"It Just Needs a Little Renovating," Part II

(To finish the post I started with the Zadge in mind...)

Having moved into my little house two weeks before Christmas of 2005, thinking was all I could do about renovations until spring. March, 2006 rolled in, bringing with it the worst snow in 30 years. It was beautiful. Spring shortly followed and I started looking for a contractor/handy person. It was time to start renovating my new home. I found a retired contractor well known professionally and personally by people I knew. That made him reasonably credible. He brought in workers he knew and had used on other projects and we went over the things I needed done and those I wanted done and then tallied the costs. Okay, maybe I didn't really need some of these things right away and let's see what's left over, if anything, before we go onto the "want" list. The guys soon dreaded hearing, "I was thinking ... "

First and foremost was the back step or stoop. I called a patio cover company and had an aluminum awning style cover installed. Not big enough to block the view from the kitchen window but enough to allow me to go outside and throw a piece of chicken on the barbecue if I so desired, rain or no rain. They also installed a hand rail on one side of the stoop for me.

The next project was putting in a deck so I could get off the stoop even in less than perfect weather. We elected to put in a full-length deck with a ramp at the carport end to allow me to load my wagon with groceries (or pellets for the pellet stove in the winter) and pull it up to the back door. The other end got a concrete pad with a step down from the deck. It seemed a little unfinished so we added an additional area and step down/concrete pad to accommodate the patio set, giving me an eating or sitting area while keeping the deck clear (except for the chaise, the pet food lockers, the water cooler bottles, the extra chairs and fold-up table, deck box, and BBQ. Yeah, well. It was a very hungry money monster but it's the perfect spot for dinner or wine & cheese; like camping out in the woods --- and then you go back into your comfy little house with its hot shower and comfy bed. Project One & Two done ... ka-ching, ka-ching!

Now it was time to demo' the laundry room. First the shower came out. Then the hot water heater was moved outside, next to the house on the new concrete pad. Then everything else had to come out so a new floor could be put in. This is when we discovered that there were more than a couple of sub-floors. Pulling those meant pulling them out of the kitchen as well. Ka-ching! New toilet installed, sink moved to where shower had been. Door taken off, doorway refinished, bi-fold door hung. Pantry cupboard moved to that section of wall. We put cupboards where the hot water heater had been, placed my bakers rack where the sink had been, I added shelving, a mirror, a medicine cabinet. Ka-ching! We put the washer/dryer and chest freezer back in and voila, I had a working laundry room. Having taken up the previous sub- flooring, I no longer had a step up from the living room to the kitchen. Very nice! Ka-ching!!!

A couple months later the guys had gotten to the bathroom. They had to demo' the tub in order to get it through the doorway. We pulled all the ceramic tile from the walls and floor and took up the excess sub-floors as long as we were there. I have bad hips and my legs aren't much better so the high sided tub was replaced with a walk-in shower. New walls and flooring were put in. Ka-ching, ka-ching!

My son stopped by one day as the gutters were being hung and said, "did you know you were buying a fixer-upper?" To which I replied, "it didn't need fixing; it simply needed a little renovating --- to make it mine".

The rest, with the exception of the pond, has been the small, normal stuff. A little paint here and there, raised flower beds - so I can reach the dirt and do my own planting; the everyday stuff that you do to a house when you move in and make it your own ... "your home".

We've since had some very cold, snowy winters but not like our first winter. The snow piles on the deck but it can be shoveled or swept and cleared and I can access the back of the house. We have a few hot days in the summer but not like down in the valley. I don't own an air conditioner and probably only run the swamp cooler half a dozen times in the summer. The air is clean; it's quiet; I'm surrounded by trees and rocks and critters. My daughter says it's like when we all used to go camping.

I knew as soon as we turned onto the driveway - I was home! It just needed a little renovating --- and a white porch rocker so I can sit and take in the view.

"Your Call is Important to Us"

If you believe that, I'd like to show you a couple of bridges I have for sale.

This has been a day of listening to inane recordings that some CEO thought would make us feel better while we're given a litany of choices, none of which are why we're calling in the first place, and no option for a human being to speak with. But I'm sure you're left with the warm & fuzzies knowing your call is important to them.

I understand that there's no one home at any of the California DMV's today. The terminator decided that to save money, he'd furlough the state worker bees, key word here being "workers". Of course, we have the drones (or legislators) who do nothing and are at the hive in Sacramento only occasionally anymore; we have NO budget - again, but apparently they need their exorbitant paychecks to keep up the good life and the worker bees - not so much, after all they just waste it on keeping a roof over their heads and feeding their kids. So I spend a half an hour trying to find out how to replace my registration sticker for my license plate just to learn it's a furlough day. But I can drive down to the city and AAA will take care of everything right then and there. Oh good, a 2 hour drive in triple digit weather. Now I know what I'm doing tomorrow morning.

Onward and upward. As long as I'm raising my blood pressure, I think I'll call my medical insurance carrier. This, of course, is another "your call is important to us, so just press all the various buttons we can think of and, maybe, someone will accidentally answer you". The incident happened in February and was just the other side of the border in Ensenada, Mexico. It took until June to gather the paperwork I needed to file a claim with Cigna to cover the payment I had to make up front to the mexican hospital and others. The claim was received by Cigna on June 4th with every document known to man attached. When I called (again) last week, the word went to the claims manager who was told the adjustor didn't have everything he/she needed. The file was gone through and, what do you know ... it's all there. Now they're working on it and hope to have "something" for me by, are you ready?, the end of the month.

Here's the kicker - you know why it takes so long and why you can't talk with the individual handling your claim? They're out of the country. Our medical claims are outsourced to another country. Well, duh, if they can't speak, read, or write english, let alone medical terms, most likely it's going to take a little time to get the claim processed. And we need to remember they aren't the ones waiting for a couple of thousand dollars to be reimbursed either, so no rush. But I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing my call was important to them.

Having gotten my day off to a great start, it seems to me that with 10% or better unemployment, somehow outsourcing our medical claims along with every other job we used to do in this country, is just plain wrong. Just saying.

And the representative finished with; and I leave you readers with, "Have a nice weekend!"

For the Zadge ... "It Just Needs a Little Renovating" - part I

I decided in the fall of 2005 to sell my home. My husband had died almost 18 months earlier and the house was just too big for me and the animals. And I wanted out of the city. I'd dreamed for years of relocating to the mountains and there was nothing to stop me now. I went online and looked at houses and one day saw the house. I called the realtor, made an appointment and the next day Katie and I drove to Oakhurst. The minute we turned on to the driveway, I knew. I was home. When we walked in, I was hooked.

The house was nothing special; a small ranch with 3 really small bedrooms, a large living room, a tiny kitchen, a useless laundry room with an almost shower, a toilet, a sink and the water heater. But it pulled me in; all I saw was where my furniture (the pieces I could keep) would go and the potential ... great word, "potential," synonym: needs lots of money. But I was so very comfortable in this house. And the location was unbelievable. Five minutes from town and I'm in the heart of the woods.

After the mandatory obstacles and pitfalls, everything fell into place and the papers were signed and I no longer owned the big house and was moving into one less than half the size and all on one floor. I loved it! I moved in on my birthday, it was two weeks before Christmas. It was raining and snowing and raining and snowing.

As the winter progressed, give it a week, it hit me; the back stoop had no cover, there was no back walkway or deck or porch or anything else. The house was 40 some years old and no one had ever so much as put a railing alongside the stoop; forget doing anything to the muddy, leaf covered, now icy, dirt in the back. It would be a project for Spring.

The laundry room: There was this shower in the corner which had to have been put in for a short, very thin individual who enjoyed showering in the dark. It was, however, perfect for a litter box. Across from the almost shower was the toilet, sink & cabinet alongside. Water heater in 3rd corner next to kitchen. Nothing could go against west wall or northwest corner because the door opened there. Another project for Spring.

The bathroom ... this was the former owner's pride & joy. It had an old footed, cast iron bathtub which would have been okay if I could get my legs up high enough to get into the tub. But the walls and floor - 12" black and 12 " white ceramic squares. He was a car racing dude. The black & white might have been okay but there was no way with my legs and hips that I was climbing up and over the tub side onto a ceramic tile floor. Say it with me ... project for Spring.

The rest of the house was perfect. The floors were all refinished wood. No carpeting, yay! The covered front porch ran the length of the living room. There was a pond in the southwest corner (my nemesis & money pit the first two years, now my pride & joy). The house was white with green trim, another project for Spring. I had the house trim painted red and I painted the porch trim the same. Green just isn't my color.

The animals adjusted, I settled in and life was good! We were told that at this elevation we would get a dusting of snow. Liar, liar, pants on fire. That was the year of "the big snow". Fortunately I drive a Subaru. Unfortunately, Katie's built close to the ground. But it was my first snowy winter in years and it was fun.


I was where I wanted to be and in the house I had chosen and Spring was just around the corner. Y'all come back for the next post and we'll renovate my little house in the woods.

What If ...

I was driving down toward town Monday bellyaching to myself about my various aches & pains. I really upset me when I told myself to adjust, that I really didn't care to listen to me. I mean, if I don't want to hear me grouse, you can bet no one else does. Okay, I'm 67 and related closely to Arthur Itis and his family. My eyesight leaves something to be desired. I've had a part or two removed. All the rest of my parts are mine ... including the ones the surgeons put in to replace the ones that were worn out (hey, I paid for them, ergo they're mine).

So, here's the question (and I'm not morbid, I just have an inquiring mind) ... of the parts of you that you could lose, what would you consider to be the hardest to give up?

If I lost my mind, I wouldn't know the difference, nor would anyone else; so I'm guessing no big deal there. If I lost the use of my legs, I'd have to give up going some places, whether across the room or across the country, and would be unhappily inconvenienced - and so would a lot of people I know (or used to at that point), no walking, no driving. "Take me here, take me there, bring me this, bring me that ..." I do not handle being dependent well and that's putting it mildly. I could still rock in my chair but I rather expect that would get boring in time. If I lost the use of my arms, it wouldn't be all that much different from losing my legs. Still couldn't drive, and walking would be awkward at best because my balance would be off (even more than it is now). I wouldn't be able to reach for things. Oh yeah, I'm the one who's 5'and stands in the aisle at the grocery store waiting for someone I consider tall to reach the top items. My hearing; I'd miss music, I couldn't hear Katie bark to tell me there's someone at the door or P.I.T.A. cry because she can't remember how to get down off the chest freezer when she's done eating; wait, back to the legs and arms, would I be able to feed my "kids"? Hmmmmm, moving on ... my sight; I'd lose most of the above plus I love to read, of course there are audio books so that's not way up there at the top of the list. My writing, I might be the only one who'd miss it, but I would miss it!

Yep! The thing that would be hardest for me to lose would be my sight. And, yes, I do realize that this post was a terrible waste of yours. I think I'll get a glass of wine and go check out the view from the porch rocker.

He's Working For His Living

There are still people out there who take pride in their work and in the impression they leave with customers.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the men at our church questioned why we were working with our particular propane vendor. The rector answered the same way the rest of us would; they were here when he came on board. Seems this vendor is the most expensive in this area and while others are less expensive, many of them provide, at minimum, the same service and some more and/or better. A particular vendor was recommended and it pretty much stopped there.

When I was in the office, I mentioned something about propane and the rector suggested I look into this vendor, "JS West". I called them, asked their charges, what promos were available, what services they provide, what happens to the old tank, etc. I couldn't have been treated with more courtesy. Then I called my current provider with much the same questions and discovered I could save about $300 for the first year and and my costs would continue to be lower in following years. The new vendor even contacts the former vendor to cancel my old account for me and advise them to pick up the old tank. This doesn't sound like a big deal except that they can't ask me why and try to convince me to stay, blah, blah, blah. I like that. Now I have to say, I really like the young lady I talk with and the route driver from the former vendor; they're extremely pleasant. However, you know the old adage: "money talks" and I made the change.

Yesterday the young man came to switch out the tanks and renewed my faith in today's younger work force. He was professional and knowledgeable, courteous, polite, and personable. He wasted no time, yet he answered all my questions, wasn't flustered while I watched and asked yet more inane questions. He cleared a path under the tank for winter rains and when he saw a couple of pieces of heavy brick that no longer needed to be out there, he didn't just ignore them and leave them, he moved them away from the area to where they can no longer be seen. He even checked my BBQ propane tank and assured me that I'm good through the rest of the summer. He relit pilots, cleaned out the water heater shed and wall heater of spider webs and made sure the other pilots were working properly.

He also told me that when the route man comes to top off my big tank, he'll be happy to check and top off the BBQ tank as well, something the previous vendor said couldn't be done. Let's face it, I can probably unhook, lift and carry an empty 25 gallon tank and load it in my car. Taking a full tank out of my car, and returning it to the BBQ and hooking it up ... dream on! Before he left he called the office to make sure their paperwork and my understanding of the service were in sync and to check when I could expect my new route man and whether or not I'd need to be home. He finished with, "Is there anything else I can do for you or do you have any other questions?" I am very impressed!

Dueling Blogs - pas deux

Judi (Beauty and Bread) has posted her first entry in "Dueling Blogs" with vivid explanations and beautiful photos of our adventurous road trip into the high country of Yosemite. For the "real" story and to see something besides pics of our traveling companions as well as sharing with us some of the beauty we encountered, be sure to go to her blog, http://beautybreadsierra.com/. See you there.

Kate and I are off again on Therapy Dog Visitation. Today we visit the residents at an extended residential facility. We visit for maybe a half hour with the residents and then finish the morning with one in particular who has become a close friend. Maybe stop at Rose's Frosty for a cheeseburger for lunch on the way home. (I have a meeting (SPCA) tonight and will miss dinner. Won't need it after Rosa's cheeseburger. If she's really good, and she always is, I may treat the therapy dog to a naked hot dog or at least half a one.

Keep smiling, it makes others wonder what you've been up to. Hugs & puppy kisses!

Visiting Day

After enjoying a couple of days of doing what I wanted, as much or as little as I wanted, if and when I wanted, it was back to reality today. Not too big a stretch actually.

Had a few things to catch up on at the church office after the service, so Katie and I went down to the office. She normally waits for me in the car during the service and then we come home for breakfast. Today, after the service I took her to the office and we played catch up. She thought this was pretty cool. She usually only gets her office treat on Thursdays and figures any day she's there, it must be Thursday. She has the priest well trained and he stops whatever he's doing and gives her her piece of chicken jerky and then life can go on for the rest of us.

We finished up, came home, had breakfast and headed out for the local nursing home. We try to visit there two Sundays a month. These people love to see this little dog come through the door. She visits with anyone who wants to talk to, pet, or just watch her. Even the staff have taken to her. Those residents who are able to, reach down and pet her, others I bring a chair over and Katie sits on the chair so they can reach her. Those who are bedridden - she either lays alongside them or we bring a chair next to the bed, depending on their condition. This is a fair-sized facility with 3 hallways of semi-rooms plus the tv room, craft/dining hall, and front lounge (lots of walking) and today it was a full house. She came home a worn out puppy dog and settled down for a long nap on the front porch. I settled down with the computer in my lap and went to work on some upcoming events. The rest of the day was just a pleasant, normal Sunday with perfect porch rocker weather.

It's Saturday - Again

The week flies by so quickly anymore. I can't believe it's Saturday again already.

I looked at the calendar this morning and today's square is empty. A rare but welcome sight. The car gets the day off. I have errands in town but they can wait another day or two, we'll just camp out here today.

After the road trip Wednesday and the office on Thursday, yesterday was pretty much a veggie out day ... serious tired with serious napping to correct it. Today I'll do a little house-cleaning. You know, just enough so that if someone unexpectedly shows up, you can still let them in. I'll run the swiffer and gather cat and dog fur and put it out for the birds, give the kitchen and bathrooms a once over and maybe, only maybe,do a load of laundry. The litter boxes need cleaning (a priority) and the lawn needs mowing ( a we'll see). The rest of the day is reserved for the porch rocker, a book, a cold drink, and probably another nap (these could become habit forming). Neither my feet nor my car will go past the end of the driveway unless Kate and I get real ambitious and decide to go for a walk and that would have to be really early or really late so chances are slim.

We have some upcoming events that require my attention so as to get the press releases and publicity out but I'm thinking Monday's a good day for that. Kate and I will make one of her therapy dog visits tomorrow in town after church and we go to another facility Tuesday so we'll just hang here today. And the weather at this elevation promises to be mid-80's. Sweet Saturday!

Hugs & puppy kisses to you all along with a great weekend!

Dueling Blogs - Yosemite Road Trip

By Katie: Since Judi (Beauty & Bread) is the expert on Yosemite and all the sights there, we (mom & I ) decided to let me write this blog from my point of view ... much closer to the ground for starters, and Judi can write one from the adventurers' point of view.

Mom wasn't too sure the day before that she really wanted to go. She does that anxiety thing and there was a lot of apprehension. I told her I'd be right beside her and it'd be okay and Wednesday morning we loaded the four of us and a picnic lunch into the car and off we went.

My new friend Foxy is fun to travel with. I have a 'bridge' between the front seats that goes from the console onto the backs of the backseats; the cargo section. When we have a human passenger and I can't ride shotgun, I sit up there and keep an eye out. Foxy got down on the floor behind the front passenger seat and made herself a den (apparently the name 'Foxy' suits her) and we actually saw very little of her for a large portion of the trip up. She'd come out occasionally for a drink of water or to peek out the window (you know, "are we there yet?")and whenever we'd stop and get out of the car to walk around.


We left home about 8am and drove to Mariposa and then into Yosemite and started up and up and up. We stopped a couple of times at buildings for mom & Judi to make what they called "pit stops" and by the side of the road for Foxy & me to make ours.


There was so much to see and take in. We saw huge trees and really huge rocks and little critters. Lots of people too; older people, younger people, children. We really enjoyed the children because they were as excited to see us as they were about the trees and rocks (maybe more).

We stopped at this HUGE outcropping of rock. Rock of all shapes, sizes, and colors, everywhere, as far as you could see. Mom said if we fell, it would take 45 days to hit bottom. She was joking, I think. Judi said we were at about 7000 to 8000 ft. Then we went a little higher and had our picnic lunch at a place called Tenaya Lake. Neither Foxy nor I are big on water other than for drinking, but the picnic area was really nice; just right for snacking and napping and taking a walk afterward. Every place we stopped had different smells and feels and there was so much to investigate. And sniffing strange and new smells is fun and cool with a buddy.



From our perspective, it was a really great day. Every place had brand new, really cool smells and lots of people to fuss over us. Nobody, human nor canine got carsick. Foxy & I are ready to go again. We got home about 6pm. Foxy and I had slept most of the way home but we were still, pardon the expression, dog-tired! It's so cool to have a BFF again. I can't wait 'til our next adventure.

By the way, I thought I'd include a picture taken of mom & me last year when we climbed to Glacier Point, a real climb for mom. She's stuck with 2 legs and I have 4, it was much easier for me. That big rock in the background is Half Dome, a famous rock at Yosemite that the humans like to climb. Whatever...

Yee-Haw! Road Trip!!!

Regular readers of Beauty & Bread and A View From the Porch Rocker; get ready to be double-teamed. Judi & Foxy and Katie & I are taking off on a one day road trip Wednesday. We're joining up at the park today to acquaint the girls, make sure they're socialized (the back of a Subaru Forester becomes a confined space even with the back seats dropped when you're trapped with "a stranger". They're pretty much same size, Kate may be a little larger (she apparently eats more and exercises less ... and is older).

Judi promises to show me parts of the higher country I've not experienced before and we'll find a place to picnic and take in this wonderful portion of God's creation. I'll drive, she'll navigate, we'll stop to ooh & aah and take pictures; the dogs will go along for the ride and an occasional walk in a place with smells they've never smelled before. What a great ticket in the drawer.

I'll charge the camera, fill the doggie travel bag, dig out the picnic basket, we'll take plenty of water (for four of us), oh yeah - I should probably gas up the car, and ... we're off.

Be ready to compare notes. Of course, Judi will concentrate on the wonders of our surroundings, I'll report on the reactions of the dogs - it's all priorities. We've been trying to put something like this together for a year and a half, I'm really looking forward to doing a little wandering!

FOLLOW UP: We all met at the park, took a short walk 'cuz it must've been 9200 degrees on the path, and "the girls" got along famously. Then we came back to the house with the 2 dogs in my car and they shared space beautifully, you'd think they were old friends. Even the cats took to Foxy after we got home and they don't take to just any old fur face. Yep! I'm thinking it's going to be an Excellent Adventure"!

Welcome to the City, You Can Have It!

This week is my granddaughters' birthdays. One is 22 today and her sister will be 23 on Wednesday. So, I thought I'd drive down to Mom & Dad's and join them all for lunch and cake & ice cream. It's an hour's drive each way so when I go down, I make a full day of it.

I dropped Katie off at Doggie Day Camp and went to Lowe's where they apparently didn't have what I was looking for. Since they didn't have anyone working there (lots of people in red vests with employee name tags, just none working), I'll never know whether the lights I wanted and which were supposed to be on sale were available or not. From there I went to Walmart ... what was I thinking?! I haven't been to Walmart in years and now I remember why. Okay, it is Sunday, it was 92 degrees and climbing at 11:00am but, come on, these people spend the day in the a/c. At least the rude, pushy customers had a plausible excuse. I found the items I needed and went to a check out and then to another check out. The first checker was taking the customer's items and, one by one, lining them up by size and shape so they would better fit in the shopping bags before she could ring them. Four of us found other checkers and the poor customer who was trying to buy the items looked just plain flummoxed. She may still be there. I went on to Office Max to finish my list and then on to the kids' house. We had a very nice lunch and a good visit. Then it was back to PetsMart for dog food, cat food, litter trays ... and Katie.

I remember, again, why I live where I live. There's the fog in winter, the heat in summer, and there's the traffic, the chaos & confusion. I'm always very happy to get back to my little house in the woods. You won't get me back down to the city for at least a month, longer if I can drag it out.