LaVern & Carolyn at McDonalds

Here we are eating out at McDonalds

The remodel continues

Two upstair bedrooms done, main level bedroom done (we slept in the kitchen while that was happening) both the bathroom and laundry room are about half finished. The ceilings and walls are completed but now the hard part..........plumbing. Not hard really, just something LaVern does NOT enjoy doing. He still is reading, researching, asking questions and basically missing some sleep while figuring out how he wants to handle the hot water system. Meanwhile, today we went to Lenox, IA and ordered a 250 gal propane tank and propane! ha ha Actually we had planned on using some propane for my kitchen stove (in the summer) and occasionally for the gas dryer( don't anticipate using it much). But between the time when he gets the water system set up and running we will heat water just when we need it with a propane water heater. "The plan" is to heat water with solar, wood and wind. We havent had much sun lately but have had some wind so the wind charger is still in the works but not until this summer. I think we are heading to the kitchen to start on it next after the bathroom.
We received about 6 inches of snow this past Friday and then another 6 yesterday. We are still able to get out and around okay. '
Chores this morning included the compost pile, hauling in a week's worth of firewood, dishes and then LaVern cut up some scrap lumber and pine for the hot fires when we need them.
We had dinner yesterday with some new friends. They live on 120 acres east of Redding, an Amish community. It was snowing steadily but still the kids all bundled up and went down to the pond. Must have been down there two hours ice skating! We three girls went out also and trekked through the snow in the woods. The fresh air and snow was wonderful. I was tempted to flop down and make a snow angel but didn't want to shock my two new friends. We don't know each other well yet. I didn't know what they would think of a 60 year old woman making snow angels!! Just takin joy!!

Happy Valentine's Day

A couple weeks ago I knew that Valentine's Day was getting close. Lots of ads on the radio, TV, newspaper suggesting diamonds for that special Valentine. This morning, over coffee, LaVern mentioned that he wanted to go to town today. He said he had to get his sweetheart flowers and candy! This is a common joke between us as I just can't see spending hard earn dollars on candy and flowers. I promptly replied, "What happened to getting diamonds?" He then told me he had already given me the diamond. Upon seeing the questioning look on my face he stated (with love in his eyes).....this house......it's a diamond in the rough!! What a sweetheart!!

Love hugs and kisses to all the Valentines out there!

Daylighter

I recently read an article by a specialist in the medical field that said we should all be daylighters. If we all did this we would be much healthier and save alot of energy consumption. Okay. What is a daylighter? Daylighting means you sleep with the sun. LaVern already does this so he must be very healthy! We are to get up with the sun and go to bed shortly after it sets. That means hibernating like the animals in the winter and putting in long days in the summer. I'm all for that but my sleep clock is NOT. Some people have difficulty with that also but tell of meditating during those "awake" periods during the long winter sleep months. It makes sense actually. When electricity came available everything changed. Night became day and then a day was three eight hour shifts!! Once again something that "worked" back in the "old days" was better and people were healthier. Now we depend on machines for exercise and drugs to keep us going. hmmm No wonder our health care is a mess. My thoughts for the day. Go to bed early tonight and I'll see you at sunrise.