As Ashtabula Turns (A dia-blog series)

This is the continuing story of two old people making their way in a world of limited income, aches, pains and home improvement.

When last we read about our less-than-dynamic-duo, Step-mom Clare had, with the help of family, loaded most all the possessions from the Zima-House in to vehicles and moved to Sycamore Valley to set up house keeping near her children.

Since that time:
~~We replaced the floors in the kitchen and utility room.
~~THEN we painted the ceilings. (clever)
~~The ceiling is painted in the Dad’s room.
~~The electrician is coming Monday to take care of anything illegal or dangerous in the wiring.
~~Pop has vented the Kitchen Sink, and cleaned the screen and drain.
~~Pop has shaved down the doors so that the move more easily. We find that the front door is too short to replace easily. A new wooden door would have to be ordered and then we would have to try to figure out how to install it right against the block.
~~ The front and basement doors will be painted.

To brighten up the “utility-room”, our duo put up paper on the plain walls. It was the worst paper to work with. There was much inaudible as well as audible swearing. (Expletives deleted) Finally, the paper is up. Let’s see how it’s going….

Babka: What’s that in the corner?
Pop: What corner?
~~Above the window.
~~Damn! It’s not sticking…yes it is… Oh Shit! The paint from the ceiling that got on the walls is showing through. (Thinks) She's the sloppest painter I know!
~~Maybe it will go away after the paper dries.
~~I hope so! This paper was the worst stuff I have ever used! (23.69th time that was said) (Pop looks a bank of 4 switches)

Pop: Hey! I know why Dad built this out so far. The electrical boxes don’t fit in the wall and this is block right here. The walls are right up against the block, no insulation or anything!

Babka: Yup, looks like Longie work. Bless him. I told you not to take the trim off those switches. Sigh! (Another “I told you so,” she thinks) Shit! I was going to stop that. (Aloud) Let me Prime and paint the new trim before you put it up, please.

Pop: Sigh! I have to get this up today so Mike does not kill himself when he comes home tonight!!!!!

~~~OK! OK!

Does Pop get the switches fixed? Does Babka get her wish on painting the trim? Does Mike get a shocking experience when he comes home?
DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT THIS GOVNO?

“Click” in next time to find out what Mary E thinks of the work. Or Not.

Moving Day

Today is a very strange feeling day. Well, it has been a strange feeling month, but today my step-mom moved out of the family home. The step-family, Pop, my sister and I loaded almost everything from the house that my father built into cars, a trailer, 2 trucks, and a van. The cinder block ranch house now stands empty, except for a few small things. It is empty today, the only time since Mom, Dad, my brother, Jan, and family friends put together piles of supplies to make a home and the Zima family with five kids moved in.

We moved in during the month of September. I was three that September. Now, I sit on the floor of the hollow living room hearing, seeing and smelling memories. I remember how I loved it when we all slept on mattresses lined up in the living room because there were no floors or walls in the rest of the house, and Mom hung laundry on a line tied from the telephone poll in the front of the house through the window and fastened to a stud inside the kitchen. I smell fresh pine Christmas trees, nut roll baking, and that gooey stuff we used to clean the walls.

I hear music, singing, fights, laughter, the piano with thumb-tacks on the hammers and the Bing-bong of Grandpa Louie’s clock. Memories of Mom’s Kelly green carpet, Phyllis’s surprising her with a gift of Desert Rose dishes, Jan’s guitar, Tom’s whip, Mary and I singing and dancing to show tunes while we cleaned the house. Thoughts wander to Easter Monday’s water fights, snow on the roof needing to be shoveled off, strawberry picking, Topsy, cats, chickens, rabbits, geese, pigs, a sheep and a heifer, Oh and parakeets. All provided by my dad, Longie.

Memories are just traces, wisps of color and light effected by time and emotion; the woods, the lonelinesses, the dreams, the wonders, the fears. OK, no life is perfect, no dream complete. We do our best. We love each other. We hurt one another and learn to forgive. Praise God for inventing that! It’s the love that keeps us going.

Now, the echoes must fade. The house that Dad built will go to another family. And we? We keep on moving, lest we get caught by what was, or what we wish had been. We grab tightly to our dreams, praying for all we are worth that we can be just a bit like the people who built that house.

Nothing Simple part 2

OK, what was I thinking, posting specifics like when we are getting the truck and loading it. Now, they are planning to get the truck, load it and drive to Sycamore Valley on Sunday the 15th. Claire is 80 years old. I think it a bit much to pack a truck drive 5 hours and unpack the frozen stuff all on one Sunday. Good I don't have to do it. Well, I will help load the truck.

Today we moved a ton of gravel. We dug out a walkway from the house to the shop, put in some 4x4s, put down plastic and filled the hole with a ton of the 20 tons of gravel we ordered. The rest has been put at the base of the steps of our really cool deck. Our deck is too cool. You all need to come and spend some time with us and enjoy the yard and fire pit.

Last week we took out the front sidewalk and put in stepping stones. we also mulched and planted the flower bed out front.

Laura is still in China. Have not heard how she is doing. Please, keep her in your prayers.

Popo is not wanting to move, again. I wish he would make up my mind.

We'll just have to see what happens after we sell my father's house. That is not going to be simple. I have to get "Temporary Power of Attorney" from 5 people and a "Quit-Claim Deed" from Claire. Then spruce up the house, list it, accept a good bid then close. What fun? I might be wrong, but, I'm pretty sure that is why Popo does not want to think about moving ourselves yet. Well, maybe next year.

God Bless You ALL.

Nothing simple

OK, it was silly of me to believe Mike and Ma-Zima about what was going to happen with the move. Lets try again. They are getting the truck Saturday July 14 and drive down Sunday July 15. Mikie is wanting EVERYTHING out of the garage so he can clean it. I don't know why since we are going to mess it up with moving and fixing up the place.

Anyone looking for a nice ranch house in Ashtabula?

Blessings on all who read.

June Info.

Hello To anyone who reads this, and God’s peace to you.

It has been a busy while since we put anything down in type. A bit has happened.

1. My Laura Ann has gone off to China.
2. My step-mom is all but moved to Sycamore Valley, Ohio.
3. The Last truck load leaves the 11th or 12th of July. We will then do some painting etc. and put both houses on the market.
4. We bid on a house just south of Gratis, Ohio but were out bid at the last.
5. We are looking for a 1 or 1 ½ story home with three bedrooms, 2 car garage &/or a wood shop building, basement and about an acre of land or so. A fence would be lovely for the dogs.
We are looking in the Dayton – Eaton area.
6. I have “sleep apnea”, but having an awful time trying to sleep with the CPAP machine.
7. Pop spent a week building a small deck on the side of a little above ground pool for a friend of mine. The second day of work (Tuesday), I was home embroidering shirts for a customer, when I got a call from my friends son that she was in the hospital with a blood clot and cancer. The next day (Wednesday) the son went to help Pop with the deck and noticed that one post was out 5 inches. Pop had put the post in buy himself in 95 degree heat the day my friend went into the hospital. The “son” started yelling about “taking a saw, cutting the deck down, burning it and scrapping the project.” Pop was in shock. He actually kept his cool and explained that he was taking no pay for this job and that it could all be fixed. When he got home, poor old Popo was still in shock. Together we got a bit annoyed at the son and his actions.
8. It’s now Thursday. Pop had actually lost a nights sleep worrying about the mistake. I delivered my shirts, and Pop and I went over to finish the deck. Pop moved the post to its proper place and put the last of the deck boards on. He also put up a rail using his own wood. Now, the son is complaining that some of the boards are clean and some are weathered. (The weathered ones were my friends and the clean ones were ours that Pop planed down and used so as to not cost her any more money.) Also, the son wanted Pop to bring his router &/or his belt sander to smooth over any edges. We suggested he take a block of wood and some rough sandpaper to clean up any spots.
9. SO, Popo spent a 4days in the heat putting up a deck for free, using his own nails, wood and screws, AND never even heard “Thank-you”. I’d say chances may be poor that he will do anything else over there.
10. But please do say a prayer or two for my friend and her family.
11. I’m still working with the APL. Anyone looking for a dog or cat let me know.

God bless you all.

Just Today

Papers are mailed for Popo’s social security part B. Stepping stones are researched. The garden is in. The strawberries are ripening. The Zima graves have their May flowers planted and mulch laid. The ground is ready for gravel for the fire pit off of the new deck. The picnic table is remade, again. Mike P’s table is repaired. And, a dragon-fly visited me twice today. It remedied of my daughter for whom I said a prayer or two.

Other than the above, we did nothing today.
God’s blessings on you all.

What's up

Now that Pop is retired, he wants to do yard sales and is miffed if I'm busy.
It has gone from too cold to too hot up here.
May be looking for a more southern home come Fall or maybe next spring.
We're using bowling balls for gazing globes. Let's see a stray stone break one of them!

God's blessing on you all.