Around OakMeadows

 

Around Oak Meadows

It has been busy around OakMeadows.  We are making some long desired home improvements and are getting estimates on them. First, we are having the exterior of the house painted. This is the first time we have paid to have someone paint our house but this is a two story house and I don't want JMM up on ladders. Surprisingly, he agrees. We have one more contractor coming tomorrow to give us an estimate then we can get that out of the way. The next project is having our own water well installed.  And that must be done before we can have the irrigation system installed. We have selected the company for the water well but are in the process of getting estimates for the irrigation system. And finally, we are going to combine the shed for the water well pump with the shed that JMM has wanted for the mower, generator, and other equipment he has. (Yea!! Then I can clean out the garage!!)  Anyway, it has been interesting getting ready for all this. 

I've been on an improve my healthy living habits campaign. I've started with three items: A healthy breakfast and morning snack, 12 minutes on the exercise bike 6 days a week, and 500 ml of water each day.   So far the breakfast and snack and the water are going very well. The exercise, not so well. 

My makeover for the guest bedroom is coming along. The chair and the bedside table were finally delivered.  And I have decided to make prints of the pictures of doorways that JMM took in Rome in 2001 and frame them to hang on the wall behind the bed.  Now I just have to nag him into actually making the prints.  Still to be done is new linens and bedding for them room. 

All the baby swallows are out of the nests. We had a total of 18 baby swallows this year, losing only 1 baby that I know of.  They are all flying well and feeding themselves on our plentiful supply of mosquitoes and other insects. They all still swoop in and around the porch columns and chatter among themselves on the porch.  We had to wait until all the babies were out of the nests before we could begin the house painting. 

Slow progress on planning our spring trip to Yosemite.  We are now on Yosemite Trip Plan 3.0.  We've finally got dates that will work for everyone and that took us through 1.0 and 2.0.  Activities for everyone will take through 3.99.  JMM wants to climb Half Dome with TSM but I have my doubts. Fortunately, I have a sensible son-in-law who will keep me company while the adventurers blister their feet on a 13 hour hike/climb. 

Lots of good reading and quilting. I went to the quilt shop to get a new marking pen to mark the pattern of my current quilt. Well, I had barely got in the door when fabric for my next quilt was throwing itself at me.  I got out for under $100 which is probably a first.  More blues, yellows, and cream colors.