Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #59 – Contractor Work Slows Down and Seeing the Tulips!

Friday, April 27th, 2018……  The mornings are now becoming a routine.  We have Rylee cordoned off in my room and part of the hall.  She’s been good about getting ‘gated’ each night.  Not much whining at all. I go get her, usually around 6:45 – 7:00am and she follows me to the back door.  I let her out and she does her business. By then Lydia is awake and gets a visitor who comes looking for her. I get my shower and I get going for the day, then Lydia can go get her shower and ready. But today we had no plans. We did get our rain today.  Not too much but I didn’t want to do much outside.  Tim & Dana did come by.  They unloaded the trailer with the subsiding on it and took it to go get the siding. They just cleaned up the site today. She said they would let me know when the roof trusses would be delivered. Funny, a few days ago I swear I heard her say that it would be Monday.  Later, after they left for the day, she texted that the delivery is 1-2pm on Wednesday. I guess we’re back to Oregon time!  But she was pressing me the last few days wanting their next progress payment asap. It’s in work but I wasn’t in any hurry.  Hey, I’m on Oregon time now too! 

Rylee continues to surprise us each day. She is getting comfortable with the routine of going to the back door and if the slider is open, she heads out through the doggie door (in the screen) with no problems.  She’s a little skittish out there from the work site because of the compressor and the nail gun noise but when they are gone, she does well. Our vet told us to start taking her on car rides so she’s used to them.  We’re planning on going to the Tulip Festival in Woodburn tomorrow and we’ll take her there. Just can’t let her run around as much as we’d like (due to the parvo risk) but the ride will be good for her.

Saturday, April 28th, 2018……  We got up early this morning and got some chores done. Last night neither of us took super pooper outside before we went to bed and we paid that price the next morning!  We cleaned up in more than one spot. We had talked about it before and now have decided that, starting tonight, we would put her in her crate in my room at night.  But this morning we had plans. We packed up monster puppy and headed out.  First stop was McDonald's and then Walgreens.  Then we went and picked up Penny and headed north (about 45 miles) to Woodburn.  We wanted to go see the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. Tulips do well up here and the season is now. This is a private tulip farm, with hundreds of acres of tulips, which get harvested and sold all around the country. Every year they open up the fields for visitors for the month-long festival.  This year, due to the crowds, they will stay open one more week, into May. Admission is $5.00 per person.  We found out dogs were welcome on leash so we wanted to bring Rylee.  Our vet said to take her out for car rides.  Well this was a nice car ride and a nice little walk for her.  I was a little leery because there were so many dogs there today.  They had a ‘dog run’ where you run a course through the fields with your dog! We weren't doing that but we got a trailer ride out to the fields and I kept her in my arms most of the time and only let her down a few times to burn off some of her energy.  She sure was a hit with all the folks there. They kept coming up to us like she was a magnet.  Everyone wanted to pet her.  There was an employee dressed in a cow suit with toys and they became quick friends! She even came out of character to thank me for letting them play.

We did a lap around only a small portion of the fields of tulips.  They had hundreds of different colors and even different sizes!  It was very nice. 

We worked our way back to the entrance, bypassing all of the kiddie booths and the food vendors and made our way out to the car and I fed and watered our tired puppy. We left for the drive home and Rylee did well and slept most of the way. It was a fun day and we got real lucky with the weather because it started to rain on us as we got down the road a bit. We dropped sis off and came home to let the adults rest and have lunch after our fun  adventure.

Later, I did some raking of the mowed grass in the front yard before the rains got to us again. We had eaten lunch later than usual so neither of us wanted dinner.  I did make one leftover steak burrito as my light meal. Lydia had some ruffles and a small salad.  I guess that could be called dinner! After that, we played with Rylee off and on until bedtime. Yes – we took her out!  We must have pooped her out because she quieted down pretty quickly and barely protested when we closed her crate door for the night.         

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #58 – Walls Are All Up and Going to the Vet

Wednesday, April 25th, 2018……  I got up this morning and let Rylee out to do her business, then I played with her and fed her breakfast.  Then it was off to get my breakfast and Lydia’s chai latte.  That done, it was time to get the tractor out!  I did the area in the front yard that surrounds the flower bed islands and made the first pass around the yard (which takes me all around the house from front to back) and after that first lap Lydia stopped me and wanted to drive.  We switched and she did the rest of the yard!  She even drove the mower back to the shop for me to clean it up and put it away.  For the two of us total, it was an easy day, taking maybe 1 ½ at the most. Tomorrow we may shoot for the back field when we get back from the vet. Penny had a long-time friend from California, who has remarried and is full-timing in their rv and stopped by on their travels through Oregon.  She brought them over and we visited for a while.  Rylee likes visitors! We had eaten a late lunch today so we snacked for dinner.  I had some cheese and crackers and a bowl of fruit cocktail for dessert and I was done. I did spend some time on the phone with Bobby, my financial guy.  We needed to get the next progressive payment to Tim & Dana, plus I wanted to pull monies out so we can start booking hotel and airfare for our June trip to Hawaii.  Lydia also spent some time on the phone with her lunch ladies from SoCal.  We had already heard that our long, long time friend, Bev Hogarth, had recently passed away from cancer, and she got an update on the plans in work for viewing and services. 

End of day 19….   

Thursday, April 26th, 2018……  This morning we had a 9:40am appointment with our new vet, for Rylee.  But before that, I went over and walked Quincy.  Sis took her cab ride to Portland for her first radiation treatment. I got back and we got Rylee on the road. She whined a little in her crate on the way but it’s only a five-minute drive there. We didn’t care too much for one of the office girls but everyone else seemed nice.  Dr. Hiett examined Rylee and gave her the next round of her shots.  Plus, she got a flea and tick treatment. He pronounced her to be in good health and off we went back home.  Tim & Dana did an emergency window repair in the morning and came over to our site to work after lunch. No pics today because it doesn’t look much different from yesterday – just a few fireblocks and some more sub siding.  We have rain in the forecast for tomorrow but they are just a few small steps away from being done and then it’s waiting for the roof trusses to be delivered. Once we got back from the vet, we left Rylee home to rest up from her morning and we took off to Costco to pick up a few things.  We also ate lunch there (good old Costco hot dogs!) so we weren’t hungry for dinner. Then it was tv and doggie playtime till bedtime.  

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #57 – Getting Ready for the Vet and Flower Bloomin!

 

Monday, April 23rd, 2018……  This morning I woke up early again and got monster puppy out of my room/her cage.  No messes again!  Yaay! After I took her out, I showered and went out and got breakfast and coffee/tea. I also stopped at Faithful Friends, one of the vets here in town.  No puppy package here but my sister had a list of the costs of shots and visits and everything listed totaled less than the puppy pack at Paws, the other place in town.  There is a third but we heard negative things so we’re passing on that one. I registered and made an appointment for Thursday. After getting back home and eating breakfast, I worked a bit on the doggie gate and got that modified.  The guys got here about 9:00am and brought some help.  One of their friends asked for some work and Dana is tired of heaving around the 16’ 2x6’s so she said hire him! They made a good trio and got almost all of the walls up today!

End of day 17….

I had planned on mowing the lawn today and I easily could have, but I chose instead to give it one more day to dry out.  I went out and got the last of my fittings for the bbq and finally got everything hooked up and working. Everything’s cleaned up and ready for the first bbq!  So that’s done!  Since I was running around, Lydia had doggie duty most of the day. Rylee stays pretty close to her in the living room but when I’m in the house and moving around, she is always right at my heels, following me closely. She’s pretty good at tug of war and loves her sticks, just like Bailey! We only had two mistakes on the floor. She sniffs and squats before we can get her to walk outside!  But she’s learning more every day.

Lydia’s feet were swollen (a lot coming from the long car ride) so she was not ready to make dinner tonight.  So, I drove over to KFC and picked up some chicken. We each watched tv, catching up on our taped shows, before calling it a night.       

Tuesday, April 24th, 2018……  Today was another early morning. I think I’m caught up on my sleep though so it’s ok. Lydia needs 8 hours so she’s still catching naps here and there. Plus, muttley keeps her going (which is a good thing!)  The team got back to work this morning and spent the day finishing the framing and getting fireblocks installed.  Tim moved the rock pile and made a path so they could get a boom truck in to install the glue lam header for the garage door opening. That monster is over 14’ long!  The roof trusses will be here on Monday and they should be ready. Meanwhile, I got to work on the lawn.  Naah!  Aimee came by to see Rylee and we visited with her for an hour or so. So I didn’t get to it again.  

The weather here is wonderful.  Temps during the days are in the 70s. The nights and early mornings are still cool but getting warmer as well.  The flowers have taken off!  Here are some tulips that are blooming.

Lydia has planted a bunch of rhododendrons all around the house.  These get the most sun so they are doing well.

I have no idea what these are but they’re colorful!

We found that there’s are tulip farm not too far from here so we’ve got that on our to do list.

End of day 18…..

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #56 – Puppy Training and Resting from Puppy Training

Saturday, April 21st, 2018……  More of our puppy story….. I ended up sleeping maybe 2 hrs. in total.  Lydia got a few more.  I got her up and out of the crate and outside and to the grass - ok, she just made it to the flower bed, before she did her big potty (aka poop).  She ate and drank and later repeated the cycle.  The weather here is starting to warm up and the mornings are just a bit chilly, but I was able to go outside in my bare feet and help get her routine going.  We are using the doggie door and the steps but she had never seen either before so it’s slow going. She likes the grass though and loves rolling in it.  I’m hoping to get it mowed later today so we can see her in it! I managed a shower and to get dressed.  Rylee just layed out on the bedroom floor waiting for me.  Lydia was getting some well-earned sleep. After I was dressed, we did some more work on the doggie door and steps and played with her toys.  Lydia came out later and took over.  It wasn’t too much later that I texted Penny to bring Quincy over for their first meeting.  I brought her in and introduced them.  Quincy had no issues and even played a bit with her.  They left and I ate breakfast then settled into my chair and promptly went to sleep while Lydia had doggie duty.  She played Rylee out and while she was napping, Lydia took her shower. Later, I worked on getting Rylee into a doggie collar. We had several of Bailey’s but found a new harness we had picked up someplace and it fit pretty well.  She doesn’t like it but can’t get to it to chew it.

The rest of the day was spent working on cleaning out the car from the trip and getting piddle pads out and the dog food stowed away. Yeah, we work for her now!  I decided to be lazy today. I will do the lawn tomorrow. Lydia got out a package of Costco tamales and we ate an easy dinner.  I got a leash on super mutt and let her walk the yard with me. She did ok.  Of course, everything is new to her and she doesn’t want to miss anything! We did get out to walk over and check out the worksite to see the progress.  I am so happy that the work is top notch and most importantly, it’s progressing more quickly now. No work today though. Rylee was interested so I imagine she will enjoy the work noise come Monday.       

Sunday, April 22nd, 2018……  Last night Lydia had doggie duty with Rylee in the living room.  Actually, Rylee likes lying next to Lydia’s chair and sleeping there too. Around 10:00pm she brought her into my office and set her down and put the plastic gate up on my door.  “You’re in charge now, I’m going to bed.” I played with her and let her chase me around the kitchen/dining room/living room and then back to the office. I guess playing with her all day and most of the evening tired her out long enough to make her sleepy. I stayed up until I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and she was resting comfortably with me so I decided to just go ahead and leave her in my room for the night. I did put the plastic gate up in the hallway, giving her the wood floor to sleep on if she wanted.  It worked!  No noise and we got a great night’s sleep!

This morning I got up about 6:00am and went in and opened the gate and she followed me out of the room and through the doggie door and all the way to the grass to potty.  I couldn’t find any messes in my room so, Good Girl!  Later, after breakfast, Penny brought Quincy over for round two.  Quince is kinda skittish but they ended up together for a short bit. It might take some more time, but I think they’ll be buds. Yesterday, Lydia took her out often, making her take several trips through the doggie door and she’s got her more and more comfortable with it now.  Today she ran through it without hesitating.  I got her actually running up and down the steps I built.  No worries there except she now wants to jump off midway to get to the flower bed!  Still no lawn mowing today. I am resting for Sunday plus getting more play time with our new little girl. I did spend some time with Rick and Janie’s trip plan.  They took a picture of the notes we made the other day and will send it to me so I can set it up on a spreadsheet for them. It should take only a few minutes. I hope it works for them. Sis came back this evening for dinner.  Lydia and I made tacos. Since the weather is so nice, we sat outside and let Quincy and Rylee run in the grass.

  

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #55 – Traveling South and Our New Puppy!

 

Thursday, April 19th, 2018……  I couldn’t sleep last night but I still got up early this morning.  We had coffee and tea at home and then got on the road about 6:45am.  We didn’t need gas until Mt Shasta, CA.   My sister was planning on coming over to the house while we were gone to walk Quincy and to take pics of the project’s progress (which she did – see below) We stopped there at Subway for lunch and that got into Yuba City about 3:00pm. We made our way to the fairgrounds and found Rick and Janie and relaxed with them for the rest of the afternoon.  We chose to go out to Sizzler for dinner.  The rest of the evening was spent visiting and walking around the fairgrounds.  The state square dance convention is held each year, alternating north and south sections of Calif. Yuba City and the surrounding area has a dwindling square dance population but they said they had a nice turnout of rver’s and expected a good crowd for the weekend. The fairground is very nice.  If we had thought it out better (and the rv garage wasn’t in work) we would have brought the motorhome down and enjoyed the puppy and the weekend dancing with our friends. We sat with Rick and Janie and I helped with their upcoming vacation planning, helping with mileage to each city along the route and timing so they can get back to Tennessee for their family events. We brought our bedding and set up and turned in early for us.  It was a long day. During the day, my sister took a couple of photos…..

End of day 15….

 

Friday, April 20th, 2018……  We slept well last night.  Their couch pulls out and has an air mattress that was very comfy.  We sure appreciate them letting us stay with them. After everyone was up and ready for the day, we took off to the Lumberjack in town for breakfast.  We stopped and did a little shopping at the local pet shop and Walmart then headed back to spend the day.  Lydia was in contact with Beckie, who told us they had two puppies with them to deliver.  They live in Cherry Valley and had to drive to Tracy (in the SF area), to drop off the first one.  They would be getting to their hotel in Yuba City later in the day. So, we hung around the fairgrounds and visited with friends. Speaking of that, Louise Voss, who started in our Elks class back in Long Beach in 1983/84, came down from her home in Merlin, OR.  She was here also for the weekend convention. We told her where we were and she came over to the rig and we visited for a while. It was sure nice to see her again and we hope to get together soon, since Merlin and Lebanon are only about 175 miles apart. After a nice visit, she left for dinner and back to her hotel to get ready for the night’s dancing.  Since we didn’t want lunch, Janie fixed us a nice linner. We were prepped and ready to take off and go to the hotel before Jerry and Beckie checked in so we could get our puppy.  We got the call that they were about 20 minutes out so we took off. Rick and Janie followed us in their car.  Turns out Lydia left her cell phone and sunglasses in the rig so we asked them to go back while we waited at the hotel. Beckie and her friends arrived a few minutes later and we were finally introduced to our new little girl!

Meet Rylee!  

Rylee with Beckie and Jerry

We visited with them for a while and got all of the paperwork done, and they went off to check in and get ready for the dance.  Rick and Janie got back and they played with Rylee and then we headed back home. It was a looong drive but fairly empty highway for the 7-hour drive back home.  During the drive home, we got these from sis. 

End of day 16……

 We’ve got walls!  Yaay!

We got in right at 2:00am.  Yeah, a long day for us and our little girl.  They said she did super on the trip to us, and she was very good on the drive home.  The trouble started once we got her home and fed.  Hey, guess what, she had slept all day in the cars and was now ready to play!  We were exhausted but managed to stay up for an hour or so to try to wind her down. Nope – not happening.  She did not want to be in that crate any longer so she howled and whined for most of the time.  I got up several times and took her potty and played with her a bit but neither Lydia or I got much sleep.  More to the story coming. Stay tuned.     

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #54 – Getting Ready for the Trip and Work Progresses

 

Tuesday, April 17th, 2018……  I had nothing planned today, except to go get some longer screws for the bbq tiedowns on the porch deck. We decided to go out to breakfast after I walked Quincy.  We chose The Skyline Diner in Sweet Home. Even though it’s a fifteen-minute drive, the food there is worth it. Afterward, we went back into Lebanon and stopped at the Dollar Tree and got some piddle pads for the car for the puppy.   We also stopped at Wilco where I got my screws. Lydia saw the new chicks that they have in the store for sale.  Cute but we don’t want those! After that, we went to Walmart and got the doggie travel cage.  We actually chose a soft sided one.  It will probably be her bed at home for a while unless we need to get her a more solid steel cage.  Either way, we will switch to the large steel one that we already have when she outgrows the smaller ones. 

When we got back, Tim and Dana were already there and had brought their trailer with the scaffolding that they will need later.  The trailer was to pick up the cement forms to take back to their shop. I helped them load those heavy things! They got the scaffolding erected before they took off.  Their accountant had called them this morning saying she needed to see them.  They think it’s bad news on their taxes and since they have to file today, they had to go take care of that.  They said they expect they will hit the ‘extend’ button on their return to get more time. The weather is cloudy with intermittent rain showers predicted.  So, they didn’t get the sill plates laid but at least they covered the concrete with plastic, not from the weather, but mostly from the mud and boards that might mar it. Watching Tim and Dana work, I must say I am impressed.  Tim is very picky on everything and it shows in his work. And Dana is right there, doing lifting, nailing, and about everything else.  They are a small team but they work hard and do it right! 

End of day 13…..

Penny got back from her cab trip and consult and picked up Quincy. She was hungry and asked if we wanted to meet her at Bigfoot Bites.  Neither of us had tried it before and she said her treat, so we joined her there at 4:00pm for dinner.  It was really good!  Thanks, Sis!  They have combo plates, with several choices of burgers for $11-13., with choice of fries, tots, or onion rings and a large refillable drink.  We liked it so much we signed up for their rewards club.

  

After our nice meal, we said goodbye and went back to our house and relaxed for the evening.   

    

Wednesday, April 18th, 2018……  Today. The weather is supposed to be nice.  Penny came over and walked Quincy and I made coffee and ate breakfast.  I then went out and put those two screws into the base of the bbq, holding it tight to the deck.  I think I’m safe from the winds now! Tim and Dana came over a little later and got to work.  By the end of the day they had all of the sill plates laid and bolted down plus the bottom plates 90% done.  They also got a delivery of the lam beam for over the garage door. 

End of day 14……  

Since we leave tomorrow, we won’t see anything more that they do until we get back Friday night.  I’m sure my sister will take pics and send them to me but I won’t be posting until Saturday. Our plan is to leave Thursday morning and drive straight through to Yuba City, about 470 miles and 7 ½ hours. We will stay the night with Rick & Janie in their motorhome and then hang around with them until Beckie and Jerry make the drive from Cherry Valley up to Yuba City.  Lydia says they will be in touch and Beckie will tell us when/where we will meet (either at the fairgrounds or their hotel). Either way, we need to get our little girl before they check in to their hotel. Then we will head back home.  We’re not sure when we’ll be leaving but we figure it will be really late Friday night when we get home. We’re getting the puppy just shy of eight weeks and she won’t get finished with her series of shots for two more months.  We learned from our vet that it’s dangerous to let her around people and other dogs because puppies are extremely susceptible to parvo. So, she won’t even get to be around anyone unless it’s at our house. But don’t fear – we’ll keep everyone loaded down with photos and stories. Stay tuned…..

We decided to go to dinner tonight.  We chose Pizza Schmizza.  We like this place more and more. It’s close to home, the pizza is excellent and the work crew are all friendly. After dinner, we got back home and I went out and talked to Tim & Dana and took the pics above. The weather is clear for the next several days so they said I won’t recognize it when we get back.

Oh yeah, my Elk membership to the Sweet Home Lodge (#1972) was approved and I have my card so now I’m good to go.   

   

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #53 – TV, and Getting Ready For Our Puppy Pickup Trip!

Sunday, April 15th, 2018……  This morning Quincy was driven over here by her chauffeur and got to have a nice walk in the rain. They left and we ate breakfast. Today was rather rainy most of the day.  So, we were glad that the concrete got poured and sealed yesterday.  It has had water sitting on it all day but it looks good. With the rains today, we didn’t leave the house. Oh yeah, I went over to dump Quincy’s 33 lb. bag of dog food into her storage container.  It was heavier than my sister is allowed to handle right now. The rest of the day was spent just lounging around the house and watching tv. Lydia has her list of shows that she tapes (hallmark channel series, classic movies, etc.) and I have mine. Today I caught up on this weekend’s racing events.  Formula 1, Formula E, Supercross, Nascar, and Indy Car. Plus, I watched the Barrett Jackson Auctions from Palm Beach. After dinner, we did get together to watch Master Chef Jr. Then it was back to our own shows. I still have a few hours of the auction left and the Grand Prix of Long Beach to finish this evening. It’s just nice to relax and do nothing some days…. 

Monday, April 16th, 2018……  Quincy has been treated to off-leash walks over here for some time now. She pulls too hard for my sister to take her out around their neighborhood and she gets to run free over here. With Penny feeling stronger, they now just park and she turns her loose to run and chase her ball, explore the mouseholes, smell the animal trails, and check everything out. I’m either out there or not, no worries. But this morning I got out early and went to get coffee and breakfast and then was at Oil Can Henry’s Valvoline getting the oil changed in the Acadia when my sister texted she was on her way.  The oil change was done pretty quickly and I headed home.  We fed Quincy and visited for a while. She will be bringing her over later to spend the night, as she goes (by cab) to Portland tomorrow for a meeting with her doctors.   Tim & Dana said they would be here rain or shine to get started on removal of the concrete forms. They got here a bit later, after the rain let up a bit. The plan today was to get those forms removed, and prep and lay the rain drains. These drains are underground pipes that carry all of the roof runoff through the rain gutters and into the existing drainage system for the house and the shop. Toward the end of the build, after the walls and roof are up, the rain gutters will be installed and will be tied into them.  With all of the water we get up here, it’s really important that it be controlled carefully, so I’m glad that this feature will be incorporated on the rv garage as well. We also got a delivery late today, of the first round of the lumber ordered for the job. Tomorrow, they will get the sill plates (the baseplate of the walls), down which attach the walls to the foundation.

End of Day 12....

In between going out and watching the progress, I watched the Monday morning taped Nascar race, delayed from yesterday and made sure it was not rained out again. It ended up being delayed but they got going and got it in.  I also went out to the shop and went through my three dog boxes we brought up with us.  We needed a collar and some chew toys to bring with us when we go get the puppy. I put these and a leash and some rugs and blankets and water and food dishes in the car, ready for the trip.  We still need to go get the pet carrier but that’s just a short trip to Walmart. I want to put up the puppy fencing in the backyard but I can’t because the lawn needs to be mowed and it’s just too wet for that. Aside from our overnight bags, we are ready for the trip.  We leave Thursday morning. Later in the day, I took Lydia to the doctors to give another urine sample and then we stopped and picked up linner from Jack in the Box. My sister came by and dropped off Quincy and we watched tv and then settled in for the night.  

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #52 – Ready - Set - Go For Cement!

Friday, April 13th, 2018……  Friday the 13^th – oooh, scary!  Today I wanted to work on the bbq, but I got an early text from Dana that one of the concrete guys (probably the foreman) was coming over to look at the jobsite and his access for his trucks.  Turns out he had already come in and saw the access and then left before I went outside.  She and Dana said they would be over later this morning to check out everything. They have all been looking at the weather and determined that they have a large window tomorrow so they should be able to get everything done and covered before the rains come in. Needless to say, we’re excited! I looked it up and it was the middle of February when they did the last work out there!  Later, Penny came over.  She and Lydia wanted to go out to Casa De Reyes for dinner and she drove.  We had a nice meal but I paid for it later. I ended up with acid reflux and couldn’t sleep most of the night.  I had to get up early tomorrow so this wasn’t good!

Saturday, April 14th, 2018……  Cement Day! I didn’t fall asleep until about 2:30am so it was hard to get up and going this morning. But I had to – so I was out and going before 6:00am. I needed to move the rv out of the driveway.  I parked it out on the road and down in the cul-de-sac.  I also had to get my truck out there as well because the other trucks would pin it in if I left it in the shop. Tim & Dana showed up around 6:15am. The pumper showed up at 6:30am and got in position.  He got his hoses out and set up to be ready by the time the cement truck backed in. He had an issue with one of the hoses which was clogged from cement from a previous job.  He swapped it out and they got going with the pour right at 7:00am. The job went along with no other problems. The first of the cement trucks wasted no time in dumping into the hopper of the pump truck.  They had seven guys working the site which made the job look easy but I did cement work for one of my dad’s buddy’s business when I was in high school.  It’s not easy! They used three trucks for the entire pour and the last of the trucks was done by 9:00am.  Most of the crew left shortly after that. The cement needed some time to cure and then the guys staying went to work floating it out and making it as smooth as possible.  Garage floors are smooth for sweeping.  The approach pad and the rv pad next to the garage will be broom swept for traction, but that’s last on the schedule. Tim and Dana and the guys stayed until everything looked good. That was about 3:00pm.  It wasn’t a long day but a good one, and now that that part is done, the job will get going.  Tim said on Monday he will pull the forms and set the rain drains and get them hooked up. After that is backfilled, they can start the framing. We watched and I took pics

but stayed out of the way most of the day.  But I couldn’t wait to come in and relax and have dinner and watch tv.  We had spaghetti while catching up on a couple of episodes of Guys Grocery Games.  I ended up going to bed early.  I needed to catch up on my sleep!     

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #51 – Working on Puppy Door and the BBQ

Wednesday, April 11th, 2018……  This morning we had Quincy after her sleepover.  Penny had been shopping and went back to her car in the rain and asked if we could keep her for the night, allowing her to go straight home and into her garage with her groceries. So, Quincy stayed with us. She got up early and came into our room and jumped on our bed.  I realized we didn’t take her out right before bedtime so she needed to go NOW! Lydia let her out and I got dressed and walked her and fed her breakfast, and then got my shower going and got ready for the day.  Sis came by later and got her and I went to work on the doggie door.  We bought one just like we had in SoCal. It is designed and specifically used for sliding patio screen doors.  It has two pieces that attach together with the screen in the sandwich.  Once installed, you simply slice the swinging part of the door.  I bought a large door and mounted it low in the existing screen.  If the puppy gets exuberant and tears the original screen material, I know I can buy heavy duty screening for the next round. $25.00 is a small price to pay and it has worked well for us in the past. We taught Bailey to use it and in about ten minutes she was a pro! 

I also went to work on re-installation of the bbq.  I had to pull off one piece on the end and straighten it and re-install it but everything else looks ok.  I still have to find the fittings and get the pipe to finish the gas connections and then I can test it. But this time I made sure to secure it solidly to the deck so it won’t move, even in gale force winds! Later, we went grocery shopping (local Safeway) and got restocked from Carol’s visit.  While Carol ate all of the meals we ate, she ended up buying a lot of things she’s eating on her Weight Watchers program and bought those on her own.  But we still needed to stock up again. While we were in the store, the Samsung guy called and wanted to get info about our issues with the dryer.  Yeah, only the dryer because that was all he showed on his booking list. Go figure! Since we were at the store and Lydia couldn’t give him the serial number, he told us he’d call back in an hour when we’d be home.  About two hours went by and she did get a call from Samsung, only this time it another guy and he only was calling about the washer! He took down all of her info for that machine and said she’d get a call probably tomorrow, from a local service tech in the area. The washer guy didn’t want to discuss the dryer!  And the dryer guy didn’t call back! Guess one hand doesn’t talk to the other in their office! That was it for calls for the day so we settled in and ate dinner and watched Survivor and other shows before calling it a night.       

Thursday, April 12th, 2018……  No plans today.  So, I thought I’d work again on finding the parts for the BBQ’s gas hookup. Penny came over and walked Quincy. It was raining pretty hard so I called them in and dried Quincy off and fed her breakfast.  The rain let up a bit so I took off and got my breakfast and coffee and headed off to the Home Depot, where I managed to find what I think I need. By the time I got back, it was raining again and the porch deck was pretty wet from the wind blowing the rain in, so I stored all of the parts in the shop and came in for the day. I did hear on the way home that they have now changed the forecast – they predict showers possible for Saturday.  Oh great, another setback for the concrete pour!  We’re hoping it works out but we’ll see. 

Not much else going on today. Lydia did get a call back from a local company who will be coming out on a service call for both the washer and dryer. I guess they finally figured it out and will make only one trip! We decided to have an easy dinner tonight so Lydia threw two chicken pot pies in the oven.  Simple and good! After dinner, I went online and ordered some ink for my printer. Years ago, I found ClickInks.com and have been using them ever since to buy ink cartridges.  Before that, I took my empty cartridges in to have them refilled.  It’s just ok but I had some that leaked so I wouldn’t do that again!  With ClickInks, you can buy new or remanufactured cartridges and they both are cheaper than Costco, Walmart or the office supply stores. I buy the remanufactured ones and don’t see any difference in quality.  I have been hearing about the new printers that are very efficient when it comes to using ink so you don’t have to replace them very often. I really haven’t had much need lately to print, but I will consider it if/when I need a new printer.   

Oregon Living 2018 – Blog #50 – Cement Day (Not!) and Puppy Prep

Monday, April 9th, 2018……  Today was cement day!  I had texted them yesterday and they said they didn’t have a time yet and would let me know.  I waited and finally late morning they texted that either/or the concrete truck or the pumper truck would not be able to make it (not sure the reason) and that they now have us on the schedule for the next dry day, which is Saturday. Nothing much to say except, ‘ok’.  I am certainly being tested when it comes to patience.  I understand that there are other things affecting the schedule, but hey, I paid my money up front for the work to be done – why isn’t it done?  I know my contractors are feeling my pressure and are trying.  They have committed to get extra hours going once the job is back under their control (rough framing, drywall, etc. etc.).  They do have to sub out the electrical but that’s down the road and shouldn’t be an issue, I hope! I have cleared my calendar (like I have a calendar because I’m sooo busy!) for Saturday. So, we ended up not getting much done today, with the wait and then nothing.  At least I can get some things done and some projects going the rest of the week! Lydia did some laundry and then it was dinner and tv. 

Tuesday, April 10th, 2018……  Today, Penny came by and walked Quincy.  I headed out to Walmart to get an air filter for the Acadia.  I will take it in for an oil change sometime this week. A Walmart air filter is way cheaper than when you buy one through either a dealership or an oil change specialty shop. I stopped and got breakfast and coffee/tea and came home and ate and then got the filter installed. Later, I opened up the two shipments I had recently received: the pet door and the pet corral.  The door is on my list to install tomorrow.  I got the portable fence set up and laid out where I want it (at the end of the steps I recently built). Because the grass is not mowed yet, I had to disassemble it and stow it away.  But I think we’re good to go with this – it will make for an easy temporary way to allow the new puppy to get outside through the doggie door to do her business, yet keep her from running free in the yard. Plus, later down the road, when she’s potty trained, I can always put it up for visitor’s dogs or we can take it with us when we travel.  The rest of the day was spent doing chores –  I did some cleaning out in the shop, and Lydia did laundry, and between loads, she called Lowes and is working to set up a service call on the new washer and dryer. She’s had some issues (we get a ‘self-clean’ reminder light more than we think we should, plus we have other questions about the cycle choices and some of the advanced features (steam) and how to use them).  I told her we have a full extended warranty and to call and have a tech come out and make sure everything is set up and working correctly on both machines. She heard back from Lowes that Samsung will be calling soon to set up service from one of their local reps in the area. So that’s done. Lydia started dinner and then we got a doorbell visitor.  Turned out it was Kirk, our landscaper.  He had been doing some work at my sister’s house and she had told him about the tumbled bbq, so he came over to offer muscle to help me get it set back up on the porch. Big effort, even with two of us. I even went to the trouble of strapping on my back brace just to be safe. That Jenn-Air is thick walled stainless steel and sure is a heavy monster!  I sure appreciated his help. After that, it was dinner, relaxing, and tv until bedtime.