Walls Are Coming Down

"Walls are coming down, Walls are coming down, oh oh oh, oh oh oh..."
If you haven't heard that song by Cody Carnes, go to youtube right NOW and check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70-FFam0cDI

There is a reason that that song is in my head...we have been tearing down walls in the yard. Our yard at one time was a beautiful garden. Really. I'm not just saying that, people have told us that long long ago, our acre was a delightful place of lovely flowers and lush greenery.

There remains traces of that distant place...

 

 

We can tell that there was at one time a number of raised flower beds, outlined with rock walls. What we have now are a bunch of rock walls surrounding beds of weeds. 

We were not sure what to do with these; dig out the weeds and plant flowers in them to restore them to their former glory... or not. After giving much thought to this dilemma, I decided that our best bet was to tear the rock walls down and smooth out the dirt so that we can mow over the whole area. Monday afternoon, I had   a couple of free hours, so I went to work tearing the walls down. Those walls were well built, like the walls of Jericho. I considered calling my friends over to march around them. What you see is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There are layers of rocks under the layers of rock that you can see.

 Can you see the rocks barely sticking out? That is the hidden layer.

 Les went out with me this afternoon and dug out the really big ones that I could not lift. These pictures show our progress.

And here is the pile of rocks that we have removed so far. 

We are considering building a rock cabin on the back of the lot. 

The object lessons that formed in my mind while I was working on those walls are swirling in my mind like little tornadoes. First chance I get, I am going to post one! 

Let's Make a Light

Let’s Make a Light

                Jeannette’s Mom was born and grew up in a place called Harkey’s Valley, near Dardanelle, Arkansas.  She was, and still is at the age of 97, a card-carrying hillbilly, with a real dialect like that of Granny and Uncle Jed.  There are so many idioms that she speaks that crack me up, and I hope they’ll be remembered long after she’s gone home to be with her maker.  When the daytime shadows loom, she gets up to turn the light switch on, saying “I’ll make a light.”  I’m guessing that as a child that is exactly what she did to brighten a room . . . make a light, because back in those days in the valley, few had electricity and nighttime lighting was by kerosene lamps.  I love that she still speaks according to how she was raised.

               

                Our newly installed recessed kitchen lighting has been documented in earlier blogs, but we still needed to have a light fixture over the sink.  In our previous home, light fixtures were one of the ways we showed some flair and pizzaz, using various chandeliers and “froo froo lamps.”   This old house, however, isn’t the place to import those kinds of lighting treatments, so we’ve been keeping our eyes peeled and our minds open to a new idea.  Last week while we burned some time around the square in Weatherford, we visited a couple of antique/collectible stores and found a sweet little vintage table lamp that was very similar to the original light fixtures we have for the living room area.

Topsy Turvy

                We remembered the old Trading Spaces TV show from 10 years ago, and how designers used table lamps occasionally for nifty light fixtures by mounting them upside down on the ceiling.  Those were really cool . . . so we nabbed it!  I really didn’t care for the glass base that was on the lamp because looked like and old fashioned ash tray.  Since the hardware in the kitchen is brushed nickel, I knew I could come up with something that would be suitable and cool looking (preferably stainless steel or aluminum).  If not, I could make some kind of wooden base and spray paint it to look like nickel.

                Last weekend I found a box of 7 or 8 assorted saucepan lids at a garage sale and paid $1.00 for the whole thing, figuring that among those different sizes and styles, I should find the right one for the job.  Some were too big, others too square; but there was one lid that was a perfect fit.  I removed the knob and had to drill a ½” hole in the top for the wiring to pass through.  Then I used auto body sanding paper to scour the lid and make it look like brushed nickel.  It looks great, and now we need to come up with an ingenious way to mount a small lampshade upside down over the bulb.

                Grandmother, you’d be so proud of me because

“I made a light.”

                So, until my next blog post, I’ll sign off just like she says goodbye . . . “we’ll see ya when we see ya.”  J     

History in My Hand

Posted by Les

History in My Hand

            I almost forgot to mention in my last post that when I was tearing out the first window, and I reached to take hold of the first counterweight, I had what you might call an epiphany . . . you know, one of those “Ah Ha” moments.  I noticed how the ropes were tied to the weights by using a special knot that resembled a fisherman’s knot.  Then it hit me.  The last time a person touched these weights and tied these knots was 104 years ago (1909).

 

            If the installer was 60 years or older, he could have fought in the Civil War.  He certainly would have been a teenager at the very least, meaning his father or uncles would have/could have fought.  If he was in his 30’s or 40’s, he would have grown up during the Reconstruction era.  I don’t know about the population of blacks in Erath County back then, but it’s possible that this worker was a free man who had lived decades earlier as a slave.  

            I have no historical frame of reference on this, for it’s only a fleeting thought.  But for a moment, I felt respectfully connected to someone so long ago.

Git ‘er Done

            It has taken a full 3 weeks to complete the task of replacing all 17 of those 104 year old rope and counterweight windows with the nice energy efficient windows that were delivered back in mid January.  It feels like we’ve cleared a big hurdle getting this part of the project done, especially since the living room is no a longer window storage facility.  Now we can zero in on the much anticipated task of sanding and refinishing the original hardwood floors.  Once they are ready, we’ll be able to start moving in our living room furniture and start making this place look like a home.

Sort of Like Returning to Ellis Island

            We’ve been living on this site since the last week of December and haven’t been able to have any guests over, and if you know us at all for any length of time, you’re aware that we like to do that very thing . . . . . . . a lot.  So in the next couple of weeks, we’re going to reopen our doors and once again welcome people from all walks of life to come and dine at our table, and find love, acceptance and understanding.  As the words inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty say . . . “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.  Send these, the homeless, the tempest tossed to me.”

But by the Grace of God

This week our adventures took different paths. I went to the Gateway Church women's conference Pink Impact. So, I was in the metroplex, spending time with three of our daughters who were at the conference, and two dear friends, along with a few thousand Christian women; involved in crazy good worship, and hearing a mighty chorus of speakers!

While I was gone, Les continued to work on windows. We now have new windows installed in every room!

The week was somewhat strange. While I was in a sanctified setting concentrating on the things of God, the world around me was plagued with trauma. The news of the bombs at the Boston Marathon was so shocking. Then, to come in Thursday night and watch the burning of West, TX, following the explosion at a fertilizer plant, was very sobering.

On Friday, I was feeling puny, with a touch of stomach virus. I hunkered down in the living room around noon and turned on CNN.

As I rested and watched the events in Boston, I was so saddened by the thought of this 19 year old boy, alone, probably wounded, hiding somewhere in the Boston area with 9000 officers from various agencies looking for him.  Assuming he is guilty of the horrible crime, I wanted him captured, and I want to see him brought to justice by our legal system. That said, still, my heart hurt for him. I have friends who have 19 year-old sons, and they ARE boys, easily influenced by other people, with zeal that can burn for the right or for the wrong ideas. I don't know much about this boy, if he is hard and mean, or confused and bewildered, led astray by a stronger older brother. I just know he is human, a person created and loved by God.

As the day turned to evening, and the news came out that they had found him, and he was hiding in a boat, I thought how frightened he must be, how hopeless. He was wounded and bleeding. The place he sought for refuge had become the place where he was trapped. There was no escape. His only choice was to surrender to authorities to face trial and punishment, or fight to the death. Thank God, he chose to surrender. I rejoiced at his capture, and enjoyed watching the celebration in Boston.

Right now, he is in the hospital, being treated for wounds in the same hospital where twelve of his victims are being treated for wounds that he caused. How ironic is that?

I am praying for that young man. I'm not praying for his deliverance from punishment by the judicial system. I am praying for deliverance from the realm of darkness that he is in, from the pit of destruction that he is held in. I am praying the he will see that he has believed a lie, and that by God's mercy, his eyes will be opened to see the truth. The crimes he has committed are horrific, killing the innocent, threatening our safety and security, using a valued cultural event for violence. No excuses, no justification or rationalizations.

Jesus died for those sins. I am praying that someone will share the wonderful truth of God's love and mercy with this man while he is in the hospital. My hope is that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will come to know the love of God through Jesus Christ, and that, whether he pays for his crimes by the death penalty, dies while serving a sentence in prison, or is found to not be guilty of those crimes, that one day I will see him in heaven.

Imagine the testimony that he will have.

I Worked Hard Today

I worked really hard today. Les worked hard to, but he is more used to hard physical labor. I'm not.
A few years ago, a friend who was impressed with all of my "skills", when she found out that I can cut hair, said, "Is there anything you can't do?! I quickly said that I can't do anything requiring manual labor. My daughter added, "Or anything requiring coordination." She's right. I do not have good coordination, or rhythm. Every time we go to a wedding reception or party with dancing, my daughters have to teach me how to do the Electric Slide AGAIN. Of course, in my Baptist world, we don't go to a lot of events with dancing. Les is a great dancer, and all of the girls are, too. Not me. I love to dance, but with no rhythm or coordination, I'm a clutz.
But, that is not the point. Today, I spent the whole afternoon doing really hard manual labor. We worked clearing out the brush on the back of the lot. There is a nice open space, but about 6 feet lining the fence on the East of the lot is covered with brush.

 Today, we went to work on this area. Les used the chain saw to cut down the big branches, I used the hedge clippers to get the smaller stuff. The worst thing was that the vines were covered with thorns. No roses or anything else pretty, just vines covered with thorns.

 

 

 In case you missed the point about the thorns, here is a close-up. Those things HURT.

LOOK !! This is the area we got cleared out. 

 

It is beautiful. When the trees are green it is really going to be nice. I got on the mower and mowed the back area while Les cleaned out trash and rock. Here are some of the piles of brush we have collected.  

And, look at the metal Les collected this afternoon. 

This yard is hard, a lot of work, and hard on equipment. The mower ended up with a piece of wire in a tire. 

Besides the trash and the briers and overgrown bushes and grass, there are rocks everywhere...little piles of rocks, huge rocks laying all around, little rock walls around what must have once been flower beds...as well many tree stumbs of all sizes which makes mowing difficult. 

So, after an afternoon of hard work, I cooked some supper and took a shower, but my arms were too tired to fully dry my hair, and typing is extremely had for my arms, which feel like spaghetti. 

I was just about to check my spelling and post this, when  I saw my friend from Nepal, Aspara  stop and wave from the sidewalk.She stopped by last week and her 2 year old, Cipdi, had a ball playing with Aspen. Cipdi calls me Ama, which is Nepalese for Grandmother. Apsara says we are family, since her family is so far away. She told me that her husband was very happy when she told him about meeting us before, and she took my picture to show him. 

So, of course, when I saw her,  I went out to visit. God gave me the strength to play with Cipdi, and have a nice visit with Apsara. I showed her the work we did today, and she said she will come help tomorrow, except I told her we will be going to church tomorrow and not working. So, she worked today, pulled a ton of weeds! An unexpected blessing. 

Did I Do THAT?

This week, Les has worked on the windows. He put the wood frames back up and caulked around them...caulked, and caulked, and caulked...like 2 cases of caulk to do the job.
We still have 4 windows in the back bedroom to replace, and the small windows in the master bath and the laundry room, in the "new" part of the house built in 1962.
So, I came in Monday afternoon with a little free time. Les suggested that I go and buy new hardware for the bathroom. Although we are committed to reusing old things in the house, the french provencial hardware with layers of paint and gunk were just not what we wanted. I bought hardware like we have in the kitchen, and I came home and began to install it. The drawer and door pulls were not hard to put in at all, with the help of an electric screwdriver.

 
 Hanging the doors with the new hinges required skills that I have not used before. I got out the hinges, looked at them, looked at the doors, looked at the cabinets and decided that the best thing to do was put the hinges on the cabinets, then hold the doors up to attach the other side of the hinges. Turns out that was NOT the best thing to do. I couldn't get cabinet up, line it up with the hinge, and hold it steady while I tightened the screws with one hand. I tried several times. Then, I picked up another door, attached the hinges, then held it in place, resting on the cabinet opening, while screwing the hinge onto the wall. That worked.

 
Too bad I didn't have another hand to take the picture while I was actually doing the work. Anyway, I was able to do all the doors in that space.
Here are the completed cabinets.

 
These laundry room cabinet doors are 4 feet tall, and let me tell you, it was not easy to hold a door up with one hand, also holding the hinge in place, while operating the screwdriver with the other hand. The fact that I did it all by myself was pretty exciting.
Pat on the back, please!

Big Work Day

Last week, Melody said that she and Brad and Aspen were coming down this weekend to work with us on the house. YIPPEE. The help would be great, and spending time with kids is always fun.
Saturday morning, Les had to break up a concrete fence curb in the yard so that I could get the new mower to the lower part of the yard. It was really hard work. 

 
Since I now have a sweet kitchen, and Facebook has been loaded with tasty looking recipes, I decided to do some cooking...desserts, lunch, dinner, all going on at the same time.

Brad, Mel, and Aspen got here around 1. We immediately ate a turkey burger lunch, and got to work. 

Brad helped Les take out the old windows and put new ones in. That was a big job, and we were thrilled to have the help. They started with the side window in the living room. 

 
Melody painted the bathroom cabinets, drawers, and doors.

 
And Aspen and I mowed!

The guys then moved to the master bedroom, with the wall or windows.

 

 

And, here is the finished product...oh, I wish the bedroom was clean for the picture :( 

It is worse than usual, because our toiletries from the bathroom drawers are on the little table. 

We are committed to using the original products from the house as much as possible. As they took out the old windows (which were in too bad shape to restore and reuse) they carefully removed all the wood, scraped it, and put it back on.

 

We can't use the old windows as windows, but, we are going to use them for something.

After we mowed for a while, I took Aspen, Lexi, and Kylie to the park, then they all took turns helping me mow. When I took the other girls home, Aspen lounged while her mom cracked pecans for her.  

Our new friend Apsara, who is from Nepal, and her 2 year old daughter stopped by for a visit. She said the her daughter calls me Ama, the Nepalese word from grandmother! Apsara asked if she can bring her husband to meet us on Monday, when he is off work. He was happy when she told him about meeting us. She told me that they have no friends or family here. I said, "Now you do. We are friends. She said, "We are family." I am honored and humbled.  

Today, the guys got right back to work. We had decided to put a larger window in the front of the house, which meant extra work cutting the hole the right size. 

 

 Then they moved to the west side of the house. They almost got it finished. Only the four windows in the back bedroom are left.

 While they worked, Aspen and I "mowed" again. Somehow, she learned to drive the mower. With the blades up, I let her stir, and was amazed at how well she did. This pictures is not staged. It is an action shot. She's driving the mower while Les relaxes.

The Warmerdams left about 6:00. Melody sent me this picture at 6:08.