Again I wake to a Winter Wonder Land

Thursday
I was surprised when I went to bed to see snow on the deck.  Well surprise surprise this morning there is 2 to 3 inches there.  All the trees are coated and I must admit it looks beautiful.  No sun, that would make it spectacular.  It is 34 already so at least I know it is melting.

Its is pretty.

Today's agenda includes washing the towels, finish the wall paper removal in the master bedroom and may be start on the next area.

Bed moved and ready to start

Lunch time break

Finished and moved on to the bathroom and hall, both finished

My son traveled last evening from Alabama to Tennessee to begin a four day hike on the Appalachian Trail with a group of guys.  Their weather looks a bit wet and cool also.

Long day not a real hard day but tedious and lots of ladder work.  Got an email from Bill and if the weather is dry tomorrow they will bring the top of the wall unit over and install it.  Lots of changes to the  looks of the house.  Most of the snow has melted and at 9PM it is still 35 outside.  I am a bit tired and a little sore so will relax a little and try to get to bed early.

Friday
When I went to bed last night I noticed it was very foggy out, and this morning it was when I got up.  The fog seems to have lifted now, perhaps it is the light snow that is falling.  Already started the laundry and catching up on blogs and podcasts.  Since the weather is wet looks like the top unit for the TV wall unit won't be coming until Monday, but it should have a nice hard finish coat of paint by then.  I need to run up to court for a while and then hope to strip  some more of the wall paper.
I spent a couple hours up at court and then back home to finish up the laundry.  Wow it is already after 3pm.
I grabbed the tools and started stripping the paper in the front entry.  I got about 8 feet done and that was enough for today since its almost 5.
Bonnie was late getting home from work again she has a couple tough patients.  So we decided to stay home and not go to the concert.
Tomorrow is the memorial service and then I think Elizabeth is coming to help strip wallpaper.

Saturday
Cool and sunny this morning.  We left the house a little after 9 to attend a memorial service for my Sister-in-laws father.  There was a large turn out and the Chaplin from Hospice did a super nice service and besides all the tears there were laughs also.  Then we went over to the luncheon that followed and visited with the family.
Heading home about noon.  Got home and started stripping wall paper.  Elizabeth and Alexus came latter and helped a bunch.

Working on a wall in the dining area

In the laundry room

Front hall

Emily is taking it all in stride

We were able to finish all the rooms and areas, except for one bedroom.  Hoping we can finish that this week.  I sure am tired tonight and my legs hurt a little, so took some Alleve.  I should sleep well tonight.
Bill sent me an email and the unit is all painted with two coats and ready to be installed on Monday.  We are all hoping it does not rain.

Sunday
We were up early and got ready and headed to church.  We had a missionary couple that is home on furlough and they gave a good report of their work.
I am taking it easy today and Bonnie's sisters are visiting.   I had an email from my son and he said they are off the Applachin trail and headed for some hot showers.  I think they start for home then and have a big meal planned along the way.  Just saw on face book that he is home safe and sound.
I had a nice relaxing day and I am calling it night shortly after I post this.  Hope to have some pictures of the wall unit for the next posting.
Thanks for checking in.

Busy Week and no relief in sight

Monday
An other nice sunny day here in Western New York.  Of course the temperature did not make it above freezing.  Lots of phone calls today for various things, lots to think about and the pace of the day kept getting busier and busier.  Bill and Jeff came about 3:30 to talk to Bonnie.  She had planned to leave work early but got a new patient at the last minute.  So Bill did some measuring and checked out the situation in the attic to figure out why the ceiling pulls away from the walls in the winter time.  A situation called truss lift.  So I think he has a solution for that.  Then the estimator from the flooring company called and he is on the way also.  Finally Bonnie got here so she could let Bill know what she wanted estimates on.  Then she switched to Ted and he measured the house for the carpet and laminate flooring we are putting down.  So hopefully now in the next day or so we will get prices and decide how many of these projects we can do right now.  And to top it off Bonnie had to leave and get to East Aurora for a Doctors appointment.

Bill told me he started on the base section of the wall cabinets today and plans to prime them tomorrow before the end of the day and be here Wednesday to install them.  Then measure and build the top units.
Everything is starting to move along at a fast pace.  Hope to have some pictures by Wednesday night.

Tuesday
Nice and sunny this morning, still brisk and below freezing.  I'll bet the numerous Robins I see in the yard are thinking they came back north a little early.  Lots of running around to do today so I better get going.  First stop is court.
After a pretty quick stop at court I headed for Batavia for a monthly NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees) Meeting.  Then a stop at Home Depot for some supplies.  Finally home in time to round up the trash to take out to the highway.  Then Bonnie got home and we ran to WW and got there much later than we like.
Chinese for supper and Alexus and I watched a little TV and she produced a very creative Power Point for a class presentation at school.  She did a great job and is very creative.  I showed her a couple tricks for power point after she was done.
Finally home have to get to bed early as Bill and Jeff are coming in the morning with the base units for the TV Wall.  The deck light came on, I walk out to take a look and as I thought it is a skunk eating the sunflower seeds. When I made a noise with the door lock its tail quickly went up.  I did not open the door but it did not leave until I went to get the camera.  It was gone when I got back.  Its mostly all black with white on the top of its head.  I hope it is not living under the deck.  Well time for bed.

Wednesday
Well up early for a big day.  The base cabinets are due in today so I should have some pictures by the end of the day.

This is how the morning started

Its about 9:00am and I hear them pulling in the drive way.  Just after they came in with their tools and turned to go get the base units, the CO alarm went off.  I reset it and it looks like a false alarm the furnace  is the only thing that has been on today and it was off.  So I got out the vacuum and cleaned it out.  I also ordered a new one, actually two one for the main floor and one for the basement.
So the guys brought in the base unit and fastened it to the wall and sanded and put on a top coat of poly. Less than an hour and they are headed back to the shop to work on the top unit.  We also found we need to drop in another duplex outlet and a couple for cables.

This is about 1/2 hour later.  The doors are ordered and tops are being made.

Now I can start on the wall paper removal and then if the sun stays out I hope to take the snow blower off the tractor.

A former co-worker made this unit which inspired our design his has doors on the bottom now also.

Well I spent the day stripping wall paper and border.

This wall is plastic coated wall paper.

 It takes a while, the border was pretty easy, but the wall paper is washable and has a plastic coating.  I think I finally found a technique that will work and be easy on the walls.  Plan to finish that room tomorrow and start on another wall.  Thankfully we are just painting the walls, Bonnie says no more wall paper.

Still want to work outside on the snow blower and then maybe if its warm tomorrow I can get it off and cleaned up.

The mail man brought the memory up grade for my MacBook Pro so I took enough of time to but that in and check it out today also.

The inside of a MacBook Pro.  Lower left is the hard drive, to the right is the battery, above that the green boards are the memory surrounded by the motherboard, and that leaves the dvd/cd drive.

Thats about it for today.

Thanks for checking in

Spring Moves to the Back Burner

Thursday
First off I want to wish our youngest grand daughter Happy 1st Birthday hope to see you soon.
Well after Old Man Winter pushed Spring to the the back burner yesterday today dawned sunny, always a good sign.  We got an additional inch of snow so thats not bad, total of 6 for the storm.
Today is towel day for the the wash and dry cycle.  I also am hoping to get over to our church and get the wireless network up and running.  We have dsl service there and have had a rough time getting wireless to work.
Finally success with the wireless.  I finally broke down and called Verizon Tech support.  Five minutes later it was working.  They said we needed to call them to get into the modem and activate it.  We had been trying to do it on line like we thought we were supposed to.  I told the tech he did a great job and it was the best experience I ever had when calling Verizon.
Then I was able to stop at the hardware and get a belt for a dirt devil vacuum.  Bonnie had bought it in her travels for a few dollars and all it needed was a belt, I think it will work well in the motorhome.
I got home and since the sun will still out I cleaned the snow off the deck and the sun has dried it all off.
We had a good meeting with our financial advisor and he gave us several options and lots to think about.  We are still deciding about trading RV's and Bonnie wants to take another look and ride in the one on Saturday.
Its cold again tonight and time for me to head to bed.

Friday
Another cold but sunny day.  Where oh Where is spring.  Just around the corner maybe.  Yes nice weather should be here soon.  No construction here at the house today, but they will be here Monday afternoon again.  Bonnie is grocery shopping after work today so will be home a little late.  Then tomorrow we are looking at flooring for the house in the morning and then another look at the MotorHome in the afternoon.
I went up and caught up at court today and also did most of the laundry.  Now catching up on podcasts and doing a little research on line.
Bonnie went grocery shopping after work today and then fixed a nice dinner when she got home.  We caught up on all that the DVR had recorded and now its off to bed.

Saturday
Another busy day.  We headed up to Attica to look at carpet, laminate, and vinyl floor coverings.  Bonnie brought home a few samples and they are coming on Monday to measure so we know how much we need.
Then we headed off to the south towns so that Bonnie could take another look at the RV and she also took it for a drive.  She is really happy with and it solves the things she does not like about the one we have now.  Its a little bigger, a lot less wind noise, and rides nicer without a harsh clunk on rough roads or bridge joints.  Now to figure out how to pay for it and take a day or two to make sure we are committed to this upgrade.
We stopped at Elizabeths after we ate a late lunch.  She has spent the day cleaning and rearranging her place.  Alexus went with the youth group into the city to do some mission work.
It stayed cold all day again today and the forecast says it will not be above freezing until Tuesday.
Time to relax and then off to bed.  I have not been reading lately.  I finished "Who Stole My Church" last week and just have not decided what to read next.

Sunday
Really cold again this morning but no snow.  We went up to Attica for church and came home and took it easy.  Checked the wireless router I got set up earlier this week and all is working as it should be.  I have had a sore throat for the last two nights and now today a cough also, plus a headache.  This will be my third night of Nyquil.
Bonnie is sold on the idea of buying the motorhome we have been looking at for the last couple of weeks.  So I spent the day researching a insurance and warranties and financing.  If all goes well we may soon own a new to us motorhome.
Have a good week
Thanks for checking in.

The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Monday
I got up a little early today.  Bill and Jeff were to be here by 8:30am to remove the wall and fire place.  Sure enough they were right on time.  With in an hour the wall was gone and the Fireplace unit was sitting on the lawn waiting for the ground to dry out and I will remove it with the tractor.  This unit was vented from outside so there are some holes to patch in the siding but all is pretty much ready to put up drywall and we are 90 minutes into the project.
The guys had to go get dry wall and electric supplies, they were back before I could make a sandwich and eat it for lunch.  They had everything needed and before I knew it the dry wall was up on the ceiling and walls, the 5 new electric boxes were installed and Bill started to mud the wall.  Jeff gathered up the tools and cleaned up the debris.
They were done for the day by 2pm all the seams have their first coat and are drying.
We have wanted this done for several years (Bonnie might say forever).  This is the first time we have ever had work like this done in the house and I am so glad we waited for these guys to do the work.  Just a super job and tomorrow the walls should be finished and primed and the electric hooked up.
I did contribute by running the wire for the new circuit through the floor joists today.  Can't wait till tomorrow.
Here are a few pictures from today.

This is what it looked like last night

The demo started as soon as they got here

10 minutes the dry wall is gone

The studs are all gone.

The fireplace unit gone

As soon as it dries out a little I will move this with the tractor
All 590 Pounds

The vent holes need to be patched and closed in.

Outside wall is all patched and insulated ready for drywall

Ready for siding

I needed one more piece from the house this one is an unfaded one from the garage.
I know Bill is not happy with it.
It is not even 11am yet.

New boxes for electric and cable

Ceiling is patched

Walls being mudded!

All done and drying for the night

Some of the debris which is all hauled away now.
and its now quite 2:00PM

Tuesday
So its Tuesday and its 8:30am and I hear the guys vehicles pulling in the driveway.  Wow two days and right on time.  Five minutes later the dry wall compound AKA mud is mixed and being spread on the walls.  Bill was doing that and Jeff installed the plugs into the wall.  Then he helped Bill finish the second coat of mud.  That was quickly done and then off to the basement to make the final hookup in the  electric box.  Presto five new outlets came to life.  We then discussed the wall cabinets Bonnie wants built and the crown molding.  Bill made some quick sketches and took measurements and will design it at home.  Then Bonnie can give her ok to the drawings and we can proceed.  They were gone by 11 and I changed and headed to a retirement luncheon.  I friend I worked with in Buffalo was retiring from his part time job and they had a surprise luncheon for him and were nice enough to invite me.  It was a nice affair and we had a good time.  We both get our first social security checks next month.  Then back home changed clothes, collected the trash, and emptied the cat box.  Then I stripped the border off one wall in the living room in preparation for the crown molding.  It was time for Bonnie to get home so I changed again so we could dash into WW weigh in and then a quick supper at Elizabeths and off to a Scott Krippayne concert at Randall Memorial Baptist Church.  Busy day.
Home finally at 10:30.  Bonnie helped me move the couch so I can remove the rest of the border in the morning.  I will read my email and then off to bed.  The guys will be back late morning to skim coat the wall and then prime it.

End of Day 2 all set just needs to dry

Wednesday
Woke up this morning to 4-5 inches of snow and it continues to snow off and on, right now it is heavy again.  The guys had another job this morning and said they would be here late morning and I am thinking the snow will slow them down some so it may be afternoon.  I got right to work on removing the rest of the border and that only took about an hour.  Then I took the baseboard radiators apart and cleaned them.  So now I am having my second cup of coffee just after 11.  Next its outside to shovel some snow as it looks like it may snow the rest of the day since radar shows snow way up into Canada and moving this way.
I finished cleaning up the driveway and was making a sandwich when the guys got here.  A little bit of sanding and touchup and the wall was ready to paint.  Bill put the primer on and cleaned up and was ready to go.  He took a quick look at the laundry room and we checked out vinyl planking on the internet.  Plans are now for him to come back Monday night to talk to Bonnie and see what all she wants done.  He did draw up the design for the wall unit so I will show Bonnie that tonight.

Border neess to com on down

All gone

The wall is all primed and awaiting a decision on the wall unit and flooring.

Design for the wall unit.

 Thats about it for today.
Thanks for checking in.

No More Chains!

Thursday
Being an optimist I took the chains off the tractor yesterday, hoping we do not have much more snow.  I will wait a few weeks to take off the snow blower and put the loader on.
Woke up a little late again this morning which puts me behind for the day but only about 45 minutes.  Its a nice sunny day and supposed to get in the 50's.
I wrote the other day about a MotorHome that caught our eye.  Well Bonnie and I both liked it at first glance, so I am going in today to look it over and take it for a drive.  Today is a much nicer day than the first time we walked through it.  Other than that not much is planned for today.
I spent a few hours driving and looking in every nook and cranny.  It is really nice, low mileage and a reasonable price.  What to do.  We talked and decided to pray about it and seek the advice of our financial advisor, so that is what we will do.

Friday
Up bright and early trying to catch up a little from being gone yesterday.  Washed the towels and clothes and then ran up to court.  In between Bill, a friend and contractor came to look at a wall and fireplace we want to remove.  He said it looks doable and will be here Monday to start, should only take a couple days.  I also emailed and talked to our financial folks and he asked for a bunch of information that he will review and we have a call set up for 10am Monday morning.

Saturday
What a busy day.  It is 10pm and I am just starting to relax, still have blogs to read but caught up on email.  We did a few things around the house here this morning.  At noon we left for N. Tonawanda to attend a reunion party for the group Bonnie went with to the Dominican Republic.  It was a really nice get together and we were there until almost 3:30pm.  Since we were so close to the main store of Colton RV we stopped to take a quick look at a unit with a bath and a half.  We did not really like it and ended up looking at 3 or 4 more units but nothing held our interest for more than a couple minutes.  So we headed home.  We made it home by 5:30 and changed and headed right over to Bonnie's sisters so I could get a haircut.  When we got there we got to see two of her sisters and Mom and Dad came by also, so we had a real nice visit.  By the way, the temperatures are back in the low thirties and there were tiny snowflakes in the air.
Now time to relax and read a little.

Sunday
Cold morning today but the sun came out and we almost hit 50.  This is the first of two Maple weekends that the local producers put on.  They open up their sugar houses and woods to visitors and each has their own special activities.  There are also lots of pancake breakfasts.  So after church today we went to the Attica Fire Departments breakfast.  This makes quite a few years in a row we have been there.  I counted up all the points for WW and wow almost a whole days worth.
So today has been a relaxing day, rest, a little NASCAR, a little basketball, and now watching a movie with my nephew.  Bonnie's sister is over and they are busy painting and scrap booking in the basement.  We moved around the furniture to clear the way for the fire place to come out tomorrow.  (Note to self, take some pictures of the project.)
I will post this and start a fresh on tomorrow

Here is the walled cleaned off and the fireplace that is being removed.

Thanks for checking in.

No More Snow Please!!!!

Monday
Are you as tired about hearing about snow as I am about writing about it?

I expected to get up this morning and take a picture of a completely green garage roof with all the snow gone.  But instead it is covered with snow again.  Just a little but still snow.  I thought it was to get into the lower 40's today but it is struggling to get to 35 with the cloud cover we have.  Oh Well!
Bonnie left a 4 page list of items she is donating so I am entering them in Its Deductible for the 2011 taxes. It free and the tax program likes it.  I went out and shoveled off the back deck to take a break and get a little exercise.
Bonnie called earlier and said her care barely started as the battery was low.  Its the original 2006 battery so I did a little research and know what size to look for.  I will probably go ahead and change it at the next sign of a problem, or when it warms up a little which ever comes first.  I have also done some casual research on the used MH that we looked at yesterday.  It looks like a nice one just not sure we want to make the commitment.

Finally this afternoon the snow melted off the front garage roof.

Fronts Clear

But there is still snow on the back of the roofs.

Lots left on the back

I finished off the last of the liverwurst for lunch and now it back to Its Deductible.  Did it I was finishing up just as Bonnie got home from work.  She said the car started fine the rest of the day when she left work and again when she left her meeting, so maybe something was left on.  I checked the voltage and the water in the cells and all looked good.  Time will tell.
We had a call from the RV dealers owner tonight and Bonnie and he talked for quite a while now we have a few more things to think and talk about.
Time to read a little and then off to bed.

Tuesday
It must have stayed dark outside longer today because I did not wake up until almost 9 this morning.  Then I got up and tried to catch up on email.  But then the UPS truck came and delivered my new rain gauge, so I had to get it set up.   Just in time as we are to get some rain tonight.  I like tracking the rain and snow.  The new gauge is the same model as the old one that served me well for quite a few years now.  I see a few improvements in it so am glad it came today.
Then it was time for court and we had a light case load so I got home in time to collect the trash, clean the cat box and change clothes just as Bonnie pulled in.  Then we headed off for WW.  Together Bonnie, Elizabeth and I have lost 129 pounds in just over 5 months.  Then supper at Elizabeths and Alexus and I played some games on the WII while the girls went to Bible study.
It rained a little but was not raining when we drove home but it has started again, the snow is melting quickly now.  March Madness started tonight, I hope to catch the Duke games.

Wednesday
I looked pretty dark out again when I woke up this morning, and it was but instead of rolling over I got up and it was not 8:00 yet.  It has rained a little the new rain gauge says .04".

Here is the inside display unit

This is the outside unit Notice the SNOW in the background!

Its supposed to get up into the 40's today but as of noon is is only 39.  The weatherman is promising 50's tomorrow and some sun.
Read through the emails this morning, seems the snowbirds are starting to slowly head north to their homes up north.
Well time for the 6:00 news.  Bonnie went to pick up her glasses so supper will be latter tonight.

Since its Wednesday I will go ahead and post this.
Thanks for checking in.

Rain Rain Go Away (oh no more snow)

Thursday

Roof snow Thursday

Well the wind blew all night and continues this morning.  Settled in to read some email and blogs after I threw in a load of towels.  Its in the high 40's no rain but the snow is melting pretty fast.
After much research I ordered new tires for the Motorhome, ouch.  Not only are there 6 of them they are each over $500 by the time you get them mounted and balanced.  I found that prices have gone up over 23% since this time last year and some recent months have seen two increases in one month.  All blamed on oil prices, when will it stop.  Anyhow I will feel much safer on the road after the 8 year old tires are replaced.  That will be one of the first places I head after I get the MH out of storage.
I also fabricated a little clamp to keep my tonneau cover latched on the pickup truck.  The spring is weak on the original.

I had a meeting in Warsaw tonight it was a good trip as I got a lot of things done.  I found the belt for the snow thrower, it was finally in stock. Then I stopped by the 911 center to visit with the dispatchers and finally to the Magistrates meeting where the new District Attorney spoke. It was raining hard on the way home and there was a lot of ground fog at the lower elevations, a couple of spots you could not see the surface of the road.
I got another chapter read in my book and now time to hit the hay.

Friday

Friday morning

Up early again and I started the wash then plan to head up to court.  Most of the snow is off the garage roof now.
Cold and windy most of the day and now it it snowing again.  I did go out some and did some work up at court.  Other than that I did most of the wash so that is out of the way.
Bonnie and I are having movie night.  Had some trouble with getting it to play on the Apple TV but all of a sudden all is working well.  The light just came on the back deck, I see about an inch of new snow and oh no!  A SKUNK eating the sunflower seeds under the bird feeder.  I hope he moves on soon.

Saturday
Quiet night no phone, no smoke alarm, and the WIND finally is quiet.  I have a lot to do today so up around 7, and now the sun is up and out nice and bright.  I plan to get my truck inspected, work at court, and then help Elizabeth with her internet set up and computer.  Just catching up on the email news and a couple blogs then jump in the rain locker and hope to head out by 8:30.  Only got an inch of snow and it warmed up a little overnight so thats good too.
It got up to about 40 today so most of the snow melted.  I got my truck inspected no problems, then stopped at court, and then into Elizabeths.  Time Warner showed up on time and the installation went smoothly.  We got the router and the computers set up so all worked fine.  I made it home before dark and took care of a couple things for Bonnie.  Now a little TV and hope to read at least another chapter.
The snow has been melting relatively slowly here on the hill so we have had no water problems.  I heard the maple sap is running and I did see steam coming out of at least one sugar house.  Nothing like real Maple Syrup and its time for the Maple Weekends http://www.mapleweekend.com/

Sunday
Snow again covers the deck and roofs this morning maybe half an inch, so not bad.  It should melt off today.  I remembered to turn the clocks ahead, did you?
After church I think we have bowling and dinner on the agenda.  Elizabeth and Alexus want us to go with them.  I like to bowl but its been years so should be interesting.
Well Bonnie wanted to put casters under her soon to be scrapbooking center so after church we stopped and picked up some casters.

Cabinet on its side ready to install the casters

Here you can see the new casters on the bottom

After that we headed to meet Elizabeth and Alexus for lunch and bowling.  We had lunch at the Forest view Restaurant in Depew.  Elizabeth did not feel like bowling and so headed for home.  We decided to take a look at Colton RV's new store as it was just down the road.  As be drove in this caught our eye.

Nice used HR Endeavor

So we checked it over and as they put it they "ran the numbers".  We liked what we saw but think we are too far apart on the numbers so walked away.

It was in the low 30's today but so damp it felt really cold.  So we are home now and relaxing for the evening.

Thanks for checking in.