End of Week Six...

The painters are doing touch up work and the new kitchen is starting to come together.

I'm very pleased with what I've seen so far, for the most part the work is very high quality.

I think I have enough experience with this sort of thing not to expect perfection on the first pass, so I stay engaged and constantly point out the little things that glare "I'm not real concerned with the quality of my work". It's a sad comment on many labours working today.

I don't believe that the project will be finished by Thanksgiving, but it will be close to being done.

Next week it's counter tops and back splash tile and then on to installation of fixtures and appliances.

I'm ready to be back in a working kitchen and preparing a real meal. Camping in the living room is getting old.

Fumes, Fumes, Fumes...

Breathing lacquer fumes is not my favorite way to spend Sunday afternoon.

I have to make concessions to move this job along, the contractor wants to finish by Thanksgiving and I'll be thankful for that. Today the painting sub was here to prime the woodwork. Didn't take that much time but the FUMES will be with us for a while.

I'm not complaining, just stating fact.

Interesting side bar, Friday I got a call from an old friend who is an architect. He made the point that whenever he is hired to do a remodel he tells the client, "You don't want to do this.". The client argues and insists that they do want to do it. I now know what he means.

We're well into the home stretch now and it will be a big improvement to the house when it's all done. Tomorrow we do insulation, as in blown in the atic and the painter sands. MORE DUST!!!

The counter tops are being fabricated and will be here in 10 to 14 days.

The Trip to the End of the Road...

It's a picture of the road I grew up next to. It's US-24 and it runs North and South across the country. It's the road you take when you turn off I-94 to go to Jane and Dick's house in Dearborn.

I had taken Jane to the beauty shop where she likes to get her hair done. While I waited, I noticed the small yellow tree against the background of the others. It was November 3rd. and I had gone to Michigan to help Gail and Cindy tell Jane that she could no longer drive the car. Unfortunately, it was Jane's 86th. birthday and not a nice thing to do to your Mother on her birthday. The issue had to be confronted and Gail and Cindy really needed my support and participation.

So lately I've been thinking a lot about getting old. It's not as they say just a state of mind. There are real physical changes that you have no power to control. I like to think that I have a small ability to influence the changes but there is nothing that can be done to change the aging process.

I'm sure that I will deal more and more with this subject as I continue to age but for now

it's enough comfort to know that Jane is in a safe place and will be cared for as it needed.

The End of Week Four...

Being "out of town" while the work is being done is good and bad.

It's good because I have no idea what's being done and it's bad because I have no idea what's being done.

A great deal of progress has been made and the big picture is starting to take shape.

Cathy and I are very pleased with what we're seeing and our thinking runs to "this is going to be a beautiful improvement to the house.

It's a different world...

I'm at the Henry Ford Village in Dearborn Michigan.
My Mother lives here and has for almost 6 years. It's been a good place for her.
After she woke up on the basement floor in a pool of blood she decided that the old homestead might be the best place for her to grow old. Here she has round the clock services if she needs them and a fully functioning community of people her own age.
This property is an Errickson Community, at least it was until Errickson ran into financial problems and has to restructure their debt.
I don't know if that's going to have any affect on Jane's stay here, so far nothing new.
We're dealing with a couple of age related issues this trip. We have to update the will and make sure that the "durable power of attorney for health care" is in order and then there's the issue of the car.
It seems clear to me that Jane really shouldn't continue to drive, at least by herself but making that sale is no simple matter.
I guess we all see the car as a symbol of our freedom and lossing that is almost more than we can bear.
I'll head back to Houston on Thursday morning and I'm anxious to see what's happened with the Kitchen Job.
More later...