Saturday, January 9, 2021

What a Strange, Strange World we Live in!

Just when you were thankful that 2020 was over and the world could not get any more bizarre an event happened this past week that left me staring at the TV in utter disbelief. If you are like me, you were probably shaking your head thinking “What a strange, strange world we live in!”  Most of you know of the event I am speaking of…. The Brown’s making the playoffs!?!?! With the longest playoff drought of all the teams, the Browns had not made the playoffs since 2002. What is this world coming to?!?!?! What other weirdness will 2021 bring?

Let’s see, what else weird happened this week….. Oh! We got our appliances! Well, most of them. We had ordered them in mid-September, we were hoping to take delivery by Thanksgiving, then Christmas but delay after delay kept pushing out the delivery date. Then we finally received a call saying that the stove and dishwasher were in. Sadly, the fridge was still delayed. Apparently a lot of the refrigerator companies are making ventilators in addition to refrigerators thus the delay. But we will take what we can get!

Also this week I worked on sheetrocking the main bath while Barb worked on the T&G in the hallway. Everything was going well for me. Sheetrock was up on the ceiling and vanity wall. I got it taped, mudded and was ready to slide the new vanity in place. When I went to cut the holes in the back of the vanity for the drain and water lines I discovered the waterlines coming out of the wall were going to hit the vanity right where the drawers are! Ugh! So I proceeded to tear out that piece of sheetrock on the wall, move the waterlines, put the sheetrock back up, tape and mud. There was a waste of a day!

Before......
Then I cut the holes in the back of the vanity and slide it into place. Unfortunately it does not fit perfectly and requires some scribing which is above my paygrade so I will have to wait until Kevin comes over next time.
After...

The hallway is really coming together but we were down to our last few T&G boards which were the worst of the worst. Barb got the east hall wall done then went to work on the west wall. The last dozen boards we had were so bent and twisted it just was not going to happen. She fought to make them work but in the end we tore them out and will have to wait until we buy a few more boards.
The ceiling and sides are done!
Then we went to work on the stairs. After months of staring through the studs into the area under the stairs it was time to cover them up. Barb tackled this project pretty much by herself and it looks great! The next step is to stain and varnish the stair treads and put everything back together. 

Two more big news items for the week. I don’t know which one is bigger but I will start with the internet. After years of dealing with our Mifi with supposedly “unlimited” gigs we have upgraded! Gone are the days where we have to worry about hitting our 15 gig high speed limit. I know many of you have felt the pain of going over your limit and dealing with being throttled down. We now have fiberoptics run right into the house and could not be happier! They ran a temporary line over ¼ mile long along our fenceline. They will bury it in the spring when the ground thaws.

The other big news is that Barb applied for Social Security! You can start applying a couple of months prior to your 62nd birthday and we wanted to be right on it. The other thing we talked about was getting a new Jeep when she started getting her SS. Although her birthday is still a couple months away, we thought we would just go to the dealership and start looking to narrow down what model, color, options we wanted so when we were ready to buy we would know what we wanted. We knew we wanted the 3.6 liter engine with a 6 speed manual. We thought we wanted a Wrangler but were open to looking at other models and we wanted something with less than 30,000 miles on it, so off to the dealership we went!

5 hours later we were driving home with a new (to us) Jeep! What just happened?!?!?!?


It has been a few days and the expected buyer’s remorse has not set in so we must have made the right decision. It had the right engine, was a 6 speed manual, we loved the color, had only 17,000 miles on it and it was in our price range! It was like it was meant to be!

Speaking of Barb, she did it again this week. Although this time instead of injuring her hand, it was her face. Of course it was my fault as I had bought some 12' mesh panels which were in the back of the truck. Being 12', they extended 4' beyond the bed of the truck and you guessed it, she walked around the back of the truck and walked right into them slicing open the bridge of her nose. I just so happened that we were at the Jeep dealer when it happened so she was in the truck quite a bit trying to get it to stop bleeding. The next day (and the next several) she also had a black eye. For some strange reason she would not let me take a picture of it!

Life is not all peaches and cream though as our little Daisy has been going downhill fast the past few weeks. For those of you who didn’t know, she was diagnosed with cancer and was given 8 weeks to live. We took her to a total of 3 vets to see if there is anything we could do and all three said it was an aggressive mass blocking her colon and there was nothing we could do eventually the mass would block her up entirely and she would not be able to go to the bathroom. So we gave her stool softener to make things easier for her. That was February of 2019 and she has powered through for almost two years! We have her checked every few months and much to the astonishment of the vets, the tumor has not grown. But last week we noticed a significant change in her personality; withdrawn, not eating as much and having accidents in the house. So Barb took her to the vet. The tumor has still not grown but they did discover a softball sized mass in her stomach. Barb brought her home and she just laid around that day, would not walk or lift her head, still would not eat and would try but could not go to the bathroom. That was Friday, January 1st. We made the decision that when the vet opened up the next day we would take her down there. Well, she must have heard us talking as when we woke up the next morning she was jumping up and down wanted her breakfast! It has been just over a week and she is rallying once again! We upped her stool softner and everything seems to be going well. You just don't want to be behind her when she sneezes! It has been just over a week and she is back to her “normal” self. We know the end is near, it could be a week, it could be a month, heck, it could be a little longer than that but are happy that we have been blessed with an additional 2 years we did not think we would get….

39 comments:

  1. Your stairs look fabulous, way to go Barb. Good thing you love Jim as he seems to be a detriment lol. Glad Daisy has rebounded. It's hard when your pet ages ... Freya is slowing down a fair bit with 3 bum legs. Presently we have Kristi's 2 dogs with us as they are in Victoria with the new baby. Kristi's shepherd is 18 months older than Freya. You should see meal times as both dogs are on meds twice a day ... it's like being on a farm, I suspect. Love them all. Keeps us busy and feeling positive. We have had a lot of rain up here and drying off 3 dogs after walking 4 times a day challenges my washing machine. :) Stay safe and Barb you keep an eye out for that Jim guy setting traps for you. lol

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    1. That is a lot of dogs to take care of! I could only imagine feeding and play time at your place!

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  2. House progress looks great!

    So sorry to hear about Daisy, so blessed that you had so much bonus time with her, keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

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    1. That is the way we choose to look at it as well. Glad to have the extra time with her.

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  3. The house is always looking better and better! When do you get the countertops and what color will they be? Nice to have fast unlimited internet! Nice keep. Poor Barb! That had to have hurt! Daisy is a Badass like Barb. Good for her.

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    1. With luck, our next post will feature the countertops. They are supposed to arrive Wednesday. A leathered granite with a chiseled edge. Barb cannot wait to have those in!

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  4. Another fine post sir. Your domicile looks fabulous. Continue the excellent work and I can only hope that we can live up to your high standards. Daisy continues to soldier on. Good for her. I hope you had properly marked that metal mesh overhanging the back of your truck with a red flag so that no one will get hurt. Safety first is always a good motto to live by.

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    1. Now you tell me! You mean I should have marked the steel mesh hanging out of the back or our pick up by 4'!?!?!

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    2. Yes. At Menards they have a tie down area for your load that has free flags for safety if you should need it. Or you could have lowered the tailgate, then they only would overhang a foot and a half.

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    3. So, just so I understand.... if I would have followed those steps Barb would not have been injured and I would not be in the doghouse?

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  5. How very great to get fiberoptic for your internet. Wish we had that here too. The stove looks fabulous! As to Daisy, I hope she will be around for much longer. She is such a sweet little thing and she has proven that she is also a tough girl. Wishing her all the best.

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    1. She is a tough one, not afraid of anything. She will take on the deer, a flock of turkeys and has even chased horses. It is amazing that she has lasted this long!

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  6. You know that we know what you are going through. Skruffy was diagnosed with diabetes back in 2016 while we (and just so happens, you two too) were in Alaska. She lasted nearly four years...and when it was time, it was time. VERY hard on both of us. Seven months later Indy came into our lives, but then we lost Bubba. Never easy to go through.

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    1. You know better than anyone how big a role dogs play in our lives. When it is time we hope there is no question so we do not doubt our decision.

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  7. Your house is really coming along. The pandemic was a little silver lining in helping you make great progress. I love the new stove!! Bathroom cabinets are awesome. Wahoo! New Jeep!! So very sorry to read about Daisy. Glad she is now holding her own for now. Wishing her many good days ahead.

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    1. We were talking the other day that even though we would have rather gone to Alaska last summer, look at everything we got done in the house. We are so much further along than we thought we would be!

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  8. You guys are troopers! About now is when I would give up and hire the rest done!! You'll love your Jeep. I'm even thinking about getting a new one, since I've towed mine all over the US and back. Sorry to hear about Daisy. I'm having the same problems with Jessie. One day I think she's gone and the next she's jumping up like a two year old. I know Barbara's pain ... have broken my nose twice. The good news is it will heal!! Maybe with just a little scar!!

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    1. We just hope she is happy until it is time. She has had a couple of bad days when we think it is time but the next day she is back to her regular self! Fingers crossed that she keeps going!

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  9. So sorry about Daisy.
    Congrats on the new (to you vehicle). We got a new car ourselves a few weeks ago.
    The equation as to when to draw SS is different for everyone, but I highly recommend you read:
    https://www.amazon.com/Get-Whats-Yours-Secrets-Security/dp/1511321075

    Best wishes in the journey ahead with Daisy,
    Steve
    Bend

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  10. Congrats to Barb on applying for SS! Congrats to you both on that awesome looking Jeep! Looks like all the upgrades have been done and all you have to do is have fun! The house is just gorgeous and really coming along! So sorry about Daisy :(

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    1. We weren't looking for a Jeep with all these extras on it but when we saw it and drove it, we just had to have it!

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  11. Awwww....poor Daisy. Positive thoughts for your continued rally.

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    1. As you well know, it is hard to lose your pet. We hope she is happy and continues to rally as well!

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  12. So sorry to hear about Daisy. She is a lovely little dog.

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  13. You would think living out of a fifth wheel with crap sticking out everywhere to bang into would make one more cautious... LOL Get well soon Barb. I'm sure it was an exciting time at the dealership. The new Jeep should ease the pain..

    Sorry to hear about Daisy. We know the feelings as we loved our dog. Hope she has many good days ahead.

    Mark

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    1. Good point, we have had our share of bumps and bruises running into slides and other things on the 5th wheel as well!

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  14. Your home ....just WOW, now I can say I have friends who have "literally" built a home with their own two hands...I can relate to the the SS question, wrestling with the options myself...complicated when we don't know our "expiration" date...and on that note, Daisy seems like she is making the most of her very wonderful life, and I hope you all have many more great days together.

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    1. Our financial advisor recommended that we take our SS as soon as we are eligible. You are right, none of us know how long we are going to be on this earth. My goal is to make it to 77 as the past three generations of men on our side all died at 76.

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  15. If I could have one wish, it would be for world peace. If I could have two wishes, it would be for world peace and fiber optic internet. That is true "winning."

    I am sorry to hear about your Daisy. We've been there before and it's such a tough thing to go through. I hope you get to enjoy her company for many more days.

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    1. It is absolutely unbelievable, we can both be on the internet at the same time, download pictures and even watch videos!

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  16. So much news in this post. First off, Daisy, what a trooper to have gained two years to create memories with you. Each day now is a bonus so be sure to take more work breaks and give her lots of extra love.

    Yes the world is going crazy. Even the weather is upside down all over the world. I am beginning to think that 2020 was a dry run for 2021, ugh!! Hopefully you will get to Alaska.

    Love all the new stuff including finishing the stairs and the Jeep but that fiberoptic set up is fabulous. Looking forward to more news next time.

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    1. We are cautiously optimistic on Alaska. We are making plans as if we will be able to go as well as a back up plan if we cannot.

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  17. You're making such good progress on the house.....so sorry to hear about little Daisy. It's wonderful she's been able to give you more time and has rallied. It's so hard to look at them and try not to think about what may be going on and what the future holds. sigh

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    1. We just keep it up day by day but so far she has not shown any signs of being unhappy for almost a week!

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  18. The Browns being in the playoffs is amazing. The first quarter of the Pittsburgh game the other night was astonishing! Your house is looking awesome.

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    1. As I was watching that game I was never confident that they would pull it off despite being so far ahead but they did it! This week will probably be another matter though.

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  19. House is looking great. Nice looking Jeep, it should provide you lots of miles of fun and adventures. Poor Barb, can't blame her for not letting you take her picture.

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