I am a retired 44-year veteran of the Real Estate Assessment field. As with real estate assessing and how it applies to real estate taxes, one can make many acquaintances, but not many real friends. It was a great career choice.
It has been nearly 10 years since I reclaimed my home and my real passions within my home. I enjoy it more each day and tip my hat to those who I left behind.
Each day I try to stretch myself with the use of my computer as it relates to this site and using it to print out labels for quilts for trying to incorporate photos into my sewing. Life is so full and I know that I have room for more.
Cousin Janet had made a piece of garden art for me from glass containers she had found at garage sales. I stepped into the garden spot where I had this and stepped on the edge of the bottom and . . . Oops! Once I had my super duper glue out the repair began. Amazingly, we found quite a few items to smarten up with the glue. A good day for a few odd jobs.
It’s a good thing the bottom of the cabinet had just
been cleaned with few cleaning items stored. It’s amazing how
much water is in a sink full of dishes — on its way out.
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Summer warmth with a touch of humidity is back for several days. I really enjoyed the cooler temps even if it meant digging for a light jacket during the morning hours.
All the cricks and aches were pretty well worked out of the body at the Super 8 pool this morning. After a cup of cold morning coffee the cleaning bug hit. For my way of thinking there is no area that is less desirable to clean than the bottom portion of the kitchen cabinets.
It’s all about the far corners after the drawers are removed from their framework and then emptying all the contents of the drawers and cupboard shelves. Dennis was right in there with assistance. When it comes to helping with the cleaning, Dennis’ favorite saying is, “Well, whose dirt is it?” With only several all-purpose cleaning products that are our favorites, the under-the-sink area is quite sparse.
Older cabinetry can take on a desirable modern look.
When everything is out for the total wash and wipe down, the real story of our kitchen cabinet framework is quite telling. The bottom base has been made out of used lumber with the face of the drawers and cabinet faces being plywood. Originally, the faces were varnished plywood. Dennis and I sanded them down and painted them white. To us, with new hardware attached, the end project is just as desirable as the white cabinetry we see in Lowe’s or Home Depot. One of the cool things about the old craftsmanship applied to our cabinets is a metal plate that has been applied to a spot on the bottom of the base to cover up a mouse hole. Our home was moved in to its current location from a rural area and I am sure field mice loved to chew through the soft wood. The house, being set on a new basement in the 1950s, has allowed for safeguards of little visitors. One of our kids did suggest several years ago to purchase and replace the cabinets as the drawers are heavy and they do slide out on wooden skids. For the life of me, I don’t think we would fare any different from our kitchen if that were to happen. Dennis and I live very comfortably with what we have. Just two old timers living the simple life.
Dennis and I are set to end this day with some mushroom and beef patties on the grill, coupled with American fries laced with onions. Adding some great green veggies will round out supper. We can chalk off another one of those fall cleaning items that brings a huge amount of contentment to me. Mama loves a clean house, and when the 100-year-old home is spit and polished, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. Life on Stauffer is priceless.
I rode with Dennis today to get the pickup serviced so it’s up to speed for the winter. What a remarkable difference in the look of the crops from last week. Gone are the masses of green soybean fields; replaced with hues of gold and brown leaves on the plants. We sat outside on the patio for some time this evening. Night rolls in earlier and earlier preparing to usher in the fall season.
Dennis is home from Silver Bay and had a great and safe trip. The 46 degrees this morning was a bit chilly, but the sunshine sure helps it feel bright and gives energy to the day. Today was head down and sometimes butt sticking up in the air as the bedroom closet was tidied from head to foot. Dennis even got in to the project. Some items hit the donate box and some things such as my variety of arm slings and Dennis’ suspenders were tucked back into the “might need these sometime” box. It must be in the blood that the fall season also means time to clean and sort.
On the spur of the moment Dennis headed for Silver Bay yesterday, the 14th of September. Dennis helps his nephew in many ways being the “go for” fellow for Brett’s concrete business here in St. James. The schedule allowed for the whole concrete crew to head for Silver Bay to put in a concrete driveway for one of the workers, Tim. Free labor, but I am sure the materials were still quite expensive. Tim just happens to be Dennis’ son-in-law. Daughter Sue and Tim have lived in Silver Bay for many years, but employment is hard to come by. Tim comes here seasonally and works the “crete” business.
All that being said I decided to do a bit of fall cleaning, starting in the bathroom. With the stackable washer and dryer being in the bathroom, there is no shortage of lint and extra stuff from sorting laundry. As careful as we can be, it’s not surprising to find grass clippings caught in the clothes that needs laundry. With my long handles on the Swiffer Dusters I can wrangled my way behind the washer and under it. Dennis would be proud of me as I got the cover off of the ceiling exhaust fan as well as getting it back on. Didn’t even chip a fingernail.
The old bathroom with the tub
and toilet sill in place. To think the sink
was under the light fixture.
I feel I am the luckiest person in the world to have the nice bathroom I do have. Kevin totally redid the east end of our home in the late 1990s. It all started with me asking him to put a smaller sink into the existing bathroom. We had had enough of resting our arm on the edge of the sink while sitting on the toilet. Oh my gosh, it started a huge project that took many, many weekends. It was in the fall of the year and Dennis took advantage of a lot of weekend gun shows and left “stage right” to be out of the mix and mess.
Dennis and I both knew that this home of Stauffer Avenue was the last destination, God willing, for the two of us in regard to a home. I know I can speak for Dennis when I say that we had both experienced enough in life to know that the size of the home does not bring happiness. Is it large enough for huge family gatherings to sprawl out? Yes! The several times of the year that we enjoy sit down meals with family, brings total satisfaction to the people that count . . . Dennis and me. We have plans in place for such events. All furniture in our home can be slid to the side for the short time of a meal. The leaves on the table can be pulled out and no one needs to eat off plates balance on their laps. When that has happened in homes that we have visited, it never took away from the reason for the day: bringing family together to laugh, share and feel blessed that we could get together.
Tub on the left, toilet and washer and
dryer to the right. Just perfect.
Today, as I was in the throngs of cleaning the bathroom, I still marvel that I have the remodeled bathroom that we have. Kevin was thinking ahead to a time when going into the basement would be less than safe. The bathroom was completed with a higher toilet and a three foot door that would be large enough for a wheelchair or a walker with easy entry.
In the years of working as a real estate appraiser, I can’t recall how many older home, occupied by older people, I visited that had been updated. More times than not the update had not allowed for moving the washer and dryer to the first floor. Some of those updated bathrooms that I had viewed had not even allowed for enough room to put in a handicapped height stool. Gutting our area out from stem to stern allowed for all the ease of enjoying our home for a long time.
Little did Kevin or I realize I would be in need of all the amenities of this new bathroom within a few years. When I had both knees replaced there was no hardship to endure with mobility going in or out of the bathroom. Toting a walker for weeks on end, I was able to keep up with our laundry without breaking a sweat. When I say, “I like it, I like it a lot,” it is no exaggeration. Being comfortable in our home is the peace that passes all understanding. Being comfortable in our home that came about from having Kevin taking care in the tiniest degree of construction for all aspects of the remodel, priceless. Having said that, I know I could never totally trust hiring someone to take that much care to detail.
In sharing this story and others of mine, when I close with “In life, please remember to give and have no remembrance of it, or take and remember it always”, I will always remember what Kevin’s labor gave to our quality of life.
Nice days bring pests. Wikipedia says, “These no-see-ums are smaller than fleas and have a supreme itch.” Those little critters drove me right into the house. Yuk!
Options must be kept open. After a bit of Saturday house work, Dennis and I hit the yard work. There is no way we could complain about mowing the grass as it is lush and beautiful for this time of year. I knew I could either rake off the front yard of heavy grass clippings or . . . I could try out attaching the bag for grass clippings. In all my years I had never worked a lawnmower with the bag attachment.
Dennis made a few modifications on the mower and showed me how to attach and detach the bag. After a show of moral support with a pat on the butt, he headed for the east yards on his rider.
I was very pleased as to how the yard looked after each swat. The downfall I would have to say is that the mower had to be shut down each time I had to empty the bag, and that was quite often. On the up side, thankfully the mower does start with one pull.
Here it is, the middle of the afternoon and we are cleaned up and ready to work at a VFW event from four through eight this evening. A full day, but a very rewarding day. There will be some windows cracked in the house this evening for lots of fresh air to assure a sound night’s sleep.
Nothing warms up a chilly early fall day like a good ole Minnesota hot dish in the oven for supper. The laundry is cranking out an extra blanket as I know Dennis will be rattling the bedroom cupboard this evening for that “just one more layer.” Who knew it would be time to begin the bartering season of extra blankets versus turning on the furnace?