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January 2023
So much has changed since I last updated this site.
We now have high speed internet and I have two YouTube channels.
We finally got the garden shed finished and organized this summer. We replaced the one round strawberry bed with a metal
raised bed and removed the edging from the other round strawberry bed. I have another metal bed for that one but never got
it together this past summer.
It was a busy summer working in the greenhouses and the garden. The cover ripped off the small greenhouse but managed
to keep it together long enough to grow the pepper plants.
Shoes had a flea problem this past summer due to me forgetting to give her the heartworm medicine. Luckly it was only
fleas which we managed to get rid of quickly by giving her plenty of baths and shampooing the carpets a lot.
We finally got the wood stove for upstairs and doors for the fireplace. I must say I am enjoying this winter a lot more
with the warmth from those fires! I actually look forward to the cooler days so we can light the fires.
This summer we spent a lot of time at the vet's office since Linda offered us free vouchers to get all the outdoor cats
spayed and neutered. All ten of them: Spike, Fluffy, Peaches, Butterscotch, Mitze, Tabby, Little Grey, Blue, Prince and Princess.
Since than two more males have shown up - Dexter and Hercules. Dexter has been checked out since he had a bloody nose all
summer and he is now okay.
We have brought two new crates and are keeping all the cats inside the garage at night this winter since the coyotes
are so close. They are in the garage because the shed where they usually stayed is shut off since it is filled with firewood.
In January of 2023 Tabby never returned one evening and we have not seen here for almost two weeks. She is the oldest cat
at around 5 years old. I do have an insulated crate on the side porch for Hercules since he is not crate trained and has a
fit when locked up. He is the only cat outside at night. He was feral when he arrived but now very friendly.
We decided to add another greenhouse this year. It will be a 16 x 20 high sided one which we plan on putting up this
spring. I also ordered a new cover for the small greenhouse which we will be moving to a new location. This winter I also
ordered all the seeds for the year, garden beds for the new greenhouse and a new compost tumbler.
I have started the onion and leek seeds for this summer and will soon be sowing more seeds in the greenhouse and in the
glow room.
December 2021
We almost had a major problem when the main freezer which was completely filled started to warm up past the safe zone.
We were lucky enough to find one freezer in stock at Columbus the next morning. Bill drove up and brought it so all our hard
work was not for nothing. Just as a note that upright freezer was packed and when I moved the items into the chest freezer
they just covered the bottom. What a difference since they are close to the same dimensions. Also, the upright is still working
but keep an average temperature of 2.9 degrees not 0. It is almost empty as I am using it to store flour, beans and Christmas
cookies. It works as long as you do not over fill it and block the vents.
We did have some fun going out to eat with different friends and family. We took in a few county fairs and the Indiana
state fair. The highlight of the summer was our class reunions. Mine was in August and his in September with just enough time
in between to recover from Covid. We also attended Oktoberfest and Fort Vallonia Days.
Thanksgiving was small this year with just Doug ( our son) and us since Shawn and Desiree ( our son and his wife) were
in quarantine due to Covid and Aaron ( a friend) had to work.
It is December and I am still harvesting food from the greenhouse and garden ( parsnips, turnips, carrots, Brussel Sprouts,
radishes, celery, broccoli raab, kale and lettuce)! I am so excited to be harvesting veggies in December, plus I have broccoli,
cauliflower, cabbage, new Brussels sprouts, beets, peas and spinach growing also.
On the down side Shoes is on medication again for another UTI. We are down to 2 hens (Lady and Josie) but all the other
anmals are doing well. We still have Sunny (the cockatiel), Artemis ( the ball python), and seven cats (Mitize, Fluffy, Stripe,
Tabby, Peaches, Buttercup and Little Grey) plus a few goldfish.
September 15, 2021
Wow! What a ride we have had in the past few years! Some good and some bad. We went from spotty internet to high speed
internet within the last 6 months which is great. (no more excuses for not updating this). We are both retired now but I swear
we are busier now than before. We have made a lot of improvements in the landscaping with new pathways and added lights plus
new security with the new internet. We still need to extend the back pathway to the chicken park and finish building the little
shed out back. On the sad side we lost half the chickens this year within a month - not sure what happened but they were
dead when I went to feed them. I have not gotten any more and have decided to wait until next spring/summer before deciding
if and how many to buy.
Last October with the help of our oldest son we managed to get my small 8 x 10 metal garden shed put up before I ended
up in the hospital (out patient) for test. I had some internal bleeding which turned out to be a fragile stomach lining which
responded to rest and medication. The resting part was hard and the garden suffered a bit this summer because I did not clean
it up as well as I should have last fall. Also no "fall/winter" garden crops were planted that year.
I started seedling inside on February and by March we (my hubby and myself) spent the whole month constructing our first
real greenhouse. It has been a learning experience but I have fallen in love with gardening inside the greenhouse. There have
been a few failures - the tomato trellis was not strong enough and collapsed in August but they managed to keep producing.
However, they fell onto the other half of the bed so I could not replant that side when I really wanted to this fall. I have
seedlings in the small greenhouse waiting to be transplanted as soon as I get the tomatoes out. Plus I have a new trellis
planned for next summer.
The new melon patch was successful mostly - I harvested pumpkins, watermelons and butternut squash but no cantaloupe
before the squash bugs destroyed the plants. Squash bugs were my main problem this year both inside and out - I have not had
a problem with them before but figured since I never got the dead stuff out last fall that gave them a safe place to winter
over. This fall - so far - everything has been cleared out and into the compost bin as soon as the plants are done producing.
We decided to enclose the breezeway between the north and south wings of the house and that took most of last summer
and some of this spring to finish. It is now a enclosed porch and one of my favorite places to be especially on a rainy day.
I can curl up in my hanging chair and read while listening to the rain and Shoes can be in there with me!!
The apartments have kept us busy with regular wear and tear of things but mostly all good things to report there.
We both had/have 50th year class reunions this summer. I had a wonderful time at mine and kept busy this summer on different
committees to help make it a success. We will be going to his 50th plus 1 reunion later this month and I'm looking forward
to it.
I have started another advantage since we have high speed internet and that is not one but two YouTube channels. I decided
to combine two of my favorite things - well maybe three things lol filming, writing and gardening. One channel is Kat Jarvis
- Life at Sunny Lea were I show and talk about things happening on the homestead and I try to release a new video every Friday.
The other channel is called Country Girl and it is mainly gardening with videos released every Monday and Thursday. I also
have a blog called DIY with Kathy.
Lots going on in my life and like I said I am one busy girl plus I am still studying my Spanish and I have not missed
a day in the last 752 days. Studying on line so they count each day for you - if you miss a day the counter restarts at one.
April 17, 2019 I am sorry it has taken so long to update things but I had connection troubles for a long time plus lots of
family things to deal with.
The good news is that finally things are slowly returning to a "new" normal. We have made a lot of improvements
around the house and have started working on my parent's house. Last summer we finished moving everything out and the inside
is now gutted waiting on us to start putting it back together so we can rent it out.
We have KBC Apartments completely refurbished and all are rented at this time. I have all the rooms in the main house
painted but still have that north wing bathroom to remodel.
Right now I have baby plants filling the sun room and my studio waiting to be hardened off net week. The main garden
is planted with all the cool weather crops and the greenhouse is planted also. I started clearing the four beds in the shade
garden yesterday and hopefully will get those done later today.
We are going to the gym two to three times a week usually.
Last summer I decided to take our backyard back away from the wild. That was a big project which involved removing lots
of weeds, brushes and trees. I love the way it has turned out but still have a little work to do on the west side leading
into the woods but the old dog kennel has been uncovered and turned into a chicken park and the area opened up to allow more
air to flow.
April 23,2018
WOW! It has been a full year since I have been able to write due to compute problems and a super busy lifestyle. Just
a quick update we still have our KBC Apartments of Seymour, a dog, some cats, birds, snake and fish. I am still active in
my many hobbies. This past month I have been working almost daily in the garden. I have all the cool weather crops planted
and so far I have only seen the radishes poking up from the ground.
I rearranged the greenhouse and have a complete garden planted inside as an experiment.
We joined a gym last August and I have lost 20 pounds but have not been back this month due to gardening.
April 14,2017
A lot has happened in the last year and I have not been able to update this site. Yesterday my middle son presented me
with a "new to me" computer and to my surprise it is allowing me to access this site. !!!
I can't even begin to talk about the past year and include everything.
I still have the hallway to paint but everything else is painted. The garage was cleaned but needs it again due to a few
massive outdoor projects. We have finished installing the walk way around the whole house. That meant I had to redesign all
the flower gardens next to the house. I also finished placing the stone mulch in the bird/mediation garden by hand. Plus I
planted a flower garden in the center. It is not finished yet since I am still working on the mediation stepping stones.
The other big addition was enlarging the chicken run.
October 6, 2016 Still trying to stay busy as my therapy. It has been a very stressful year but it has
cause me to get a lot finished. I now have my sun garden complete including my green house in place. The patio is finished
with paths all around the back of the house, now have a beautiful chicken coop with chickens, The agility course has been
upgraded, a new bird garden built, all the porches redecorated, the inside of the garage painted, two apartments refurbished,
and most of my mom's house cleared out. I recused another bird(Tootsie Roll) and lost one of the older ones (Chatty) this
year. I still have a list of projects that I am working on. I have to repair a door, add trim work around
another door, was/repair/paint the back stairway, add stone mulch around the house, paint three more grids, build a few obelisks
for the garden, remodel a bathroom, new flooring for the north wing, screen in one of the porches, and start refurbishing
my mother's house to name a few of those projects. I have a few crops growing in the greenhouse and hopefully
they will do well over the winter.
November 15,2015 I have not been on here for a while for many reasons. The first is that only IE
will let me use this site and I don't use IE much anymore because my old computer refused to support it so I have to use another
computer and second my life has been in a mess since July. Bill's mother (89 years old) fell and had to be placed in an assistant
living home where she fell again breaking her hip and face. Next came hospital visits, nursing home, back to assistant
living , hospice, and finally her funeral at age 90. This was only one of the family matters we were dealing with there were
and still are others. All but one has been settled (I hope). I am still working in the garden and have
some fall/winter crops planted but most of the garden beds have been tucked in for the winter, I have most of the garage painted
and organized with just one small corner to finish painting. I am cleaning and organizing the last closet in the north
wing and will soon be working on the old bathroom. That room needs a complete overhaul from the floor to the drywall needing
to be replaced. I have a list a mile long but that's okay because that is my therapy - to keep busy.
Wear myself out during the day so I can sleep at night.
March 26,2015
No, I have not forgotten about this site. I have not been able to edit it due to computer problems. A lot has happened
since December. At the moment I am typing with a support cast on my right wrist. I have been busy working in my vegetable
garden - building raised beds, grids, trellis,etc. I planted over 50 new strawberry plants the other day and tripped into
a mole hole on my way to turn off the water. Doctor in the ER was certain I had broken my toes and wrist but the X rays proved
him wrong. Two very bad sprains was the final conclusion. I should be back in the garden and lifting weights within a few
weeks. I hope!
December 3, 2014
Thanksgiving was wonderful with the whole family home for the day. I spent the month of November cleaning and organizing
the basement. I finished the studio expect for putting up one trim board. I am cleaning up the flower gardens now that the
vegetable garden is cleared and waiting for the next planting season. With Christmas coming I am not getting much done as
far as painting and decluttering inside. I have the master bathroom grout to clean and seal yet, a closet to declutter, a
bathroom to remodel, and the garage to paint and organize before I can start on the next big project. I always have projects
running around in my head!
November 23, 2014
Still having trouble getting on this site. I have most of the rooms painted and the apartments are almost finished. I
still have the garage, a bathroom and a closet to finish at home. Sounds easy but nope. The garage has not been cleaned for
years and the weather has turned cold so it will be harder to declutter before painting. The bathroom has not been a bathroom
for years. It has been a unfinished storage room which means it will have to be clear, drywall place and finished and a new
floor put in before I can paint. That closet will not need paint but because the walls have not seen the light of day for
all the stuff piled inside. You open the door at your own risk. The rest of the house looks great but it has taking me a year
and three months to get to this point.
June 18, 2014
I still can not get this site to work on the other browsers and I do not feel comfortable of IE so I have not updated
for awhile. I am still painting rooms at the house - all of the downstairs is painted and I have two rooms upstairs to paint
in the south wing than I will start on the norht wing. The apartment building is also all refurblished - we are working
on the last unit. All the other units are rented but one shoud be opening up at the end of this month. I hope because
they have been asked to leave because their lease is up.
I have started two new blogs = one that I update daily. DIY with Kathy on wordpress.com
Bill has retired from the state and is keeping busy at the apartment building.
Feburary 10, 2014
We are still in the deep freeze and snow covered. I finally got my hair cut after cancelling my appointment twice
due to being snowed in.
The room pinting has really slowed down but I did manage to get the boy's bathroom painted with the help of Chris.
I still need to go back and touch up a few placed that we messed up on ( clamshell paint on the whte ceiling oops!).
Chris's room is finished ecept for the closset doors. They are sitting in the basement with one side stained. After
two days of smelling stain fumes though the whole house we have decided to wait until the weather breaks and finish
staining them outside. In the meantime I made four Valentine wreaths - two that I kept for myself and two that I sold.
Bill has been working on retirement papers and it looks like he will be retiring in April of this year ( if he
does not change his mind again).
We have not been able to work on the apartment 2 because of the weather. The machine that we need could not be
delievered due to the road conditions and now we have to reschuedule work time. Since Bill has hurt his back it may be awhile
before that happens.
So far this month our biggest excitement was having a large brown bat get into the house by way of the chimmey.
It was easy to get out , we just turned on all the lights and walked the curtain it landed on out the door Bye bye bat!
We did spend a few days at Doug's in Ohio at the beginning of the month between snow storms. I have to admitt I
enjoyed the trip but I was worring about getting home before the storm hit again. We drove the last hour in the snow but made
it home safetly.
January 24, 2014
The weather has been awful since right after Thanksgiving. I have not gotten much painting done because it has
been so cold outside. I did get the boy's bathroom ceiling patched and painted. Painting an old textured ceiling is not much
fun. The texture pattern doesn't match the old but it is close enough that you have to look close to see the difference. It
took two coats of paint to get all the cervices painted.
Shoes has been inside alot due to the weather. Whenever the temperture falls below freezing I do not let her out
for more then a hour at a time and when it get into the minus figures she wears a bright orange coat and is not
out longer then 30 mintes. I have spent a lot of time this month putting on that coat and taking it off.
I have had to cancel my hair appointment twice this month and at this point have not scheduled another one. I was
lucky and manger to get to my dentist appointment only to find I had chipped a tooth and it had a small cavity. Therefore
I had to go back and have that repaired ( I was lucky no snow that day).
With Shoes underfoot I can not get up the ladder to paint so painting has been postponed until warmer weather.
I have been doing a lot of training with her, reading books, playing games, working on some crafts and making plans
for summer projects.
We are still waiting on one recliner to be shipped and the mud furniture to be finished.
I am finding myself without a car lately as Bill's car refuses to start in super cold weather. That works for me
because after 15 years of driving and walking in this weather to deliever mail, I have no desire to get out in it.
January 2, 2014
I have been super busy and not being able to update this site with FireFox is a bummer!
I ended up cutting all the baseboard myself as I was told that "If it doesn't make me money I don't have the time
for it". I must say it turned out very well. I had some trouble with the angled wall upstairs but after some filing
I got it done.
The nook and office are both painted now. I built a photo shelf for the office to display the photos without adding
a bunch of nail holes and with the help of the guys we have it mounted to the wall.
Two of the three pieces of furinture for the front room were delivered. I am still waiting on one recliner.
The head of my Shark vacuun stopped working but the company sent me a new one without any trouble.
I managed to get Chris' room painted and redoracted before Christmas. I need to buy some closet doors and stain
them yet. I added six wall shelves to the room and a new cherry dresser.
I am still waiting on the mud furniture but I knew that would be delievered way after Christmas.
I am now working on repairing the boy's bathroom ceiling.Years ago there was a clog in the drainage hose from the
AC unit and it damaged the ceiling. I have patched the hole and getting ready to paint the ceiling before painting the walls.
I now have to either sell, trash, store, recycle or redo the old sofa and chair, four TV's and
a set of bunk beds.
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| Chris's room |
Nov.7, 2013
I still can not up date using FireFox and IE is slow. I have been keeping very busy, The foyer has been painted
completely, Bill brought the needed baseboard for the bathroom - which I have finished now he needs to cut it to size
and install. The three Christmas present projects are finished and curing - I will be able to wrap them up just after
Thanksgiving. Speaking of Thanksgiving it looks like I will be fixing it here this year.
We are still waiting on the furniture from Ashley's. They called in it will be another two or three weeks but they
did refund my delievery charge money.
The kichen is completely repainted and I have one wall left in the nook area to paint. That is the wall where
the new mudroom locker/hutch will go when it arrives. Our regular cabinet maker agreed to make it but since he is semi retired
the unit wil not get here until after Christmas.
This means I will either have to take everything off the walls and then replace them or more likely take everything
off the wall and repair nail holes and find some other solution to hanging coats and caps until the unit gets here.
I have one more room to paint downstairs - the office. That room will not be easy because of the large drawing
table which I can not move. I will have to crawl under and over it to paint. Also I am thinking about redecorating that
room - of course the build in desk and the drawing table will have to stay where they are at. I have not decided on
a color for sure. The room is connected to the front room which is painted a field flexflower blue with a blue-gray carpet
and rich brown furniture. The carpet in the office is also blue gray and before the two room where the same color. The
rest of downstairs is painted Swiss coffee which is a white with a touch of brown to make them appear warmer and the floors
are all hardwood and natural stone. There is also a door leading into this color scheme from the office. I was thinking about
going with a warm brown but still leaning towards the blue. I love this color - It reminds me of the ocean so much that
I sometimes wonder where the fish are. LOL
I am having a great time training the dogs that are enrolled in class, especially two labs that are so lovable.
October 16,2013
I still can not update the website using Firefox and we are still waiting on the new furniture for the front room.
I have the dining room painted and new curtains hanging. I found a great bargain and got all four curtains
and eight thick chair pads for around $80. total. I also found a new table cloth that matches the cutains.
I have to finish one wall in the foyer and then the nook/kitchen yet. I have been speding a lot of time working
on a few new Pinterest boards looking for the perfect piece of furniture for the nook area. I found what I want ,
now I need to see if my friendly local cabinet maker will come out of retirement to make one more peice. I have decided to
put off painting until after I get the Christmas gifts made.
I don't have many people on my list but I have found a project that will work for three of them and myself. That
only leaves Bill, Doug, Chris and Shoes to buy gifts for. We may ge Shawn and Desiree a few more things as well.
Shoes got her heartworm medicine today - I really hate giving her those things. I do not give her one on the exact
day of the month because if you read the instructions they are good for 40 days - so I count out around 40 days and then I
give it to her. I asked the vet and he said that the reason they say once a month is because it is easlier for poeple to remember
to give the pill if they use the same day each month . He also said that a person can be two weeks late in giving the pill
and the dog will still be protected. Right now she is asleep on her bed - that pill seems to make her sleepy at times
and other times you wouldn't know she had taken one. Maybe it's the weather.
October 7, 2013
I can't believe I haven't been on here for so long but then when I look back to what I have been doing I can see
why. lol
The presentation at the Bartholomew County Public Library was a success meaning everything worked out well.
I have not made anymore appointments for presentations because I deided that my house needed a good cleaning.
That and the problems that we ran into when re modeling the last unit in the apartment building has taken most of our time.
On the home front, Bill's favorite chair broke a spring after 25 years of use. I spent almost a month researching
and talking to different places about recovering and repairing the front room furinture. We decided that the cost of repairing
was greater then the price of replacing. It took another month of researching online and in person to find the right pieces
for the front room. LOL Upon buying the furinture we were told it would be another month or two before the furniture would
arrive at our house. Yes - we are still waiting on it! In the meantime, we added a new security door to the front door,
I changed the locks on the two inside doors on the north wing, I have repainted the front door, the
front room, downstairs bathroom, the dinning room and the foyer. I redecoratd the dinning room last week by replacing the
curtains, tablecloth and moving some furinture around. This week I have addded a new board to Pininterst on Mudrooms
and looking at redeocrating the nook/mudroom area.
I drained, cleaned and refilled the goldfish pond. sewed Shoes a dog bed, repainted all
the statues outside, sanded and refinished the potting bench and the picnic table and painted all the metal pieces outdoors
that needed painting. I plan on painting all the rooms dowstairs this fall (still have the nook,kichen and study) and
then starting on the rooms upstairs.
The Perfect Dog Obedience Private Dog Training Course has also been keeping me busy. I so enjoy watching the dogs
go from not knowing anything to being well trained pets.
The apartment has kept Bill very busy. I help when I can but most of the stuff that he was doing required
strength that I can no longer handle with my shoulder problem. I have spent a lot of time just being there to keep him
company and to be there in case he needs help. I did paint the two new doors there and they need another coat before
winter sets in. Chris cuts the grass there but I do the hedge trimming. I also cut the grass at home and at my mom's
old place.
So I have been very busy this summer. Yes, I am still training Shoes twice a day, playing games on Facebook and
working on a new cookbook. Having a ball with retirement!
July 15, 2013
Things have been happening around here very fast. Shoes had her vet appointment on June 21 and it want well. She
did not like having the blood work done or her nails trimmed but over all things turned out well. The next day Doug left to
go to Columbus , Ohio for another interview. He stayed almost all week looking for housing. He left to start his new job of
July 1 and Bill & I finished packing up his stuff. We spent the 4th of July moving his stuff to Ohio. It was a wonderful
day for traveling and we got to spend time with all three of the boys and our wonderful daughter-in-law. I spent the next
few days rearranging our house and shampooing carpets. On July 13 I was still debating if I should take Shoes to the presentation.
Well after praying about it my gut feeling was to take her - I am so glad we did! There was a equipement failure and the staff
could not get the powerpoint presentation to work. I had to use Shoes for all the demonstrations that were on the slides.
We mannaged to present a good program but I felt bad that the people attending did not get to see the performane video
beause there was no way to show field performance inside a small room. I am hopeing that tonight program will be better. I
have been on the phone talking to the contact person and they know my needs and about he problems that we had at the other
town's presentation. Wish us luck! and if you are near Columbus,In come to the Public library at 7:00pm and watch the
program. It free to the public and no personal dogs are allowed in the library.
June 21,2013
Like most people I know how important it is to get our dog's vaccinations but I also worry about them. As
many people know we have changed vets because of what happened at our last vet visit and today was the first first with
the vet. Shoes and I visited the office earlier to get weighed and to meet the people.
I came prepare with a copy of all Shoes's past medical history and a list of questions for the vet.
First thing was getting her weight 82.6 pounds - better then last year and he said that as long as she doesn't start
gaining she was okay. Unlike our old vet he did everything with us present in the room, ears checked, teeth checked,
internal organs listened to , complete body exam where he felt over her, limbs checked, area of questioned checked. Then came
the hard part turning her onto her back to check her underside and tail area, followed by getting some blood for testing.
Unlike Spot , Shoes doesn't give blood without a fight After two needles and many attempts to get some blood without getting
anyone hurt we finally got some blood. I think if they had hit the vein on the second attempt we would not have had
so much trouble - but with her fur and the fact that it was hot and we were not prepared for her yanking back so quickly I
was not surprised that it took more then one attempt. I am just glad the vet released the needle so that it didn't break when
she jerked her paw back.
After that the rest of the shots were easy. She didn't like the nose spray and again yanked back but that was expected.
Next came what I have been hoping to avoid- having her nails trimmed by someone else. We discussed using
a muzzle but he wanted to try first without one - with some good holds, treats and a skillful tech we never needed one.
Until lately I have always been able to trim them. I have never cut them too short and they have never bled but lately she
would get up and walk away whenever I started to clip them. She put up a fuss for the first back paw, she growled,snapped
and tried to sit down; however, with three of us working to keep her in one place plus being tied up we got it clipped.
The second back paw was no trouble. I was hoping the front paws would be as easy as the second back paw - nope. Same thing
with the front ones she put up a fuss on the first one and accepted the second one. Hopefully next month I will be able to
clip them at home. She didn't give us any trouble getting into the car to go home.
Hopefully Shoes will not have to visit their again until this time next year. I really liked this vet,
he took the time to learn about Shoes and was patent with her. He never said that she was aggresive or that she was super
overwight and he never hit her. He understood that she was scared of the needle, that her weight was stable and asked about
her diet and approved it. Everything was done with me watching and actually helping and no one hit her.. she was giving
nothing but encouraging words, pets and love - plus lots of treats. Even the vet was asking for some of the treats to give
her. I think we have a winner!
June 6, 2013
Wow time has gone fast.I have been so busy with additional summer things ( cutting grass and gardening). We got
the apartment finished this month and after one week of screening applicates it is rented. I have been busy working on a power
point slide show for the book signing presentation and the speech that is to go with it. I have also been making crochet bowties
and flower for the "yellow dog" project, I plan on making some bandannas and photo frames yet. I hope to have a variety of
things to sell at the next presentation.
I have been working with Shoes as usually, new commands that we are working on is " bring me your bowl" and "honk
the horn". We are slowlly making process with her getting into my truck. For some reason she no longer wants to get
into the truck ( no probem with the car) - she will now put both front legs into the truck.
May 22, 2013
A lot has been happening in the last month. Doug has moved back home to Indiana from Tennessee and is in the process
of job hunting. The Seymour Tribine printed a very good atricle about Shoes, the book and myself. We are in the process of
booking speakng engagements and also taking on new clients for the personal dog training course. I have been busy editing
the power point presentation as well as making videos for You Tube.
Bill, Chris and I have also been working on apartment 4 at KBC Apartments of Seymour,llc. The new stove is scheduled
to arrive this week. I will give the apartment a good cleaning before putting up the for rent sign this week end.
April 26,2013
Last Friday Shoes and I were interviewed for the local paper, however the phographer had a problem with his camera.
He returned today to take the pictures.Last week the grass was cut and pretty - it has rined most of the week so the grass
was not cut . He took photos of us sitting in my grandfather's iron swing and then he took pictures of Shoes on the agility
course. He said she didn't have to run the course but Shoes had other ideas. She was so excited to see the course that she
hit it running as soon as I gave her the command. The phographer asked for her to repeat some of the jumps so he could get
the photo. Shoes ended the morning by wavinggood bye to him as he got ready to leave.
April 19,2013
it is so niice having Doug back home for awhile, but I do wish that it was his choice and not because of the current
reason. He has had a lot of interviews but no solid offers yet. I am hopeing that he gets a job closer to home this time.
Doug did manage to get me an interview with the local newspaper for my book. It took place earlier this afternoon,
now waiting for the phographer to return or call to set a photo shoot. He had removed the battery from his camera to charge
it and had forgotten to replace it hard to take pictures without the battery.
Cut grass yesterday after finding a tick on Shoes Monday and found another tick on her today - so we have begun
the spring/summer/fall tick treatments.
Had a headache all day yesterday due to the weather changing. Cold tempertures moved in with the rain and before
I could turn on the sump pump the water was in the basement again. :-(
Also got a shorter haircut Wedensday - easier to handle when it's hot... now waiting for thehot weather to come
back.
April 2.2013
Yesterday I worked four hours in the thicket and ended the day with 1110 calories. Weigth
this morning was a bit heavy due to eating 15 potato chips yesterday. I suppected that would happen - now I know for sure
that is the reason.
So far it has been a great day!. Weather man says 70's for next week!! I seriously under estimated the amount of time
it will take to clear the thicket I worked four hours this afternoon and only get about 1/8 of it done because I ran into
grapevines that take twice as long to clear out. Doubt if I get it all cleared before the grapevines green up - once that
happens it is impossible to pull them out. I set up the archery range and the agility course this afternoon . Shoes and I
spent 45 minutes on the course, a lot of that was just walk/run review time. Like all of us she needs to recondition after
the winter break. She nailed the board jump on the first attempt and after two false starts and seeing that no treats were
to be had - she walked the teeter. Got a "jackpot" pf treats and turned around and ran the teeter again! We finished the session
with a game of fetch and a walk near the wood edge. Then reality set in an I had to clean the shower before I could take a
shower. :-)
April 1,2013
I have decided to make another life change. I dropped red meat from the home menu a long time ago and increased
the vegetable dishes. Now I have decided to keep a written food diary until I get back to my pre injury weight.and to restart
weight training. I was forced to stop all training four years ago when my shoulder was hurt. I was told it would take four
years to heal - it still acts up at times but I have decided it needs to be "pushed" a little to increase strength and
also to help with some weight loss.
March 29, 2013
Yesterday was a big day for me - it was the first time I carried inside a store. Everyone told me I would be worried
about someone seeing that I had it on me, but I found that once I made the decision to wear it I never even thought about
having it.. I did more worrying about where to place it in the truck when it was not on my body. I have also found that it
does not bother me to carry it loaded. I have been wearing the cell phone and hand radio on my hip for the last 15/8
years and feel like I'm not dressed when one of them is not there so Rossi feels like she belongs there
as well. It is fast bcoming just like the phone " Don't leave home without it."
Apartment 1 was rented today, so now we are planning on finishing Apartment 4 and getting it rented before working
on Apartment 2. It feels so nice to have half the building rented out again. I was glad that our old renters were able to
buy their own houses - but it would have been nice if both of them had not brought them at the same time.
March 24, 2013
Things are starting to come together with apartment 4 - all the walls have beeen repairs and painted, windows are
all painted except the kitchen window. I had to wait until they replaced the glass and am now waiting for the weather to get
warm since the window needs o be opened to paint. John is scheduled to lay the tile floors and bathroom area as well as pput
down the laminated wood planks in the bedrooms this week. Thursday I hope to be able to paint the window and maybe the other
handrail if it warms up enough. I am ready for wrm weather - I planted some garden last week when it was warm but have
not gone out to see if the pes have sprouted. I want to play in the garden and on the agility course. Itching to set up the
archery range because I can hear the bowstrings calling my name.
Feb 17, 2013
It has been a busy week - at least since Thursday. Bill had another appointment with the specialist in Columbus
on Thursday so we made a "day" of it. Afer the appointment we want to the Petco in Greenwood and picked Shoes up a new kick
ball and some more dental works that goes into her water, to Bob Evans, then we visited Grandma in Indianapolis from there
we want over to Beech Grove to check out Yollie's Orential store, the new Firearms shooting range and then over to visit Uncle
John before heading home.
Friday we worked in the apartment most of the day. Saturday Bill worked in the apartment and I stayed home cleaning
house. Today we attended church, shopped for the apartment at Home Depot, dropped off the maerials at the aparment then
want grocery shopping.
Shoes was having a rough day - seems she got shocked a few times trying to chase away a stray cat, got her paw
caught on her inside den, dropped a coaster on same paw and got scared when she throught she was trapped while rolling onto
her back. Things have finally setled down after two walks outside. she settled down on her bed and fell asleep. It was a deep
sleep because she must have been dreaming about chasing that cat because her paws started moving while she was snoring. I
plan on checking her room at least once during the night to make sure she is okay.
Feb. 11 I am so tired. Chris and I worked six hours without any breaks in the apartment building today. We pulled
all the wood trim from the floor boards, doors and windows. Pulled all the nails and carried everything down the stairs
to the dumpster. Bill pulled the carpet in the two bedrooms and started on the vinyl flooring in the bathroom. Then I washed
down the two bedroom walls as Chris finished looking for any nails that we missed. We loaded a nice over the tolet
cabinet that Joe and Toni left for us into y truck. Chris and I then want to Wal Mart to pick up a few things we needed -
nothing like going shopping when your dressed in dirty work cothes. lol Got home and unloaded the cabinet and put it
into Chris's bathroom before taking a nice hot bath. I was so dirty and tired that y feet even hurt. Then fed Shoes, watered
Artie , looked for Goldie ( noticed he had trouble jumping up to get his food the last two days and he was limping on his
back leg this morning) brfore fixing soe veggie chili.
Feb.10.2013 A lot has happened since the last update. I try to update perfect Dog daily, Shoea weekly and KBC every
two weeks but this one getting skipped over when things get busy. Bill has finished all his test and is back to work after
being off three months. He has a dentist appointment and a follow up with the specialist this week. We have been very busy
with the apartments. We have had three tenants move out this month. Two have moved into their own homes. So had to paint three
walls in apartment 1 and have been screening new tenants this week. Apartment 2 needs to be re modeled completely meaning
tht it has to be gutted to the bare studs. Apartment 4 isn't as bad but it will be re modeled as well before renting. Bill
and Chris will work on apartment 2 they will be removing drywall and replacing sub flooring. Chris and I will
be working in Apartment 4 removing wood work and washing walls in apartment 4 this week.
I just ordered my valentine present - a box of Saf-T- Trainer dummy Rounds and a nylon pocket holster for my new
revolver . Can hardly wait for warmer weather so that I can get outside and play. It is so hard to look outside and know I
really want to be cutting the thicket down to size, digging in the garden, shooting both the compound bow and the gun, running
Shoes on the agility course and working on the patio which I started before Bill got sick. Oh well looks like I am going to
be working in the apartment building for a few weeks.
Jan. 23, 2013 Great day to be alive! Yes I do not like cold weather and it is cold but happiness is a mind set
and today I decided to be happy. I am happy to report that all my test are finished and all came back normal. I was so happy
that I made the comment " Thank Goodness no more doctor appoiintments." so today when I came out of the hair salon Bill asked
me "Do you have to have a follow up appointment?" I laughed so hard and said " Yeah , next month!"
Shoe has decided that this weather is best handled inside on her bed in front of the fireplace ( she seems to prefer
a fire in the fireplace) with a chew bone or tennis ball in her month and the curtains open so that she can watch over her
kingdom through the picture window.
Jan. 19, 2013 Time has flown this week. The skin tags are beginning to look better - doctor said I had a allegric
reaction to the silver nitrate. I am waiting on the results of my last test. Our youngest son was baptised last Sunday. Grandma
spent the weekend with us and Shawn and Desiree came down to witness the event. We want to the store looking for another
handgun and came away without one due to the fact that there were no 38's left at the store. Shoes has been behaviing wonderfully
in the house since she has her new bed - she spends most of the evening curled up on it.
Jan 10,2013 I had five skin tags removed yesterday and the one on my back is hurting today as well as the one on
my backside, the others are not hurting at all. We had a appointment for Bill's colonoscopy today - it sounds like his prep
will be easier then mine was (different doctor but same building). He doesn't have to have the upper scope which I am
glad because that was the hard one for me. I have been cleaning the house this week nd tomorrow I hope to get the floors cleaned
then I will have it finished for this week.
Jan 9 We had a wonderful trip to Chattanooga but now we are back in "snow" country. It is suppost to be in the
60"s by the end of this week but then get cold again - I am ready for spring. Took the Christmas decorations down this evening
but the snowmen will stay up another month then they will make way for the rabbits for Easter. Unlike the frogs and angels
which stay out year round most of the snowmen and rabbits have to take turns being left out to play.
Jan.5, 2013. Welcome to another year. Looking back at last year I remember how blessed we were - we had our share of
scares with two of our places being broken into and robbed but no one was hurt, Doug being robbed at gun point but again God
watched over our family and he was safe and found a better place to live within a week, Doug undergoing surgery and recovering
quickly, Bill having a stroke without any pernment damage and all my biopsies coming back normal. Also it was the year that I
finished and publihed my books.
I started this year out by traveling back to TN. We celebrated Bill's birthday at home on the first and then
hit the road the very next day. Chris says everything want well at home and he took good care of Shoes while we
were away..
| Merry Christmas |
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| Bill, Kathy,Chris Jarvis and Shoes |
Dec. 30. 2012 Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We have been busy visiting with family and friends
and now things are starting to calm down, except for the snow storms that keep hitting us. We attended our family Christmas
Eve party and had a good time. Our middle son came home for a week and of course Shoes' loved it because he always brings
her a new chew toy. Tonight she is going around looking for him because he left this morning to go back to his home. Shawn
and his wife, Desiree came home for Christmas Day. I was very happy with Shoes behavior all week. She seems to be enjoying
this weather but I do worry about her paws - they seem to be okay but I check them and her ears often. She prefers to be outside
until the sun goes down then she is knocking on the door wanting inside where she curls up either inside her crate or on her
bed in front of the fireplace.
Dec. 7 One of those wonderful rare day when we got to stay home most of the day. It was raining out side
and Shoes decided to stay inside all day. She did go out into her yard on her own when I had to go get my hair cut. Chris
says she stayed on the porch and out of the rain until she hear our car then she ran out to greet us. I think she just wanted
to be first in line to get back inside.
I just had my hair trimmed and brought a large bottle of Bio-Silk. I love that stuff and use it not only on my
hair but as a skin lotion. it works wonderfullly alone with plain old olive oil.
Dec. 6. It has been a busy trying month. Bill was struck with memory loss and excessive fatigue on Oct. 31. The whole
month of November was taken up with doctor appointments and test. We were blessed by having the whole family home for Thanksgiving;
however, out true blessing came a few days later when we were told that Bill had had a rare occipital cerebrel infraction
which is something like a "mini stroke' and that he should not get any worst and should get better. We have more test ahead
and an appointment with a neurotolist in the near future for him.
After his scare we decided it was time for me to get a physical - so that's what I did today. lol now
I have to wait for the results of a thyroid test and pap test. I also have to have a mammogram, colonoscopy and see a gynecologist.
I get my hair cut later this week and will finish this week out by having my eyes examined. All I have
left to is getting my teeth cleaned and that is on a regular six month schedule and due in January.
Nov. 23,2012
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| I never hid Shoes Christmas present in time. |
November 20 - Super tired this afternoon so I took a long nap - hope I can get some sleep tonight. My own fault
for staying up until 1 this morning when i knew I had to be up by 8 - which turned into 7 because of a phone call. On a happier
note we are back from Bill's doctor's appointment. The doctor was pleased with his BP and said that all the test so far have
been normal. We are still waiting on the results of one test and have two more test to do tomorrow. Things seem to be looking
better since she scheduled a routine exam for him in January and a follow up for two weeks from today . She said she would
call with the test results before then and let him know about returning to work.
Shoes was wonderful yesterday - I was home alone for a few hours and I let her inside (with Doug home and Bill
sick she has been spending a lot of her day outside). She was so well behaved, she stayed at my side like a velvo dog, which
is what I needed. She even waited in the living room without moving when I want to open the door for the guys when they got
home. I do believe she missed her indoor toys.
I am having a bad day today my "frozen shoulder" which I was hoping was healed ( I was told it would
take 2 to 4 years to heal and it has been three now) is acting up - I am having sharp pains running through the shoulder and
every little move is triggering the pain. I think Shoes must sense this because she never pulled on the lease at all tonight
during our walk.
November 19 Bill decided to go to work today. I have spent most of the day watching movies (DVD's). Doug
and Chris both slept in late this morning. Doug finished watching a movie with me and is now on his way to a natural food
store in Columbus and Chris is getting ready for work. Shoes is outside with her head in a hole hunting for mole.
November 18. Things seem to be getting better ( fingers and toes crossed). Bill seems to be responding well to his medicine.
We have more test this week.
It is wonderful having Doug home. He always brings gifts when he comes home- this time it was a doggie gate for Shoes
and me ; books for his dad to read as he gets well; and a movie for Chris.
I need to go to the store and get the stuff for Thanksgiving LOL if not we will be having something out of
the freezer and I don't have a turkey in there. In fact we haven't had any meat is there since we became flex
vegetarians. We do have fish and shrimp and plently of veggies. :-)
has anyone seem the new James Bond movie? Thinking about going to see it this week.
November 16 Finished cleaning upstairs and put fresh bedding on the guest bed. Doug is coming home for a week.
Shawn and Desiree are coming home for Thanksgiving as well. Usually I do not like Thanksgiving - but looking forward to it
this year. Having everyone home makes the cooking take a back seat.One thing I have learned is that Thanksgiving does not
have to be elegant to be good. I do not have to make everything that my mother used to make especially when only a few liked
then item. I can always make that item for them at a later date. The main thing is having everyone under one roof.
Nov.15 I don't know why I never started this page sooner. I finally have a day to myself so I took advantage and
cleaned as much as i could. Shoes was given her heartworm medicine today - it is only 4 days late. I always like to be home
with her after she gets her medicine and with Bill being sick that has been hard to do. I have to keep busy today bescause
i am worried about him. He is suppose to be off work under doctor's orders but he is attending a "must have" class at Purdue.
He started new BP medicine yesterday and hopefully this one will not hurt his stomach. Waiting for more test results and preparing
to take even more test.
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