PLAYING CATCH UP

Jim left my house on Thursday to slowly make the drive to Rogue River, where my new house is under construction.

You can see the berm I had put in to protect hoses that carry well water from my upper lot to this one. It is a huge project because of our serious drought. I have three new soaker hoses, connectors, two new 100 foot hoses and two fifty foot hoses hoping to keep my plants alive during this projected 10 year drought.

I made the long drive on Saturday to rendezvous with Jim. Saves me the price of a hotel for the days that I’m here and is a good stop on his way north to Washington.

The front deck is partly in place.

The living room paint is dry, waiting for electrical installation.

Master bathroom.

Master bedroom.

Walking toward the 2nd bedroom/office at the opposite end of the house.

Laundry.

I didn’t take a picture of the kitchen. I guess I got distracted by this little buck, shyly peeking around the storage shed.

He settled right in next to construction materials by the fence and looked at us as though we were invading his home site.

Go away, he seemed to say. And then, he was joined later by a brother who bolted when we got too close. Jim tossed them some lettuce that was getting old. One buck  took a bite and decided he liked grass better.

We took a walk to my old swimming hole. The water was clear, reflecting sun shining through the trees. This is a year round creek, tributary of the Rogue River.

We tromped the property to the second  gate and looked back at the house from afar. The former owner told me the property doesn’t flood where I wanted to build my house, but the county wouldn’t allow any other site except the narrow place the old mobile sat. But, a skinny little house will make an easy to maintain retirement home. It is covered with wild flowers in the spring and is zoned farm land. With chickens, a couple goats and a garden;  and steel head and trout in the river, sounds good to me.

Later in the day, I bought  my lighting fixtures. We couldn’t fit them all in my little car, so we’ll go back for the rest today. Got my flooring ordered which will arrive in a week. The cabinets get installed on Wednesday, electrical finished on Thursday, the day I drive back to Murphys. I’ll be making a return trip after my grandson’s graduation.

A WEEK IN OREGON.

Decisions were needed on my building project in Oregon. Doug was working on the first coat of primer when I arrived on Friday the 13th, after a five hour drive. Cement doesn’t soak up paint as easily as wood. Weather is cool and damp, but luckily no rain.

Doug declined my invitation to take him out for dinner but promised me he’d be dragging my butt out at 6:30 a.m. to pick out paint colors at Home Depot. Headed for the hotel, I stopped at the VFW where they were celebrating Valentines Day with a special dinner of Cornish game hens and a luscious, chocolate cherry dessert. They invited me to stay since a couple of reservations had canceled.

Making new friends and a toast to Valentines. The Rogue River Post is very active and supportive of their vets. Two young men from Rogue are serving on foreign soil and they’ve adopted their whole unit, sending cookies and letters from home.

Saturday was Valentines day and we left Home Depot with the wrong color paint. I picked  sunshine yellow, she wrote right under the paint swatch, the formula, but she had mixed the color beneath it, something called Terra Sol. We were asleep at the switch and didn’t realize the mistake until we went to open the can. We decided to live with it since she might get fired over 20 gallons of oops paint. At lunch I picked up some yoghurt, chips and fruit at Ray’s Market. A woman and child were handing out Valentines to every one. What a smile starter. Later, I found a heart shaped pebble on the ground near my building. Sweet.

Catching up with neighbors, Jenny & Phil. Phil is always surrounded by his fur children.

Jenny was preparing to go horseback riding. New horses since my last visit.

She has a paint looking pony. A new breed called gypsy.  While there, Jenny recommended the local Tarassco’s fish tacos.

Every restaurant in town was loaded on Valentines day. A forty-five minute wait for a pizza. I went home with my favorite dish from Tarassco’s,  a take out bowl of Albondigo soup.  I had the fish tacos on Sunday. Everyone knows I’m a foodie.

The terra sol wasn’t too bad. I made headway with bids on heating and air from three companies. Got a dumpster ordered. Picked out and ordered my cabinets and vanities at Lowes. Bought a new washer dryer that Lowes will hold until needed.

I painted as far up as I could reach on the trim. Doug was using the ladder.

I moved rocks and placed them in a circle around this lovely old tree in my front yard.

Doug had to open up the Tyvek for bidders to get inside the house. I swept and cleaned a bit inside knowing it will be even dustier when the sheet rockers get finished.  Doug loves to clown around. We had a good time, made a lot of progress.  I’ll have to return when we ask for the electrician who is next in line after the heating an air guys do their preliminary, in the wall, install.

It was nice to see snow on Mt. Shasta. I couldn’t resist yet another picture of this beautiful mountain.