Protecting the Homestead

Wills has provided an arsenal for defending our home. The bottom drawer in the kitchen has been turned in to our weapons drawer. What do we use the weapons for? The control of wildlife ....turkeys and deer are cute....unless they're digging in your new landscaping. Gopher mounds in the yard aren't amusing either.

Wills is working the sling shot.
Dave is using the gun....which is missing the butt, Wills calls it the butt-less BB gun. Dave calls it sawed off. He likes the size because he can lay it on the counter without it hanging over and getting bumped...a feature one does not think about....how it will fit on your kitchen counter.

No harm is done to the wildlife, they just jump and leave....for a little bit.

A Group Effort

Today we spent putting up window treatments (see how design savy we are) on the four front windows. This is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Dave kept asking for simple panels hung on rings on a wrought iron rod. That sounded simple enough, yet it was not to be. After much research, looking and touching stuff, perusing magazines and books, visiting stores, we stomped our feet and got close to what he wanted. First let us say that there are no perfect solutions to our question.....how can you provide privacy yet not cover up the beautiful window?

The Ladies found ready made panels at Bed, Bath, & Beyond (what a terrific store, they have everything...almost) in exactly the right colors. Yvonne, Dave, & Edie ironed (we set up two boards and had ironing in stereo...ask someone over 50 what that is) the panels first. We even had Matt involved in this (he had the power tools and levels in every length) so it was a big production. Even with all the help and expertise, it still took at least 30 minutes per room.

But it looks FANTASTIC!

My new Screensaver

Here's another view of my glorius vintage outdoor drying device.

Good for my soul

Here it is...in all it's glory...line drying sheets and towels!

When I was young I dreamed I would fight a good fight for a just cause....I had no idea it would be for my Right to Dry. I felt like Rosa Parks the first time I used my vintage outdoor drying device. As though someone had asked me to move to the back of the bus (take down my CL) and I refused.

May Private Property Rights live!

Please explain this to me....

We go to our bank to make a deposit (YEAH!) and I see this van parked with the tail end hanging out over the driveway. Now how does this happen? There's plenty of space. Is she (yes, it is a woman because I saw her getting back in to her van) leaving plenty of room for...? Is she completely unware that she's blocking the driveway....? I mean, she has her pick of places to park and she does this? Is it rude? Or is it just totally unware?

The Ladies

We must admit that being lineal thinkers, accountants, we have little to no design ability. But lucky for us, The Ladies do! We would like to introduce you to Sarah and Yvonne, aka The Ladies. They have a way of putting it all together without offending us for our lack of design ability.

They take our stuff, listen to how we live, and then make it look fabulous. Plus they have become our friends too.

We just can not figure out how they do it, but they move this here and that there, and it looks so much better than how we had it. And we really haven't purchased much, it's just making our stuff look better.

Cashless Society

We pulled in to the Bernal Shell to fill up and it was deserted, which is very unusual. When we pulled up to the pump, there was a sign taped over the credit card area.

Fortunately Edie had a stash of cash, otherwise we would have left. She went in to the store to pay, and there were several younger people trying to buy stuff with a credit/debit card, even though the sign said it wouldn't work! Let's just say the cashiers didn't have much to do...other than telling people that Hurricane Ike had shut down Shell operations, which is based in Houston.

As soon as we figure out our home safe, we may need to get more cash!

We're Home!

Sorry we haven't blogged lately. We've been busy unpacking all of our stuff. And yes, you can have too much stuff.