These months sure seem to go fast since we've been in the house!!  This one starts one on Saturday October the 4th.  Lee mowed the yard, while I worked on the domestic chores inside.  We settled down in the afternoon to watch the football games and worked on last month's blog. Monday and Tuesday were filled with more domestic chores and errands.  We were REALLY enjoying the fall weather over the weekend......now it's back to summer....70's at night and mid 90's during the day. Thursday the 9th we went to Home Depot to check out water coolers.  The distributors want a fortune for monthly delivery.  We didn't know HD carried them until we were talking with a gal at one of the local water dispenser places.  The water is SO HARD here and can ruin a coffee pot, etc. quickly. We got a cooler with cold/tepid/hot water features and two 5 gallon containers of water.  Now all we have to do is take an empty container to the dispenser and fill it up (5 gallons) with fresh water for only $1.00.  A great investment!!!

On Friday the 10th Debi came down for the weekend.  She gave me an early birthday present -- a gift card to Bealls.  So -- guess where we spent our afternoon.  Lee treated us with chicken and salmon fajita's for dinner.  Fun day for sure!!!  On Saturday the 11th Lee, Debi, Chad and I went to San Antonio to the Riverwalk to celebrate my birthday (a day early).  Love that place!!!!  Had a great lunch at our favorite restaurant (Lone Star) where I was serenaded by a Mariachi group, then we rode the river boat.  As we were standing by the river to discuss where to next --- a pigeon decided to leave his mark on Debi.  OH MY GOSH!!!  I hurt from laughing.  I think some of that laughter was because I was GLAD it wan't me!!!! We did a lot of walking.  I didn't want to admit that I needed to give the leg a rest, but it finally got the best of me. There is so much to see and I just didn't want to give in, but the leg won.  I wasn't the only that was a bit worn out.  Once we got home Debi got in her comfy clothes and passed out on the couch and Lee in his recliner.  Debi headed back home on Sunday morning the 12th.  Even though it was my birthday -- we had celebrated big time on Friday and Saturday so Lee and I did absolutely nothing but rest.  Kept the leg up and ice pack on it most of the day.  Felt much better by the evening.

                                                        Damn Bird

                                                  Penguin Socks

                                                  Lil Sis is Wore out

                                                    Happy Birthday
                                                       
Monday we headed to the meat market.  Tuesday I did some mending and ironing.  Lee made a belt hanger, which turned out great (of course).  Having some interesting weather -- it was 41 when we got up, but 74 by noon.  Love it!!!  It was a very busy day for us on Friday the 17th.  Had lots of fun "playing" in the yard.  Besides the usual - mowing, weed eating, blower -- we trimmed a couple bushes.  I dug one up that was so ugly.  We have already decided on what we'll plant in that spot come spring time.  Saturday we started early on the chores -- laundry, clean bathroom, etc. etc. so we could watch the truck race and then a lot of football.  On Sunday the 19th we visited another church - North Shore United Methodist Church.  Will be going back to this one for sure.  The afternoon was the usual -- football and the race.  As for the race -- we DO NOT like the chase format at all!!!!  And we DID NOT like the outcome!!!!  So much for that rant.  If you go on their website - 99% of the folks that follow Nascar don't like the chase format either.

On Monday the 20th our day started out with some really sad news.....Luther Masingill passed away.  He was our hometown radio icon for over 74 years.  After our morning coffee and newspaper, we went outside to clean up behind the barn.  The prior owner left a bunch of stuff.  Some of it can be used, the rest was trash.  Off to early voting on Tuesday the 21st.  We'll be so glad when the final election day arrives due to the enormous negative ads on tv!!!!  LOVE the mute button on the remote. Made a short run to WalMart and Home Depot.  On the way back home we decided to check out our local animal shelter.  We wanted to see if they had a Chihuahua there.  There was a story about her being abandoned (in a small crate) behind a hair salon.  It really touched our hearts.  Well -- after much consideration and discussion -- we will be picking her up tomorrow.

After a trip to Pet Smart we picked up our rescue pup (Wednesday the 22nd).  What a doll.  She's 7 months old. (The ungrateful folks that abandoned at least put her birth date on the crate.) She's mostly black with a bit of white on her chest and only weighs 5 lbs.  We have named her Allie.  She was very timid, but once we got her home, she explored the house, ate a treat and fell asleep in Lee's lap. We were told she probably wouldn't "come around" and trust us for 3 days to a week.  Well -- it only took about 2 hours.  She KNEW she could trust us.  The ears were up and the sad look in her eyes was gone. Anxious to give the gals at the shelter an update.  She is adapting so well!!!!  On Friday the 24th we took her for her free checkup.  She was due 2 more shots, so we had the doctor go on and get her up to date.  After we got home she had some play time in the back yard, then immediately got in her spot in the recliner with Lee and passed out.  We've only had her for 3 days and we're amazed how she had adjusted to us and the house.

                                                     Allie is Home

                                                She loves the backyard and the sunlight

                                                Nap Time in the McClure Household

                                                Allie and her toys on Linda's Blanket
The shelter was taking some of the rescue dogs/cats to a pet store in New Braunfuls on Saturday the 25th.  We took Allie so the gals could see her.  They were very pleased with her temperment after such a short time. Allie loves to ride in the car, but she had to be held so she can see out.  Once we got home, her and I relaxed while Lee went to the shooting range.  He was taking a young man that was visiting his grandparents for the weekend.  Both had a great time.

Our main project over the last several days is to work and play with Allie.  She loves to play chase. So far she has such a precious personality.  We left her alone today (28th) for a little while.  Put her bed, etc. in the fly tying room.  No disaster - except for checking out a couple fishing rods (no hooks thank goodness).  We had to go purchase a refrigerator.  Certainly didn't need that this time of year!!! Couldn't be helped.  The one that was left here was not staying cold enough.  Oh well - such is life. On Thursday the 30th the shelter was having a party and fund raiser.  They were in need of supplies. We took them some bottled water -- and of course to show off Allie.  Back home and into our work clothes.  We are starting our next big project......painting the iron fence around the front of the house.  Some has to be done by hand, the rest Lee will be able to spray on.  Doing it in black.  It's going to be another GREAT improvement of ours.

On Saturday (Nov 1st) it warmed up nicely after a low of 40 which we discovered that Allie is cold natured and loves to sit in front of the fireplace,  She has become a member of the household.

                                             Baby it's cold outside

                                        Think I'll bring my bed and toys over here

                                                             Better than the beach
I started painting on another section of the fence, while Lee trimmed some more bushes.  Got our mess cleaned up so we could get inside for the usual - football and the race......and a nap.  On Monday the 3rd we emptied the old frig, putting stuff in coolers.  They said we could expect delivery between 10:00 - 2:00.....came at 10:15 - OH HAPPY DAY!!  The new one cooled off very quickly so we were able to get it loaded.

We headed outside early this morning (Tuesday Nov. 4th).  We wanted to get the yard mowed so Lee could spread fertilizer before it rains tonight.  Yep --- RAIN!!!!  The forecast is 80% by 7:00 tonight. We can only HOPE!!!!

That's about it for this month.

Take care......until next time

Hello everyone! 
As many of our major projects have been completed, our blog will become shorter. We begin this one on Saturday September the 6th.  I did one of my favorite past times this morning -- played in the dirt.  I cleaned around some plants and trimmed some bushes.  Lee worked on a stand that will be used for cleaning his AR.  He found this in a magazine and got in his "thinking mode" and was able to copy it -- exactly! 

After church on Sunday and lunch, Lee headed to his recliner and I went to the couch.  Watch some football -- between naps.  On Monday the 8th we woke up to RAIN!!!  Had clouds all day which kept the heat down..  Prayed for more rain - but didn't get any more.  Took Monday off, but enough relaxation.  We need to get back to work!!  We had three paint projects that needed to be detailed.  Worked on those all day on Tuesday.  Those are now completed.  Lee put the finishing touches on the gun cleaning stand he made.

                              Look out Hogs here we come.
                                       
On Wednesday the 10th, Lee cut the grass while I concentrated on some domestic chores.  I'm really having a problem cutting back on my "workload"...... but I have doctor's orders to rest the leg more. We needed string for the weed eater so we made a quick trip to Home Depot.  Lee had his four week post op eye exam on Thursday the 11th.  Checkup was a-ok....good for another 6 months.  After we got home he headed off to the gun range while I did some miscellaneous cleaning.  I also took the time to do a major clean up of stuff on my computer.  Friday was errand day - which included Cabelas.  Much needed rain arrived which took the temperature from 92 to 80 instantly.  We're told a "cold" front is headed this way.  Believe me -- we're ready.  Saturday the 13th was wonderful.  It was 59 when we woke up and had more rain!!!!  Busy day with laundry, haircut, made homemade potato salad and egg salad.  Lee smoked ribs.  

                                      Great Ribs if I do say so

We are really enjoying the cool front.  High today was only 65.  HOPEFULLY our 100 degree days are gone.  The cool weather brought out some of the animals.  Four bucks appeared in the backyard -- and a roadrunner was strolling down the street.  On Wednesday the 17th we went to the store and the meat market.  Got enough stuff to make two huge pots of homemade chili.  Will put it in seal a meal bags and freeze.  Great for dinner when it's cool. For the past several days we have been doing the usual domestic chores required when you have a home.

When we got up on Thursday the 18th it had rained all night.  OH HAPPY DAY!!!  We got over 2 inches in our area.  More is in the forecast.  We just HOPE they're correct.  We got the chili put up and ended up with 8 bags.  We would have had 9......but couldn't resist.....had some for dinner.  Sure am glad my chef enjoys doing this.  We had more rain on Friday night the 19th and most of the day.  Decided to start work on one of our remaining projects --- painting our bedroom.  It wasn't as bad as the other rooms, but it did needed to be freshened up.  Saturday the 20th we went to Gruene Market Days.  Stopped on the way home to get a trap.  Mr. Stinky has been back.  Gotta get that little devil. Now that we're more organized and major projects completed, our Sundays are spent going to church, watch football, watch the race, and take those precious naps.

On Monday the 22nd I finished our bedroom except for the trim while Lee was off to the doctor.  He got bit by some critter last night when he was setting up Mr. Stinky's trap.  His hand was very swollen!!! 

The doctor confirmed that he was bit by a spider.  He's now on medication for about 3 weeks.  On Tuesday I worked on touch up spots in the bedroom while Lee worked on a couple trouble spots in the master bathroom.  His hand looked better today.  Looks like the infections is not spreading - thank goodness. Busy busy day on Thursday the 25th.  We are going to Debi's tomorrow for the weekend to help her close up her pool. I decided to make homemade potato salad and pimento cheese to take with us.  Two of the family's favorites.  Afterwards we headed outside to mow and weed the yard. We had 2 lawnmowers and neither one would start and to beat all the weedeater wouldn't either, so off to our favorite place Home Depot and we got a new lawnmower and weedeater.  If you are using this gas make sure you use some stabilizer in it.  We donated the mowers and weedeater to the local school program so that they can tear them apart and rebuild them in their shop class.   Looks so nice since we had some rain last week.  We are able to work outside more now that the extreme heat has finally left us.

After a leisurely morning on Friday the 26th we loaded up the car and headed for Debi's.  Spent the afternoon getting the pillows ready for the pool, got the water toys put away and got the deck cleaned off.  She got the chemicals put in the water.  Got to wait 24 hours then we can close it up tomorrow afternoon. We ended the evening by going to our favorite Mexican restaurant with all the family and the neighbors.

On Saturday the 27th Lee ran around with Chad and Todd while Debi and I ran several errands.  We all met back at her house to close up the pool.  Lee and Chad treated us by grilling chicken, salmon and veggies for dinner.  Spent a leisurely morning on Sunday the 28th before we headed home.  The race was rather boring, so we stayed with the football games.  Off to the store on Monday for fixins for homemade soup.  My chef cooked a double batch.  Sure will be nice having all this and the chili this winter.  On Monday the 30th we got the soup put up in the freezer bags.  Ended up with 9 bags.

Lee went for a haircut and pedicure on Wednesday the 1st.  I worked in the yard digging up some bricks.  Made no sense at all and we could use them in another area.  Once Lee got home he worked on doing touch ups on those area in the bathroom.  I rearranged some things in two closets.  Now I hope I remember where I put things.  On Friday the 3rd we went to the RV for the fireplace and ran some errands.  A couple friends had shared "One Bowl Apple Cake" that looked wonderful.  Stopped to get some of the ingredients and headed home to cook.  OH MY GOSH - it turned out GREAT!!!  I highly recommend it.  Will find the recipe and share it on Facebook.  I want to try it with our fresh peaches in the spring.

Anxious to see what our weather does tonight.  We had a heat index of 101 yesterday (the 2nd).  It's 92 at 4:00 today ------ going down to the low 50's tonight.  Interesting -- uh?

What a difference a year makes.  We are usually in Rockport by October 1st, but we cancelled the extended stay because of being in our house.  We will miss everyone, but we are SO HAPPY in our house.  We'll plan some weekend trips for sure.  We not only made a lot of wonderful friends, but it is such a beautiful area and so close to Port Aransas - another favorite, plus the ocean.

Well folks - that's about it for the month of September.  By the way -- it was a cool 53 this morning. Want more of those.  Come see us sit on the front porch and have a great cup of coffee.

                              Michael this one will not break


                              Take care.  Until next time.......

Another month has passed and we begin our 5th month in our house.  We still have my famous list to complete, but it's not as major as it was in the beginning of this adventure. We start out on Sunday the 3rd going to the store ---- which is around the corner from our FAVORITE home improvement store ---- Home Depot.  They had smokers on sale -- so needless to say we got one.  Lee has been known to do outstanding meals on a smoker.  He got it seasoned and we're now anxious to put it to use.  Settled down in the afternoon to watch the race.  It was definitely a great race day -- YAY DALE!!!  

                                                   The New Smoker On Monday the 4th we made a trip to the meat market.  Did nothing the rest of the day.  We both needed some down time.  My leg was bothering me more that usual.  I'm HOPING it's healing pain.  On Tuesday my chef got the smoker going with ribs, tenderloin, chicken breast and beef sausage.  Meals for the next 4 days -- YUMMY!!!  I spent the day painting the laundry room.  That was a room the prior owner never finished.  Looks so much better!!!

                                       Beef Sausage, Tenderloin, Chicken Breasts, and Ribs. Wednesday started out very lazy.  Didn't last long though.  We got out the yard tools and started cleaning out another area in the yard.  Wish we could have done more, but the heat arrived earlier today.  We're still adjusting the the August heat here in Texas.  This is normal for this area.  Debi had always told us not to vacation out here in August, now we have a better understanding as to why.  We're able to stay outside a little longer than a month or so ago.....but not when it's 100 with an index of 105. The picture below is from last year I used it as and example.   We put a canopy together on Thursday which will cover the grill and smoker.  There was a heat alert for the day so that was it for outdoor chores.  We were able to do some more work in the yard on  Friday.  Lee had put the kayak and equipment up for sale.  Got a call wanting to come by and check it out.  I finished up in the yard while he got everything organized so the guy could get a good look at everything.  In a matter of minutes after his arrival --- "DONE DEAL".

Nuff Said

                                                          Gone but not for gotten Lee headed out early on Saturday the 9th to Cedar Park to a gun shop.  He used some of his money from the kayak sale to purchase a gun --- a Rock River AR-15.  He was like a very excited "kid" on Christmas morning.  On Sunday the 10th, Lee took me to Gruene to meet Debi and 4 other gals.  We were attending the Gospel Brunch of Gruene.  SO enjoyable....had a GREAT time.  Debi brought me home so she could check out all the projects we had completed.  She was very impressed with our accomplishments.  Totally different since the last time she came down.  After Lee dropped me off, he picked Chad up (in San Marcos) and headed to Cabelas.  From there they headed to the shooting range.  A great day had by all.

                                         Shoots great On Monday we were off to Target for a bit of shopping.  Stopped by Bucees to get a few muffins.  If you're ever by one of their stores, make sure you try a blueberry and cranberry muffin.  Day ended with some rain -- HALLELUJAH!!!  We set on the front porch for a while listening to the rain hitting the metal roof.  Brought the temperature down about 20 degrees also.  WONDERFUL!!!!  Lee left early on Tuesday to get some tires put on the PT.  I started taking stuff out of the closet in the fly tying room.  In case you don't remember --- it has been painted that horrible HOT PINK. I started applying the Gripper (primer).  Once Lee got home he helped with the high areas.  

On Wednesday the 13th we were up at 5:00 am.  We were off to the surgery center for Lee's cataract surgery on the left eye.  Surgery was a success!!!!  Once we got home he headed to bed and I got in my corner of the couch with my kindle and my leg propped up.  A great "do nothing" day!!!.  On Thursday he had his post op checkup.  The doctor has to relieve some pressure on the eye.  Otherwise all A-OK!!  I started painting in that closet.  Painted it white.  So clean looking - and it even looks bigger.  The last of the hot pink is now GONE!!!

The prior owner had left a bunch of old towels.  On Saturday we decided to take them to our local animal shelter.  While there we went on a tour.  They have such an assortment and sizes of dogs (and cats).  A couple of them were very tempting.  We were able to get everything back in the fly tying closet.  Afterwards I headed for the couch and put the Iceman (ice machine) on my leg.  Having a lot of swelling in leg and ankle.   On Sunday the 17th we were off to church - First Baptist Church of Canyon Lake.  Been checking out several in the area and this was on our list.  Very friendly -- and very enjoyable.  Home, lunch and settled down to watch the race.  On Monday I got all Lee's dress shirts washed and ironed.  Since his retirement he has not worn any of them much less a tie.  Most of them had been in storage for a few years, so they definitely needed to be freshened up (LOL).  At this church it is not the traditional type where you wear coats and ties, you can wear them if you want but you can wear everything from jeans, to shorts also.  Because of the new issues with the leg, I decided to call the doctor today.  Got an appointment for the 29th.  I feel like I shouldn't be having these problems, so I'm hoping it's nothing serious.  Prior to this I was doing so good -- no pain, no swelling, just stiffness.

Tuesday the 19th we ran some errands most of the day.  Stopped at Cabelas for ammo. They seem to have more available and prices have come down also.  Also stopped at a furniture store.  Getting ideas for living room furniture.  Last stop was the meat market. Love this place. They have the freshest meat's and veggies around.   Used our seal a meal to separate some of the items.  Word of advice --- DON'T use a seal a meal for hamburger buns.  Decided to split them up -- 2 to a pack.  Sealed them alright --- sucked every ounce of air out of them.  Should we have know better -- probably.  OH MY GOSH we both hurt from laughing so hard.  Butter them on top and put them in the toaster oven the following morning.

                                 Regular on the Left and self explanatory on the right After the store on Wednesday, we stopped at Beall's to get Lee some dress pants.  Home to do miscellaneous chores.  On Thursday we went back to the eye doctor for Lee's one week post op checkup.  Sight is 20/20!!!!!  On Thursday Lee went for a haircut and pedicure.  I started painting the cabinets in the laundry room.  Lee mowed the grass and trimmed on Saturday.  He then started piddling with an old table that my Dad had made and it was going to ruin as it sat in storage.  He got the idea to make a Texas flag on it. As you can see it turned out great.   I continued painting on the cabinets in the laundry room.  After church on Sunday we just kicked back and relaxed.  The afternoon included a wonderful nap for both of us.  

                                                         New table for the porch                  

Every morning we start our day off with the newspaper and coffee on the front porch.  As I was coming out the front door on Monday morning, I see movement and a bushy tail on the ground by the corner of the porch.  I'm NOT ready for this critter..............a skunk!!! Needless to say we knew NOT to scare him.  He sure had an attitude though.  Walked around the property like he owned it.  I'm not going to argue with him.  Lee worked on the Texas table while I painted the front door. The table turned out really cool.  The skunk showed up again on Wednesday.  Still had "this is my territory attitude".  Lee is checking out options to get rid of him.  Ideas -- trap, moth balls ---------- a 22!!

On Thursday the 28th we headed to Cedar Park to see my surgeon.  Long story short -- this is normal, because I had overworked it. I felt like I was limiting my workload I was doing on the house (taking breaks, quit early afternoon), but it wasn't enough.  Because of the severity of my injury, I'm to cut back on the work and rest the leg more.  We will discuss taking the plate out on the left side of the leg after the first of the year.  The top part is sticking out which could cause skin problems later on.  He like to wait at least a year before removing plate.  It will be a year on January 18th.  Stopped for moth balls on the way home.  We were advised to spread those around the property.  HOPE it works -- Mr. Stinky is not welcomed here. We also did the manadatory stop at Cabelas for more ammo, it was on sale.  You never can have enough. 

On Saturday Lee had to replace the faucet in the kitchen.  Debi came down for the weekend.  We had purchased a canopy for the back porch.  Lee and Debi did a marvelous job putting it together on Sunday.  Her help was greatly appreciated!!!!  On Monday the 1st I finished up on some domestic chores I didn't get done over the weekend.  Lee put the final touches (screens) on the canopy.  He had to reconfigure part of the bench seat to make room for it, so he worked on putting it back together.  On Tuesday he got the seat sanded. We'll start painting those areas tomorrow.  Thursday - back porch/canopy completed.  Also he took a picture of my new plant called "Pride of Barbados or Mexican Bird of Paradise".  Also in the yellow pot I put some Bell Pepper seeds and in the other pot I pot some Lemon seeds to plant for next year.  As of today (September 5th).....leg doing a lot better!!!

                                                       Debi working up a sweat

                                                          Nope it don't go there

                                                               Finished Product

                                               The Grill Gazebo and the Deck Gazebo

                                               Pride of Barbados/ Mexican Bird of Paradise

                                                                     The new Bench

                                                               Bell Pepper Seeds

                                         Lemon Seeds to make a Lemon Tree                                              Take care!!!!  Until next time...............

Hello everyone!  Can't believe it's time to do another write-up.  Time passes much faster when you've been busy like us.  This one begins on July 3rd.  After doing miscellaneous chores in the a.m. it was time to do last month's blog.  Lee worked on pictures and info on items we're going to list on the Canyon Lake classified ads that we have for sale.  Friday ----- HAPPY FOURTH!!! This was going to be a day of rest --- didn't turn out that way.  The parts came yesterday for the lawn mower.  Lee can now add mechanic to his "retirement resume".  He got the new parts installed ---- and bingo --- mower started!  We ended up mowing the grass.  Nothing else for the day!!!  Clean up -- cool off.  Now it's time to put something on the grill.  Saturday was a general cleaning and laundry day.  Not overdoing it today - Sunday the 6th - yeah right.  We washed and detailed the PT inside and out.  That was long over due.  Hope to do the truck tomorrow morning.  Gave the stove a good cleaning in between rain delays for the Daytona race.  It's been a typical race at Daytona -- rain/wrecks --- wrecks/rain.  Got cancelled - so the stove is now clean.

On Monday the 7th we washed and detailed the truck first thing.  Not too hot yet so we started working in the yard.  There was an area that really needed some TLC...then we can seed it.  On Tuesday my carpenter and plumber (Lee) worked inside while I worked on another area in the yard.  He fixed a cabinet, a door and a leak under one of the bathroom sinks.  I must add that none of our chores are started until we have our morning coffee and read the paper while sitting on the front porch.  We DO have to set some priorities.  We had been watching this plant beside the front porch -- had no clue what it was, but awesome blooms were appearing.  Absolutely beautiful!!!  Found out it is a Spider Lily.

                                                               Spider Lilly                                                  

Headed to Home Depot on Wednesday the 9th for some pebbles to put around the bird bath and some other rocks for our cactus garden.  Also got some mulch.  Once we got home and got everything spread and organized we called it a day.  More yard work on Thursday the 10th. The yard is now 98% complete.  Lee installed another motion detector light.  Spent the rest of the afternoon packing.  We going to Debi's tomorrow for the weekend.  It's her birthday (on Saturday).   

                                                               Catus Garden with Flamingoes

Off to Cedar Park (Debi's) on Friday morning the 11th.  We stopped at Cabelas to get her a candle.  As I've mentioned before -- they have the BEST vanilla candle (White Swan).  We're both hooked on them. Lee likes them also because he gets the jar they come in and after cleaning them up he uses them to store his Jelly Bellies in.  Went to dinner at the Red Lobster with the neighbors (Tammy & Pete). Always a great time!  After a trip to Costco we headed for the pool.  Stayed there ALL day!! Had a great birthday dinner --- Todd and Chad did the cooking and cleaning!  Lee and I headed home Sunday morning the 13th.  Once we got unpacked, we kicked back and relaxed -- plan on watching the race and possibly take a nap.  We got our first day of 100+ degree weather on Monday the 14th.  At 3:20 it was 100.4.  The hottest part of the day is around 5:00. Anxious to see what it is then........5:00 - 105 with heat index 110.  Now that's toasty warm.  

                                         Debi's Birthday Dinner

Hoping and praying for some rain today Tuesday the 15th.  It's in the forecast, we just hope it doesn't pass us by. Dang -- only got a few sprinkles.  We really, really need rain!!!!  On Wednesday the 16th Lee mowed the grass while I got back in the paint.  I'm working on the cabinets in the master bathroom.  On Thursday the 17th Lee had a pre-op exam at the surgery center for his cataract surgery on the 23rd.  Stopped and got his drops (2) he'll need on the way home.  OH MY GOSH -- we almost had a heart attack at the price aint OBAMA CARE great.  Disgraceful - and we have insurance.  Can't get either one in a generic -- so you have no choice.  Won't rant any more about this - because it won't be nice.  

On Friday the 18th I finished painting the cabinets in the master bathroom.  Then we started going through our old pictures from Elbert Long.  Lee was going to scan them to put on Facebook.  OH what memories -- and lots of laughs.  Lee trimmed a couple trees on Saturday the 19th.  I painted the cabinet in the little bathroom.  Off to Gruene on Sunday the 20th for Gruene Market Days.  We were almost out of this wonderful bbq sauce we get there.  We also got a beautiful plant I've been wanting.  Off to Home Depot on Monday the 21st for a few items.  We found some shelves that have cloth drawers.  Lee needed something for the fly tying room.  After a grocery store run we put it together.  Took the rest of the day off.

New Plant Pride of Barbados 

7th Grade Prom

                                                         1960-61 Junior High

On Tuesday the 22nd I painted the little bathroom door while Lee reinforced the shelves we got yesterday.  Rearranged the fly tying room and got the shelves set up and loaded.  Up at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday the 23rd and headed to the surgery center in San Marcos for Lee's surgery.  All went very well!!!  The highlight of the morning was when his surgeon came to see him before surgery and Lee asked him if he slept well last night......and that was before "the happy juice".  Everyone was cracking up.  Lee said he wanted to make sure he was rested before cutting on his eye (major LOL).  Our eye doctor is SUPER and has a GREAT sense of humor.  He is not to read at all today - that means his computer, newspaper or read anything on his phone.  Ended up being no problem.  He slept most of the day.  Thursday morning the 24th we had to go see the surgeon for a post-op checkup.  Very good report -- healing nicely.  He's doing really good with the drops -- but he HAS to concentrate really hard.  He is very sensitive when someone or something comes close to his eyes.  He has to take it easy today also and has several restrictions for a week.  I got my paint gear out and painted two closet doors.  

On Friday the 25th we had a very (wonderful) cool morning with a breeze so after coffee I started mowing the grass (Lee can't due to surgery).  The yard is looking sooo good.  It should with all the effort and care we've put in to it.  On Saturday the 26th I started painting the walls in the living room.  They're not bad (like those awful bedrooms) but definitely needed a fresh coat of paint.  Lee is trying something new on the grill --- a chicken sitting on a beer can.  OMG - so funny looking.  I took the afternoon off to watch the race.  PS - the chicken was outstanding!!! On Sunday I painted a couple more walls in the living room and Lee started washing some windows.  On Monday the 28th we headed to our favorite place -- Home Depot.  We decided to change the color in the kitchen.  I think the paint guy thought I was "nuts".  I took a cannister with me because we wanted the light blue shade that is in it.  He did good!!!  I've got 2 areas to finish up in the living room and I want to paint the hallway then I'll start on the kitchen.  We also selected some back splash tile for the kitchen.  

                                                Chicken on a Can of Beer   Yum Yum On Tuesday the 29th we spotted movement by the driveway while we were having our morning coffee on the front porch. There were 2 huge chickens!!!  We've seen lots of critters around here -- but didn't expect to see any chickens.  Turns out they belong to the neighbors across the street.  He had let them out of their fenced area to "run around" and forgot to put them up, so they wondered over to our house.  Nothing surprises me anymore.  This ended up being a good day.  I finished the living room and started on the hallway.  Lee started installing the back splash behind the kitchen sink.  He also installed a couple more outside roll up shades on the front porch.  Those are great for keeping the sun from barring down on the front of the house.

                                                     Sunday Dinner or some eggs

Completed two more projects on Wednesday the 30th.  The hallway is painted --- and the back splash has been installed.  We had never attempted a back splash before --- but Lee did an outstanding job.  Looks GREAT!!!!  We started painting the kitchen, but couldn't too involved because Lee had an pre-op exam for the cataract surgery he'll have on the left eye on August 13th.  On August 1st - with some restrictions lifted, Lee mowed the grass, then hung 2 more roll up shades on the front porch.  I got busy painting the kitchen.  We should be able to finish up tomorrow.  It was a super super pale yellow.  We were so pleased with the color we picked out. Looks so much better.  Once again a major improvement.....which was completed on Saturday the 2nd.  Next project - paint the laundry room.

New Paint

                                                       Back Splash

                                            New Back splash My eye drops that contain gold on the bar

Once again - it's been a very busy month.  But -- we thoroughly enjoy what we're doing and so proud of the outcome.  Are we finished painting -- no --- but the list is getting shorter.

Take care.  Until next time.......