Playtime's Over!

The guest room is NOT ready for guests

This is the area that had to be finished so we could hang up our clothes. The tub will go in the master bath-that is the "What's next"
Sharon and Steve, our good friends from San Jose, spent some time in San Antonio after dropping Bethany off at Abilene Christian
Shelley and Stacey in photo op with Uncle Bo and with Nathan

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Pat's birthday continues with lunch on the porch

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Highlights from August 19-August 30

1. Tomorrow is great-nephew Sean's birthday and we have the great privilege of hosting a Thomas the Train party this Saturday. Steve and Sharon left on Monday and we regretfully returned to the work that somehow didn't get done while we went to Gruene Hall, met good friend Dani at "Bless Your Heart", shopped for antiques, ate at the riverwalk, and watched "The Alamo" starring John Wayne. The guest room was piled high with all the clothes and stuff from the room that is our master bedroom closet/laundry room. Bo hung sheetrock, floated and taped the walls, and I helped prime and paint so we could get our clothes hung back up and have a place for Steven, Michelle, Sean, and Maddie to sleep. Tune in on the Monday after Labor Day to see the finished result and pictures of the birthday boy.

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2. Last Saturday the ladies from Austin (our nieces, Shelley and Stacey) surprised us with a stop by visit when they came to San Antonio to pick up a car for their Uncle Frank. Stacey's friend Nathan accompanied them. It was their first time to see the house and unfortunately we didn't get any work out of them. The paint brush and paint can in the picture were only props for a Kodak moment but they have promised to return and lend a hand one day soon. Shelley would like to take advantage of a First Friday sales opportunity in the King William area with her art. She is doing some wonderful, fun creative work in a retablo style that is catching on in Austin. I will try to include a link to some of her art soon.

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3. One of the best compliments we have had came this week when my friend Mary Dean came to pick me up for lunch. (I love that it is the end of August and I am still celebrating my birthday!) First she wanted to check on the progress we have made since she was here last spring. She went out on the porch to try out my new birthday rocking chair and looked so happy and comfortable, I asked her if she would like to just sit on the porch and have a sandwich instead of going out. She said she would really like that and I was thrilled! This is what we want our home to be-a comfortable, welcoming place for family and friends.

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So, yes, the hard work is worth it. It really is hard work. Lots of it. That is why I am doing the blog this week. Bo has been doing the work of a whole crew. You'll see those pictures next week!

Since the 4th of July.....

Pat and Kathy work first, then are ready to play


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Dennis signed on for the "Will Work for Golf" package




















Dennis and Donna came to claim their prize




OB goes back in time to when little boys and babies were part of her life .

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Mom got another rocking chair for her birthday
Uncle Doug and Aunt Gloria with OB












Pat with Aunt Martha and Billy Roy - the little bed was Aunt Martha's when she was a girl and OB slept on it when she went to Grandpa's house














Grandma Mattie's pantaloons as modeled by OSHA Babe
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See the Possum? Our latest addition to the list of critters


















HIGHLIGHTS:

No, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. But we have been to what seems to be its edges. The summer is winding down and a lot has been done. Some of it has been work on the old house. Let's try to summarize (or is it "summerize") and get back on the blog track.
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1. A 2+ week trip to California + a 1000 mile trip to Atlanta + stops to visit aunts, uncles, and dear friends in Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas, were sandwiched between two sets of visitors.
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In the days before we left for California on July 13, longtime Dallas friend, Kathy, ignored all warnings of "Visiting the Brockmans could result in Manual Labor" and came anyway. In between morning coffees on the balcony, a bit of shopping at Bless Your Heart and a tour of the historic Steves Mansion, Kathy and OSHA Babe sanded and painted the bead board in the Butler's Pantry. It looks great and is one step closer to being the breakfast nook.

On August 7, the day after returning from the Eastern road trip, OSHA Babe's sister and hubby, Donna and Dennis, arrived for a sample of San Antonio summer. (You may recognize them as the winners of the "Name that Song" contest. Yes, they did collect their margarita on the riverwalk while they were here.) Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the sisters shopped, primped, laughed, visited, poked around antique stores, spent the night (with their husbands) at a bed and breakfast in Comfort, TX, and generally had a good time. Dennis and I played golf twice, got the washer and dryer hooked up, and hung sheetrock in the little room between the kitchen and the back door. OB is ecstatic about not having to go to the laundramat. Dennis and I thought that after he gets through superintending in Washington state, we might start Dos Gringos Sheetrocking Company ----- NOT!!!!!!! That is hard work. We have ordered the Friedrich Memorial Mud Room plaque in honor of your hard work.

Later that week, Uncle Joe and Nettie stopped by after a doctors visit in San Antonio. We enjoy every one of those visits and look forward to more.

2. "So," you say, "tell us about your travels." (Thought you would never ask.) Hold on to you seats for this ride.

The trip to California was prompted by babies - one born in June and another scheduled to arrive in October. OSHA Babe exchanged her hard hat and safety glasses for a mother's helper apron during the trip to San Jose. Adelle and Gabe became parents for the second time with the arrival of Michael on June 25. Gabe's Mom had been there for the birth. We arrived as the second shift. Michael's days consisted of eating, sleeping, and digestive calesthenics. Needless to say, Adelle and Gabe are not getting as much sleep as they are used to. OSHA Babe helped out by changing diapers, doing laundry, and shuttling big brother Colin to swimming lessons and soccer. It took her back in time and she loved every minute of it.

We stayed in Gert and Cornelia's home during the time in California. They were all away when we arrived but had left a key for us. Cornelia returned after we had been there a week. Working around her work schedule and OB's exhaustive social calendar, we did get to catch up on our visiting with her. We missed Gert, Marne, and Danielle but look forward to seeing them in the future. Thanks for your gracious hospitality.

The weekend before we returned to Texas, Pat was part of a group that hosted a baby shower for Heather and Jeff's little one who is scheduled to be here in October. We attended their wedding during the summer of 2006 and are thrilled to see the home that they are creating.

In the nearly 20 days we were in San Jose, we enjoyed the cool evenings, pleasant days, and most of all, the opportunities to visit with church friends and former work associates. I believe that we had at least one meal each day with some of those friends. It was wonderful to hear what everyone is doing. Each of you is very special to us.

I did get my 2007 quota of golf in during the trip. On two different occassions, I joined church and work friends for "All You Can Eat--All You Can Play" at Coyote Creek. One of those days, Jess and I got in 45 holes of golf! In addition to the days at Coyote Creek, Charlie, my former boss both in Mexico and California, graciously hosted 3 of us at CordeValle (a stunning country club nestled in rolling hills just south of San Jose) for a round of golf. Pat and I joined him for dinner and caught up on how our families were doing. If you're going to lug your clubs with you, make the most of the opportunities.

Are you tired yet? Hang on to your hat because we were off again. After landing in San Antonio about 10 PM on July 31, we were on the road at 6 AM the following morning for a 1000+ mile drive to Atlanta, aka the "Eastern Roadtrip", for an Aug 2 closing on the sale of the condo we had bought while working there in 2001 - 2002. We spent 2 nights with Brian, Beth, Ashley, and Katie, dear friends from SBC-Mexico days, and also got to share a meal with Ken, Crystal, and daughter Amy, church friends from St. Louis days.

Then it was off to see relatives. From Atlanta, we drove to near Huntsville, AL to spend one night with Uncle Doug and Aunt Gloria. I guess that they consider Pat to be the prodigal cousin because they rustled up a couple of their daughters and killed the fatted catfish, and we all enjoyed an evening of reminiscing and catching up.

The following morning, they sent us off with a mess of okra to take to Martha and Billy Roy. They live on a beautiful 400+ acre farm in central Tennessee. Pat's Aunt Martha and her husband, Billy Roy, graciously passed on pieces of furniture, some of which have now been in the family for 4 generations. The marble topped dresser, washstand, rocking chair, and bed now grace the house in San Antonio. A quite interesting heirloom that we received is a pair of Pat's Great-Grandmother Mattie's pantaloons. You can tell from the picture above that they were built for comfort, not for style.

After loading the pickup, the San Antonio Clampetts, Rufus and Minnie, were on the move again. About 300 miles later, we stopped in central Arkansas to visit our dear friend, Tressie. She has been a mother to both Pat and me as well as a grandmother to our sons. We went to church with her on Sunday night and she got us out the door bright and early Monday morning for the 650 mile trip back to San Antonio. Boy, were we ever ready to be home for a while.
Then, company arrived. (See Item 1 above.)

3. The house was basically in order when we returned. I was devastated that no work had been done on the house while we were gone. I thought that this would be easy and automatic. But no, you actually have to be here to get work done. Oh, well. We'll keep plugging along.

The installation of the washer and dryer was HUGE! Thanks, Dennis, for the idea to move the dryer to the outside wall. It sure made the venting easier. In addition to the sheetrocking in the Friedrich Memorial Mud Room, I had a couple of guys start sheetrocking the two remaining bathrooms and master closet. There is still taping, floating, texturing, priming, painting, wainscoating, tile, fixture setting (including the clawfoot tubs). Does that sound like we're nearly done?

4. The cats survived our absence. Two neighbor boys (probably with help from their Mom and Dad) fed them while we were gone. Bad Girl and Grey Girl are back to eating and napping and think that life is good.

Speaking of cats, we did get an update on 3-legged Little Leo. You will recall that he was the first of the neighborhood cats to befriend us last October. At that time, he had four legs. Tragedy struck and he had to have a hind leg amputated. (I still subscribe to the theory that it was a covert terrorist attack that did him in.) Our tenderhearted neighbor, Mary Alice, and her family cared for Little Leo during his convalescence and now report that he is at home with her parents, their two other cats, and a couple of dogs. He is reported to be getting around fine when he's in the house and able to climb and run well when outside. He has figured out that if he jumps up in Mary Alice's Dad's lap, he can usually watch TV and get petted all at the same time. He thinks that is pretty cool.

We have added an opossum to the list of critters around here. This one was climbing around in our back shed one evening. Possums sure are ugly.

We dogsitted (sat?) this past weekend. The neighbors who fed the cats went to the coast for a weekend and needed someone to take care of Pippi, an older, female Chihuahua. It only took her 2 days to train us that she was a lap dog. How could I resist those big, soulful eyes? (And the dog was sweet, too.)

5. Did you notice the rocking chairs on the front balcony? Buck and Katy presented OB with an additional rocker for her mid July birthday. A matching one from OB's favorite contractor showed up at the same time. We now have 4 rocking chairs out on the balcony just waiting for company. One of them has your name on it (if your name is "Cracker Barrel".)

6. Did you hear anything about San Antonio and rain? Last week, Tropical Storm, Erin, came through and left 8 inches of rain in parts of town. We got no damage. The grass really needed it. God sure does a better job of irrigating than we can do.

7. There are 3 little green oranges on the tree that was so loaded last season. I had not noticed any blossoms on the tree and assumed that there would be no fruit this year. If these three oranges are all we have this year, we'll have to give them names.


NEXT STEPS:

1. More visitors are on the way. Steve and Sharon (from San Jose) dropped their daughter off at college in Abilene and have scheduled a few days in San Antonio. Stay tuned for their entry into the Tobin Hill visitors album.

We have a birthday celebration scheduled for Labor Day weekend. Sean, my sister's favorite grandson, is bringing his sister, Maddie, along with Mom, Dad, and Gran to San Antonio for the long weekend. A Thomas the Train cake is to be ordered for the party. Dad Steven is scouting a football game that Friday night and is letting me tag along. That takes me back to 1971 - 1976 when I did that for a living.

2. Bathrooms need to be completed.

3. Painting needs to be done after baseboards, door and window trim is sanded.

4. Door work needs to be done. We're awaiting a bid on that one.

5. Blinds have arrived and need to be put up.

6. We need to Throw away, throw away, throw away all - checks, financial records, etc. There may not be enough dumpsters in San Antonio to do it all in one week.

Happy 4th of July!

Stars of the Schertz 4th of July parade (in a downpouring rain)

Sister Shanna and OSHA Babe painted the kitchen
Mary Ann visited from California
Kitchen bead board next to freshly painted wall
Stair trim painted

Would you believe that Hulk Hogan stopped by to help?

The "Metabo-ed" bead board

For the week ending July 8, 2007

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Let's lead with this week's visitors.

--Mary Ann, from Campbell, CA, was in town and worked us into her full schedule visits. She's a beloved elementary school teacher at the Campbell Christian School and church friend made during the 3 years we lived in San Jose. She is in the middle of her summer break and is visiting friends along the way from California to Texas and back. If you think that we are busy, you should check her agenda. She and her Toyota Corolla are covering thousands of miles and Mary Ann is visiting nearly that many friends.

--Sister Shanna came on a mission during the week of the 4th. She and the OSHA Babe attacked the kitchen with patriotic fervor and painted the walls a bold color. Big Sis has experience bringing houses back to life. She has even suggested bringing a crew of her cronies to help with painting the walls and trim in the entry, parlor, and dining room after the woodwork is prepped. Do you think that San Antonio is ready for her and her rowdy friends?

2. We did take time off to celebrate the 4th of July. The first picture above is of our patriotic daughter-in-law, Katy, and sister, Rachel, riding in their award-winning float during the Schertz community parade. The umbrellas were needed because of a steady rain that fell all morning. It is fun to be in a place where the 4th is still celebrated with 90+ parade entrants that included girl scouts, boy scouts, firetrucks, ambulances, businesses, local community politicians, little Miss San Antonio pageant participants, churches, tae kwon do teams, and umbrella-toting, rain-soaked spectators. God Bless America!

3. After a day off on the 4th, it was back to work. The kitchen painting was completed. That really put the pressure on me to finish trimming out the bead board around the granite and backsplash. It's amazing what new paint and caulked trim did for the appearance of the room.

4. We finished the painting of the trim around the stairs. You probably can't tell from the picture that there are 3 coats on it. It sure looks better than before.

5. OK, OK! That is not really Hulk Hogan helping out. (But don't you think that the moustache and goatee have a Hogan-like effect?) While OSHA Babe was out getting her hair cut (she looks maaaavelous, by the way), I was using the Metabo Paint Remover on the bead board in the butler's panty to prep the walls for painting. Paint chips were flying, I was sweating, and progress was slow. After the room was Metabo-ed, I hand scraped the beads in the bead board. There's nearly 10 hours of "love" invested so far with more to come. I'm starting to develop an attitude about the butler's pantry. (Egad! Maybe I have become the Butler but just don't realize it! This gives new meaning to the Clue storyline of "The Butler did it with the knife in the pantry.")

NEXT STEPS:

1. We need to get the Butler's Pantry painted. The bead board needs to be sanded before painting. The sheetrock walls need to be painted. The last small section of the ceiling needs to enclosed, sheetrocked, textured, and painted. The built-in cabinet in the Pantry needs to be sanded and painted. The doors need to be put on the built-in cabinet. The swinging door needs to be refinished. The floors need to be done. But other than these things, we're just about done.

2. More help is on the way! Kathy, a long time friend from Dallas, is coming to SA for a few days of labor and some visiting. (She and hubby, David, are accustomed to hard work. I believe that they have produced over half the Christmas plywood yard decorations, e.g., Santas, elves, sleighs, reindeer, etc., used in North Dallas since the 1980's.) Even after reading the disclaimer - "CAUTION! BEING A FRIEND OF THE BROCKMANS COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR LEISURE TIME! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!" - Kathy is choosing to come for a couple of days.

3. Blogging will be sparse for the next month because the upcoming 4 weeks are heavy with travel. The travels will nearly take us from sea to shining sea. (No, Donna, this is not another "Name That Tune" contest.)

--A California trip is on tap to celebrate the birth of Michael Benjamin, visit with friends, and attend the baby shower for Jeff and Heather's arriving bambino.

--The morning after we return from CA, we plan to get in the truck for a thousand mile trip to Atlanta to close on the sale of our condominium. From Atlanta, we may stop in Alabama and Tennessee to visit OB's aunts and uncles. One of the aunts has offered OB some family furniture that will not only fit the time period of this old house but also bring back memories of childhood visits to her grandfather Johnson's house. "This Old House" is becoming "This Old Home."

--Oh yeah, I nearly forgot. The day after we return from the Atlanta, OB's sister and hubby are scheduled to arrive for a week in San Antonio. (Haven't you two read the Disclaimer?) Although the official word is that they that are coming for a visit, the real skinny is that they are are motivated by their margarita on the Riverwalk prize that was awarded after winning the Life is Good in Tobin Hill blog "Name That Tune" contest several months back. Seriously, we're looking forward to your visit -- and the 14 hour work days that are planned.

R & R for OSHA Babe

Beth, Lenise, and Pat and the get-away car

Look out cats, here come Annie and Layla
This was the corner that needed attention
Do you think he will ever get a chance to use those golf shoes?

Benjamin's friend

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Highlights for week ending July 1, 2007

1. OSHA Babe was picked up and whisked away for a little R & R with longtime friends Beth and Lenise. They were in the Marble Falls area for the record breaking 18 inches of rain in one night. Fortunately, they stayed high and dry and the Babe returned ready to rock and roll on the renovation. The timing was a blessing. Friendship is such a gift. Thanks to both of you.

2. Meanwhile back at the farm, good old Bo just kept on working. I returned to find the beadboard cut, primed and ready to finish out in the kitchen and nice sconce lighting on what had been dangling connections on the stairway. The kickboard and trim on the stairway was taped off, primed, and ready to paint. What a difference such details make!

3. The end of the month stirred the motivation to consolidate and move out of one of our two storage units. Hooray! Mission accomplished. It's difficult to unpack and put away with the downstairs unfinished but we are working at it. The boxes in the picture are mostly unpacked and will be on their way to North Carolina with Emma, Web, Megan, and Benjamin. We will miss them but are happy for the opportunity he has to accept a job there. Benjamin trusted me to let his little crab friend sleep over after their visit last week so I took him with me to the lake. I do thank God for all the children in my life!

Tobin Hill Work Camp

Nasty Trash Pile!
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.Runner Up in the Wet T-Shirt Contest
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Do you have a license to drive that thing?
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This is what 10 cubic yards of construction waste looks like.
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Where did the trash pile go?

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Shhhhhh! - Cat hard at work - Sorry we roused you for the photo, Grey Girl

The inaugaral plug
Dani and Dennis - friends from SBC Mexico days
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Cousin Nettie and friends from Sabinal .

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We enjoyed scones and coffee on the balcony with Kathryn --
Web, Emma, Meagan, Benjamin
Can you hear the theme song from "Gone with the Wind" when you look at this picture?




HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEKS ENDING JUNE 17 AND JUNE 24, 2007

1. Whoever thought that moving a trash pile would be a highlight? If one considers "highlight" to be synonymous with "welcomed relief", then we have a highlight. In the first few pictures, you see "before, during and after" of the move. Even OSHA Babe pushed the wheel barrow. Did you ever hear it said that you need to get a good education or you would end up digging ditches? Well, both the Babe and I have college degrees and we're still hauling trash. What's wrong with this picture?
2. The picture of the air conditioner unit with Grey Girl napping on top shows that the cats have this thing figured out - Eat, sleep, stretch, repeat. We try to keep the noise level down while we're working so that we don't disturb their rest.
Incidentally, there have been no further raccoon sightings. However, there was some sort of midnight animal ruckus in the neighbor's front yard several nights ago. I suspect that Rocky Raccoon was defending himself against a dog or something. It sounded pretty scary.
3. The Zoysia King has resurfaced. The zoysia has taken hold splendidly and is spreading rapidly. It hasn't overtaken the neighbors' yards but is working on it. To help the spread, I bought a "sod plugger" and posed for the obligatory "Kodak Moment." The cats think that it was nice of me to improve their outdoor facilities. Nasty cats!
4. We do continue to work inside the house. There are actually clothes rods in the future master closet. Most of the clothes are out of the moving boxes and onto the rods. Knobs and drawer pulls are beginning to show up on the kitchen cabinets and there are plates on most of the light switches and outlets now. OSHA Babe bought an old dresser that fits the time period of the house. A jewelry case, bookshelves, and the entertainment unit have been brought upstairs and put in place. The Bose system is hooked up. We're catching up on rerun episodes of "24" that we missed. Life is getting better in Tobin Hill.
5. Visitors keep coming and we love it.
.....On May 31, we had a passel (whatever that is) of company.
..........Dani and Dennis, dear friends from SBC-Mexico days were in town for an anniversary lunch and stopped by. They had the choice of staying to work around the house or going on to celebrate their 30 somethingst anniversary. Needless to say, they chose wisely.
..........My cousin, Nettie, came from Sabinal with her dad, Uncle Joe, and two of her friends. (Ladies, I apologize for not remembering your names. This is a test to see if you're reading the blog. Send a comment back and I'll edit this entry to include your names.) One of Nettie's friends remembers that during her younger days, she dated a guy who lived a few houses down the street from us. Isn't it a small world?
.....Just recently, another guest was Kathryn. She is my sister's mother-in-law and was in San Antonio helping her daughter prepare for a move to another house. She particularly enjoyed coffee and scones on the balcony. What a delight.
.....Repeat visitors - Web, Emma, Meagan, and Benjamin - were here last Saturday. You loyal blogsters can see their pictures from previous visits. There is even a picture of Web shoveling dirt for the berm earlier this year. They may be moving soon. It was good to have them stop by for OSHA Babe's famous spaghetti.
6. What do you think of the exterior paint job? It is a real pleasure to drive up and see such a transformation. We need to keep looking at how much we have done and not get discouraged by how much there still is to do.

NEXT STEPS:
1. Finish putting on the knobs/pulls in the kitchen.
2. Begin building shelving and run a clothes dryer duct in the master closet.
3. Restart work on the remaining two bathrooms.
4. Watch the zoysia grow.

A Full House

Home Sweet Home-it's official

Wood floors-even prettier Feeding the Jaguars

Cousin Rebecca-first official overnight guest

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Michael, Jasmine, and Trudy visit the Alamo

Out of the apartment and into the house
Rocky Raccoon
Column painting in progress

Highlights for the Weeks of May 30 and June 3, 2007

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We unloaded the U-Haul and took off to Missouri for a very special reunion of the James family. Three of Pat's mom's siblings were there and her dad's sister, plus cousins and in-laws. We also got to visit long time friend Ken Callis and meet his newest grandson, Graham born May 24. An unexpected guest greeted us when we returned home. The raccoon mentioned in the previous entry seemed to have claimed the front step as a dining table (the neighbor boys who fed the cats while we were gone were very generous with their portions). You can see from the picture why the cats leave him alone!

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Bo's cousin Rebecca was our first official houseguest and wins the Good Sport Award for braving no airconditioning and no covering on the windows. The motion detector light outside her window was probably a night-long alarm clock since it seems to detect the slightest movement of leaves when there is a breeze. She was awake in plenty of time for her early morning flight to visit her son Bradley and his kids in Missouri. (P.S. A visit from the air conditioning repair guy next day revealed absolutely no freon in the upstairs unit. Freon for the air conditioner $350-a good night's sleep-priceless)

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We took a break from our unpacking the week of June 3 to help get Katy and her sister Rachel move into their new Bless Your Heart quarters. They were remarkable orchestrators of a hardworking crew. What an achievement to move the wonderful, extravagant inventory of two stores, get everything set up, and be open on the 5th day! If enough of you request it, I will post a picture with Bo next week entitled, "Why a Man Needs a Pick Up Truck in Texas." It has to do with shoes, and lots of them!

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Nephew Steven and his wife Michelle arrived with Sean and Maddie for a long weekend on the 7th. Aunt Pat got to choose the pictures for the blog this week....can you tell she's smitten?

I told their Gran (Shanna) that they were the only way our wood floors could be any prettier. What a beautiful way to furnish our guest room! Sean enjoyed feeding the cats which he called "jaguars" since he had just watched a Discovery program on jaguars.

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We also had the honor of introducing Jasmine and Michael to Texas. They accompanied mom Trudy from San Jose, California and though their time in San Antonio was short they got to experience The Alamo, The Riverwalk, and Sonic! They are in Texas because Jasmine qualified for a national speech competition in Belton and will hopefully take home honors along with her pink cowboy hat (with tiara) purchased on the Riverwalk.

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Yes, we did get a little work done on the house. Francisco and Daniel worked carefully and conscientiously to scrape the capitals and posts to get them ready to paint. The last picture shows one completely primed. Wait til next week when you see the finished job!

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What's next-

1. Electric circuit for washing machine and inventive venting of dryer

2. Install transom windows upstairs.

3. Get window coverings

4. Unpack boxes (we need shelves and rods in the closets)

5. Ceiling fans

6. Cheer for the Spurs!

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!!!!!!