FRONT PORCH DONE NEW HOUSE UPDATE

 Updates again!  

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  They put up the lights, the porch railing and our front door!

Haven't painted the wood yet (it will be white) but this at least gives you an idea of how it looks.

It's 13'6" this direction...

...and 15' this direction.

It's a great size!

We opted for a nice, thick and sturdy railing that is wide enough to comfortably sit a cup or glass.

Here is that new front door! It's 8 feet tall and has the most wonderful, wavy glass in it.  A couple of light fixtures as well and the porch ceiling has two recessed lights.  They are on dimmers, which will be nice.  Oh and these wood details will be white as well (painted the same time they paint the railing).

Here is front porch standing at the front door.  Again, nice and big (much bigger now that it's here in reality than we had even imagined over the last few months, ha).  There is lots of space for decorating.  My mind is going crazy at the possibilities.

There will be some hanging plants FOR SURE.  Definitely two rockers coming sooner rather than later, so that 2nd Man and I can sit there with something to drink and watch the sunrise or a rainstorm or the deer and just enjoy our lives at the place we've been waiting to be for years.

More updates coming in a couple of days!

TIME CAPSULE PROJECT NEW HOUSE UPDATE

 House progress is moving along, though we're at that point where we go out on the weekends and it doesn't seem like much has changed.  More pics coming but this one is important because it's kind of time sensitive.  You'll see at the end of the post.

It's a little short notice but it's something we just thought of last night and 2nd Man said "yes, put it out there and see if anyone wants to email a message to be saved for future generations.

You might be asking, what?

Let me back up.  We were watching a home remodeling show on HGTV before we started building and they were remodeling a house and found a space behind a wall.  When they put it all back together, they decided to put a plastic skeleton wearing a t-shirt and hat of the remodeling company to play a joke on someone in the future.  We looked at each other and said "we should SO do that!".

After the framing went up, we didn't have any space "deep enough" (between studs and drywall) to fit a full sized standing skeleton.  Then I ran across this:

An actual "time capsule".  It's waterproof and sealed up, can even be buried.  We thought about putting that behind the wall but then, as often does with our ideas, it expanded.  We bought one and started buying and gathering a few trinkets here and there to put inside.

We thought we'd find a place somewhere in the house.

We saw this spot during framing.  We looked at the model home pics and realized it's a dead space above the "built in" linen closet in the guest bath!  So we asked the build manager (who is awesome by the way) if he could put a "floor" on that for us and told him what we were going to do.

Here it is with the flooring on it.  It's sealed on two sides and the top by plywood and then they put a floor in for us.  We let them seal it up because it was easier to cut the hole later.

And they did that for us!  Too cool!

For the last couple of months we've been gathering up little things for the time capsule.  Seeds, stuff from my work and his work, business cards, a pocket constitution/declaration independence, something from all Houston sports teams, trading cards of our favorite NASCAR drivers, trinkets from big movies like Wicked, some lapel pins, bumper stickers, stamps, a 2025 dollar bill, and since pennies are going away, we got two proof versions (one from each mint).  Also, our auto insurance ID cards, even some hair samples from our last hair cuts!

There is more inside, can't remember it all, but then you will probably see a thumb drive (USB drive) in the picture?  We loaded it up with photos from around the internet, personal photos, 2nd Man's food, the cats, the house (the old one and the new one up to now).  Basically, we copied most everything from my hard drive on my computer, ha.  Oh, and copies of some of the blog entries (not all but many, in case the internet is not the same).

Then (a few days ago) we came up with the idea of a binder.  So, I began printing out many things and putting them in plastic sleeves. News articles, current events, top ten lists of music and tv shows and food trends and google searches, the complete set of plans for the house and a few printed pictures of us and the cats and memes and politics.  Of course, I also wrote the story of our life together, how we met, how we got the house, and how we went through this whole process. Even a couple of recipes.

We added a shoebox and added some other things, such as "scrub daddy sponge" (figured that was a crazy popular thing) and a lone star rubber ducky and other things.  Threw in a couple of our t-shirts and even a Day of the Dead mask. Oh, and a COVID test kit and some unused masks.  And after Hobart's passing, the cat bowl (we had several that were all the same) and they all ate out of them hundreds of times.

But wait, what about the skeleton?

Oh, don't worry...

We found a BAG OF BONES!  We have the space to scatter them around...

...and that's what we did!  Here it all is loaded in there.  Sufficiently spooky and the cool thing is (it was hard to get the picture because I was on tall ladder) the skeleton hands are holding the time capsule.  Someday, someone will be shocked and/or surprised but hopefully after a good laugh, and then they will have a little glimpse of life in the year 2025.

Now here is where YOU come in.  I should have thought about this weeks ago but forgot about it.

If you would like your words of wisdom to be carried through into history in our time capsule space, send us an email.  Here is my email:

houstonray@gmail.com

Don't feel obligated, but we just thought it would be our way of sharing you all with someone in the future. 

You can be serious, or you can be silly and tell your favorite joke.  So maybe list your hopes for the future, what you'd like someone in a generation or two to know.  Who knows, in 30 years, 50 years, someone will find this and maybe search your family name and let them know they "heard from you" across the vastness of time, as well.

Again, no obligation. I'll be going back out there Sunday to add some more stuff.  I can print out whatever you email, and I'll put it in the binder to be sealed up for who knows how many years.

MORE VANILLA EXTRACT AND TRYING SOMETHING NEW

Something familiar for regular readers.  We are getting back into the swing of things.  This week has been a little bit better.  We are still waiting for Hobart's ashes to come back, so that will be hard but still, every day it's getting a little better.

This past weekend, after we got back from the farm, I decided to make a little distraction.  

Time for some vanilla!

This year, we started a bigger bottle than normal (hoping to make some smaller bottles to give as gifts after we move in to the new house) and so we ordered some extra beans (i.e. a larger package).

  As normal, I cut the beans in half (lengthwise) and dropped them into the bottle of vodka.  Now as I mentioned, we ordered more than needed.  Once that was done...

...what to do with those extra beans?

Vanilla sugar!

I used a 5 lb bag of regular granulated sugar and kept 5 beans out of the extract making process.

I split them open and scraped out the vanilla seeds with a knife. This is the part that infuses the flavor.

I stirred them into the sugar with a whisk but some people put it in a blender and whizz it around.

We think this will be fine.

After I got it mixed in, I took the remaining bean, cut it in half, and then dropped it in.  I'll shake it every couple of days to make sure it's well mixed.

We can't wait to try it.  You can use it in coffee or hot tea, or on cereal or oatmeal, even sprinkle some on fresh fruit.  Anywhere you want a little sweetening with a touch of vanilla flavor.

Putting together some pics of the latest house updates over the last couple of weeks.  Stay tuned in the next day or two, exciting stuff coming up.

THE SADNESS CONTINUES

 We're not sure why, but Hobart's passing has deeply affected us.  We've been through this twice before now.  We lost Sydney and then Brisbane.

We've been thinking about it and realized that when we had Sydney, we added Brisbane.  Then we added Hobart.  We always had cats around us.  

Then we lost Sydney.  But we still had Brisbane and Hobart.  Then we lost Brisbane but we still had Hobart.

Now we have no kitty. 

The void in our lives is palpable.  The pain this time is very difficult but we are managing as best we can.  

Our entire 26 years together has always consisted of having cats.  We come home now and there is silence.  We wake up and there is silence.  I find myself wanting to go check the litter box.  In the mornings we feel like it's time to feed the kitty.  When we're watching TV, there is no cat on the floor by us. Or on the couch.  Or meowing for a snack.  Or just walking through the room to say hello on his way to a favorite spot.

There is an emptiness...

...and sadness hangs in the air.

We're hoping this passes but as I type this, I look at the chair that held sunshine days with his blanket on it and he's not there.  We haven't moved it yet.  2nd Man expects to see him sleeping on the blue blanket next to him on the couch.  Or I expect to see him in the cat bed by the door when I get home from work.  But he's not there.  And that's when the tears come.  I think with all of our other losses, there was always still love to give and love to surround us...but now we can't feel that.

Today, I went to the grocery store, ended up on the cat food aisle and was sad...

...then I saw these and shed tears.  There in the aisle of the grocery store.  A 60-year-old man crying in a store.  I'm sure I'm not the first to do that.  These were his most favorite treats.  We had our Alexa device set a reminder, every night at 8:30pm, that said "Here is your reminder: Hobart asks for a spoon!".  He even learned that when the reminder timer went off, he could find his way into the living room to "get his spoon".

It went off the other night.  We had to delete it.  It just hurt too much. 

We don't want a new pet anytime soon.  We need to focus on the move and getting settled and maybe we'll adapt to a new normal.  As I mentioned, we don't know what it is to not have pets, but we'll get through it.

Right now, we feel as if we've lost our mojo.  It's only a few days post loss so hopefully, we'll get back into the swing of things soon.

Grief takes time...and time heals.

WE HAVE LOST HOBART

 Our hearts are broken...

...yesterday, we had to, for the third time in our 26 years together, make that decision, awful for us, but the right thing for him.  It never gets easier.  Sigh.

In the last two weeks, we noticed he was slowing down.  He was more lethargic but had a great appetite and was still getting around well, albeit slower.  Then, in just the span of about a day and a half, he stopped eating and started drinking only water, and constantly drinking it.  Then yesterday, he was barely able to even drink water. He was using his foot and pulling the water out and then would drink what he could but stopped using the litter box.  We have been down this road before and we understood...his body was quickly shutting down.

We got him all his favorite food and laid down on the floor with him to feed him by hand, but he would not eat anything at all.  He would just lay down wherever he ended up because he was becoming too weak to stand.  This all happened in less than two days.  

Yesterday, he managed to look at us and meowed and we both knew that he was telling us it was time to let him go.  He was tired and he was ready.  We took him to a 24/7 emergency vet nearby.  He had a very peaceful passing.  The vet and tech people were SO sweet and caring.  We had a private room with dim lights and a comfy couch and we were there with him, holding him, petting him, giving him lots of kisses on his head and kept telling him what a good boy he had been to us.  He was the best boy.  The bestest cat ever.

He was known by many names around here:  

Hobart.

Baby Boy.

Baby Cat.

Mr. Hobarto.

Honeybear.

We'll take some time off the blog for a few days, there is so much going on right now in our lives and we were not prepared for this and we need time to process this unexpected loss.

A sweet kitty whose loss will reverberate with us for a long time to come...

NEW AIR FRYER TRASH TO TREASURE

 Regular readers know that I have a favorite place to look for bargains...our downstairs trash area!  Our building has trash chutes on every floor, and they feed into a separate room, but for boxes and other things that people can't put in the chute, there is an area (indoor) near the loading dock where people can put the things they don't want.  I've found quite a few cool items over the last few years.

OK, here is an AWESOME score.  I was down there on my usual reconnaissance and saw this.  I wasn't even sure what it was at first.  Then I realized it was an air fryer.  Here's the funny part, as I was standing there looking at it, a lady came by with some more empty boxes trash and she said "Oh, I just put that out, we moved and don't need it".  I asked if it worked and she said yes, they just didn't have the cabinet space, got it as a gift and never used it.

She said, "I don't have the instruction manual but otherwise, everything is there".

Brought it upstairs, plugged it in and voila!  Lights up and works like new.  Even still has the sticker on top that you remove before using.  I checked online and found this about it on their website:

"Monitor meals without being tied to the kitchen with the Pro II 5.8-Quart Smart Air Fryer control through the free VeSync app makes it easy to choose recipes, select settings, receive notifications, and more right from your smartphone. 12 customizable cooking functions and rapid air circulation technology create personalized meals quickly with up to 85% less fat than traditionally fried foods."

I also found a PDF of the instruction manual so that is downloaded and printed out.

Here is the inside and yep, 100% never been used.  It is spotless and shiny new. It even had a little piece of the foam packing in there that would have melted to the bottom if it had ever been turned on, ha.

And here are the baskets.  Also perfect, never been used, still brand new!

We don't have an air fryer, but our oven has an air fry setting and so will the new ones at the farm.  I told 2nd Man that this might also be awesome to use in conjunction with the outdoor cooking area when needed.  Or heck, something out on the screened in porch when we need a snack out there (we'll have a side table out there).  It will have lots of potential.

It was just perfect timing to be there and get it before anyone else saw it (plus the firsthand account of the previous owner, which rarely happens, ha).

We have a new appliance to play with!

COOL NEW STORAGE TOTES FOR THE SHED

Regular readers know I'm all about the storage and we figured it is easier to get that started now as we move and arrange and sort through things.

 

Saw these at Target the other day.  They are made by Hefty and are heavy duty storage bins.  Of course, as soon as I saw the color I thought "TERRACOTTA CLAY POT COLOR" perfect for yard/garden use!

I picked up four on my lunch break!

We took them to the farm last weekend.  They have bumped up lids for a little extra height, holes for tie downs if you put them in the back of a truck and sturdier latches to keep them closed.  They are even made of a heavier plastic than normal.  Definitely made for outdoor/durable use.

They will be great in the mower shed to store things on the loft shelf; I can use them for extra lawn tools, maybe one for mower stuff, I've got the freeze cloths for the fruit trees, the pieces from the raised bed irrigation in the garden, etc.

And hey, bonus points for the color!

Hmm...you know, next Spring these might be gone and now I'm thinking maybe I should have two more just to be safe?? 🤔

Oh look...I went back again...

...and got two more, LOL!

We think six is enough to cover our shed storage. Hey, never hurts to be prepared for a storage emergency, ha.

UNEXPECTED EXPENSE NEW HOUSE UPDATE

A few weeks ago, we got the go ahead to have the electricity moved from the temporary pole back to the house since they had the breaker box installed and were ready.  Sounded good, we'll call the power company.  We called them, they went out.

Then we got a return call:

"Sir, based on the size of your house, the transformer is not big enough..."

"What?  What do you mean?"

"Well, the old one was 10kVA and judging from your breaker box and the size of your new house and the electric panel, you're going to need a bigger transformer.  25kVA will be what you need".  

"How much will this cost?"

$1950 installed".

😳😳😳😳😳

"Can you add it to our monthly billing or something?"

"No, it has to be paid in full, but we will credit your account each month for a portion until it's paid back, about $25/month".

So, almost $2000 later, we have this.  It doesn't LOOK that impressive but I guess a lot of the things we pay for in a house build, we never get to see, they just quietly do their job in the background.

Water comes out of the ground...pay for a well.

Waste goes down the drain...pay for a septic.

Electricity comes into the outlet...pay for a transformer.

So, now it's connected, the meter is installed, and the breaker box is ready.  They will work on electrical this week and then we'll have power!

Another update in a couple of days.

Getting closer!

TILE IS DONE NEW HOUSE UPDATE

We know you all need a house update.  We've been busy doing stuff around the apartment, not a lot happening at the house but there was a biggie last week: the tile has been installed, wherever there was tile going, it's done. Here are some pics!

Guest bath.  We went the with same flooring in three spots just to be consistent and kind of link things together.  This is the guest bathroom (forgot to get a pic of the tile behind the tub)...

Here is the laundry room.  That green spot is where the floor drain will go.  This pocket door is directly across from the pantry.  Since both doors might be open at the same time, we didn't want anything to seem weird with different designs in each spot, so we kept them the same.

...and here is the pantry.  We'll get a better picture of the shelves soon (we know everyone wants to see that) but they still have to finish the trim and then paint them glossy white.

On to the master bathroom.  This is the flooring.  Don't worry, it's got a texture to it, so it is safe to walk on.  We had them run it this direction to make the space bigger, and it works well.

This was during construction so you can see how they put it over the red waterproof layer.

The is the floor of the shower (green spot is for the final floor drain).  It also has a textured surface to avoid slipping (and we'll have a grab bar).

Here it is finished!  It looks so good. It's bright and airy and lots of light comes in and gets bounced around with the white tile.  Side note, that bench is going to be awesome!

Last but certainly not least, here is the kitchen!  This is the front porch side with the sink, dishwasher.

...and here is the other side.  We wanted a different tile pattern behind the cooktop where the vent hood will be.  We love the way this came out, it's looks like a quilt pattern.

We're getting there!  This week they are working on painting the enamel and finishing the trimming and then they will be putting in the plumbing.

GOOD FOOD AND HOBART LABOR DAY WEEKEND

 Where have we been?  Ha.  We are here, just doing some unwinding and enjoying the long weekend. It's rained on and off all weekend so it's been kind of lazy time.   We have been going through drawers and such in order to get read for the move.

We roasted a chicken with veggies.  It's been feeding us all weekend.  We also got two more chickens and roasted them just to save the meat and make some stock. More on that in another post.

There is the farm, that blue arrow near the middle.  This image was from yesterday, it was much the same Saturday and again today.  No need to really go out there, too wet and they haven't done much new that we needed to see.  But we will have an update this week, the TILE has gone in!  Woo hoo!

   Hobart however, has enjoyed the rainy weather.  He has slept here on his quilt most of the weekend.  Only to get up for litter box usage and food and snacks.  But hey, it's OK because...

#notspoiled