The Welcome Mat is Out

The cats - as if nothing ever happened

Some of these boxes are from the move out of Mexico-1999 .
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View from master bedroom through upstairs hall into den

Balcony porch before and after

Zoysia -before and during-the pallet sure beats the St. Louis sprig by sprig method

Skirting is a big improvement
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Brady gets the tour



Sarah, Pat, Skye, and Scott



HIGHLIGHTS FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 19, 2007

The count down for moving in is on and we are keeping long hours getting ready to vacate the apartment and move into the house. A Memorial Day weekend family reunion that's been on the schedule since January has motivated us to get 'er done. With Bo wearing the hats of Zoysia King, tile finisher, floor man's helper, window checker, Home Depot runner, toilet placer, faucet fixer, tax appraisal challenger, and unloader at the storage unit, I am getting my head out of a box to write the blog this week. Thanks to all of you who said you miss it when it's not there on Monday morning!

1. Frank and Lynn have continued to work hard and spent several late nights helping us have the upstairs floors finished for the moving in on Wednesday, the 23rd. (Last night as they were wrapping up about 11 PM and taking a smoke on the front porch, they were joined by a raccoon who helped himself to the left over cat food. Sorry, we don't have pictures yet.) Back to the floors, "gorgeous", "like new", "spectacular" are just a few adjectives we could use to describe the outcome. The long leaf pine is restored to the beauty that God gave it at His creation. Over 90% of boards upstairs are full length, i.e., are a plank that runs the length of the room. That is amazing considering that today's wood floors might have some planks that are a little over 4 feet long.

We ended up with a "bonus room." Bo asked to borrow their edger to help get the balcony floor ready to paint. While he went to get some sanding discs, Frank and Lynn got out with their big machine and did a swipe or two. Who knew we could restore even that rugged, weather beaten wood? With their expertise and a little sealer we will have an amazing place to drink coffee, visit with friends and neighbors, catch a cool breeze, and enjoy Tobin Hill.

2. Francisco and Daniel finished up the exterior painting (we will do the columns and around the door later) and got the skirting up around the house. The cats will have to find a new place to stay out of the rain. I think they already have.....

3. Bo, aka Zoysia King, brought in a pallet of zoysia and got it placed with the help of a hard working young man who "just happened" to show up willing to help with whatever was needed. We are thankful that God has sent us such good people to help get this big job done. It has definitely been part of the adventure to work with conscientious, capable people. We appreciate and admire these new friends. We also appreciate the rain this week! The zoysia needed that!

4. Visitors this week included Brady Watson, our Farmer's Insurance agent. He has been helpful to all our family since we first lived in San Antonio in 2000. On Friday, Sarah gave me a ride home from Bible study and got the tour. Friends of Buck and Katy, Skye and Scott, who we know from Journey Fellowship happened to be in the neighborhood checking out a house for sale next door. They knocked on our door for details and were surprised to be greeted by someone they knew. It was fun to show them all we have been working on. When we get out the "before" pictures and consider how much there was to do when we bought it last September, it really is amazing that we can actually move in this month!

NEXT STEPS:

1. The U-Haul is lined up for Wednesday, the 23rd. Why did I unpack so much when we moved into the apartment?
2. Frank and Lynn will put the final coats on the kitchen, stairs, and upstairs floors.
3. We are getting some duct work done.
4. The zoysia needs to stay watered and there is some landscaping to do to keep water from draining too much around the foundation.
5. Appliances need to be placed in the kitchen and a circuit found for the microwave.
6. Change of address cards sent!!!!!!

Fabulous Floors! and Legend of the Zoysia King

Kitchen Floor before sanding











Kitchen Floor after finish

Would you prefer this Guest Bedroom or .....











.....this Guest Bedroom?


Pretty nice restroom, eh?










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Restroom with new fixtures

Exterior Paint - in progress











Exterior Paint - after completion

Skirting around bottom of house









The Clampetts are on the move again












Visitors from South Carolina - Mike and Karla

For the Week ending May 13, 2007

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. The floors are coming out fabulous! You have already looked at the first four pictures above and can see for yourself. The folks who are doing the floors, Frank and Linda, are doing a great job. We still have about a week to go before completing this round which will include the kitchen and all the wood floors upstairs. The guest room is getting closer to completion. Schedule your reservation now before it fills up.
2. Wouldn't you agree that the small upstairs bathroom has come a long way. When you look at the "Before" picture, it makes the port-a-potty look not quite so nasty. We still have to connect the water supply lines and the sink drain before the test flush.

3. The exterior painting wrapped up this week. Pictured above is the east side of the house. Francisco and Daniel worked hard and did a careful job. It took them two weeks. Had I taken this on myself, the result would have been measured in months. This sure seems to have been money well spent. There is more exterior painting to come as I am treating the columns and capitals out front as a separate painting job.
4. Francisco and Daniel began putting "el faldon" around the house on Friday. (I think that they were really glad to be working on tierra firme. The picture above with the blue board at the bottom of the house shows the "skirting" that is intended to minimize the possibility of water running under the house. That skirting is to be covered with a wire mesh and then coated with concrete to make it more durable. There will also be 9 - 10 vents and two access doors for crawling under the house.

5. The Clampetts (the Texas cousins of the Beverly Hillbillies) are on the move again. OSHA Babe has directed the moving of boxes out of the garage at the apartments and a 10' x 10' storage unit that we have had since moving from San Antonio in 2000. Every day, we have loaded the car and pickup and moved stuff to a storage unit that is a half mile from the Tobin Hill house. The plan is to complete moving the small things this coming week and rent a UHaul for the bigger stuff, e.g., furniture, washer, dryer, etc. I have already tee'd up the idea with Francisco to round up a crew for that effort. Are any of you loyal readers going to be in San Antonio toward the end of May?
6. Work related travel brought Mike and Karla, church friends from St. Louis, to San Antonio. They came by the house on Tuesday for the general tour. We did manage to support fajita night at one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants and caught up on their two sons' and our three sons' lives. Karla came back on Wednesday to consult with Pat about color selection. She and Pat did manage a bit of shopping at "Bless Your Heart" and lunch at a girly tea room. Additionally, our neighbor's brother from Chicago was walking the dogs with his sister and stopped by for introductions and a chat. That led to an abbreviated tour. We do love having visitors.

NEXT STEPS:
1. Floor work will continue. I expect that Frank and Linda will be working on the floors upstairs most of next week.
2. I need to continue working on the upstairs bathroom. I noticed a gap in the grout on the shower wall. That needs to be filled. Also, I may need some help attaching the drain of the lavatory.

3. We are close to having the kitchen ready for the stove and refrigerator. This could be the week for moving them in.
4. The Zoysia King is on his way back! I have ordered a pallet of zoysia grass that is scheduled to be picked up on Tuesday. I have hired a young man to come over on Monday and help grade the front yard in preparation for sodding. If he shows up and works out, I'll have him help on Tuesday.

The Legend of the Zoysia King goes something like this. When last seen, the ZK was in his late 30's and living in St. Louis. His weekend mission was to plant zoysia plugs in his family's massive back yard. Sherwin Williams' "Cover the Earth" trademark was allegedly inspired by ZK's world vision for zoysia. His work clothes were tight, gold gym shorts (yes, the kind that were worn in the 60's and 70's) and a ragged old t-shirt. There was only one pair of gym shorts and, if I remember correctly, they were carry overs from college days. Since ZK had put on a few pounds since college days, (picture that, Batman) his appearance in the family's yard did bring hilarity and ridicule from the neighbors along with massive doses of embarrassment to and from his family. It did stop just short of obscenity. I hope that OSHA Babe hasn't thrown those shorts away. (Ed. note-The world has been spared a sighting of ZK in the gold shorts. Chris Farley's SNL Chippendale routine was inspired by ZK. The shorts are now designated historic and no longer available for public viewing).

4. Hopefully, the skirting will be finished this week.

30 Day Notice given at the Apartment: The Heat is On!

Painters hard at work
Front Door started like this...

<--Front Door now looks like this!

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.Gas Line got moved away from the driveway

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Kitchen backsplash behind stove - Nice tile work
<--Small Bathroom floor got tiled and grouted

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Wary Bad Girl on the way to Dr. Snip Snip

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HIGHLIGHTS:
1. We're on schedule to move into the house at the end of May. We took a leap of faith (and hard work) and gave our 30 day notice to the apartment manager. Our expectations are - 1. the floors upstairs and in the kitchen completed. 2. The small upstairs bathroom is functional. 3. The kitchen is functional. 4. We will "camp out" in the upstairs and live there as we finish the rest. Who said I was still crazy after all these years -- Paul Simon?

2. OSHA Babe has expanded her role. If I want to stay married, I won't call her the Mayflower Mover Maid ("3M") too many times. (Editor's Note: The author just used up his allowance for calling me "3M".) We did rent 2 storage units about 1/2 mile from the new house and have begun moving contents from the garage here at the apartment. We hope to do a little each day and then hire help for the furniture and other heavy items later in the month. I think that Pat is planning a box burning party after this one is over.

3. We were pleasantly surprised on Wednesday when a crew from the gas and electric company, CPS, showed up to move the gas meter from the driveway side of the house to the east side. Several months ago, I had asked if this could be done for safety reasons, i.e., backing the car out of a narrow driveway that has a gas meter as one of the boundaries could prove to be unnecessarily dangerous. CPS had indicated that they would move the meter but not until we got a final inspection on both the gas and plumbing. We've had the final approval on the gas for several months but have not called for the final plumbing inspection. When CPS showed up and told me they were moving the meter, I didn't ask any questions. They finished on Thursday. Hopefully we have gas in the kitchen for the stove. I can smell the brisket already.
4. Exterior painting continues. As two of the pictures above show, it is making a HUGE difference in the appearance. Francisco and Daniel are working hard, doing a good job and making good progress in spite of the rains here in San Antonio. They need to finish up the front and then paint the east side. We're probably talking about at least another week.
5. The kitchen is ready for the floor people to start. I finished the backspash behind the stove and hung the microwave. The circuit to the microwave is not working so I placed a call to the electrician and hope to see him early next week. I have asked him to hang some ceiling fans when he comes.

6. The floor in the small upstairs bathroom is tiled and grouted. It really tidied up the appearance. Finishing this will be a big push for the next couple of weeks. Camping out in the upstairs does not include having to use the porta potty.

7. The cats don't love me much this week. We caught both Bad Girl and Grey Girl and took them to Dr. Snip Snip. With help from Ruth Ann, a lady from the San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition (SAFCC), we trapped Bad Girl for a Wednesday appointment and Grey Girl for her date on Thursday. CAT CONTEST - If one female cat has the 4 litters annually that she is capable of having and if each litter contains 2 female kittens who survive and they bear kittys at that same rate, how many cats will come from this one female in 7 years? The official answer is on a poster in Dr. Snip Snip's clinic in San Antonio. There will be no arguing over the answer.

8. We did have visitors this week. Susan, a friend of Pat from BSF came by for the tour. Additionally, our neighbors Rony, Anita, and their daughter, Karen (who is going to school in Israel) came through for the tour. I believe that Karen is the current leader in the "Traveled the Most Miles to Get Here" Contest. It is fun hearing from young folks who lived in the neighborhood and remember seeing homeless people staying in the house from time to time.

NEXT STEPS:
1. Floor refinishing begins on Monday. Frank and his wife have us slotted for ten work days. This round of flooring includes the kitchen and all the rooms upstairs. We have great expectations.
2. We will continue to move boxes to the newly rented storage units. We may rent a trailer one day so we can get more in one trip but we'll see. Sanding Patty is getting a reprieve from sanding to put on her 3M cape.
3. Exterior painting will continue. Hopefully, we'll get the east side of the house finished. Francisco is also going to put new drip cap and skirting around the house as the weather and time permit.
4. I've got to keep working on the small bathroom upstairs. Baseboards, moulding, and a final coat of paint are needed before setting the lavatory and the toilet. The end is in sight. And then there are only two other ones to do!

Most "This Old House" episodes end in 30 minutes. Where did we go wrong??

Loyal friend Judy shows up to help paint

Vicki visited from California
Friends since Mexico City days, Sally and Steve

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Exterior painting during and after


Domestication of Grey Girl continues

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.The high cost of a free meal....

FOR THE WEEK ENDING APRIL 29, 2007

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. The 2 person paint crew is making a HUGE difference. The contrast that you see in the "Before" and "After" pictures (above) of the back of the house is incredible. It is also an encouragement to realize that there really is a house in there somewhere. Although we do have several more commercial breaks in our living episode of "This Old House", we are making visible progress.
2. A lady from the SPCA brought a trap for us to use. The plan for Bad Girl and Grey Girl is to catch them and have them neutered and vaccinated. The oblivious Grey Girl thinks that eating inside the trap is cool but, as Elmer Fudd would call her, wary Bad Girl is not so sure. (It took OSHA Babe 4 times to get it. Did you do better?) This should be interesting.
3. Saturday and Sunday, we had visitors from out of town. Vicki, a former associate at Covad in San Jose, CA, was in town for an annual "girls weekend" with a group of friends. OSHA Babe and I met her for breakfast on Saturday and then took the tour of the house. (Vicki, how was the spa appointment?) On Sunday, Steve and Sally arrived in town from Plano, TX. We met them at "This Old House" for the tour and then shared an outstanding meal. Steve and Sally, along with their children, were work associates from SBC days in Mexico.
NEXT STEPS: Guest editor, OSHA Babe, here, finishing up for Best Blogger Bo (now you know where the B.B. Brockman comes from. The Spurs need his support in the playoffs this week which explains the late publishing. During the first week of May we hope to give our 30 day notice at the apartment, and work on the upstairs bathroom and kitchen. I can move in without a kitchen, but the bathroom is a must! The floor man said he will come "after the first of May" so we hope that is sooner than later. We'll get a storage unit for the downstairs furniture and go ahead and move everything in that goes upstairs when the floors are done. The paint upstairs looks wonderful and I am having fun deciding on new linens for the master and guest bedrooms. I much prefer shopping to painting!