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Saturday, December 17, 2011

The Original Christmas Story


Christmas Past

In the beginning was God. Gen 1:1 says the earth was empty and God gave it life. This was the first gift. God breathe His soul into His creation. Thus the earth was full of God’s character. The Old Testament is an account of how man used and misused this special gift. This is Christmas past

Christmas Present

The birth of Christ represents God’s second gift. He gave the earth and mankind, His Son Jesus so man could understand God’s character. When Simeon saw the Christ child, he recognized the second gift God provided mankind. He praised God and offered a blessing to Joseph and Mary. (Luke 2:22-35)

During His three years of public ministry, Jesus showed the world the greatest gift possible; the gift of life. John 10:10. This is Christmas Present.

Christmas Future

The Holy Spirit gave John a look into the future (Revelation 21). John describes the final gift from God – A new heaven and a new earth for the old has passed away – A New Jerusalem full of God’s character. God now dwells with his people and they dwell with Him. This is Christmas Future.

The Christmas story is now complete.

Have you received the gift of life Jesus offers? If not, just ask Him. The gift of life is available to all who will receive it. How? Read this from the depths of your heart.
Dear Jesus,
I've been living for me and I'm not happy with the result. I realize I cannot live that way any more. Please forgive me for pushing You aside. Now I ask that You come into my heart. I am stepping aside and want to accept the gift of life you offer. Thank you for forgiving me and thank you for renewing my heart.
May you experience the peace of Christ this Christmas season. It is truly amazing.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Thirty Days Left

In thirty days, we begin our new journey. The transition will be over by then. On January 9th we begin our work with NOMADS that will have us doing a variety of projects from repairing, painting, digging, mixed with some fellowship and fun times with other NOMAD volunteers.

On Saturday Nov 26th, we moved our RV to Colonia del Rey in the Flour Bluff area of Corpus Christi. This served two purposes. One – it gives us the opportunity to actually live in the RV when it is not parked in front of our house. Two – it forced us to get cracking on getting the rest of our things moved into the RV which in turn made us think about getting rid of more stuff.

After we got set up, we sold our 2nd vehicle which provided a nice cash infusion. While Carol has been working on the inside, I finally got my garage moved. For some that may not be a monumental task but for me it was. My garage in our stick house has 940 square feet and was chocked full of stuff.

The collage below shows the garage after I dismantled the wood shop and made three trips to the city dump. I moved all of my stuff into a side room, rearranged and tagged the remaining tools for the estate sale we had just before Thanksgiving.
old garage
DSC_1984a
My last major task was to load up the truck with things that would go into my new garage, which, by the way, is significantly smaller. The cavernous space lacks shelves which makes for lots of wasted space.

DSC_1983aThe challenge was to make room for everything and have things organized where I do not need to completely empty the garage just to get one or two items out. First order of business was to build shelves to make order from chaos. This was like playing with an adult version of an Erector Set.

So off, I go, measuring twice and cutting once. Assembling the shelf outside of the RV first to make sure things fit, then taking it apart and reassembling it inside the garage. After that, I loaded up the shelves.
DSC_1986aWhat do you think? Pretty cool. The air compressor will never have to move unless I need it away from the RV. The trusty blue boy has a nice home and also keeps things from sliding off the side of the shelves. The only problem is that white battery box to the right of Blue Boy. That battery box is taking up valuable floor space in the garage. However there is room to move it next to the other battery box. (That is another project.) OK, now some of you are thinking, “Where did he hide the Workmate?”

DSC_1987aWell of course there is room for it to go in front of the shelves. You will notice to the right of Blue Boy is a tool box that is just tossed on top of the white battery box. That will change when I get the battery box moved. At this point, I’ve emptied two containers that previously held various small items. Those items are now stored away neatly on a shelf. I feel pretty good about this now, except I can’t find anything just yet.  I figure it will take a little adjusting but the bulk of my garage is now in its new home.

DSC_2030Inside the RV, Carol had a couple of small projects for me. The biggest one was doing something about the completely useless bath towel racks. Seriously people, do the RV designers ever use the RV’s they design? How dry do you suppose the burgundy towel will get when it is sandwiched between the blue one and the roll of V.I.P. (very important paper). The wall behind the toilet is completely void of a towel rod so that is where one went. Down with the old and up with the new.

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My wife is happy, I am happy and no, I did not drill blindly in the wall nor did I attach the towel rods with screws. Instead, I used rivets. I figure if rivets can hold the skin on an air plane, they can certainly hold a towel rack on the wall.

DSC_2028 While at it, I also removed the single hand towel ring from the wall next to bathroom sink and installed two that matched the other towel rods. Notice the size of those screws. Those babies  are 1” long. Apparently RV manufacturers must use one size screw for all things.

DSC_2027 I carefully drilled a 3/16” hole in the wall going just deep enough to penetrate the wall. Then using my trusty rivet tool, I attached the bracket with a single rivet. (You can click the picture to enlarge it so the rivet is more apparent.) So now I have two towel holders next to bathroom sink and two bath towel rods located in the right places.

DSC_2029 Some of you may wonder why I would put two V.I.P. holders on the wall next to the sink. I suppose I could have mounted one 18” towel rod on this wall. We opted for the V.I.P. holders because they would fit below the medicine cabinet door (when opened) and the towels/wash clothes would not be dragging on the sink. Also, I did not read any warnings on the packaging that indicated using V.I.P holders in the manner would void the manufacturer’s warranty.

DSC_1985I think we’ve had a productive week. In addition to the garage and bathroom mods, we also managed to review three large bins of photos, made electronic copies of the photos we wanted, got our new permanent address set up in Livingston and get our home decorated for Christmas.

More to follow as the adventure continues. Thanks for stopping by.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving and family traditions go hand in hand. Since we have an empty house and our RV is chaotic and disorganized, it was decided that we would celebrate Thanksgiving with our youngest daughter.  She planed, prepped, cooked and did a wonderful job of hosting all of us today.

Before I go on about today, I would like to tell you a bit about Wednesday. Carol and I decided to make a drive to Catarina, TX for a pre Thanksgiving feast with Donna and Tom, Carol’s sister and her husband.  They are full time RVing and are currently working with Gate Guard Services out of Corpus Christi. Current assignment is the Rocking 5 Stanley Ranch where Anadarko Petroleum is drilling in the Eagle Ford Shale.

Monday of this week, the trails lost Dieter, their wonderful fur baby, in an accident involving one of the 18-wheelers. Dieter was a wonderful companion and loved people – especially children. He will be missed by all who knew him. Needless to day, Monday was a dark day for Tom and Donna.

We got a late start out of Corpus Christi, so we did not get to their gate until around 12:30PM. Their gate is about 7 miles off  US 83 on a very rough road. Posted speed limit on this road is 20 MPH, so the last 7 miles took forever.    We were blessed with a 2 hour lull that allowed us to enjoy a full Thanksgiving meal with no interruptions. After the visit, that was way too short, we headed back to Corpus Christi. Our fur babies where glad to see us.

That brings is back to Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for that the list would just go on and on. Instead of doing that, I would like to say that I am most thankful for my wife’s maternal grandparents. Blanche Barrett (aka Mom ‘B’) and Bill Barrett. Mom ‘B’ was the person who planted the seed of Jesus in my heart in 1966, one year before my wife and I married in 1967. Their Christian walk had a tremendous impact on my life and spiritual growth. So, I close by saying I am thankful today to have been so richly blessed by Mom ‘B’s’ compassionate heart, and by Grand Daddy Bill’s strong Christian witness of what Jesus had done in your life.
 

Saturday, November 19, 2011

50 Days and Counting

With certainty, I can say accumulating stuff is significantly easier than getting rid of stuff.  And S T R E S S? This phase of getting rid of stuff has been the MOST stressful thing we have ever done. Many of our RVing friends have warned us of that.

We survived empty nesting a second time when our beloved daughter and grandson moved into their own apartment after living with us for three years. We have survived watching some of our stuff leave for another home. I survived selling my 900+ square feet wood shop. My wife survived reducing her quilting space from 200+ square feet to under 15 square feet.

Our house sparkles to the point that if we were looking for a house and saw this one, we would buy it again. All walls have a fresh coat of paint, the floors shine for the first time in years and the counter tops are empty of accessories. Our home has become a house again – we no longer live there even though we are parked on the RV pad in front of the house.

Colinial Del ReyNext weekend, we officially move to Colonia Del Rey RV Resort in Corpus Christi as we finalize our transition. By moving off the pad in front of the house, we get sewer connections. People driving by our house will actually be able to see it instead of an RV. We can finally work on a little curb appeal.

Thanksgiving weekend will be a time to gather with our family as has been our tradition.  This year, our youngest daughter is hosting the family in her small apartment. This year we will not have a big out door project like taking down a couple of trees or pulling carpet out of the house. Instead, I think we will look for opportunities to take a bunch of family photos.  This will be the year for fun family fellowship mixed with fabulous food.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Thanksgiving.

Friday, November 11, 2011

R&R #2 Part 2

Friday was veteran’s day. The following is from The History of Veterans Day published on line by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"
For many people, Veterans day is just a day off. I certainly hope you had a chance to celebrate Veterans Day with honor and dignity.

From one vet to another, I salute you and say, “Thank You!”

Friday was day 2 of our 2nd R&R weekend as well as the first day of our estate sale.  The phone started ringing at 7:45 AM with our Leslie calling to verify how much we wanted for some items that had not been tagged. I am glad I was not there to deal with the throng of bargain hinters.  By the end of the day, Leslie said the garage was just about empty (sigh) and most of the items in the house were also sold.

designer_I_USBWe chose to come to San Antonio area for this R&R so we could bring Carol’s Designer I embroidery machine to the Viking dealer for cleaning and adjusting.  After a simple breakfast, we headed to Alamo Stitching Post to deliver Carol’s machine for servicing. While we were there, we drooled over the updated version of Carol’s Designer I machine.

We also had some family heirlooms that needed to be delivered to one of Carol’s cousins who lived in Schertz, just one exit from where we were parked. Carol had arranged a lunch date with Beverly and her hubby Bob. After dropping off the embroidery machine, we had a little time to kill before lunch. Since our truck was D I R T Y, I searched for a DIY car wash that was near where we were headed. The truck just looks better when it is clean.

We enjoyed lunch with Beverly and Bob, got caught up on family stuff and left for a mid afternoon siesta. Remember we are on R&R so w*rk is not a good word. After a restful afternoon, we headed to Clear Springs Restaurant for an early dinner with Carol’s brother Jay and his new bride Shalmir. The meal was good and the company was even better.

By the time we got back home, Carol allergy issue was getting the best of her. Hopefully she will get better soon.

Thanks for stopping by. The R&R continues.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

R&R #2

Welcome to our new followers. Knowing others are interested in what I have to say is encouraging. Thanks for stopping by.


Thursday 11/10 was a crazy day. It actually began on Monday 11/7. We have been frantically working toward a deadline of getting the house ready for market and for the estate sale at the same time.  We had three days to get everything done that needed to get done.
DSC_1864[1]Carol and I had been taking care of our almost 2 year old grandson Jayson.  If you need a reminder, 2 year olds take a lot of energy. Since most of the work to be done was in my department, Carol took care of Jayson. Wednesday I picked up a U-Hall truck so I could get it loaded and ready for our Houston daughter Michele and hubby Martin to take back to Houston with the last of the big stuff we were giving them.


DSC_1868[1]After Jayson help me get the ramp placed back into the truck, M&M got Jayson loaded in their car. Off they went into the sunset with what was our refrigerator, a couple of antique clocks, and my best every gas grill. I was beat and ready for a little nourishment and rest.


Thursday, I had to finish sorting and tagging stuff in my rustic man den, cut and edge the yard, get itched up and head to RR at Stone Creek RV Park. We finally got away from the house around noon. I needed to fuel up the truck and stop at Discount Tire to get a good tire on the ground. 100_0625[1]I found a blister on the side of one the RV tires and just did not feel comfortable getting on the highway with that. I pulled into Discount Tires and told them what I needed.  Well after 2 1/2 hours, we were finally on the road. The good part was they did not charge me to get the spare on the ground. (FYI-Cedar Creek is sending me 4 brand new tires and wheels to compensate me for the bad tire. I’ll get them next week.)


CaptureBy the time we got the truck fueled up, it was 3PM. Fortunately we only had 150 miles to go. We hit the east side of San Antonio at 5:30PM. The red line on the map shows our route. This section is normally congested but at 5:30PM it grinds to a halt. It took us 30 minutes to idle through this section. We hit two more super congested areas before arriving at our destination, (Exit # 177, IH35). I stopped at the office and found the note they left me telling me which site was ours. Fortunately it was a pull through; unfortunately it was not level side to side. It took about 30 minutes to get the trailer positioned and leveled in the site. The rest of outside hook up was easy. I came in to help Carol finish the inside stuff. 
We were tired and hungry. Carol was also dealing with a scratchy throat, heavy congestion and 100_0640[1]stuffiness. I made a quick trip to Wal*Mart to get a few things we needed for the night and morning, as well as some meds for Carol. We finally got settled in, ate dinner and watch the 10PM weather report. Weather man forecast the low temperature near 36 degrees. Tonight would be a 2 quilt night.


More RR#2 to follow. Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

R&R #1

Thursday (11/3/11)
We are finally off to a little R&R in Houston. We pulled out of Corpus Christi at 1:03pm, mileage was 89,738, and Gertie (GPS) says we would be at the park at 4:25. She doesn't know we will not be driving 70 mph today.  Thursday was a travel day to Lake View RV Resort in Houston. We left Corpus Christi later than expected which meant we arrived later then expected (6:00) . That turned out OK because our daughter called to let us know dinner was going to be about an hour later than planned.
Brenda Marshall, our real estate agent, took photos of the house for MLS listing. Monday (11/7/11) the house will be posted on MLS. Leslie Green, a professional organizer and estate sale planner, is finalizing the prep for the estate sale next weekend (11/10-11/12).
We got set up and walked the dogs. Then made the short drive to Michele’s house.  We had a relaxing evening sharing our journey with Michele’s in-laws and filled up on lasagna. The doggies were glad to see us when we got back. We took them for a walk, set the heater to come on around 60 and grabbed an extra quilt for the bed since it was pretty cool (by Corpus Christi standards) and went to bed.
Friday (11/4/11), Our44th Anniversary
Started the day with 50 degrees in the RV. One of two propane tanks was empty. Switched tanks and warmed up the RV. After breakfast we headed downtown.
Part of the reason for the Houston destination, was so Carol could get to the Houston Quilt Festival at the George R. Brown Convention center. We spent 5 hours walking around that huge convention hall and still did not see it all. We saw big quilting machines, small quilting machines, lots of thread, and zippers. Did I say the center was large? There were 20 rows of vendors that filled about half of the facility. About 10% was set aside as a food court with the remainder set up to exhibit every kind of quilt imaginable. Carol loves fabrics and anything related to quilts. However, since she is now on the other side of collecting, she didn't buy much. Carol had a good time looking, though.
After HQF we took a drive down Main Street. Boy has downtown Houston changed since the 60's. We drove by the Mecom’s Fountain at Fannin &Main. The hotel where we spent our wedding night is still there but has a new name. It used to be the Warwick hotel. After driving past, Carol asked me to turn around to get pics of those landmarks so I  turned thinking we would be able to just turn left again and go back. Not so easy! We had to drive through the Herman Park to get there. But we got the photos. Fueled up the truck at $3.57/gallon for diesel. The red dragon took 27.28 gallons after 247 miles. Average 9 mpg or 39.5 cents/mile.
Then we continued on to have supper at Pappadeaux’s. When we got home, the dogs were really happy and ready for a walk to the potty spot. Rested a bit, reflected on how tired we were, then decided we should just go to bed early.
2011 11 Quilt Festival
Saturday (11/5/11), our day of rest
Slept until almost 7:30. By my standard, I overslept. I truly enjoyed it. The doggies took me for a morning walk. The crisp cool air was refreshing. I was ready for a cup of coffee by the time we got back. That’s when I realized I did not turn on the coffee pot.  Sheesh, I got to get it together. Finally had my coffee after I got doggies and the cat fed.
Carol slept in real late this morning. So after a late breakfast, the doggies and I went on a long walk around the place. They needed some exercise and I wanted to take some photos of the place.
We were planning to do some organizing in the RV today but decided against that.  Instead Carol is teaching me how to wash clothes in our Splendide. Sunday will be a travel day for us as we head back to Corpus Christi. If we don’t take a day to really rest, we will be tired again by the time we get back to Corpus.  So, Saturday is veg day.
2011 11

Saturday, October 22, 2011

It’s Beginning to Look Like Home

To our new followers, I say welcome.  Hope you find my musings entertaining.

Our RV is beginning to look like home. This past week, we have been busy moving things into our RV and painting inside the house so it can get listed before 10/31.

100_0546Carol has made several quilts and decided one of them needed to be on our RV bed. This is a crazy quilt named because the squares are made from a hodgepodge of fabrics, do not match and has no defined pattern. This crazy quilt is colorful and and defines who we are.

We decided to move into the house is pretty empty.  We have a king sized bed, two recliners, a folding table, boxes of stuff that will be sold in an estate sale mid November. The echo in the house was haunting so it was time to get moved. We do have electricity and water connected to the RV so that makes things comfy.

My brother was here a couple of days ago to pick up a few things that he wanted. It was difficult to see him drive off with some of the tools from the wood shop. Additionally, we moved the last of the major items to my daughters apartment this afternoon.
100_0512     100_0535
100_0538My grandson was given a couple of special things from me (Papa). The bookcase in the photo is one that my Dad made for me when I was a little older than Gage is now.  It is well worn now but I am sure my Dad would be please to know it has lasted over 50 years. The small wishing well was made for me by my grandfather about the same time I got the bookcase. He hand carved the stone work in the piece as well as hand cut the tiles for the roof. As Gage gets older, I am sure he will remember the origin of these pieces.  I made the headboard you see in the background for Gage when he was 3 years old. In the background is a headboard I made for his first bed. He has woodworking craftsmanship in his room now that were made through 3 generations of our family.

100_0547In addition to painting and moving, I also added to the list of mods for the RV. We have a tall space above the side cabinet in the kitchen. It is the perfect place to store things that are bulky.The railing would keep things in place as we travel. This replaced a small piece of crown molding that was more decorative than functional. The rail should hold things just fine.

The closet in the RV had a useless cloths rod. We prefer a cloths rod that is more traditional to houses. so out with the old, and in with the new. On the left is the original, on the right is what we now have. With the lateral supports, the rod should hold just fine.
100_0503     100_0509
I thought I would close this with a goofy photo of my Gage.  He was 4 when he and my daughter moved in with is three years ago. While I am happy for the new life we are all beginning, I am really going to miss him. I will certainly be looking forward to our visits.
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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

RV Mods

The other day Carol said she was ready to move the craft center in to the RV.  That is a good sign because our days remaining in the house are numbered. Moving from 1700 square feet to 400 square feet is not something you do over night.  It has to be done in stages. We are fortunate that we have a little time to complete this move.
100_0319When we bought our RV, we decided the couch would have to go. It was nice but was not something we needed when we get on the road.  Yes, it folds out to make a bed for overnight guests.  We did not need the extra seating when considering what we wanted in that spot.  Carol loves quilting and crafting. The idea of replacing the couch with a craft center was the solution.

So, off I went to my woodshop to make a crafter for Carol. I removed the legs DSC_1807from a 6 foot folding table and built a more suitable frame using the same construction technique found in RV’s Here is what I came up with. The only thing I had to purchase was a couple of 4x8 sheets of 1/4” oak plywood. Home Depot had some on the rack marked as “damaged” for $2 per sheet instead of $13.00 per sheet for the good stuff. Since the plan called for cutting the sheets, I was able to find 2 sheets that would work. Now all I need to do is get it into the RV.  

Our daughter took the couch from the RV so that left a nice spot for the craft center.100_0485
Yikes! Pretty tight fit. Sure hope it fits through the door.  That sucker is glued together and will not come apart without damaging it. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

100_0487       100_0488

YEAH! That’s what I’m talking about. Once I figured out how to get it into the door and get it turned, the rest was pretty easy.

100_0490    100_0491

Now to accessorize it a bit. The bins on the right are on wheels so they roll in or out as needed. Carol has not seen this in the RV yet, but I think she will be pleased.

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When traveling, the bins will be stowed with drawers facing in and pushed all the way in. The sewing machine will fit under the center section on the floor. The space on the left will be filled with stackable containers. And it weighs less than the couch.

PS – When you come for an overnight visit, you will be sleeping on a air bed on the floor. Hope that is OK.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Hard Day/Weekend

For most people, today is TGIF. The end of a hectic week. As I write this at noon on this Friday kids are thinking about the weekend ahead of no school. Working folks are anticipating the start of a weekend filled with yard work, projects, shopping, fishing, going to the beach or other stuff. In our household, TGIF should be TIMD (Tomorrow is moving day).

For the past few weeks, our daughter has been busy packing away all of  her earthly possessions and some of ours. Two weekends ago, our eldest daughter came down so she and her sister could go through Christmas stuff. We had a large closet full of it. Now we have one small box. That was a hard thing for DW to do while I worked outside.

100_0480Today, I repacked a few overly stuffed boxes so they could be carried and finished packing out the kitchen. Things where going well until I picked up the Pizza Peel that I made in October 2005. I actually made two back then. One for my eldest daughter Michele as a wedding gift and once for me. No room for that in the RV so this one goes to my youngest daughter Laura. The peel is made from Pecan and Mesquite wood. I paused and ran my hand over the wood remembering the challenge of getting the angle just right on the bottom.

100_0481Next I moved to Laura’s room to remove the curtain rod hangers and wall mirror that I reframed in 2006. The mirror came from the dresser my brother and I had back in the 50’s. I still have the dresser in the garage but it is all rotted out and is destined for the dump. I wish now that I had taken better care of it since my grandson needs a dresser. It would have been perfect for him.

100_0482I finished in Laura’s room and moved to my grandson’s room. Everything is ready for moving day except for removing the headboard from mattress frame. I made the headboard for Gage in 2006. He was ready to move into his big boy bed. Laura sent me a photo of a headboard she liked so I made it for him. There is a matching footboard for the bed also.

As I was writing this blog, DW asked if I wanted some lunch, grilled cheese and soup. Noticing she bought my favorite Cinnamon-Raisin Bagels, I said, “No, how about toasting up a bagel for me.” That’s when I lost it. The toaster had been packed for Laura’s move tomorrow.  The reality of the weekend hit me. After a few tears, I went to the RV to get our toaster/oven.

I am enjoying lunch now and looking forward for this weekend to be over. Our cupboards are bare now. After eight years in our wonderful house, our home is about to change.
100_0483
More to come as the weekend unfolds.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Tough Days Ahead

Those who have crossed the bridge to fulltime RVing will understand this post.
One more item crossed off the To Do List.  Garage got a major bath today.  Beautiful weather made the work very enjoyable.  We went to the deck after dinner tonight and the garage actually sparkled a bit. You know the feeling. Like stepping of the shower or bath after working hard outdoors. The last item on the projects for this week is to paint the trim. Can’t do that until a day or two after the garage bath.  I’ll post pictures when project is done.
Tonight, our daughter said she want to get started packing up the kitchen.  She and our 7 y.o. grandson have been living with us for 3 years now and are moving into their own apartment this weekend. I thought I would help out a get started on this task. DW and I decided it would be easiest if we just packed all our Fiestaware and move the Corel from RV to house so we would have plates to eat off. So here are before and after pictures of the one cabinet that contained the Fiestaware and glassware.
DSC_1325   DSC_1852
As of today, we have to wash dishes after each meal since there are 4 place settings and 4 people at the table. I kept the important stuff such as wine glasses, 1 Aggie mug, and two Starbuck mugs. Cabinet looks a little bare.
Tomorrow I hit the pots and pans. We will then get to practice cooking and eating as if we were living in the RV.
After daughter and grandson move out, the house will have an echo in it and will be very empty.  Sigh.
Frown

Friday, September 30, 2011

To Do List Getting Shorter

This week, my focus has been working on the garage exterior. Four things to be done include:
   1.  Replace rotted fascia boards
   2.  Repair a couple of window sills
   3.  Pressure wash siding and trim
   4.  Paint trim

Removing the rotted fascia boards was pretty easy since there was not much there to remove.  Had to repair a couple of 2x6 joists ends that were also rotted. Here are before and after for the fascia boards.

100_0452  100_0459

Window Sill 1
Now the window sills took a bit more work. When we bought this house, we had Sheba (half Golden Retriever, half Sharpie). She was smart but had an attitude.  One day she was being her gnarly self and decided to chew on this window sill.

First step is to remove the window sill typically held in place with a few nails. In old window sills, you can see the nail heads. That made for easy removal.

Window Sill 2In this image, the window sill is on the left, a fresh piece cut from a 2x6 is ready for profiling.  That means, I have to make the rectangle cut look like a trapezoid on steroids. So, the cutting begins.


Window Sill 5Looks like same profile.  Old is on the right, new is on the left.  Now to take it outside and see if it fits. Yep. I’ve done this before.  It is much easier doing this with a table saw, however, it can be done with a circular saw.  The key to success is a sharp Freud Diablo blade.

Window Sill 6Looks OK to me. Next week the garage fix up continues.  Pressure washing to get rid of dead paint and clean  the junk off the siding, then a coat of paint on the trim will make the garage sparkle. Well maybe not sparkle, but at least it will look more presentable.

When my shop tools sell, I think I will cry. But comfort will come when I begin the new lifestyle.

Thanks for visiting.  More to follow.