

Slowly this week I can tell I am filling myself back up. It has been nice to have some quiet days at home this week. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was.

Grateful for the time with Cody today, grateful for the sunshine today, and grateful the house is clean.

We had an unexpected surprise last night – and not of the good type. I went down to clean a bathroom downstairs and discovered mold/mildew on a wall above the base boards. I had Jim come look and we found that where water had reached when we flooded a couple weeks ago had not dried out. Jim spent a couple hours removing base board last night.

Our handyman came over this morning and told us the best thing we could do was to remove 18 inches of the lower sheet rock and then let things dry out. He will then come back and put up new sheet rock for us. Dang! I have a guest coming tomorrow and now I can’t put her in that bedroom next to that bathroom. Good think I have two other options for her.

Then I got my electric bill. It was as high as it was before I had solar. I went on-line to see what was going on and found out my solar system has been off line for over a month. I called them and we did some troubleshooting. Their best guess is a lightening strike took the system down. The converter is designed to blow a fuse when that happens to protect it. They are sending a technician out Friday to get us back up and running. Thankfully the system is still under full warranty so there won’t be a charge.

Things come in threes so waiting for the next thing to be discovered. Maybe needing to replace the dryer at the new rental is the third thing. My renter is to let me know tonight if she couldn’t get it to work properly.

Jim worked outside all afternoon in the flower beds with a dual purpose. The flower beds needed attention and he needed to redirect the water flow around the house. We need to do some more work to fix the water drainage problem so we don’t get flooded again. No use fixing sheet rock only to have it happen again. Still more work to be done but Jim got a good start on it today.

I worked on cleaning house today. I have a bedroom and bathroom ready for our guest tomorrow. I also got the kitchenette downstairs cleaned. I still need to clean the great room downstairs but Jim needs to clear some stuff out of it so I can find the floor to clean. He is to do that tonight so I can clean it in the morning.

I also cleaned our study and most of the floors upstairs. I still have a few to do but got a good start on it. I found lots of dirt so it was way over due to be cleaned.

It was so nice to see the sunshine today. It did my soul good to sit outside for a bit this morning and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. The clouds rolled in and rolled back out and we haven’t had any rain today for a nice change. I am ready for things to dry up a bit.

I had a request from three people that have stayed with me before to come stay next weekend for the Symphony. Only problem is one of them has not been vaccinated and I don’t know if we will have the bedroom and bathroom put back together by then. I recommended they try to find some where else to stay if they can. I have a feeling everything is already booked but we will see what happens. One of the three is someone that I use as a Housesitter and I would love to have her come alone but she is with two others. It will all work out somehow.

I took a car load of stuff to dump in the recycling trailer. I timed it well as the trailer was empty so it was easy to dump in. I stopped and paid my last water bill for the rental house while I was in town. I drove by the house to check the grass to see if it needs mowed and it can wait for another few days. I’ll need to mow it next Monday for sure.

I fill like I am playing a game of Whack – A- Doodle. I get one thing under control and then two others pop up I need to whack. Hard to catch up and get ahead right now. Trusting things will calm down soon and we will go back to being bored and looking for something to do. I kinda remember those days!

The handyman brought his daughter out with him today. She is about Ellexia’s age. I took her down to gather eggs – she found six of them. I sent some eggs home with her. She said she doesn’t like to eat them but told me her favorite food was French Toast. I told her French Toast has egg in it but I’m not sure she believed me. She wanted to crack open one of the green shelled eggs to see what was in it. I think she was disappointed to see that it looked like a regular egg inside. She sure enjoyed playing with the dogs.

I’m grilling chicken tenderloins on the grill tonight for dinner. Another simple and easy meal to fix with few dishes. I have them marinating in Paul Newman’s Olive Oil Salad Dressing.

It has been a productive day on the prairie today. We each got a lot done but feel like we both have a lot more to do. Guess we can only do so much each day but if we stay at it things eventually get done.

Grateful for all of Jim’s help today, grateful for the skill set of our handyman, and grateful for the sunshine today.

One year ago today Jim and I moved to our house in Strong City together. Jim has officially been a KS resident for one year now. This year has gone by so fast. His KS license plate for his Honda came in the mail today. I think he has completed all the legal stuff to be an official KS resident now.

We left for Topeka at 11:15 this morning. I had an ultrasound of my throat at 1:00. It took all of five minutes. We then went to the Endocrinologist office and I had some blood drawn. We then stopped at Wolf’s Camera store in downtown Topeka. They are going out of business and Jim has a thing for cameras.

When we got to Emporia we stopped and got 250 pounds of chicken feed, 100 pounds of dog food and a 40 pound sack of cottonseed hulls. Jim got his exercise today hauling all of that and sorting it when we got home.

I got the results of the ultrasound and TSH this afternoon. The ultrasound was normal. My TSH is way too high. I won’t get the cancer level test back for about a week. Have a feeling the Endocrinologist will adjust my medication dosage when I see her the middle of June. Not sure why my body has so much trouble finding a good level and staying there. I bounce all over the place.

Sleep was almost impossible for me to find last night. I decided not to take a nap today and I will go to bed early if needed. Sure wish I could solve my sleep issue.

I didn’t make it in to paint this afternoon. We decided to take this week off and let our new renter get settled. I will get back at it next week. Jim is going to Stillwater next week and I will have time to go in and paint. This week I need to clean house here for the guest that is coming in Thursday.

Other than the guest coming in I don’t have anything on my calendar the rest of the week. I need a day or two of empty space to recharge myself. I allowed myself to get too drained trying to finish up the rental house. I need a couple of do nothing type of days.

I’m fixing Jim scalloped potatoes with ham for dinner tonight. I will have leftover meat loaf from yesterday.

23 more days until the new internet comes. I can’t wait! I’m so tired of having to log on to the internet two or three times a day as it keeps going off-line. Looking forward to having fast, reliable internet very soon.

The girls only gave us 16 eggs today – the slackers. I think maybe they are tired of this damp, cool weather too. I cleared out my stash Monday noon and I already have 3 dozen eggs in the stash. Maybe the girls knew I didn’t need as many right now.

Feeling a bit empty and blah right now. It has been way too busy for me lately. I was surprised how being around 50 plus people at the reunion yesterday wore me out. I am really struggling to be with people again – especially when there are more than two or three others. I feel like I got a bit fried yesterday with sensory overload.

Grateful for normal ultrasound results, grateful for a safe trip to Topeka, and grateful for some empty space days ahead of me this week.

My ears are tired tonight. We went to a family reunion this today and I was around lots of people. I didn’t count but there must have been at least 50 people there and probably more. I haven’t been in a crowd that size for over a year. All the living grandchildren of my great-grandparents were there today which hasn’t happened for a long time. It was good to see that many family members. I knew all of that generation but when you get down to their kids and then their kids are having kids I get lost and don’t know them.

I cooked for about an hour this morning fixing a meat loaf, roasted veggies and deviled eggs to take. I had fixed a banana pudding last night. We had so much extra food after everyone ate it looked like we could have fed another 50 people. My Aunt Marylyn is having a knee replaced tomorrow. I got her some left over containers and sent food home with her so she will have some when she gets home from the hospital.

I took 10 dozen eggs with me and passed them out. I delivered 6 dozen on the way to the reunion. I cleared out my egg stash temporarily. Jim just gathered eggs and got 16 more. I had picked up 10 this morning. We don’t stay out of eggs long.

We came home and I took a long nap. Jim even laid down for a bit and slept. I had trouble falling asleep but finally got some sleep.

Tomorrow I have to be in Topeka by 12:45 so will need to be on the road by 11:15. My appointment will only take about 10 minutes. Jim is going along as there is a camera store going out of business and he wants to take a look at their sale.

Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow afternoon so we might not get any painting done. Not looking much better for Wednesday either. Rain, rain go away, come again another day.

If it rains tomorrow afternoon and or Wednesday I will start the house cleaning project. I have until 1:00 on Thursday to get the house clean for the guest that is coming in.

We need to get the chicken coop cleaned out one day this week if the rain gives us a chance to do so. We clean it out around the first of every month. This is not one of Jim’s favorite jobs but we both enjoy the clean coop when the deed is done.

Grateful for the family that was able to come today, grateful for the bounty of food, and grateful for the peace and quiet this evening.

Happy birthday to my youngest daughter Nicole. She turned 38 today. I’m so glad she choose me to be her mother. I’m so proud of the woman she has become.

I got up this morning and checked the weather forecast. I went out and mowed in an attempt to beat the rain that was coming in. I took a break about half way through to eat breakfast and to let my hands warm up. Went back out after I ate and finished the yard. It was nice to see it all mowed on the same day.

Jim and I did a cemetery tour today. We went to Florence, Hillsboro and Cottonwood Falls cemeteries. It was a beautiful drive. It rained on the way to Florence but other than that it was dry when we were putting flowers out.

Fixed ham and eggs with hash browns for dinner tonight. Simple and easy – the only way I know how to cook.

I fixed a banana pudding to take to the family reunion tomorrow. I also boiled 3 dozen eggs to make into deviled eggs tomorrow morning. I have them peeled and ready. I am also fixing a meat loaf and some roasted veggies. That way I will have food there that I can eat safely without cheating.

I didn’t take a nap today and am tired this evening. Trying to break my nap habit again. May not make it up until 10:00 tonight but we shall see. The sun is setting so much later these days that it is later than I think it is most evenings.

I am delivering six dozen eggs tomorrow to my regular egg customers and am going to take some to the reunion to give to family. I need to clean out my stash of eggs again.

I have had the heater under my desk running this evening. It is too cold out for my liking. I am eager for summer temperatures to arrive and this cold, wet weather to go away. I’m sure in another four weeks or so we will be wishing for rain again but for now I am getting tired of it.

It has been nice to have a break from painting on the rental house. We will have tomorrow off too and then hope to get back at it on Tuesday. We will see what the weather does. Maybe I will get a fourth day off as there is a 60% chance of rain on Tuesday. I have to go to Topeka Tuesday morning so maybe it will rain when I am doing that and be clear by the time I get home early afternoon.

The guest that is coming in later this week let me know today she is arriving early Thursday afternoon and staying until Sunday morning That gives me a couple more days to get the house cleaned. Some of Jim’s books got wet when our basement flooded a couple weeks ago and we need to move them to the barn as they are smelling like mold or mildew. May find some other things that got wet too.

I haven’t been as achy as I was yesterday today. That is a good thing. I think I was exhausted from all the work at the rental. I pushed myself pretty hard last week. It has been nice to have two quiet days to recover.

Grateful for the family members we remembered and visited today, grateful the mowing is done, and grateful for Nicole.

This has been a rest and recovery day. I didn’t sleep again last night much. I happened to wake up when my phone binged. It was my renter telling me she was on her way.

I got up and quickly took a shower and headed into Cottonwood Falls. I waited about an hour and half for her and gave up. I put the keys on the front door mat and left. She had called me after I had been there 45 minutes telling me they were on there way. Not sure what happened but they showed up later. Not a good start to this new relationship with my renter.

Came home and did chores and ate breakfast. Jim and I went to Emporia so I could pick up a prescription and get some groceries. We have a family reunion to go to Monday and I needed some stuff so I could fix some food to take. I had baked the grandkids some peanut butter cookies last night and we needed to drop those off too.

It was good to get to see Tagen for a hot minute when we dropped the cookies off. I’m not used to seeing him and it surprises me every time I do how tall he has gotten. I bet he is six foot tall now. I feel tiny compared to him now. What a pleasant young man he is becoming.

I prefer self-checkout but today the damn machine kept malfunctioning and I had to wait for the clerk to come over ride it. I didn’t need that today. The store was busy with unconscious people that you couldn’t get around. I was not in a good mood when I finally got out of there.

Came home and took a LONG nap. Feeling much better now. The sun is out and it warmed up a bit. It was cold this morning. I am tired of rainy, cold days and ready for some summer temperatures.

I am fixing Jim tacos for dinner. I will have a grilled hamburger instead. That will make for another easy dinner.

Tomorrow we will run over to the cemeteries in Florence, Hillsboro and Cottonwood Falls to leave flowers at loved ones graves. I hope to get it done before the rain returns tomorrow late afternoon.

Monday we have the family reunion in Cottonwood Falls. This reunion is the family of my maternal grandmother. It will be fun to see some cousins I haven’t seen for over two years.

Tuesday I go to Topeka for an ultrasound and blood work as part of my annual cancer screen. Then the rest of the week is free and clear. Hoping the rain goes away so we can get more painting done on the rental house.

Jim got some flowers to plant outside while we were at Walmart today. He has been working outside while I slept. I’ll need to get some house cleaning done this evening so I can say I got something done today.

Feeling like my tank is empty today. I’m still a bit achy and sore. It is a relief not to be in painting at the rental house today. I needed a three day break from that. Hoping by tomorrow I will have a bit of my energy back and will be productive again.

Grateful for a rest and recovery day, grateful to have seen Tagen for a hot minute today, and grateful to have survived Walmart without hurting someone.

I feel like I got hit by a truck. My body is rebelling against me tonight. I feel old!

Went in to Cottonwood Falls to the rental this morning and painted for two hours outside. It was a touch cold out today. Got the lower part of the back of the house done.

Came home and took a nap. I didn’t get much sleep last night. While I was sleeping the guy came to check out the air conditioner and clean it so it is ready for the summer. It is a bit ironic he came today as we turned the furnace on this evening.

Went back into town this afternoon and worked another four hours. Got the back room floor painted as well as the rest of the walls. The handyman spray painted the ceiling for me this morning. When I was done with the floor I swept and cleaned the house so it is ready for the renter to move in tomorrow. I moved the rest of the stuff to the metal shed. The house was completely empty when we left tonight.

I went out and helped Jim on the front porch. He sanded and glued the pillars on the front porch so they are straight and crack free. I did a bit of painting on the porch so we could see what it would look like.

We didn’t get home until after 7:00. We had green chicken for dinner. I hadn’t added enough sauce to it and it was a bit dry. We managed to eat enough of it to call it a meal.

I took another short nap after dinner. Man! I am tired and achy tonight. My hip is screaming at me. I don’t think it like me painting the floor today. It didn’t yell at me while I was painting but is making up for it now.

The renter is to text me when they leave Lebo tomorrow so I can meet her at the house. Not sure if they will come in the morning or afternoon. I had told her we would only work at the house while she is at work so we will have three days off from painting this weekend. I feel like I need a break so that works for me. We will get back at it next Tuesday when she starts work – weather permitting. We won’t be able to get inside again so will only be able to do outside work from now on.

This weather is a bit crazy. Yesterday it was 85 and today I have a sweatshirt and heavy socks on and the high tomorrow is to be low 60’s. It is to get down to 48 tonight. I thought summer was almost here but am changing my mind. We are in for another round of rain starting Sunday through Wednesday. I’m starting to get a bit tired of rain.

The grandkids have asked for cookies so will get those baked either tonight or in the morning and take those in. I need to get some veggies for something I want to make for the reunion on Monday while I am in town. I also need to get a gallon of paint for the front porch floor.

It was a good feeling leaving the rental today knowing the inside is done. The back porch painted up nicely and looks useable now. I’m proud of how the house turned out. It will be especially nice once we finish painting it.

I have a guest coming in mid week next week for the rodeo. I will need to spend the next couple of days getting the house cleaned so it is ready for her. I don’t know for sure when she is coming but expecting her Wednesday or Thursday.

Tuesday I have to go to Topeka for a throat ultrasound and some blood tests for my annual cancer screen. After that we don’t have anything on the calendar for the rest of next week. I’m expecting that our guest will be out and about most of the time and won’t be under foot much. If it doesn’t rain too much maybe we can make some good progress painting the house. If it does rain maybe I can get some things done around this house that have piled up and need done.

We will run over to Florence either tomorrow or Sunday to decorate graves. Not sure what time the renter is coming tomorrow so we can’t leave until after she is taken care of. If she comes in the morning we will probably run over tomorrow afternoon.

I can almost feel what life after the rental house is done will be like. It seems like it has been a long time since I had empty space and am looking forward to it. We need to get down to Stillwater and work on Jim’s house. Not sure when we will make it down there though. We have a thing here and there over the next couple of weeks and don’t have a good stretch of free time. Maybe we will make it in July – so far that month looks clear.

Both of Jim’s sons are planning to come to Colorado to spend time with us while we are there in August. It will be good to see them – we haven’t seen them since Christmas of 2019.

Grateful the inside of the house is done and ready to be turned over to the renter tomorrow, grateful for naps, and grateful for three days off!

Spent two hours this morning and three hours this afternoon at the rental house. This morning I got the rest of the kitchen cabinets lined and the very tops of them, relatively clean. I had to use a putty knife to scrap the grease build up. It was gross! I put liner paper on top of them and used thumb tacks to hold it in place as it was too greasy for it to stick.

This afternoon I painted the lower 2/3 of the back room. I will have to use the ladder to do the top 1/3 tomorrow and then I will need to paint the floor. I also did some more touch up painting. The handyman had to strip some paint off the doors to get them to close properly so I had to repaint them.

Jim worked on fixing the front porch to get it ready to paint. The handyman fixed the back room for me so it was ready to paint. He also came up with a quick fix to the landing outside the back door.

It finally felt like we made lots of progress today. The little things inside got done and the back room is looking much better. Tomorrow after I get the painting done I will clean each room inside and the house should be ready to be lived in. The renter is bringing things starting Saturday. We will still have painting to do to the house as well as some more yard work but the renter understands we will need to continue to work on the outside. We shouldn’t have to go inside.

I put two new light bulbs in a light fixture in the bedroom. Turns out the lights are on a dimmer switch and the light bulbs didn’t work. I had to go get some light bulbs that would work. Luckily the Dollar General had some.

I got a pad lock today so we can use the metal shed as the place to store ladders, paint, tools, etc. I brought home some things that had been in the house today and will move the rest of the tools that were in the kitchen to the metal shed tomorrow.

I ran a load of cleaning rags today in the washing machine just to make sure it works. They were drying when I left today. So far both washing machine and dryer seem to work.

I came home for lunch and took a nap before I went back in to work some more. We had quite a storm blow through this morning and it was hard to sleep during the storm. The river is rising again.

I fixed fish for dinner. Jim gets oven baked beer battered fish and I have salmon. Makes an easy dinner. I laid out chicken tenderloins for tomorrow – not sure how I will fix them.

Today is one of my son-in-laws birthday. Happy birthday to Geoff. I’m so glad he joined our family last year. Wishing him the best for this trip around the sun.

The power company came this morning as promised and hooked up the power line to the house. Finally able to cross that project off my pending list. It took them two months to do that little job for us.

We need to find an hour and drive over to the cemetery in Florence and Hillsboro sometime the next couple of days. We will probably go on Sunday unless we can get away Saturday. I got some flowers last time I was in Walmart.

Monday we have a family reunion in Cottonwood Falls at 12:30. This reunion is my mother’s mother’s family. It is always fun to see cousins I don’t get to see very often.

Tuesday I have to go to Topeka for an ultrasound of my neck. It is my annual cancer follow up check. I will stop and get some blood drawn while I am in Topeka so the results are back before my annual visit with the Endocrinologist later in June.

Grateful for my handyman and Jim’s help today, grateful I can see progress today, and grateful for my son-in-law Geoff.

Three guesses what we did today and the first two don’t count. Yep! You are correct. We worked all afternoon on the rental house. Jim mowed and then removed a water feature on the front porch. I painted the back side of the house for a bit and worked on lining kitchen cabinets.

The contact paper I was trying to use was old and impossible to separate from the lining. I finally gave up and went to the Dollar General store and got some new. It went much faster after that.

I finished cleaning the oven – yuck. Not sure if it had been cleaned before.

The power company came and pulled the power line leading to the house today so a tree could be cut down. When I ran in late morning to see how the tree trimming was going there was a gas company truck there. I was confused for a bit until I found out that when the tree fell it broke the regulator on the gas meter. Oops! The regulator was due to be replaced so when the gas company came to shut off the gas they replaced it. They were working near by and it didn’t take them long to get there to take care of it. The handyman was a bit embarrassed that he hit the gas meter but all is well that ends well. Grateful no one was hurt.

The blinds got hung today as well as the washer and dryer were finished being installed and are now ready to be used. I will run a load tomorrow when we have power just to make sure they work and there are no leaks. I need to clean the very top of the kitchen cabinets – I had forgotten I hadn’t done that yet. Glad I discovered it when I was putting in the lining to the cabinets. They are gross and need cleaned badly.

I need to move all the painting stuff and tools to the shed so the house is completely empty by Saturday. We will have to get a lock for the shed door so we can put the ladders in there and get them off the back porch too.

The electric company is to come tomorrow morning to hook the line back up. It will be nice to have lights to see what I am doing tomorrow.

Got the bid from the guttering company. It is about what I expected. I will send the deposit required tomorrow and get on their schedule so that job can get done soon.

Tomorrow the handyman is going to finish preparing the back room for painting. I will get it painted Friday. Nothing like last minute painting before the renter moves in.

It is cloudy and steamy outside. It reached the mid 80’s today and is very humid. There are thunderstorms to the northwest of us and we may get more rain tonight. We can see lightning – radar shows it is about 60 miles away. It will be a relief when the storm gets here as it is still and thick as can be right now.

I took a short nap before we went in to work today. I didn’t sleep well again last night. I finally took a second bath and was able to get a bit more sleep after that.

We only got 22 eggs today. I think it was too hot and humid for the girls to lay. I don’t blame them – it was pretty miserable out today.

I am having trouble remembering there is life besides the remodel project. It has absolutely consumed us these last three months. I sure am hoping by the end of June most of the work will be behind us. I am beyond tired of it. Not sure what is OK to put off doing and where the cut off point is.

Grateful no one was hurt when the gas meter was broke, grateful the oven is clean, and grateful for what progress we did make on the property today.

Another busy day working on the rental. I woke up early so was in town at the rental before 8:00. I cleaned the oven – YUCK! Also cleaned the washing machine and painted some more on the back porch.

Came home to meet the guys that were to replace the screen door. They didn’t show up until late and by the time they got here I had left to go to Emporia. I purchased the blinds for the rental house and got a few groceries. Went to my business partner’s office and picked up a copy of a lease agreement. I met with my new renter and had her sign the lease. Went to the bank next door and deposited the checks.

The screen door guys were just leaving when I got home from town. It is nice to be able to open that door again and let in some fresh air. I took a nap as I didn’t get much sleep again last night. When I got up I went back to the rental house and painted the new siding pieces the handyman had put up yesterday and today. We still have to do the back side of the house and the peak of the house but the rest of the house has the main color on it.

Jim worked on removing the back step by the back door. He is trying to fix the drainage around the house and he has found lots of problems with the foundation. Yikes! Days like this are so discouraging and one of those days where it feels like we will never get done.

The guttering people called and they had come out to do a bid. He got my email address and is to send me the estimate. The email hasn’t come in yet so he may not have understood my email address correctly. I’ll call in the morning if it isn’t here by then.

Evergy is coming in the morning to pull a line down so my handyman can cut a tree down that is growing around the main power line to the house. I had been working to get this project completed since I called Evergy March 23. It will be good to cross this one off my list.

One by one I am crossing things off the list. Unfortunately I keep adding things that need done too. Will we ever get done with this project?

We didn’t get home until after 7:00 this evening. I threw some hamburgers on the grill and called that dinner. I made some deviled eggs and Jim had some baked beans. I got a ham at the grocery store today so will fix that tomorrow night.

Tomorrow will be another work day in town. I still have a few things to do inside the house before the renter moves in Saturday. I need to get the back porch painted after a few things get done to it tomorrow.

After dinner Jim and I sat out on the back deck and watched the sun set. It had been a bit since we were able to do that. The clouds were a beautiful shade of orange tonight. It felt good to just sit and look at a beautiful sky for a bit. I have forgotten to take time to do that lately.

I am forgetting what life was like prior to this project. It did feel good to put some money in the bank today instead of writing checks and taking money out. Not sure I will make any money on this house this year but hoping when we are done it will become a money maker. I can’t see the finish line tonight of work that still needs done. I think we will get done soon but we shall see.

So grateful Jim stayed here this week to help me out. It delays the work on his house though. We will have to get down there and get after his house soon too. So many things to do and so little time!

Grateful the lease is signed and money is in the bank, grateful the screen door is replaced, and grateful Evergy is coming tomorrow.

Another day spent painting. I went in to the rental this morning a bit after 9:00. Checked out the paint supply and then went to the hardware store in Strong City to get a gallon of paint. Went back to the rental and painted for a couple of hours on the back porch.

Came home for lunch. I passed Jim on my way home. He was headed in to the rental. I ate lunch and went back in. Jim and I painted on the outside of the house all afternoon. We have most of the main part done. Still have the back side to do and the peak in the front. Then we get to paint the windows and trim. I think we can get it done this week – we shall see.

The handyman worked on replacing siding pieces today that were broken. It sure looks nice where the siding has been replaced and painted.

I picked a renter today and let them know my decision. I think they are going to move in the 30th or 31st as they start their new job June 1. We will have to push hard this week to get the back porch done but I think we can make it.

I called the electric company and they are sending someone out either tomorrow or Wednesday to drop the electric line so my handyman can cut down a tree.

I texted the door company and they are coming tomorrow to replace the screen in the south facing screen door.

I am meeting my new renter tomorrow afternoon so she can sign the lease and give me the deposit. I need to pick up a few groceries while I am in town tomorrow. I need to measure for some blinds and get those when I go to town tomorrow.

Jim went to Emporia late afternoon to get another gallon of house paint and a few other things he needed to fix the front porch wood.

I am fixing Jim a tuna and noodle casserole for dinner. I will eat some leftover chicken from last night.

Tomorrow we will be back at the rental painting again. Have I mentioned I am tired of painting? I will go in early and work for two hours then come home and deal with the screen door repair guys. Then I have to go to Emporia to get the lease signed. I will come home and then go paint some more late afternoon. Jim will go in early afternoon and work on the back room and paint too.

After we get this project wrapped up in a mother couple of weeks I think I will go with Jim to Stillwater for a good solid two weeks and help him do repairs on his house in Stillwater. He put off his trip down to work on his house to help me get this house ready. Turn about is fair play.

I’m sure the end to this project is closer than it feels. Tonight is one of those nights where it feels like we will never be done. Slowly but surely we are getting ever so close to the finish line.

Grateful for Jim’s help today, grateful I found a renter, and grateful for all the painting and repair that got done today.

I am tired! What a long day. I went in to the rental house before 10:00 this morning. I finished some last minute painting inside and then started painting the siding on the outside of the house. I got most of the front porch area done. The rest of the porch still needs painting but I have to scrap paint before I can start painting it.

Jim came around 12:30 to help paint. My first applicants showed up at 1:00. I only had four people show up. Ten had told me they would come by. I have my choice between two of them. I will do background checks tomorrow and then decide which one to rent to. One is a young, single woman and the other is a couple with two small children. One of the other two took an application with them but didn’t fill it out on the spot. The other is a third potential but not quite what I am looking for.

Between showings I was out on the front porch scrapping paint. Later in the afternoon I went down to the corner of the lot and started cutting down little trees that had grown in places I didn’t want them to grow. We had quite a pile of branches before we were done.

Jim worked on painting and got most of the rest of the painting done on the south side of the house. The east side of the house just needs the front peak done. Jim helped me cut down trees as a couple needed sawed down.

I closed up the house at 4:00 and came home and took a nap. I was tired! I slept hard for an hour and half. I woke up feeling achy all over – probably from the positions I put myself into painting and using the loppers.

It felt good to get some more painting done as well as cleaning up the yard a bit. I get so overwhelmed when I am outside at the house and see all the things that still need done. It doesn’t feel like there will be an end to this project.

We got a few sprinkles off and on today. I am ready for this rainy weather to go away for a bit. I know we will be begging for rain in another month but for right now I am tired of it. I need some sunshine for a while.

I grilled chicken on the grill tonight for dinner. I had marinated the chicken tenderloins in olive oil dressing all day. It makes an easy dinner to cook up. I fixed Jim a baked potato and I had some green beans with mine. Now to decide what’s for dinner tomorrow night.

Jim has decided to postpone his Stillwater trip this week. He wants to stay home and help me get the rental house ready for someone to move into in next week. The handyman is going to work Monday through Wednesday so hoping between the three of us it will be ready for new occupants by June 1.

I will go in again tomorrow morning and do more painting. We have got to decide what to do to the back room and get it done this week so we won’t have to be inside the house after the new renter moves in June 1. I will do more outside painting tomorrow if the weather allows. The guys are going to start replacing siding pieces tomorrow so we can get those on and painted if weather will allow and if not will work on the back room.

I will have to make a trip into Emporia tomorrow to get paint for the back room. I don’t have enough of any of the colors left to paint the whole back room. I have floor paint but not wall paint. If we decide to sheet rock part of the back room I will need to pick up sheet rock too.

I don’t want to forget to do my egg delivery tomorrow. I need to get rid of eggs again – I have over 14 dozen piled up again. If I remember I will boil us a dozen eggs and make more deviled eggs.

I need to spend some time mowing early this week if it dries out enough. The grass in the back yard is knee high. By the time I get it mowed the front yard will probably need mowed again. The grass has enjoyed all the rain and is growing like crazy. Hard to keep up with it.

We will need to mow the yard in town again this week too. Maybe one of these days soon I will feel like we are caught up but I can’t imagine that day right now. Lots of things on my to do list and I can’t seem to get to all of them.

The spasm in my butt has been going off a lot today. It sure doesn’t like me painting. It needs to get over itself as I have lots of painting to do this week.

Think I will declare the rest of the evening a rest evening and not get anything else done today. This house needs some of my time and attention but I don’t have it in me tonight to give it anything. Dirt seems to wait for me.

Grateful I found a renter for the property, grateful for Jim’s help painting today, and grateful for easy dinners to fix.

Another busy day. May is going by very quickly as I have been very busy with very little quiet space.

Got up early so went in to the rental house and cleaned this morning. I got the living room done this morning. Went back home before lunch so I could get ready to go to the graduation and birthday party.

We had a fun time at the party. I had a moment though as all three men I am/have been married to were there. They all got along and it was comfortable for all, I think. I got to see Ellexia and her parents for a bit. Jason and Melissa did a great job with the food and it was a relaxing day in the back yard. The birthday boy got lots of presents and the graduation girl got lots of cards and cash. Both enjoyed the attention they got.

We came home and I took a nap. When I got up we went back to the rental house and Jim helped me do more cleaning. I cleaned the kitchen and he cleaned the air conditioner and then worked on the bathroom. The house is almost ready for tomorrow’s open house. I will go back in tomorrow morning and do some more last minute touch up cleaning and painting. I got a bit of painting touch ups done this afternoon. I need to take my vacuum in tomorrow so I can clean a window sill out that still needs painting.

The handyman is going to do a porch repair project in the morning so the front porch will look better. We still have a lot of work to do to the outside of the house and grounds but the inside is looking very nice.

Jim decided to delay going to Stillwater for another day so he can be there for the open house. I am expecting at least ten people to come look at the house and I may have more than that come. He decided I might need help with crowd control.

It was hard being inside cleaning this evening instead of outside painting. The weather finally cleared up this evening and I could have been outside painting. I sure hope we get some more dry weather next week so I can make a big dent in the house painting project which is next on my to-do list.

The handyman is going to work at the house Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. I sure hope he can be outside working on the siding project. We will see what the weather does. There is some more work that needs done to the back porch so he can work on that if it is rainy.

Other than painting I don’t have anything on my calendar for next week. Jim will be in Stillwater so hoping I get lots of painting done. I have some mowing that needs done at this house if it dries up a bit.

It is a beautiful evening out tonight. I think I will go sit outside on the deck and enjoy the moon and stars for a bit. I am missing my quiet, empty space time lately. I need to slow things down a bit and enjoy life again.

Grateful the house is all but ready for the open house tomorrow, grateful for seeing family at the party today, and grateful for the beauty of the evening.

Another busy and productive day. I woke up at 4:30 this morning and never did go back to sleep. Finally got up a little before 6:00 and got my day started. I put the chili I had mixed up last night on in the crock pot so it would be ready for lunch. Folded more newsletters to prepare for the day stuffing envelopes.

After I got all the newsletters folded I stopped and fixed breakfast and then baked a pie for dessert for lunch. Around 8:30 I started stuffing envelopes. A friend showed up at 9:00 to help. We had a good visit while we worked. Jim started helping us around 10:30.

Another friend showed up around 12:00. We stopped and had lunch and then went back to stuffing envelopes. We were completely done by 3:30. Wow! That was easy. It sure helped to have extra hands helping today. It was good to see all the stuffed envelopes disappear this afternoon when they left to go to the post office.

Jim had to go to Cottonwood Falls to title his Element after we were done stuffing. I took a nap while he was gone.

We had leftovers for dinner and then we went outside to mow and trim the yard. I had just finished mowing the front and north yard when I saw a beautiful rainbow appear. I put the mower away and stood outside and watched a completely full rainbow appear to the southeast. It didn’t last long and some light rain came in.

The yard is very moisture heavy right now. I have some standing water in places in the yard. I need to mow the back yard but am afraid I will leave deep tracks and make ruts. Maybe if this rain lets up it will dry up in a day or two and I can get the back yard mowed. The front yard grass was thick and heavy. Makes for easy mowing as I could tell where I had been.

I didn’t make it in to the rental house to work today. The front yard at this house needed mowed badly tonight and I was still a bit tired and didn’t feel like cleaning. Mowing suited me better tonight.

Tomorrow morning I need to go in to town and work for a few hours before I will come home to get cleaned up to go to the graduation and birthday party. I hope to get back to the rental house after the party is done too. I think I can get the house cleaned in about four to six hours. I will have Sunday morning to do last minute things before the onslaught of people arrive. I think there are now 8 people coming by to look at the house. It could be a busy Sunday afternoon at the house. I hope it isn’t too wet so people don’t track in.

I’ll be glad when Sunday evening comes and things can slow down for a bit. Next week I want to paint the outside of the house if weather permits. Jim will be in Stillwater so I will have lots of time to paint. I am so ready to get this project wrapped up and be done with it. It has consumed me the last three months.

Grateful the newsletter is done, grateful for the help with the newsletter, and grateful the front yard is mowed, and especially grateful for the beauty of a full rainbow tonight.

Another busy but productive day. I woke up fairly early this morning so I went in to paint at 9:00. I got almost all the woodwork painting done. I need to clean a window sill before I can paint it and then all the woodwork will be painted. I painted until close to noon and came home for lunch.

I ate lunch and then took a nap. After my nap Jim went in with me and we cleared off the front porch and got all the stuff out of the house except for paint and ladders. I got the dining room floor hand mopped. It will need another mopping but that room sure looks nice.

We moved all the lumber that was on the porch to the metal barn at the house and got the porch swept. Jim brought home some treasures he wanted from the house.

We went out for dinner tonight for the first time since March 1 last year. I forgot how nice it is to have someone else do the cooking. Service was a bit slow but it was nice not to cook tonight.

Tomorrow morning some ladies are coming over to help me stuff the Pioneer Bluffs Newsletter. I am going to make a crock pot of chili tonight and set it out in the morning so I can feed them lunch as a thank you for their help. I need to think of a dessert to make too.

When we get the newsletter done I will go back in and do some more cleaning and paint touch ups. The two rooms that will take the most cleaning are the living room and the kitchen. The bathroom needs a good scrubbing too. The two bedrooms are fairly clean as is the laundry room and dining room. I still have part of Saturday and Sunday morning to do some cleaning. So far I know of at least five people that are coming to look at the house Sunday afternoon. I am betting even more will show up.

I pulled a renter’s application off the internet last night. I need to get it typed up and copies made so people that are interested in renting the house can fill it out Sunday. I sure hope the right person shows up. I am going to be very picky about who I rent the house to and so far haven’t identified someone that I am super interested in renting the house to. Most are young kids that may or may not understand the responsibility of yard care and keeping the house clean. I sure don’t want to go through this process of cleaning up this house again.

Jim is headed to Stillwater Sunday morning as he has a graduation party to attend at noon time. I think he is staying in Stillwater until Thursday.

The handyman is going to work on the house Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week. I am hoping he can get the last few things done next week. I will paint outside all week next week if this rainy weather goes away and allows me to paint outside. It rained off and on most of the day today.

I have worked on the newsletter a bit today. The newsletter needs to be folded in half and I am over half way done with that part of it. Once that part gets done the rest seems to go faster. We only have three pieces to it this time so I don’t need to collate the material before I stuff the envelopes. That makes it go faster too. I am hoping we will get most if not all of it done tomorrow. I don’t have a lot of free time this weekend to work on it. Good thing they aren’t in a hurry for it to get out this time.

The siding pieces for the rental house came in today. I will have Jim load them in my car so I can dump them off next week. Those boxes are heavy.

This day went by very quickly. I have a feeling the rest of the weekend will fly by too. I have a lot to get done this weekend and will be glad when the weekend is over and I can slow down a bit again. Sure am hoping the right person will show up to rent the house so I can get it off my plate June 1.

Grateful for a nap today on this rainy day, grateful the house is cleared out, and grateful to be able to eat out occasionally again.

Today has been a bit of a frustrating day. I woke up at 2:00 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep until 7:30. I slept until 10:15 and gave up. I’m tired tonight. Maybe tonight I will get a good night’s sleep.

We went in this afternoon to help box the Commodities. I don’t think I will volunteer again. I felt a bit useless and didn’t feel like I made any difference today. I have a lot of things on my plate right now and wasting my time didn’t feel good.

I didn’t make it in to the rental house today. I got up late this morning and then wasted two hours at the commodities thing. I have to go in tomorrow and work as I listed the house on Facebook today and have three showings booked for Sunday afternoon. The inside has to be done by then – or at least all but the back porch. I listed it as a June 1 move in date so I have ten more days to get the back porch painted and the outside painted. We will still have yard work to do after June 1 but am hoping most of the work to the actual house will be done.

I’m not sure any of the people that are coming to look at the house are the type of renter I am looking for but I will meet them and see what happens. I am going to be picky as I don’t want someone that will destroy what I have worked so hard to fix up.

The Pioneer Bluffs Newsletter material got delivered this evening. I won’t be able to get much done on it until Friday morning when some helpers are coming. I might get the Newsletter folded between now and then but we will see what happens. There isn’t a rush for the Newsletter this time so if I don’t get it done before Monday or even Tuesday next week there is no worries. I think I can finish it Sunday afternoon after I show the house.

Saturday we have a birthday party and graduation party to go to at noon time. I will have a bit of time after that to go in and work some more on the house and then I will have Sunday morning to do last minute things. Time is ticking by quickly.

I called and arranged for a bid to replace the guttering. I’m not sure when they are coming out to do so but trust it will be sooner rather than later. I got the bill for the carpet installation but it doesn’t include the planking exchange. I’ll have to call tomorrow and find out why they left that off.

Next week I don’t have anything on my calendar and Jim will be in Stillwater so I will have lots of time to work on the house. On rainy days I will paint the back porch and on nice days I will paint outside. Not sure I can get the whole house painted but bet I can get most of it done. I’m not sure how much time the handyman has to work on the house but hoping he can get the siding pieces replaced next week so I can get them painted. The extra siding pieces I ordered are to be delivered tomorrow.

Got a bit of house cleaned at this house today. I still have lots to do but I got it started. When I couldn’t sleep last night I got my laundry done. There are advantages to not sleeping at night.

Feeling a bit down tonight probably because I am so tired. I only slept about four hours last night – two before I woke up and two after wards. I laid down to take a nap this afternoon but couldn’t fall asleep. I hate having my time wasted due to poor organization and that is what happened today. It is so frustrating when situations are not managed well and people aren’t productive.

Grateful people are responding to the advertisement on Facebook about renting the house, grateful in ten days I will be done with this project, and grateful tomorrow is a new day.

I’m tired. I painted outside for about six hours today. I went in this morning and painted for three hours and then came home for lunch. After lunch Jim went in with me and helped me paint for another three hours. I would guess we are 1/3 done with painting the outside of the house.

When we came home from painting we went into Emporia. Jim had a prescription to pick up and we had run out of house paint so went to the hardware store to get more paint. Made a stop at Walmart to get cat food and then came home. We got home just before the rain came in.

The new internet company, Ideatek, called today and I am scheduled to get their service June 24. I’m excited we may finally get fast, reliable internet. The last time I talked to my current provider they said they would release me from my contract. I’ll have to call them and see if that is still true. I’ll wait until the new service is up and running and then I will cancel the service that keeps dropping our service.

I agreed to help with the Pioneer Bluffs Newsletter this week. I’ll get it tomorrow and will get it started when I am not painting in town. I asked for some help on it this time and will get it finished up this weekend. Not sure when others might be coming to help and if they don’t I will get it done one way or another. I’m busy Saturday but have Sunday free to get it done as Jim is going back to Stillwater Sunday morning.

The handyman worked on repairing the back room roof today. We got some heavy rain this evening and he sent me an email and let me know it no longer leaks. Good news.

The bad news of the day is I discovered I need to replace all the guttering around the house. It is rusted out and has holes in it. Water can do so much damage to a house if it doesn’t drain properly. I’ll have to call a gutter replacement person tomorrow and get an estimate and get the job scheduled. Not sure I have the money in the my budget to do this but it isn’t something I can ignore. Guess I will take the money I saved by not having to replace the roof on the back room and spend it on guttering.

If the weather is rainy I can start painting the back room. I’ll have to check what paint I have left and decide what color I want to paint it. I know I will need more of what ever color I choose as it is a big room with lots of places to paint. The walls are not smooth as it is not sheet rocked. I still have the woodwork to finish in the living room and then I need to do the final touch ups throughout the house. I will do a good final clean and the inside will be done.

Thinking we can start showing the house next week. The friend that looked at it decided to pass. There is a real shortage of rental houses on the market right now so hoping I can find a great tenant easily. The house will be ready to be moved in to June 1. We should have the painting done by then unless something I don’t know about now comes up.

Tomorrow morning will be another painting session. The weather will dictate if I paint inside or outside. I will paint outside any time I can now and leave the inside painting for a rainy day. Tomorrow afternoon Jim and I will go help box and distribute commodities. Hopefully if it rains tomorrow, it will rain tomorrow afternoon when I can’t be home painting.

We didn’t have any more water in our basement today. We got a bit of rain this evening and so far it hasn’t make it to the basement. We are to get another round of storms yet this evening so we will see if the water returns.

The guys that need to replace our screen didn’t show up today. I’ll have to text them tomorrow and find out what happened. I like opening that door to let the fresh air in and can’t do so until I get the screen replaced. Too many flies come in with out a screen.

Feels good to have used my body today painting. I am a good type of tired tonight. A tad bit sore but it feels good to have had a productive day.

My Charlie Horse leg cramps have almost disappeared. The spasm in my ass is much better too. Wondering now if the spasm in my ass was related tot eh cholesterol medication like the Charlie Horses were. What ever caused them I am grateful they are getting better.

Grateful for six hours of painting done today, grateful the roof didn’t need replaced, and grateful for Jim’s help painting today.

Went downstairs last night to discover the closet at the end of the hall had water coming out of it. When we get lots of rain all at once that area is prone to flooding. Spent an hour mopping up water. Jim had put some books in cardboard boxes on the floor in that closet and may have ruined them. We went down today and had to mop it up again. It is slowing down so the worse may be over. We need to figure out where the water is coming from and get it fixed once and for all.

Went in to the rental house early afternoon. I got the second coat on the living room walls. Only have the rest of the woodwork in the living room to do and I will be done except for touch ups and a final clean. I’ll go in tomorrow and get that woodwork painted. I worked a bit in the kitchen starting the clean up.

Jim came in and mowed the yard for me. It was a bit easier mowing for him this time although he kept finding more stuff in the yard. We have quite a collection of things we have found in the yard.

The handyman worked this afternoon on bedroom and closet doors. He had to trim them down due to the height of the carpet. Three sets done and one more set to go.

After dinner tonight Jim and I went out and mowed at this house. I hadn’t finished the yard from last time I mowed and he mowed the old garden area. It was too wet to mow some of the yard but what we got done looks nice.

Tomorrow I plan on going back into the rental house to finish up the inside painting except for the touch ups. The chance of rain is pretty high for tomorrow afternoon so don’t think I will be able to paint outside. I was hoping the handyman could get started replacing siding pieces on the house tomorrow but that may not happen. Wednesday looks like it is going to be rainy too so may be later in the week before I can paint outside. It is what it is.

I still have the back room to paint but we have to get the leak in the roof fixed before I can paint it. Jim thinks we may need to replace the whole roof. The guys are going to take a look at it later this week and decide what needs to be done.

I need to check with the person that may be interested in renting the house. If she has decided not to rent it I may try to schedule an open house this Sunday. I checked a couple of realtors websites and there are very few houses on the market for sale and even less listed for rent. I’m sure I won’t have trouble finding someone to rent the house. It will be ready June 1 and I will be asking $550 a month rent. It has two bedrooms and 1 full bath, living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room. It has a washer, dryer and appliances in it.

I delivered eight dozen eggs today to five different people. I still have lots on hand if anyone needs some. I do regular delivery every Monday but you can come get some anytime I am home. They are $3 a dozen or 2 dozen for $5.

I got a fairy egg this morning when I gathered eggs. They always make me smile. They are about the size of a quarter and don’t have a yolk in them.

Feels good to have gotten the second coat on the living room wall today. The rest of the woodwork won’t take too long. I will move the ladders, extra paint, tools, etc to the back room so I can have the house empty so I can get it cleaned. Jim has a pile of stuff he needs to help me bring home so I can have space to clean.

Grateful the last room has the second coat of paint on the walls, grateful Jim mowed the yard today, and grateful for fairy eggs.

A very rainy day on the prairie today. My weather station is reporting we have received over 3 inches of rain over the last 24 hours. Wave after wave of rain keeps passing by. So far nothing severe or hail and no high winds. The ponds are filling up quickly. No outside painting or mowing for me today.

I didn’t make it in to the rental house today. Jim and I took a rest day and did not much of anything. I took a nap and Jim read this afternoon. I did bake a double batch of chocolate chip cookies for the grandkids but haven’t gotten them delivered yet. I don’t like driving in the rain and we haven’t had an hour break from the rain today. I’ll get them to town tomorrow.

I made a beef stew in the crock pot this morning. It turned out to be a good day for a hot stew for dinner. It made for an easy dinner tonight since I did the work to fix it this morning.

This afternoon we had the study door open. All of a sudden we heard a lot of noise coming from the chicken coop. We looked out and there was a coyote standing outside the pen. Jim walked down there and scared the coyote away. That critter better stay away from my chickens. I am grateful we have wire over the top of the pen so they don’t fly over the top and become dinner for the coyote.

Rain is in the forecast for the next ten days. We have a 40 – 80 percent chance of rain everyday this week. May not get much progress done on the outside of the rental house – we shall see what Mother Nature decides to do. I still have a bit of painting to do inside and I can get the inside cleaned up if I can’t get outside painting. Not sure if my handyman will be able to get much done this week as what he now needs to do is outside work. Can’t control what the weather does so things will be what they are.

Feeling a bit restless tonight. I didn’t get much done today and that makes me restless. It is good for my body to take a day of rest once in a while. I didn’t even do any cleaning in this house today. I need to move my body some and work out some of this restlessness. I feel like baking something but not sure what to bake or who would eat it.

Once I get this rental house project finished I will need to find another project for myself. I have lots of painting to do at this house but I need some rainy day projects too.

Grateful for a rest day, grateful for beef stew on a rainy day, and grateful the coyote didn’t get to my chickens.

Jim got home around 9:15 last night. It was good to have him back home again. I fixed him a ham and cheese omelet for dinner. When you are late for dinner you get what is easy to fix.

I went in this afternoon and painted for two hours. Have the kitchen and dining room done except for touch ups. Only have the living room left to finish. All rooms will have some touch ups that need done but thinking I will find touch ups that need fixed until the day I rent the house out.

I painted for a bit outside today. I think I like the color. I am not liking how the paint is going on. Not sure if I am doing something wrong or if it is just the material I am covering. It is easy to get drips and it is taking a quick second coat. I had paid extra and got the one coat coverage paint. Thinking it wasn’t worth the extra dollars if I still need a second coat.

Tomorrow I am going to have to mow in town and not paint. The grass has gotten high with the rain we got. There is a lot of trimming and pruning that needs done around the property too. I hate to stop painting and take care of that but it needs done.

I saw the handyman briefly and he confirmed he is going to start work on the house again Monday. He has some doors to trim down to fit in the bedrooms and then he can start working outside. The first priority is replacing siding pieces on the house so I can get them painted. The roof on the back room is another priority item. There are some overhang boards that need replaced and then I am thinking my budget will be busted and his work will be done. Not sure how long it is going to take him to do what is on the list. If it goes faster than I expect it to I may find some other projects for him to complete.

Came home from painting and put some green chicken in the crock pot for dinner. Not sure what I will fix with it yet but will decide that closer to dinner time. Grateful Costco had chicken tenderloins again so I could fix this easy dinner.

We got some thunderstorms overnight and this morning. It was a beautiful afternoon but the clouds are starting to roll back in. We are in a rainy pattern right now with showers expected off and on for the next week. We need a big spring rain to fill the pasture ponds. It interferes with my painting project though.

I am going to have so much free time again when this rental house project is done. I have some painting projects that need done at this house I may get to finally. The chicken coop needs painted and we have never finished our deck project. I am becoming a professional painter – good thing I work for free though as I am not sure my work would past muster if someone was paying me for it.

Still sitting with some anxiety about the new mask recommendation that those that are vaccinated can quit wearing masks. The non-vaccinated people tend to be the ones that didn’t wear a a mask anyways. I don’t trust that they will put one on now. I know if you are vaccinated you are supposed to be protected and won’t get so sick but I still have anxiety about going mask free and being around others that are mask free unless I know they have been vaccinated. I read an article about this very issue and am working on changing with the times. For some reason this change is hard for me. I’m usually pretty easy to change direction and go with things. Not sure why this one feels different to me.

Grateful Jim is home safe and sound, grateful the inside painting project is almost done, and grateful for the smell of dinner cooking in the crock pot.

The carpet got installed today! Yay! The installers were very polite and worked efficiently and quietly. Now those two bedrooms are done – except for shaving the closet and entry way doors to allow for the carpet and then putting them back up. Can’t seem to completely finish a room! Close enough for me to call it done though.

While the carpet installers were working I painted woodwork in the kitchen. Have the first coat on most of the kitchen now and some of the woodwork has a second coat now. It won’t take long to finish up the kitchen next time I go over. I have lots of touch ups to do on the cabinets and kitchen walls but those never take long.

I went outside for a bit and removed some of the screws that held the phone and cable lines to the house. I need to call AT&T and have them come remove their box from the side of the house. I wonder if they will do that or if we just cut the lines leading to it and leave it up. Between the phone, internet and cable lines this house is loaded with external wiring.

Once the kitchen is done I just have the woodwork in the dining room and living room and a second coat on the living room walls to paint. If I get in tomorrow I may get this inside project wrapped up this weekend.

My business partner and his wife came over to see the property in Cottonwood Falls today. It is always fun to spend some time with them. I don’t get to do that very often. Maybe with the Covid restrictions easing up for those of us that are vaccinated, I can have them out for dinner one of these days.

He shared with me what the real estate situation is in Emporia. The inventory to purchase a home is extremely limited as are rental properties to rent. Building new inventory has come to a halt due to the increased cost of lumber. Property values have really jumped and people are getting more than asking price right now. He thought I had made a good business decision to get this property in Cottonwood Falls at the price I paid for it. Even with what I am putting into it he thinks I could sell it and turn a good profit. That wasn’t my intention when I purchased it but if I can’t find a good renter I will consider selling it.

Jim surprised me and let me know he is coming home tonight instead of tomorrow night. He reached a stopping point on his work down in Stillwater and decided to come home a day early. It will be good to see him drive up the lane later tonight. He didn’t think he would get gone until at least 6:00 so it will be after 9:00 before he gets home.

I took a long nap this afternoon. I woke up at 3:00 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. It was a good day for a nap. It has been rainy off and on all day today with periods of sunshine in between the rain showers. I saw a beautiful rainbow to the southwest this morning.

Still need to get this house cleaned. Hopefully the mood to do that will strike when I get done writing this blog.

My internet company finally called me back. They are now saying their system is overtaxed from all the people that are staying home and are on-line more. They think the problem is we have too many devices using the internet and their system can’t service them all due to the demand elsewhere on their tower. He referred me to another company and they will strongly consider letting me out of our contract. I called the other company but they aren’t in our area yet. Now we get to decide if I try Hughes and sign a two-year contract or put up with what we have until IdeaTek gets out this way. One disadvantage to living in the country is the lack of internet providers.

Jim’s cat went outside last night and didn’t come back in before I went to bed. He hasn’t shown up yet today. He does this when Jim is out of town and will show up when he hears Jim’s voice later tonight. Silly cat. My cats won’t let him in the garage so he hides under the front porch.

This weekend will be another weekend spent at the rental house finishing up the painting inside and hopefully getting some painting done outside. If I get the painting done inside and it is too wet outside I will start the detail cleaning of the inside of the house.

My calendar is pretty clear for next week. I don’t think Jim is going to Stillwater next week but that may change. The screen to the south facing screen door finally came in and the guys are coming out next week to install that. It will be good to get that project crossed off my pending list.

The handyman may get started on replacing siding panels Monday if the weather is good enough for him to do that. Hoping that project proceeds with ease and speed. I ordered more panels but they haven’t shipped yet so he may get delayed waiting for them to come in. There are some other projects that need done to the outside of the house he can work on if so.

Grateful the carpet was installed today, grateful Jim is coming home a day early, and grateful for the beauty of the rainbow I saw earlier today.

It has been a productive day. I got up this morning and watched Jim’s oldest son testify to a US House Committee on youth employment. Jim is so proud of his son – rightfully so. His son is doing good things for our country and the youth in it.

Drove to Wichita late morning. First stop was at Home Depot to return something. They made the process easy and I had no problems with the return. Stopped at Chipotle for lunch. It is one of my favorite places to eat. They were very busy but the line moved fairly quickly. I ate in my car as I still don’t like to eat indoors at a restaurant.

Then I went to the New Balance store and got a new pair of tennis shoes. The guy that helped me commented that my old pair of shoes had lots of miles on them. They were starting to fall apart at the seams. They were over two years old so I think I got my money’s worth out of them.

Last stop was at Costco. I was grateful they had chicken tenderloins this time. Got a cart full of stuff I didn’t know I needed.

The drive through the hills was beautiful today. Went down via Newton and came home the Turnpike. Everything is so green and lush looking. It was a good day to take a trip to Wichita.

Unloaded my car and put everything away. I deboned the two roasted chickens I got and froze the meat from them. Did chicken chores and then went into CWF to paint. I got the two bedrooms done and they are ready for the carpet to be laid tomorrow morning. Yay! Four rooms down – three to go. While I was there I put a bit of paint on the outside as I want to make sure I am going to like the color I choose. I will look at it tomorrow morning when I go let the carpet layers in and see what I think. My neighbor came over and she really liked the color.

While the carpet layers are busy tomorrow morning I will do some more painting. If it is nice I may paint outside, if not I will paint more woodwork in the living room, dining room and kitchen. I am getting so close to having this inside painting project finished up. There is a 50% chance of rain for tomorrow so may have to stay inside and paint.

I need to do a bit of house cleaning this evening. This house has crossed the line on my tolerance for dirt. Painting the other house has consumed my time and I have ignored this house long enough.

While at Costco today I got three new t-shirts. I still have trouble feeling like I am a size Small. I have been wearing size small for almost three years now but I still don’t feel small. The t-shirts fit – actually they are a bit big but small was the smallest they have. I would rather they be a bit big than too small.

Tomorrow after the carpet guys are done I will come home and do more house cleaning. I hope to have the main floor done before Jim gets home sometime Saturday afternoon or evening. Saturday I will probably go back in and do more painting and see if I can wrap up this inside paint project. I am tired of it and anxious to get outside painting.

My mood has been much better today. I think I worked through what was bugging me. I wish my body had come with operating instructions sometimes. It seems to take me a bit to figure out what is going on within. I need to upgrade my internal processor to a higher speed one.

I spent years stuffing my emotions and not allowing them to surface. Now I allow them to surface but I get overwhelmed with them when they do. It still feels new to me to have such strong emotion running through me.

My hip had a spasm today when I was unloading my cart at Costco into my car. I was trying to not yelp in pain out loud and to not grab my ass and rub it. I didn’t want to alarm the other customers that were loading their cars around me. The same thing happened when I was in Walmart yesterday. I don’t want to show up on those Walmart videos of You Wouldn’t Believe How our Customers looked and acted today.

I got a good night’s sleep last night at last. It has been a bit since I slept good all night. I am tired today but I have had a busy day and was in Wichita for several hours. I didn’t take a nap today when I got home. Maybe I will be able to have another good night’s sleep tonight.

Grateful the trip to Wichita is done and I was able to get what I needed, grateful two more rooms are painted, and grateful for a good night’s sleep last night.

Went in to the rental this morning and got the second coat on all the woodwork in the second bedroom. When I was done I went into Emporia and got some groceries and ran errands. I ended up stopping at six different places. I was in town for two hours which is a long time for me. I was tired when I came home.

I unloaded the car and put everything away and then went back to the rental house and put the second coat on the walls in the second bedroom. Tomorrow I will need to do some touch ups in both bedrooms and another coat on some of the closet doors. They are taking three coats to get them looking nice. Then those two rooms will be ready for the carpet to be laid Friday morning. Yay! I am anxious to se the rooms with the new carpet as it will really help those two rooms look done.

Tomorrow I am going to go to Wichita and make a return of an item at Home Depot and do a Costco run. I will either get my painting done before I leave or when I get home. It will depend on what time I get up and going tomorrow. I don’t think the touch ups will take very long. I may not get any other painting done tomorrow but we will see how I feel when I get home from Wichita. I don’t like to shop and it wears me out to do so.

I may try to find a store and look for some curtains for the rental house. I’m not sure I want to put some up as I doubt that the renter will like what I put up and will want to do something different. We will see what I decide to do. Did I mention I don’t like to shop?

Jim’s oldest son is testifying before a House Committee in DC tomorrow on employment of youth. His son is a subject matter expert on youth employment. Jim is so proud of him and plans to get up early tomorrow so he can watch him testify.

I had ordered two boxes of siding pieces for the rental house several weeks ago. The handyman popped in while I was painting today and said he didn’t think that was near enough. I ordered them from Home Depot so will check tomorrow to see if it is something they keep in stock or if I have to order them. They are over $100 a box – dang! That little project is going to add up quick. He thinks I need at least five more boxes if not more.

I have a crisis hot line shift tonight but may not get on. I am tired as I didn’t sleep much last night again and didn’t get a nap today. I painted for over four hours today and went to town for over two hours. When I am really tired I don’t feel I do a very good job on the hot line. I’m still on the fence as to what I want to do about the hot line anyways. Not feeling the urge to get on tonight.

Friday I hope to get the rest of the woodwork first coated in the living room, dining room and kitchen. I have a few kitchen cabinets that need a bit of touch up I would like to get done too. Then Saturday I can put the second coat on all the woodwork in those three rooms and a second coat on the walls in the living room and I will be done with the inside painting. I will still need to paint the back room and the outside of the house but the inside painting project is almost done! Yay! This has turned into a much longer project than I had expected it to be. I’m ready to move to the outside job.

Once I get the inside painting done I will need to do a very good job cleaning the inside of the house and getting rid of all the paint splatters. I got the laundry room done the other night. It is fun to see a room look so transformed. It is amazing what a coat of paint will do to a house.

The weather forecast for next week is calling for a 50% chance of rain every day. That might slow down my outside painting and repair project. We will see what happens. It rarely rains all day but I do need it to be dry long enough for the paint to dry. If it rains maybe I will have time to get this house cleaned. It is starting to bug me it is so dirty again.

I had a better day today emotionally. Not sure what is up but the last several days have been hard for me. Hoping I have turned the corner and put them behind me now. I’m ready for some smooth waters for a bit. I have cried more this last couple of days then I have for months.

Grateful for the painting that I got done today, grateful my errands got done, and grateful the end of the inside painting project is close.

For some reason this feels like Monday to me. Not sure why I missed a day already this week. Jim came home late Saturday and Sunday and Monday must have felt like Saturday and Sunday to me.

Jim left for Stillwater again today around 3:30. He got a bit of a late start but will make it home before dark. Trusting he has a safe journey and will enjoy his quiet time in Stillwater to get some more renovations done on his house there.

I went in around noon and painted the first coat on the walls of the second bedroom. When I get done writing I will go back in and do the first coat of woodwork in the same bedroom. Then tomorrow I can second coat both and do needed touch ups on Thursday and that room will be done and ready for carpet on Friday. I will move the closet doors in the master bedroom and get the second coat on them and the master bedroom will be done too.

Thursday I want to give the living room a second coat of wall paint and finish the first coat of woodwork in the dining room and living room. Friday I can do the second coat of woodwork paint in both of those rooms and those two rooms will be done. I still have some woodwork to paint in the kitchen so may try to do that Thursday as well. If I can get all that done all but the back room will be done on Friday.

There is a small leak in the ceiling of the back room. I decided to wait to paint that room until the handyman can figure out where the leak is and get it fixed. He also has to patch some holes in the walls for me before I can start painting.

Next week the handyman is going to start the siding repairs and I can start painting the outside of the house. Not sure what other work we are going to find that needs done. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Hoping to get most of the house painted next week if the weather holds for me. Sure looking like I can have it ready to be rented by June 1 unless we find a major area that needs repaired. Fingers and toes crossed that won’t happen. I am mentally and physically done with this project and need it done.

Last night I went in and Jim had a big magnet on a stick. I ran it through the burn pile and kept pulling out lots of nails. I found lots and lots of them. I didn’t make it to the bottom of the burn pile and am sure there are still lots of nails to be found yet.

Tomorrow I need to run into Emporia and pick up some groceries and run a few errands. I’ll pick up some outside paint while I am in town in case I want to get started on the outside this week. My handyman told me I could start painting the outside if I stay away from the broken siding pieces. I’m anxious to see the color I have picked out on the house.

Had another emotional day today. What is up with that? Anyone else experiencing some strong emotion going through you? I trust what ever it is will go away soon. It is exhausting and draining to process it all.

Grateful another room has the first coat on the walls, grateful I see the finish line for the inside painting job on this project, and grateful for some quiet space to process my emotions in.

I just came in from mowing and my fingers got cold and aren’t working very well right now. I hope I don’t make too many typos.

Yesterday was a terrible, rotten, no-good day. I spent most of the day in tears. Had nothing to do with Mother’s Day it was just one of “those” days. Glad it is over and behind. me now.

Went in this morning and got the rest of the wall in the master bedroom second coated. Went back later in the afternoon and got the rest of the woodwork second coated and the closet doors second coated. When I can move the closet doors I need to touch up the closet paint and that room will be done.

I also think I finished the bathroom. I’ll have to check it again but I think it is done. That makes three rooms done – four to go. Progress!

I didn’t get much else done today except for my egg delivery. This house still needs cleaned but it seems to be waiting for me.

Jim is going back to Stillwater tomorrow and staying until Saturday so I will have lots of quiet time to clean and paint. Maybe by the time he comes back this time I will have gotten the house cleaned.

Tomorrow I plan on putting the first coat on the second bedroom walls and woodwork. Jim moved his saw and other stuff out of that room so I can have access to the walls. I sure like painting walls better than woodwork. I have until Thursday evening to get that room done. If I can get first coat on tomorrow then I can do the second coat on Wednesday and touch ups on Thursday.

Finished mowing most of my yard after dinner tonight. I still need to mow the driveway but most of the yard is done. Part of it is still hard to mow as there isn’t much grass and the weeds are few and far between. Up close to the house the grass is filling in and it was tall and easy to tell where I had mowed.

I got a jury duty questionnaire In the mail today. Last time that happened I got notice to serve three different times but never did have to appear. We will see what happens this time.

I’m having trouble getting the gas bill paid at the rental house. Last time they charged me a late fee and when I talked tot hem said they were going to subtract it off and get the bill paid. This bill included last months bill and a late fee. I’ll have to call tomorrow and find out why they can’t seem to get it straight. Maybe I need to forget auto pay and just send a check, however the mail delivery is so slow these days I am having trouble getting checks to companies on time to pay bills. I’ll have to see if they have an actual place I can go to to drop off a check.

I haven’t had to go to Emporia since Saturday evening when we took Ellexia home. Hoping I can go another couple of days before I have to go back. I’ll need groceries sooner or later this week but nothing that can’t wait for another day or two.

Still not feeling grounded and fully recovered from yesterday but am much better than I was. It will be good to have lots of quiet time this week. I need to be put into time out.

Grateful the yard is mowed, grateful two more rooms are done, and grateful today was a better day.

Went into Emporia after I got chores done and ate breakfast this morning. Picked up a gallon of woodwork paint and headed to the rental house. Painted for about two hours and then came home for lunch.

Ellexia texted me and wanted to come out for the day. Tim brought her out and we had a great day together. She went with me to the rental house this afternoon and helped me paint. She did a great job. We baked Snickerdoodles after we were done painting. She was so good. I really enjoyed being with her today.

Jim got home around 6:30. We grilled chicken for dinner and had baked potatoes and green beans with it. Ellexia had hot dogs. We took her home around 8:45 tonight.

I didn’t get as much painting done as I planned today but had more fun playing with Ellexia. I’ll get to the painting tomorrow.

I’m tired tonight as I didn’t get a nap and I didn’t sleep very well last night. Maybe it will rain tonight and be a good night to sleep. The lightening to the north east is coming fast and furious tonight. It is too far away to hear the thunder. I just checked radar and our chances for rain aren’t looking very good right now. It may expand a bit and we will get some later.

Tomorrow I need to mow this yard again. I also want to get into town and get the master bedroom finished up. I think I can get it completed tomorrow if I can spend a couple hours painting. The other bedroom will take a bit longer as it still needs first coat on walls and woodwork.

Jim is planning on going back to Stillwater next week on Tuesday and staying until Saturday. He has so much work to do on his house and needs to spend some time getting it done. I will be busy painting so it is a good time for him to go south.

It reached 85 on the prairie today. Not sure I was ready for summer like temperatures after having to run the furnace last night. Gotta love the ever changing KS weather.

It was good to see Jim come home today. He and Ellexia had a good time for a bit this evening. Not sure which is the bigger kid. They taught each other some tricks.

No plans for tomorrow other than mowing and painting. I don’t have anything on my calendar for next week so will have lots of time to paint. Hoping I find some time to get this house cleaned. It is starting to bug me it is so dirty. Funny had dirt patiently waits for me to get to it. Wish it would get bored and move on out on its own.

Grateful Jim had a safe trip home, grateful Ellexia came out to play for the afternoon, and grateful for what painting I did get done today.

I had a productive day of painting. The laundry room is complete. It now needs a good cleaning and it is done! One room down, six to go plus the back porch.

Got a call from the carpet people and they can come next Friday to lay the carpet. Yay! That means the next two rooms I need to get done are the two bedrooms. They need to be completely painted before the carpet is laid. One of them has the first coat on walls and woodwork and doors. The other room needs everything done to it yet.

I ran out of woodwork paint tonight so will have to run into Emporia in the morning to get another gallon. Dang! I was hoping to avoid going to town for a few days. I managed not to have to go to Emporia today.

I painted this morning, came home and had lunch and took a nap and then went back in after dinner to get more painting done. Tomorrow I will run into Emporia and get more paint and then paint all morning. Jim is coming home sometime tomorrow and once I know when that is I may get a second painting session in before he gets home.

I got on the hot line last night. I only took one call but it lasted for 1 1/2 hour. It was a tough call that I had to get the supervisor involved from the beginning. We were able to talk them down to a calmer state. I celebrated my one year anniversary yesterday on the hot line. I have taken 590 calls in my first year. I was glad I had that experience behind me when I got the call last night. It was a tough one.

Did some work on the budget today. I am so over budget at this point it is crazy. Sure hoping we don’t run into major issues when we get to the outside of the house. We may just have to paint and figure out the rest of it another day and time. It is looking like the house should be ready to rent June 1. Hoping I can find a renter sooner rather than later and start having the house pay me instead of me shelling out dollars right and left.

I haven’t gotten any house cleaning done on this house this week. It is starting to bug me but painting has taken priority. I may take Sunday off from painting and clean house here instead. We will see. I feel pressure to get those two bedrooms done and hate to lose a day painting. I only have three weeks left to get all the inside done plus all the outside. Cleaning this house may have to wait a bit. Somehow the dust seems to hang around for me.

I fixed a piece of salmon or dinner again tonight. It is easy and I don’t have leftovers to deal with. I managed to get the dishwasher loaded and run it after dinner tonight. I have been lazy and have been letting the dishes pile up and not get them done. I have two loads of laundry that has been in the laundry room for two days that need folded. I am picking up bad habits while Jim has been gone.

It will be good to see Jim drive up the driveway tomorrow evening. The house feels so quiet and big with him gone. I have stayed busy painting so the time went by quickly this time. I even remembered to take care of the chickens each afternoon while he was gone. That is usually his job.

Grateful one room is completely painted, grateful for one year on the hot line, and grateful Jim will be home tomorrow.

Got up early this morning as I had to leave at 8:30 to go to Emporia for a doctor’s appointment. The sunrise this morning was beautiful. It is my favorite time of the day.

I get to stop taking my cholesterol injections. They were not helping to lower my cholesterol and they were causing side effects. He told me to not take the last injection next week. He had a risk calculator for my chances of having a heart attack. The only options he had for me was to add a statin, increase the dose of my blood pressure medication and for me to take a baby aspirin daily. We talked through all of them and agreed the only one that made sense was for me to continue taking a baby aspirin daily. If I did all three it only lower my risk by 0.5%. I had a rare side effect from statins when I took them before and I won’t take them again. My blood pressure varies a lot and I have lots of episodes of too low of blood pressure so he agreed it wasn’t smart to raise my dose.

He checked out my butt pain. I have a muscle that goes into spasms occasionally. He offered me some muscle relaxers – I refused as it only happens occasionally and I don’t like the side effects of them. Besides if I took them when it happened the spasm would be long gone before the muscle relaxer could kick in. He showed me an exercise I could do to try to work the muscle. I will try those several times a day. If that doesn’t help I am to let him know and he can get me into physical therapy to see if they can help.

I’m grateful to be able to stop the injections. I look forward to my Charlie Horse leg cramps going away. It was a good visit and I like my new doctor. He listened to me and was able to flex to meet my needs. He gave me lots of time and didn’t give me the impression that he was in a hurry. He had a medical student with him today. She came in and did a quick assessment before he came in. She was in the room while he chatted with me.

The nurse gave me the medicare memory test. I passed it but had to really concentrate on some of the things she asked me to do. She did a good job with me and didn’t make me feel stupid.

After I was done at the doctor I went to Cottonwood Falls and met some friends for lunch. It is always a good thing to spend time with like-minded women. I enjoy our time together.

I stopped by the rental house and chatted with my handyman for a bit. He made good progress today. I came home after that short visit and took a long nap.

After I woke up and had dinner I went into town and painted for several hours. I got one side of the closet doors painted, the new shelving in the master bedroom closet painted, and two other doors painted. Progress but sure have lots to do. I think the handyman is almost done so I will be able to go in tomorrow during the day and get more painting done without being in his way. I sure would like to get one room finished up completely.

I’m getting anxious to get the house cleaned up. It is so dirty from all the construction dust and paint splatters. It is hard for me to know how much longer it will take me to get the painting done as I have done some painting in all the rooms but haven’t finished any of them completely. Hoping I can start finishing up some rooms this weekend.

I got on the hot line last night and tonight. Last night I handled three callers. Thankfully all three were fairly easy ones and I had a supervisor I have worked with before and I like. Tonight I only handled one hard call. I had to get the supervisor involved. We were able to get the person calmed down – it was a weird call.

I realized last time I was on the Hot Line I was too involved and not able to stay distant. I was giving too much of myself to it. I would look at the number of people waiting and it would distress me when I saw how many were waiting. I was putting in too many hours and it had drained me. I will see if this time I can just do what I can do and leave the rest – it is not my problem that they are understaffed. I can only do so much. If I start to get sucked in again I will have to back out again. I spent a lifetime carrying too much responsibility and am not willing to carry that burden any more.

Tonight after the one hard call that lasted almost 1 1/2 hours I signed off even though there were people waiting, I was feeling OK but I didn’t want to push myself.

No plans for tomorrow or the weekend other than painting. Jim will be home sometime on Saturday. I hope to spend lots of time tomorrow in town painting. I think I can stay out of the way of the handyman. Maybe I can get a room completely finished tomorrow. That would feel so good.

The girls gave me 29 eggs today – a new record for them. That means everyone of them gave me an egg today. I’m glad Jim cleared out my stash yesterday as I added two dozen to it today.

I got my electric bill today for this house. I owe $0.20. They issue capital credits annually and this was the month for them. Without the credits my bill would have been $32.92. I love my solar panels and the money they save me each month. I didn’t use any of the power from the electric company last month – my panels generated all I needed plus some. The $32.92 is the minimum bill I have to pay each month.

It is time for me to slow things back down again. I have been to Emporia every day this week. I am longing for a day or two on the prairie where I don’t have to leave my house. I won’t get that for several days though as I have to get this painting done. It will be nice to have several days where I just have to paint and not go to Emporia. I have peopled too much this week and need some space!

Grateful I don’t have to take my injections any more, grateful for the time the doctor spent with me, and grateful for my friends that I had lunch with today.

I went into Emporia this morning early to get another kitchen cabinet hinge, a gallon of paint and a screw to attach the last knob on the kitchen cabinets. Dropped off the things I purchased at the rental house. The handyman was off getting parts he needed for the day.

Came home and helped Jim get ready to leave for Stillwater. He left around noon. He will be back on Saturday. Two different friends have invited him over for dinner – one on Thursday night and another on Friday night. It will be good for him to spend some time with friends and get some work done on his house. Jim took eight dozen eggs with him to give to his friends. It is good to clear out my egg stash. We got a fairy egg this morning. Jim took it to give to one of his little friends he will be seeing this trip.

I went back to the rental house this afternoon and got the first coat of paint on the woodwork in the master bedroom. I still need to paint the closet doors. The handyman needs to install the closet clothing rod and shelf. Then it will be ready for the second coat of paint on the walls and woodwork and that room will then be ready for the carpet to be installed. That room had some blue woodwork. It was nice to get the last of that covered up today so I could really see how the room will look. I like the combination of the woodwork with the wall color.

The handyman got the kitchen cabinets finished up for me today. What a relief to finally cross that project off my list. They were the first place I started painting. I still need to give them a good scrubbing inside the cabinets and lay the shelf lining in them. The kitchen needs the woodwork painted and then that room will be done.

The laundry room is ready for the new woodwork to be painted. The handyman is going to install some shelving above the washer and dryer. Then it will be done and ready for the washer and dryer to be put back into place.

The living room still needs some woodwork painted and then a second coat on the walls and woodwork put on.

The dining room has a second coat on the walls and just needs the woodwork finished up and then the wall paint touched up.

The spare bedrooms needs walls. doors and woodwork painted and the carpet laid. I love the closet shelving that the handyman installed today. The closet really looks nice.

The bathroom is done except for a few touch ups on the woodwork and a door replaced and painted.

I also still need to paint the back mud room walls, ceiling and floors.

Wow! I think I know what I will be doing for the next several days (or weeks).

The handyman had a fall roller skating last Friday and is moving a bit slower than he would like. He can’t work a full day right now and has to take some extra breaks. He is still hoping to be done this week.

Painting will go faster when the handyman is done as I try to stay out of his way and not be there so much when he is there working.

After I get all the painting done I will then need to clean the house really well. I have lots of paint splatters to scrap up off the floor. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever get this done.

I may go back in tonight and paint some more. I painted for about three hours this afternoon on the woodwork in the master bedroom. I hate painting woodwork as it goes so slow and doesn’t look like I got much done.

I’m tired tonight as I didn’t sleep well again last night. Tomorrow I have to get up early as I have to be at the doctor’s office at 9:00. I am meeting some friends for lunch at 11:00. I need to stop and pick up a few groceries between the doctor appointment and lunch. I really don’t want to have to go to town again this week. I have been everyday this week.

I fixed myself a piece of grilled salmon for dinner tonight. Need to think of something to fix for tomorrow night. Since I am eating out for lunch I might be able to get by with something light and simple for dinner tomorrow night.

One of the first things I did today was get a splinter under a fingernail. I need to go find some tweezers and see if I can pull it out. I may need to cut the nail really short to get the splinter out. It is starting to get a bit sore.

Evergy finally came by to look at the limb that is hanging over the electric line. I wasn’t there when they came but the handyman was so he shared their findings with me. Since the line is from their box to the house it is my problem to cut the limb but Evergy will send someone out to disconnect the line while the limb is cut. I’ll need to get that scheduled sometime soon and get that off the list of things that need done.

I forgot to sign off for my crisis hot line shift for tonight. I just got a text reminding me of my shift tonight. Guess I will try the shift and see how it goes. It may be my last shift if it doesn’t go well. I won’t be able to go in and paint tonight after all. Dang!

The house is so quiet with Jim gone. The house feels big and empty tonight. I need to get some housecleaning done while Jim is gone. It has reached the point it is bothering me and I need to get it back into shape.

Grateful Jim had a safe trip to Stillwater this afternoon, grateful the kitchen cabinet project is done, and grateful my egg stash got cleared out today.

Went into Emporia early afternoon and got a haircut. Good to have that taken care of. I always feel better after I get my hair cut. I sold my hair dresser two dozen eggs – always a good day when I can sell more eggs.

Went to the rental house after my hair cut. I got the master bedroom walls painted with the first coat. Jim came in and worked on the woodwork and got a bit of it painted. I like the color of the wall paint. I am anxious to see it with the second coat on it. The other bedroom is ready to be painted so that will be my next painting project.

I’m trying to decide what color to paint the outside. I have some paint chips and have picked out two sets that I like. Jim and I are world’s apart on which color we like. I have gone with a gray theme inside and am thinking I will stay with gray for the outside. I like a dark gray with cream and red trim. Jim would prefer a cream colored house with gray trim. The house is white now and I like to make it look very different and I don’t think cream is enough of a difference.

Jim is going to Stillwater for a few days in the morning. I will get lots of painting done while he is gone. It will be easier to run in for a couple of hours each morning and afternoon with him gone.

The handyman is working his way through the list I sent him over the weekend. He should be done by tomorrow evening. I have to run into Sutherland’s tomorrow and get a part for him so he can finish hanging the kitchen cabinet doors. I need an extra long screw to put on the last knob so I will get that when I go to town tomorrow. I have some extra flooring planks that I need to return to the tile store so may take those back tomorrow when I go to town and get that taken care of.

My handyman is going to take a two to three week break before he starts helping me with the outside of the house. He might get bored and get started on it sooner rather than later. I don’t think he likes working five long days a week – can’t blame him at all. I need some time to get all the painting done anyways.

Made some phone calls this morning. The guy that is going to take the boat away had come over to look at it. The boat won’t fit on his trailer so he is checking around to see if he can borrow someone’s boat trailer so he can make the boat go away.

My business partner is coming next week to look at the property and see if I have missed something he would recommend I take care of. He is also going to bring me a rental agreement I can use with my renter.

I called the local realtor in Cottonwood Falls to get an estimate of how much rent to charge. I was pretty close with my guesstimate. He told me about a renovation tax credit program the city offers. I could have qualified for a reduction in property tax on a graduated bases over five years but it is too late for my project now. Dang!

I should go back in tonight and paint some more but probably won’t. I’m tired as I had a restless night trying to sleep. I don’t paint well when I am tired. The wind was blowing hard last night out of the north and I think that was part of my lack of sleep issue last night.

There is a meteor shower this week and I want to go out and watch for them later. They are best seen between 2:00 am and 5:00 am so may miss them. If I can’t sleep tonight I need to remember to go out and watch for them. The sky is cloud free right now and I trust it will remain so over night.

Jim is taking eight dozen eggs to Stillwater to give away. He has dinner plans with friends for two of the nights while he will be down there. Good to know he will have a good dinner or two while he is gone. I need to think about what I will fix for myself when he is gone. It is hard to cook for only one person.

Nothing on my calendar for tomorrow except the quick trip in to Sutherland’s in the morning. Thursday I have to go back into Emporia for a doctor’s appointment. Maybe Friday I will get to avoid Emporia. I need a day at home without leaving my little corner on the prairie but not sure when that might happen. The need to get the painting done is greater than my need to stay home all day.

We have another quiet week coming up next week. Good to have lots of empty space so I can get the inside of this house finished up. Jim wants to start working on the outside next week – we will see how far he can get on it without the handyman’s help.

Jim and I are talking about taking a trip to CA later in May or in June sometime. He wanted to make a long road trip out of it but I’m not sure I am ready for that. I think I would rather just drive to Berkeley and visit his son and then come home. I am just not comfortable staying in lots of different hotels and eating out in crowded restaurants. Last time we went to Berkeley we stayed in an Airbnb that had a kitchen where we could have fixed some meals. That feels safer to me. I need to check to see if they have any availability for this year. They may not be open. We need to set a date so I can find a house sitter for the time we want to go.

I need to get up and move around a bit or I am going to fall asleep. Maybe tonight will be the night that I sleep long and hard. I always have hope for that anyways. Rarely does it happen but I haven’t given up holding on to the possibility of it.

Grateful one more room has it’s walls painted, grateful for a hair cut, and grateful the handyman will be done tomorrow with the inside.

Happy birthday to my dad. He would have turned 95 today. So hard to picture him that old as he always acted young to me. He enjoyed life so much and found the beauty and joy in the little things around him. He is loved and missed by many.

I went into Emporia this morning and had a blood draw to have my cholesterol levels checked. I only had to wait about five minutes before they did the draw. They were able to get me on the first stick. I got the results this afternoon and was disappointed to find out my cholesterol levels are basically the same as they were before I started the injections. In fact they were a few points higher. The doctor is going to have to talk really hard to get me to continue taking them. I don’t think they are doing any good. I looked at the drug’s website and it said it would reduce my cholesterol by 63% within three months. I have taken the injections for five months so far and all that I have gained is lots of Charlie Horse leg cramps and sinus issues. I have an appointment with my doctor on Thursday and we will see what he has to say.

Jim and I cleaned out the chicken coop today and gave the girls some fresh linens. We only had two wheelbarrow fulls of the old straw to dump. The girls always have fun rearranging the straw when we are done. Every time I clean out the coop I feel compelled to change the sheets on my bed. If the girls get fresh linens, I want some too! Now all the beds in the house have fresh linens.

The best thing that happened today was my friends I met on the Camino FaceTime with me today. It is always good to see their beautiful faces and catch up on what is happening with them. I was relieved to hear they have escaped the virus and are doing well. Their part of CA is extremely dry and the fire danger is already high. They are starting to get out and about a bit and seeing their large, immediate family.

I stopped by the rental house when I was in town delivering eggs today. The floor in the laundry room was almost done and looks so nice. I wish the budget had been able to stretch enough that I could have done the kitchen floor too. I am over budget at this point and had to cut out some wish list items. We didn’t make it in to paint today. I think both of us needed a day off to rest and recover. Hopefully I will get in tomorrow and get some painting done. I am free in the morning so may go in while Jim sleeps in and do it then.

I fixed split pea soup with ham for dinner tonight. Not one of my favorite meals but Jim enjoys it. My tummy has been a bit off today and I haven’t felt like eating much. Trusting it will be back to normal tomorrow.

I made more deviled eggs today. I needed to drop something off to Tim so I took some deviled eggs to them as they all like them too. They also got two dozen eggs. I got rid of eight dozen eggs today and still have nine more dozen in the refrigerator tonight. Anyone need eggs?

I got the electrician bill today – it was about what I expected. They did some work that wasn’t in the original bid. Hoping that is my last big bill to pay besides the carpet that is coming later this month. I will have another big bill from the handyman for his labor and parts. After that I hope I will just have paint to buy to finish the inside. I still have to get paint for the outside and then whatever materials we will need to fix the outside. Yikes! I didn’t guesstimate very good as I am over budget. Par for the course probably for a remodel – it is hard to know what one is getting sometimes. My budget got blown by the roof replacement that was higher than I expected as they found the house had three layers of shingles on it and all needed to be taken off and new sub put on. Hard to make up for that extra expense.

Jim is going to Stillwater on Wednesday so he can put in some time working on his house there. I think he is staying until Saturday but his plans may change. While he is gone I can put in some extra painting time at the house in Cottonwood Falls.

Nothing on my calendar for the next two days except painting. It will be good to have some empty space at last. If fills like it has been a bit since I have had some. I need to slow things down and regroup.

Grateful for the FaceTime call today with my Camino friends, grateful for the wonderful memories I have of my dad, and grateful for fresh linens for all on the prairie today.

It has been a lazy day for me today. I over did yesterday and needed a rest and recovery day. I did manage to get the three bedrooms put back together again and get the beds made up. I took a long nap this afternoon and can’t seem to get going again.

I did go out and mow for about 30 minutes. The dandelion stems were driving me crazy so I finished the little area I didn’t get done last week when I got rained out and then mowed down the biggest part of the dandelion patch. The yard looks much better.

We went into the rental house after I got up from my long nap and got the second part of the shelving in the bedroom taken down. We did a bit of patching on the walls. The walls will need sanded and possibly another coat of patching stuff and then they will be ready to paint.

The other bedroom still has a saw and other stuff in it so that one will be the last room I get to paint. I have plenty of woodwork to paint so I won’t run out of things to do when I have the energy to get in there and get it done.

I sent the handyman a list of things that need to be done this week. Sure hoping he is able to get his part of the inside done this week. Then we can empty the house and I can go at it and get the painting done. The rooms where the woodwork is painted are looking nice.

The handyman burned our burn pile this afternoon. The wind calmed down and he was able to get it burned. In another week or so we will start cleaning up the outside yard some more and start prepping the house to be painted.

I fixed a simple dinner of grilled chicken tenders that I had marinated in Olive Oil salad dressing. Jim had a baked potato with his and I had carrots. It only takes me 10 minutes to fix to whole meal – can’t get much simpler than that.

Tomorrow I have to go into Emporia before I eat breakfast for my cholesterol blood test. I need to stop and get a screw to attach a knob in the kitchen. The two screws I picked up yesterday are the wrong size. I don’t think I need any groceries so it will be a quick stop and I will get to come home and have a chill day. I do have to deliver eggs at noon time. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow we plan on cleaning out the chicken coop tomorrow afternoon. I need to do some house cleaning tomorrow too.

Jim is talking about going to Stillwater this week. His house sitter reported the yard needs mowed. I’ll see if he goes. We don’t have much going on here so it will be a good week for him to go. Once the handyman gets done we will spend more time at the rental house during the day getting it done.

I have something I need to return to Home Depot. I may take a trip to KC this week if Jim goes to Stillwater. I have some things I need from Costco and maybe I can hook up with Nicole as a bonus.

I need to make a decision on what color to paint the house. I keep going back and forth between two different combinations and can’t decide which I prefer. I may need to get some samples of each color and put them up and then decide.

I’m on the schedule to work a crisis hot line shift this week. I need to decide if I want to continue doing that or if I am done. It does feel good helping others but not sure how I would handle things if a similar situation happens again.

I need to call my real estate partner and get a rental agreement form from him and ask his help in deciding how much rent I should charge. I have no idea what the market value is in Cottonwood Falls. If I remember I will make some calls tomorrow and see if I can get a handle on it.

It is almost time to schedule a haircut. Maybe I can get that taken care of this week too. I always feel better when I get my hair cut.

Grateful for a rest and recovery day, grateful the bedrooms are put back together again, and grateful for Jim’s work on the rental house today.

I almost forgot to write today. It has been another busy day. I got up early and headed into town to paint. A friend came by to see the house and may be interested in renting it. I got most of the knobs put on the kitchen cabinets. Painted the bathroom woodwork and other woodwork here and there throughout the house. Touched up the kitchen cabinets and walls. It is getting closer every day to being done.

Came home a little after noon and had lunch. Jim and I went into Emporia to get two new interior doors and a few other little things we needed for the house. Came home and we both took a nap.

After dinner we went back into the house and got some more work done. Jim got part of a bedroom shelving unit cleaned out and I did more painting. We are both tired tonight.

My last two guests left this morning while I was in town painting. It was fun having all the guys here this week and it is nice to have our house back to quiet and normal again. I have done four loads of laundry today and need to get four beds made up tomorrow. I emptied trash and did a bit of cleaning downstairs. Still have a bit more to do tomorrow and then things will be back to normal.

I made list of things that the handyman needs to do next week. I have no idea how long some of them will take. Some are fairly quick and easy things and others not so much. He is hoping to be done mid-week. We will see if he can get it all done in three days.

We had an extra storage shed on the property and the handyman took it down today. He is going to reassemble it and use it in his back yard. It is nice to have it gone. One more thing off the to-do list.

Tomorrow I plan on going in again to paint in the morning while Jim sleeps. Then sometime in the afternoon or evening we will both go in and get the rest of the bedroom stuff taken apart and removed. Then that room will be ready to be patched so I can paint it next week. I have to wait until we are done with the saw that is in the other bedroom to paint it. The back room has gotten full again of stuff and I will have to wait until it gets cleared out before I can paint it. Hoping by the end of the week we can clear everything out of the house except my painting stuff and I will get all the painting done in another week or so. May not make it but that is my goal. Painting walls sure goes faster than painting woodwork.

This house is starting to yell at me for some of my time to clean it up again too. I can work on it during the day next week while the handyman is working on the other house. Tomorrow the rental house takes priority as the handyman isn’t there.

Monday I have to go to Emporia for a blood draw. Sometime the next few days we need to clean out the chicken coop. I have a doctor’s appointment Thursday and then am going to lunch with some friends Thursday noon. Other than that we have a quiet week coming up. Hoping I can have a day or two of staying home and getting some things done at this house.

I mowed last week and the yard is starting to look like it needs mowed again already. I have raised a bountiful crop of dandelions this year. I wish they would quit sending up seed stocks – they make the yard look untidy and they are hard to mow down. The yard must have liked the rain we got last week and used it to grow grass.

Jim brought a bunch of iris up from Stillwater last year. They are just now starting to bloom and are beautiful. They have lots of buds getting ready to open. Iris is one of my favorite spring flowers. The critters seem to leave them alone out here which is amazing as they eat most every other flower that gets planted.

On May 1, 2013 Craig and I sold our McDonald’s restaurants and retired. Hard to believe that was eight years ago. Some times it feels like it have been eight months and other times it feels like it was a different life time ago that we owned and ran the stores. I’m so grateful we were able to retire early and have some wonderful years to do other things in life besides working 24/7.

Jim reminded me today that it has been almost a year since he moved to KS. We returned from Stillwater June 1 last year. This year has flown by. It sure doesn’t feel like Jim has lived here full-time for almost a year.

Sometime soon I will need to make a trip to Costco. I might try to schedule a lunch with my daughter in KC. I forget that is back on the table as an option now. We also want to go to Wichita to visit my Aunt Marylyn. I can’t seem to wrap my head around the fact that I can go places again.

Grateful more work was done on the rental house today, grateful for the guests that came to stay for a bit, and grateful for the beautiful Iris that are blooming.

Another busy day. I’m ready for these busy days to stop and for it to go back to quiet and slow again. I got used to my slow pace and am having trouble stepping it up when lots of things happen in a day.

Got up early and went into Emporia to fix the flooring issue. The lady had given me the wrong box and they had what I needed in stock – no worries. The kind I needed had more square foot per box than the one I paid for so they are going to send me a bill for the difference. I didn’t want to wait for the lady to figure it out – she is a bit ditzy.

Took the correct flooring to the house and chatted with the handyman for a bit. Made a few more decisions for him so he could get the towel bar and toilet paper holder put up today.

When I got home one of my guests had already left and wasn’t going to come back tonight. Another guest was on his way out the door and he decided to go home tonight too. So I am down to two guests for tonight. They will be heading home sometime tomorrow. I have sheets and towels washing now and will get the rooms made back up again later tonight.

I took a nap this afternoon. It felt good to take some time to recharge a bit. I feel like I am running on empty and need some extra down time right now.

When I woke up from my nap I went into town to paint. Jim had gone in earlier and worked on the yard some more. I got the laundry room’s first coat put on. It sure looks nice. Jim got all of the yard mowed. It was slow going as he kept having to stop and pick up stuff in the yard. He came in and I helped him get the refrigerator put back together. He had to switch which way the doors open.

I cleaned up the house a bit as I am showing it to a potential renter in the morning at 9:00. It isn’t clean by any means and not really ready to be shown but trusting they will be able to see past the construction dust and dirt and unfinished painted walls and woodwork.

I am planning on staying in town after I show the house and getting a couple hours of work done in the morning while Jim sleeps in. Then when he is ready mid afternoon I will go back in and get at it again. I need to get the second coat on the laundry room this weekend so my handyman can lay the flooring Monday in there. I would love to get the kitchen cabinets done and crossed off my list. They have been hanging around my to-do list too long and I am tired of them.

I have a feeling the handyman will have to work most of the week next week to get things all finished inside. We are so close to being done but some of the little things seem to take a long time to finish up. Two rooms are done except for woodwork painting – the dining room and bathroom. The dining room needs a second coat of paint on the walls as well as the woodwork finished. One bedroom needs walls painted and all the woodwork painted. The other bedroom needs some shelving removed, walls patched and then the walls and woodwork painted. Both bedrooms still need carpet laid but not sure when that can happen. Both closets need shelving put in as well as a clothes rod. The laundry room needs a second coat of paint, the flooring laid and trim put down. The kitchen still needs some cabinet doors put up, the cabinets need a final touch up of paint, and the woodwork needs painted. The backroom still needs painted – both walls and the floors. It seems like a long list of painting for me to do yet.

I’m almost afraid to list all the things that need done on the outside. It is too overwhelming. Getting the yard cleaned up and mowed was a huge relief and sure makes the property look much better. I’ll have to start painting the house as soon as I get all the inside painted.

We plan on burning our big burn pile tomorrow if the wind is slow enough and the sheriff gives his blessings. It will be good to have that pile gone although it will be another pile to clean up after the burn.

I called the internet people again today to report we are still losing internet connection once to three times a day that we are aware of. They are to call someone higher up the food chain and will call me back next week with what they are going to do about it. Not sure it is solvable at this point. Sure will be glad when the new internet company comes out this way.

Sometime this weekend I need to go to town with Jim and get two new 30″ doors for the bedrooms. The two that need replaced are in really bad shape. I’m hoping that is about the end of things that I need to purchase for the inside other than possibly some more paint.

I still haven’t heard from the guy that was going to take the boat away. If I remember I will call him tomorrow and see if he is going to be able to take it away. If he can’t, I’m not sure what I am going to do. Does fiberglass burn?

Other than cleaning bedrooms and painting I don’t have any plans for the weekend. I have to go to town Monday morning to have some blood work done and then back to town again on Thursday for my doctor’s appointment. Other than that we have a quiet week ahead which sounds like heaven at this point. I am peopled out and it will be nice to have our house back again.

I fixed a ham and cheese omelet for dinner tonight. Sometimes I fail when it comes to dinner planning and tonight was one of those nights. Good thing I have an abundant supply of eggs. Maybe I will get my act together and do better tomorrow night.

Things are starting to pile up at this house that need done too. Good thing dust patiently waits for me to go after it. Clutter is starting to pile up and it seems to wait for me too. Someday soon I will get caught up – maybe after I get some more painting done.

Grateful the flooring issue was easy to resolve, grateful progress is being made on the house, and grateful for Jim’s help.

It has been another busy day. The guys were up before I was this morning. They were fixing eggs when I came into the kitchen. They ate their breakfast and took off for another day of fun playing disc golf. I sent some sun screen with one of them as they had gotten a bit red from the sun yesterday.

I met some friends at 11:00 for lunch. Then I went to the bank in Cottonwood Falls to deposit a check and I stopped at the water department to pay my water bill.

Went into Emporia to get two gallons of paint and the kitchen cabinet door hinges. I dropped off the signed bid for the master shower and picked up another box of floor planks for my handyman. He didn’t think we had enough.

Stopped by the house in Cottonwood and dropped off the planks and then came home. I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for the guys. Jim went into town to mow.

My fourth guest showed up late afternoon. He is a nice man and we have enjoyed visiting with him.

Two of our four guests joined us for dinner. We had leftover spaghetti and chowder. Nothing like feeding my guests leftovers. They both ate two plate fulls so guess they liked it.

I went in and painted for a bit after dinner. The handyman let me know the floor planks I picked up are different than the ones I had gotten before. I discovered they are in totally different packaging and the square foot per box is even different. Not sure what happened but they are loaded in my car and I will have to go back into Emporia in the morning and get it straightened out. The good news is he hasn’t started laying the laundry room floor so hoping I can get enough of the same planks in the morning so he can do that floor tomorrow yet. May have to change to a different plank but that is OK as long as it goes with the bathroom somewhat. The two rooms share a doorway.

I am a bit confused as to why we needed more flooring material as the guy from the tile store measured and told me how much I needed. Trusting we can get it all worked out somehow tomorrow morning.

I didn’t get the laundry room finished painted as I discovered it still needs sanded in places and wasn’t ready to be painted yet. I was really tired tonight anyways and wasn’t too sorry I couldn’t get much painting done.

Tomorrow I need to call the guy that was going to come take the boat away. I must have not understood him correctly as I thought he said he was coming for it the day I called him or the next day. Maybe he came and checked it out and decided he couldn’t move it. That boat is a pain in my ass.

Tomorrow I don’t have anything on my calendar except for returning the planks and fixing that issue. I hope it is a quieter day. I have had a couple of busy days this week and have hit my limit of them. I need a day of peace and quiet. I have been around people too much this week.

The handyman won’t get done tomorrow but it is close. He will probably have two more days after tomorrow to finish things up inside. I still have a solid week of painting left. Still hard for me to think we are almost done with the inside part of this project.

The bathroom looks really good with the new flooring, vanity and sink. I’m glad we were able to rearrange it a bit and give it more room. When I get the woodwork painted and the trim gets put on it will really look nice.

I am really tired tonight. I took a NyQuil last night and had a bit of a hangover all day. I should have taken a nap this afternoon but didn’t know what was going to happen with my guests. It was a good thing I stayed up as the fourth guy showed up. I think I will go to bed soon and see if I can sleep.

I have had the feeling I have forgotten to do something important all day today. Still haven’t figured out what I might have forgotten to do. I hope what ever this is goes away soon as it has put me a bit on edge.

Grateful I got my errands all done today, grateful for leftovers, and grateful the end is in sight for this project even if I can’t see the finish line yet.

I am cranky this afternoon. I took a nap and woke up cranky. Maybe I should have gone back to sleep and slept off this foul mood. Not sure where it came from but it can go back to where ever it came from – the quicker the better.

I cooked breakfast for one of my guests at 8:00 this morning. He had a tee time of 10:00 and I knew the restaurants in town would be very busy. He left a little before 9:00.

I went out and mowed half the yard. One of my other guests returned back to the house after taking his friend to town. I came in and fixed him breakfast. We had a nice chat after he ate.

I went back out and got most of the back yard mowed before the rain came in. The rain started with great big drops and I could tell a storm was moving in quickly. I made it to the house before the flood gates opened. There was a lot of lightening that seemed to be striking close by. I love the sound of the rolling thunder over the prairie. We would see a strike of lightening and then immediately the thunder would crack. I bet we got over an inch of rain in the hour that it rained. It really came down hard for a bit.

Since I couldn’t finish my mowing I went to bed and took a nap. I didn’t sleep very well last night. The leg cramps are getting very frequent and seem to be more intense and lasting longer. I hope the doctor has some answers next week.

After my nap we went into Emporia to get 450 pounds of chicken feed, oats, sunflower seeds and dog food. What a haul! Jim had to load it on the cart, load it into the car and then unload it and put it all in containers when we got home. He got his exercise for the day. We stopped at Sutherland’s and got the right size screw for the kitchen cabinet knobs and two light bulbs for the kitchen at the rental house.

I am making corn and ham chowder for dinner tonight. I thought I was going to have some extras for dinner but they have all decided to eat in town. I have a fourth guest coming later tonight. He was camping in a tent and got rained out where his tent was. I had an extra bed and when one of my guests asked if he could bring him out I told my guest to bring him on out. What is one more – right?

Last night Jim and I went in and got one coat of paint on the bathroom walls. It sure looks nice. I haven’t been by the house today but after dinner I am going in to paint the laundry room and to put another coat on the bathroom. The handyman was hoping to start laying the new flooring tomorrow but I’m not sure how far he got today.

During the night I heard a loud motor sound. Finally figured out it is the exhaust fan in the bathroom below the master bedroom. I will need to get that fan replaced as the sound is very disturbing – especially at night.

Got my water bill for the rental house and they charged me a late fee as the check I mailed five days before it was due never showed up. I’ll have to go by the office tomorrow and find out if the check ever showed up. I mailed the check the same day I got the bill last month. USPS you disappoint me again!

Tomorrow I am having lunch with some friends again. It is nice to be getting out in small groups and seeing people. I need to go by the water department and go to the bank while I am in town.

I’m not sure when my guests are leaving. I think on Saturday but am not sure. It really doesn’t matter as we don’t have any plans. I will spend most of Saturday in town painting regardless of what the guests decide to do.

Next week I have a blood draw on Monday and my regular weekly egg delivery. Thursday I have a doctor’s appointment. Other than that I will be at the house painting most days. I am way past the point of being tired of this project and need to get this thing wrapped up. I may need to mow on Saturday if Jim doesn’t get it done before then. Not sure I am looking forward to starting the painting of the outside of the house.

Hoping this foul mood will pass quickly. I have a raging headache this afternoon but I think that is allergy related to the storm. Maybe painting this evening will help work some of this out of me.

Grateful for the rain the prairie received this afternoon, grateful most of the yard is mowed, and grateful the bathroom got a first coat of paint on it last night.

I went in last night and got a second coat on the dining room. Two rooms now have their second coat. I was one tired puppy when I got done.

Came home from painting last night and sat out on the deck and enjoyed the light of the full moon. It was almost as bright as daytime last night – the moon shadows were incredible and the moon was beautiful.

One of our guests came in last night after dinner. He sat out on the deck with us and visited for a while. The other two guests haven’t gotten here yet. I expected them to come in this morning. I finally heard from them this afternoon and they were on their way. Then later they said they were having dinner in town and would be out after dinner. I may be in bed before they get here. Good thing they know where their bedroom is.

I fixed a potato salad and deviled eggs this morning. Jim made some baked beans and I grilled hot dogs and we called it dinner. Our guest joined us – he didn’t seem to mind having to eat hot dogs.

After dinner Jim and I went in and painted the bathroom. It sure is looking better. It still needs a second coat and the woodwork painted. Tomorrow the handyman is going to put down the sub flooring material and maybe start laying the floor. Tomorrow night I may get to paint the laundry room. That room is looking so much better with the Sheetrock on the walls. It is amazing what a coat of paint does to a house.

I don’t like to paint when the handyman is there as I like to stay out of his way and not distract him. He is really pushing to get his part of the inside of the house done this week. He may carry over one and maybe two days next week but we are really getting close to being done.

The guy I got the refrigerator from was to have called me when he left Emporia so I could meet him at the house. He called and told me he left the refrigerator on the front porch. When Jim and I went in we moved it inside in case it rains tonight and tomorrow. The refrigerator stinks. I sure hope I can get it cleaned up as it has mold in it. I am a bit disappointed in it but will see if it will clean up. I may have to go to Plan B.

I called city hall today and got the name of a guy that might be able to haul the boat away. He was to have called me this evening when he was on his way to come check it out. I didn’t hear from him. Hope he calls me later this week. That boat is becoming a pain in the ass.

It looks like I will spend most of next week painting once the handyman is done with his part of the job. He has been putting in 8 – 10 hour days which doesn’t leave me a lot of time to paint. It still seems like I have a lot of painting to do but when I can get a second oat on a room and cross a room off the list it feels so good. Two rooms done – six to go. Then I will have to do all the woodwork. I don’t like painting woodwork but it goes fairly fast.

We have some doors that are going to need to be replaced. Anyone know of some where I can buy used doors?

I sent a message to my doctor today and they ordered labs for next Monday. I wanted to have the results of my cholesterol test when I talk to him at my appointment next Thursday. I have been having lots of legs cramps both day and night since I started taking the new mediation and the doctor is going to have to talk me into continuing taking the mediation.

We need to go to Emporia and do a big feed haul again. We need oats, chicken feed, dog food, and sunflower seeds. I think I have enough egg money to pay for it this time. That always feels good. Don’t always have enough though – I’m afraid Jim is correct when he says the chickens are a hobby and not a money making proposition.

While we are in town I need to get some different screws for the kitchen cabinet knobs. The ones that came with the knobs are too long for 10 of the cabinet doors. They were too short for 12 of the cabinet drawers. At least this time I know where the hardware store hides them.

It has been another windy day on the prairie. It was cloudy and humid today. Sure feels like we could be in for a strong thunderstorm tonight or tomorrow. I have had a headache all day today and my feet have been aching. They are good weather indicators for me.

Grateful two rooms have a second coat, grateful for the beauty of the full moon, and grateful to be headed to bed soon.

I went into Emporia first thing this morning to pick up some things for the rental house. Went to Walmart and got groceries. I dropped off the supplies at the rental house and then came home.

Had a chance to talk to my handyman today while I was at the house dropping things off. He has asked for some time off when we get the inside of the house done before he starts on the outside. I think he has had to put a lot more hours in then he likes to work each week. I’m grateful he has hung in there with me this long and will work until we get the inside done. He still thinks he will get it done by Friday. We will see. We have lots of little things that still need done but it is hard for me to know how long those things will take to do. We are both getting tired of this project. I will still have painting to do when he gets done and then I will need to get the house detail cleaned.

The outside of the house still feels overwhelming to me to start to work on. I can start painting the house and finish painting when the handyman comes back to the project and fixes the siding pieces that need replaced. We have lots of yard work that needs done. Jim taught his last class for a while today so he is freer to help me now. I’m sure it will all work out in a way I can’t see right now.

We can always rent it with the understanding that we will be working on the outside for the first month or two that we have renters. I hope to start being able to advertise it late next week. The carpet in the bedrooms won’t be in yet but other than that the inside should be done.

I delivered eggs around noon and then met two friends for lunch. After I got home from lunch I helped Jim get started on his class and then hung around in case he needed help. He didn’t need help once he got started but it makes him feel better to know I am there if needed.

I fixed a crock pot full of spaghetti sauce for dinner tonight. After I started it I found out two of the guys won’t be here till tomorrow and I haven’t heard from the other one. May have lots of sauce left over for another day or two or three. I have a spaghetti squash in the oven cooking for me to eat and I will boil some traditional spaghetti noodles for Jim to eat.

The wind has been in a big hurry all day today. We have had 40 MPH wind gusts and sustained winds of around 25 all day. I am a bit exhausted from listening to the wind all day. I had trouble closing a door when I came home from the grocery store and a screen blew out of one of the dining room windows today. The wind is to slow down a bit later tonight. It got up to the mid 80’s today. We are to get thunderstorms Wednesday. Gotta love KS weather.

After I got home from Sutherland’s they called and told me my hinges have come in. Jim needs to get some wood to start building a piece of furniture for our study so he said he will go in tomorrow and pick them up and get his wood. The hinges came in sooner than they told me they might.

I had to pick up some screws for the cabinet drawers. I get overwhelmed at the store when I try to find something like that. There was a whole isle full of different types of screws and I don’t speak that language. There was a customer there that seemed to know what he was doing. He could see I was frustrated and asked me what I was looking for. He took me right to what I needed. I was grateful for his help and knowledge.

Hoping to get to the rental tomorrow to get some more painting done. I want to get some painting done in the laundry room and bathroom before the handyman puts down the new floor and installs the vanity. We will see if it works out so I can get it done on time. I don’t want to slow him down.

Nothing on my calendar for the rest of the week other than tending a bit to the guests coming in. They are pretty self-sufficient so won’t need much time or attention from me. That should allow me plenty of time to get lots of painting done this week.

I have had a headache all day today. Thinking it is allergies from all the dust and crap the wind has stirred up and blown in. I am tired and a bit sore today from the painting I did over the weekend. I probably should have taken a nap today but the timing didn’t work for that to happen. It may be an early night tonight although if I can find some energy I may go in and paint for an hour or two after dinner tonight.

Grateful for friends to have lunch with, grateful the grocery trip for the week in done, and grateful for a stranger’s help at the hardware store today.

Got some painting done today and most of the kitchen cabinet doors are hung. Yay! The kitchen walls all have their second coat on them. One of the bedrooms is half painted with a first coat. Sure seems like slow progress but at least it is progress. The kitchen looks nice with the cabinet doors back on. I still need to attach the knobs to the doors.

I am sore and tired tonight from painting for five hours today and two hours last night. It seems to take me much longer to paint than it used to and I don’t recover as quickly afterwards.

The grass in the yard is getting tall and we need to get after the yard work at the rental house too. We need to run a rake through the yard and pick up the last of the trash that was laying here and there and everywhere in the yard. There is a lot of branches and things growing that need cut back. It is going to take some hard work to get the yard looking nice.

Tomorrow I hope to go back in and paint in the bathroom. I need to paint where the new vanity is going to be placed as well as the new light fixture and medicine cabinet. That isn’t a big area so it shouldn’t take me too long to do it. The handyman is going to be working at the house tomorrow but he is working in the laundry room so I think I can stay out of his way.

The guy that was to have delivered the refrigerator this afternoon got behind schedule and postponed the delivery until Tuesday. I don’t have anything on my calendar for Tuesday other than my guests so the change in date works for me.

Tomorrow I deliver eggs and then am having lunch with a friend. I need to remember to boil some eggs to put in the refrigerator in the guest kitchen so my guests can enjoy some hard boil eggs. I have an abundance of them and I will appreciate getting rid of some. I may even make them some deviled eggs and see if they will disappear too.

I need to run into Emporia tomorrow and pick up a toilet paper holder, a towel bar, a flood light and a kitchen faucet set. I’m trying to stay ahead of the handyman so he doesn’t have to stop working and go to town for things we need. I sure hope we are getting to the bottom of things we need. The budget is busted and I am in the red on this project.

Jim teaches his last OSHER class in this series tomorrow afternoon. His next class doesn’t start until the end of June so he will be a bit freer to get some things done. Our list of projects seems to be growing. He needs to get down to Stillwater and work on that house too.

I need to call the door people and find out if the screen for my screen door has come in yet. They ordered it over a month ago. It is to be warm tomorrow and I can’t open my south door until I get the screen fixed.

Tomorrow night is full moon night. Last night we sat out on the deck and watched the moon shadows on the prairie. The burned areas have already turned green and the hills are especially beautiful right now.

Grateful for the painting that got done today, grateful for Jim’s help in hanging kitchen cabinet doors, and grateful for the beauty of moon shadows on the prairie.

It has been a nice day but a tad busy. A friend I hadn’t seen since COVID hit came for a visit. We ordered take out for lunch and brought it back to the house and enjoyed our lunch. It was nice to see her and catch up. She is caring for her elderly parents and needed a day away. It reminds me how important friendships are and how critical it is to take the time to engage with others.

A friend sent her son and his wife to pick up a piece of furniture I didn’t want any more. It is nice to get that out of the house and to someone that will enjoy it. I was able to unhook the TV and internet and get both back connected. I never know if I can successfully do that. Jim now needs to build a piece of furniture that will hold the TV and all the cable equipment that comes with it.

I grilled hamburgers on the grill for dinner. It was such a beautiful day that we needed to celebrate it by grilling. Simple, easy and delicious dinner.

I got the rest of my mowing done this afternoon. It was good to get outside and get that done. The grass is still sparse in places but starting to grow back in. It was tall in the area nearest the house. Jim got the weed eating done and the yard looks nice tonight.

After dinner I went in and painted two walls in the kitchen. I am getting a refrigerator delivered tomorrow and wanted to get the wall done before the refrigerator comes so I don’t have to move the refrigerator. I also painted the woodwork that is behind where the refrigerator will go. I painted on around the corner of the wall and have over half of the second coat on the kitchen wall.

Tomorrow I am going to finish vacuuming and dusting this house and then go into Cottonwood and paint for a good four to five hours. I’ll see how far I can get. I want to get a coat of paint on one of the bedrooms so I can see if I like the color. The bathroom is almost ready for a coat of paint. I need to get it painted before the new floors go in later this week.

I’m a bit tired tonight. I slept for about two hours last night and then woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I finally took another bath and was able to sleep for one more hour. I didn’t take a nap today so am hoping I will crash tonight and get lots of sleep. It is so frustrating some nights when I can’t find sleep.

Still not sure if my guests for the week are coming in tomorrow or Monday. I will get the house ready in the morning and go from there.

Other than having three and maybe five guests this week I don’t have anything on my calendar. The guys that are coming are easy guests and won’t take much of my time. It will be fun to visit with them when they are around. They are all involved in the disc golf tournament so will be busy with their rounds of disc golf and all the extra festivities that go with the tournament. I doubt they are around here much.

I’m sure hoping the handyman can get the inside of the house all but done by the end of next week. I will have some painting to do after that but we are getting so close to having the inside of the house done. I still will need carpet laid in the two bedrooms and not sure when that can get done but I can start showing the house to find a renter. We have tons of work to do outside yet but all of that work can be done after we get it rented if needed. Sometime next week I need to pick out the colors we are going to use on the outside of the house so we can get started painting outside too. May need to host a paint party.

Jim and I sat out on the swing on our back deck for a while late afternoon. It feels like it has been a while since it was warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the sun in my face. I so look forward to summer evenings when we can sit outside and enjoy the late sunsets and then the night skies.

Grateful for my friend that came to visit today, grateful for my friend that took my piece of furniture off my hands, and grateful the yard is mowed and looking nice.

Our guest had to leave last night as his daughter was in labor. He will be back either Sunday or Monday and will stay all of next week.

This morning I went into Emporia and picked up the flooring material for the laundry room and bathroom at the carpet store. I signed the bid for the carpet installation at the rental house. I was given the bid for the master shower at this house. After they picked me up off the floor upon me seeing the huge amount, I picked out the colors for it and told them to order it. WOW! It was much higher than I anticipated. The work has to be done though as we are going to have some serious water damage if it doesn’t get fixed.

I then went to Sutherland’s and picked up a 24 inch wide medicine cabinet and light fixture for the bathroom at the rental house. Went to Cottonwood Falls and dropped off my haul.

Took a nap this afternoon while Jim went to town for an appointment. After he came home and we had dinner we went into the rental house and painted for over two hours. The living room, dining room and kitchen all have their first coat completed. All kitchen cabinets and cabinet doors are painted. Progress at last. Still need a first coat on all the woodwork in those three rooms but Jim is making progress on it. He is having to do a lot of scraping and cleaning up the wood before he can paint.

The handyman worked on the laundry room today. He had a lot of prep work to do before he could start hanging sheetrock. He has the ceiling almost covered with sheetrock which is the hardest part for him. He still has sheetrock to put on part of the walls and then he can start mudding it. Some days it looks like he has made a lot of progress and other days it is hard to see the progress. He hung a light fixture in the laundry room and that helps make it brighter and it looks better already.

The handyman is taking the weekend off. I have company coming for lunch tomorrow but will get in late afternoon or evening to paint some more and I am hoping to spend lots of hours there on Sunday. I would love to get the three rooms we are working on done and cleaned up but not sure we will get there this weekend. I need to mow at this house and do some dusting and vacuuming on Sunday in preparation of my guests coming in on Monday. It will be a busy weekend.

I am still hoping the handyman can be done with the inside of the house by the end of April. We are really close on being done with the rest of the house inside. The outside is going to take a few weeks of his time to get repairs done to the siding of the house and some other things that need done. I am still hopeful that we can get the house rented by June 1. If we can get the inside done I can start showing it and find a renter.

Jim teaches his last class Monday. He will have more free time after that class is done. His next set of classes doesn’t start until the end the June. He puts hours into prep work for each class he teaches. It will be good to have him have more free time again.

Other than having guests all week we don’t have anything on our calendar. Not sure how much time we will have to get in to paint but maybe we can start getting some yard work done while the handyman is working inside. We will see what happens.

Grateful for the painting we got done today, grateful the flooring is at the house and ready to be put down, and grateful the material for the new shower is being ordered.

Good news at last for the rental property. My handyman made some calls today and found a local drain cleaner that has a camera to run through the sewer line. I called them today not expecting them to be able to come today. We stopped by the house early afternoon and to my surprise the drain cleaner showed up while we were there. He was able to get the line free – it was full of tree root at a joint in the pipe. He ran the camera through the line and discovered where the roots were coming in. He recommended I treat the lines with a root killer quarterly and thinks that will take care of it. He doesn’t recommend we dig out the line and fix the joint where the roots got in – at least for now. He said we may have to have him come clean them out annually but we should be able to get by. It cost $175 to get the problem fixed – I was afraid it was going to cost several thousand dollars if we had to dig out the whole line.

My handyman cut down the tree that sent the roots through the line. He is putting in a wood-burning fire place at his house and likes to get free wood. Problem solved!

While we were at the house we loaded up the pile of things that needed taken to Salvation Army to get them out of the way. We went into Emporia after our stop at the rental and dropped the stuff off at Salvation Army. We then went to the hardware store. I got a bathroom vanity with sink, a faucet set and a new toilet. My budget is starting to yell at me to stop spending money. The guy at the hardware store helped us load them into the car and then my handyman helped unloaded them at the house.

Tomorrow I need to call the carpet/tile place and find out how much flooring I need for the bathroom and laundry room. I picked out what I want and they have it on hold. I need to go pay for it and pick it up so it will be at the house for when the handyman is ready to put it in. That may happen next week. While I am at the tile store I need to tell them what colors I want for the master shower so they can get that material ordered.

I found out when we dropped off the vanity at the house I need a new kitchen faucet set so will pick that up when I go to town tomorrow to get the flooring.

We still didn’t get the kitchen cabinet doors hung. We got distracted by the drain cleaner and then taking a trip to Emporia. Jim cancelled his trip to Stillwater this week so maybe we will get a chance to get them up yet this weekend. While we were at the house I was looking at the cabinet doors and found two more that need the back side painted that I missed. I will go in tomorrow and get those taken care of. I’m still waiting on some hinges to come in so we can’t get them all hung yet anyways.

Got the basement cleaned and ready for the guests that are coming in next week. I still need to vacuum the rug and dust but those are last minute things to do. Still not sure how many people are coming and when they are coming but I will be ready when they show up.

I took a nap when I came home from Emporia. I had Jim wake me up after I napped for an hour so I wouldn’t sleep too long. Not sure why I was so tired this afternoon but I was. I fell asleep quickly and slept hard for an hour. I was cranky when I came home from town which has become normal for me these days. A nap seems to help every time.

I fixed green chicken for dinner tonight. Our guest joined us again for dinner. It is so fun and “normal” to have guests for dinner.

Tomorrow night is left over night. My refrigerator is overflowing right now and needs cleaned out. I had some leftover white chicken chili for lunch today. Not sure what else we have in there but most of it is going to be gone by tomorrow night. I hate having a cluttered refrigerator. Part of the problem is the 12 dozen eggs I have in the refrigerator right now. I made a dozen of them into deviled eggs tonight just to get rid of some more eggs.

A friend sent me an email today and she is coming by for a visit on Saturday. It will be good to see her. It is so nice to be able to have friends over again and go to lunch with them. I have so missed that this past year.

We don’t have any other plans for the weekend so will hope that we can make it in to the house and get some painting done. It is feeling like this project will never get finished. I flip from feeling like it is almost done to it is never going to get done. Hoping no more big expense items come up. I really want to get the second coat of paint on the walls in the living room and get the woodwork painted in that room. Then I can get the room cleaned up and have one room completely done. It will lift my spirit to see a completed room.

It is sprinkling a bit tonight. It has been a cloudy, cool and windy day on the prairie. I am looking forward to Sunday when it is to be 73 and clear. I will need to get my mowing done and take advantage of a nice day.

Grateful the drain got cleared today and it was an easy fix, grateful the house is ready for the guests coming in next week, and grateful for naps that fix my cranky mood.

We had a busy afternoon at the Commodities distribution. The delivery truck ran two hours late today so the leader didn’t get there with the food until 4:00. It was scheduled to be there by 2:00. I had gotten a text to let me know we didn’t have to come until 3:00. We waited an hour before the food showed up. We had to rush a bit to get the 50 boxes ready to go out by 5:00. They sure went out quickly. We were done by 5:30.

Fixed tacos for dinner tonight. I couldn’t think of anything to fix this morning so made a last minute decision to do tacos. The guys enjoyed them – I had a plain hamburger and carrots.

Our guest arrived shortly after we got home from our volunteer job this afternoon. It is always nice to see him. He is staying until Friday and then will be back next Monday and will stay all week next week.

I went to the rental house this morning to talk to my handyman. He is making good progress and has the kitchen, living room, one of the bedrooms and dining room all but finished. I found out he can lay the flooring I picked out for the laundry room and bathroom so will need to go pick that up later this week. Not sure he is ready for it yet but I want to stay a step ahead of him. He is going to lay 3/8″ plywood on the laundry and bathroom floors in preparation for the new flooring as the carpet/tile guy recommended.

We talked about the bathroom. I found out he has to move the sink pipes as they are too close to the outer wall. Since he has to move them he told me we could move the sink if I wanted him to. I am going to get a 24 inch wide vanity base with sink and move it to the opposite wall. That will open up the side where the sink is now and help make the bathroom feel much bigger. It will also provide a place to store towels which the bathroom doesn’t have now. He is going to pick up a new toilet next time he goes to town to get parts.

We discovered the dryer vent is not venting outside so he will fix that when he gets to the laundry room. There were some hanging lights in one of the bedrooms and he is moving two of those to the mud room as it needed more lighting. We are repurposing some shelving that was in a bedroom and moving it to the laundry room.

The city was cleaning out the city sewer lines today. They hadn’t made it up our street yet so don’t know if that is going to eliminate our blockage or not. I gave the handyman permission to call the city to talk to them about the situation to see what they will say. I could call but I don’t speak their language. Still hoping we don’t have to dig a hole to fix the connection between our line and the city line.

The back splash is completed except for the grout. He was going to put the grout on today if he got to it. It looks nice. He is going to start putting sheetrock up in the mud room today. The next big project when he finishes the mud room is the laundry room. It needs a closet built around the furnace and water heater and the walls and ceiling in that room are in bad shape. He has a bit more work to do to the bathroom but that room is getting close to being done.

I’m getting a little nervous about my budget for this project. It sure seems like I still have lots of things to get yet and will need lots of hours from my handyman before he gets this project wrapped up. We haven’t even started on the outside yet. The plumbing thing could break my budget if the news is bad there. Trying not to go there yet until or if I have to.

Jim was going to Stillwater tomorrow but has decided not to. He may go Friday but he may change his mind again. We still haven’t gotten the kitchen cabinets hung yet so need to get in and take care of those. It is bugging me that they aren’t up yet.

Not sure when I will get back in to paint. I don’t like to get in the way of the handyman when he is able to work on the project. I should be able to get in this weekend when the handyman is off and can get some more work done. We will see how it goes.

I have been working on cleaning the house. Not done yet but I see the finish line in front of me. I don’t have anything on my calendar for the rest of the weekend so will have plenty of time to get at the cleaning and get it done. Some of it I want to wait till the last minute as it won’t stay clean if I do it too far in advance.

I need to get out and finish the mowing in the next day or two. I have half of the yard mowed. I was going to mow this morning but it was too cold. Sunday it is to be back in the 70’s so may have to wait to do it then. There is a chance of rain the next couple of days and temperatures are only going to be in the 50’s. That is cold by my measure. By Sunday the part I have already mowed will probably need mowed again.

Tomorrow I have a pile of things that need donated to Salvation Army at the rental house that I want to load up and get out of the house. I can finish the living room now and would love to see one fully finished room. I need to finish painting the woodwork and do a final coat on the walls and that room will be done. I have lots of paint splatters I will need to scrap up as I give the floor a good cleaning when I am done painting.

Jim loaded my car up tonight with recycling stuff so need to drop those off when I go into Cottonwood Falls tomorrow. It amazes me each time we drop off recycling how much material we gather to drop off. Jim has been picking up the ditches and has found lots of beer cans and beer bottles that need dropped off too.

Back to having a huge stockpile of eggs in the refrigerator. If Jim goes to Stillwater I will have to send a bunch with him again to get rid of. Wish I could find some more regular customers.

Grateful to be able to help with the commodities distribution, grateful the handyman is making progress on the house and for his variety of skills, and grateful my calendar is full of empty space for the next couple of days.

We went to Emporia a little after noon today. Stopped at the tile/carpet store and picked out the carpet for the rental house bedrooms and flooring for the bathroom and laundry room. I brought home samples of the material they will use to rebuild the master shower. It is an option to tile walls and I know I will like a solid surface better. Way too many color choices though.

We went to Walmart next and I picked up my prescription and we bought groceries for the week. Came home and got everything put away.

We had some friends over for dinner tonight. I made a crock pot full of white chicken chili this morning and decided we needed help eating it. I made beer bread muffins to go with it and baked a German Chocolate cake for dessert. It is so nice to sit and visit with friends over dinner again. I need to remember to invite more people over more often.

Woke up to about two inches of snow on the ground. I’m glad I got up early today as by 10:00 most of the snow was gone and by noon all of it had melted. When we get snow in April it usually doesn’t last long. Grateful for the bit of moisture it provided. It helped clear the smoke from the air.

We didn’t make it in to the rental house to hang the kitchen cabinets today. We plan to go tomorrow. We are helping make boxes for the Commodities distribution at 2:00 tomorrow. It only takes about an hour or so to sort the commodities food. Hopefully we will go hang them either before or after we do the commodities job.

One of my disc golf guys is coming in tomorrow for two nights as he has to work in the Emporia area tomorrow and Thursday. I usually fix dinner for him so will need to figure out something I can put in the crock pot before we go to our volunteer job tomorrow. I’ll need to do some house cleaning in the morning so the house is ready for our guest coming in.

I didn’t get a nap again today and am tired tonight. Thinking it will be another early night for me. I slept fairly well last night and woke up feeling rested which is almost unusual for me. I won’t get a nap again tomorrow as we will be busy in the afternoon. Maybe my body needed this reset to help me get away from taking naps.

Grateful for friends over for dinner, grateful for the beautiful snow this morning, and grateful the decision about flooring for the rental house has been made.