Catching Up

It's been a long time, nearly 4 years, since I last posted. Much has transpired since then. A synopsis follows:

2015 -- Another Phase 

Mother and Dad Move to Nursing Home

While Karen and I were in Kansas City just after Joan's stroke, Dad began falling several times a day. Mother decided that they should move into the Care Center where she had stayed for re-hab. And so, they took one more step away from their independence.

In February, Dad celebrated his 90th birthday. Jeff, Pat and I gave him a party at the Care Center.

2016 -- A New Generation

Norie Ann Kender

 The most exciting thing in 2016 was the birth of Norie Ann Kender. The first child for Krystal, the first grandchild for Karen, and the first great-grandchild for Mother. Suddenly, she became the ONLY topic of conversation or subject of photographs.

Farewell to Joan.

 My aunt, Joan Louise Chaney Long (March 5.1934 - March 24, 2015) was a strong, opinionated, difficult, loving presence in my life. She was a second mother, a friend, a political adversary, and a playmate. I never doubted her love.  I will miss her!

She had a library of expressions that she loved to use to shock or surprise. "I'm going to raise hell and put a prop under it," was a common one. "I buy you books and buy you books and all you do is eat the covers" another.

Where is that coy wench, Spring?

It's comin' on April, and we still have snow and ice on the ground. It was 21 degrees at 9:00 am.

Spring?  I don't think so!

Fall in Vermont & House Update

My first fall in Vermont has not disappointed. I had always want to see New England painted in her autumnal glory, and this year I got my wish.

Whether I was looking out the front window,

driving down our street,

looking at the mountains to the East,

or West, we were overwhelmed with the feeling that we live inside a postcard.

Additionally, our construction crew left us after 3 1/2 months with a much sturdier and more useful (and prettier) house. See the tabs under Kitchen, Living Room, Bathroom, and Back Porch for more on each of the rooms we've worked on.

Overall, the house looks cared for now. Our neighbors tell us how happy they are that we've saved the old girl every time they see us.

And yesterday, we got our stove so that we finally can have a fire in the lovely old fireplace.  All is well.

Fall

Summer by the Numbers

 

              Meg and Molly

We have been in Bennington for 4 months.

We have had 6 sets of visitors; 4 in the past 5 weeks.

We painted 3 rooms.

We have had between 1 and 4 men working on our house for 3 months:

• repaired 3 of 4 entrances to the house: front porch, back porch, back deck. (Only the front breezeway remains untouched, and it needs work.)
• added 7 overhead lights and replaced 3 fixtures. 
• added 8 new electrical circuits.
• replaced 7 sill plates due to rot. 1 remains to be fixed. 
• rebuilt 1 entire wall and part of another.
• removed 51 shutters for painting. They have not yet been replaced.
• added 6 handrails at stairways.
• painted 20 exterior walls on the first floor and 6 on the second.
• added 1 hot water heater
• repaired 2 sewer lines and 2 leaks
• replaced 1 section of wood flooring
• added 1 whole-house attic fan and 2 gable vents
• relined 1 chimney, decommissioned 1, inspected 1

All together, we have dealt with 130 items.

And we are not finished yet.

But isn't it looking wonderful?

Heat Wave

It has been very hot here for the past 2 wks. Highs in upper 80s to mid 90s with high humidity. I know that sounds like a walk in the park in AR, but we have no central air. Bought 3 little room-sized window units, one for living room and 2 for bedrooms, so we are managing as long as we stay hunkered down. Supposed to break today with rain and front moving thru then 70s tomorrow. Wahoo!

We are still in construction hell. Just got the porch done but still have banisters to complete, attic fan to replace (1st one installed didn't work), chimney to patch, back porch to shore up, back steps to replace, and painting whole house, including lead paint removal, etc. plus repairing rotten sill plate in front room, and lots of other places. Oh, and trimming out now exposed beams in kitchen. We did find the leak that caused us to tear out the kitchen ceiling in the first place. Small victory.

But we really do love the house and neighborhood and town and setting.

The town is doing a lot to keep thriving--street fairs, free music every Friday night, Midnight Madness shopping, etc. and there is much to do in surrounding areas too. You would have to work at being bored.

Pat has been painting and I have been blogging at kathywagenknecht.com.  I haven't had the leftover energy to find an agility training center yet. 

Tomorrow we are going to a herding demonstration by Jon Katz, a writer of dog stories who lives just over in New York. Check out his book, Bedlam Farm.  I think you would like it.

We are getting our weekly veggies from the CSA, Mighty Food Farm. It is in a beautiful spot in the valley about 8 miles from here.

To give an example of their offerings, we picked up our produce yesterday and got 2 kinds of lettuce, celery, tomatoes, green beans, wax beans, cucumbers, mixed squash, zucchini, onions, and passed on kale, chard, beets, radishes, garlic, scallions, napa cabbage, and pick your own herbs and cutting flowers. They also have eggs. And sell bread, meat, cheese, jellies and other locally grown or produced food.