Mother's Day

 

Spent Mother's Day at moms, working in her yard.

 

Me, and Terry, and Bob, and Peggy.

 

We got a lot done, but that isn't much fun to show, so I decided to show bad eating pictures instead.

 

We stopped for lunch, and here's Bob and Peg...

 

Here's mom, mid-bite.

 

Terry's not happy with this little game...

 

All's fair... here's my "selfie".

 

Had a good day.

 

Happy Mother's Day !!!

Detroit Motor City

 

It was just six months ago that we brought home the new 2014 Chevy Malibu lease car,

and it only has 3,000 miles on it to date.

 

Over the weekend, the car started to do some pretty funky stuff,

 like not being able to go in reverse ???

 

So we took it in to the dealership today, and they put it on the computer...

 

and... here's our loaner car.

 

In the beginning, they were going to try to slough me off,

 but the mechanic obviously saw something serious.

 

All of a sudden, they were setting me up with a loaner car, being real accommodating.

 (although, I did ask for a Camaro... that was a no go).

 

I just hope that I didn't get stuck with a "lemon" for the next three years...

 

 

Not Enough Hours in the Day

 

The grouting process...

 

Slather it on.

 

Let it sit for a 1/2 hour, and start the wiping.

 

Wiping, wiping, wiping.

 

There they are, my new sign, and my brother's new sign, ready to hang.

 

Time for a fluff piece. A little mirror frame, to pass the time between big projects.

 

The last big project is done. Terry finished the "finish" molding (perfect match), and today we went to price a new glass door and screen.

 

When the man told us how much it would cost, I told Terry I felt like I got slapped in the face. He told me, it was more like a donkey kick... 

 

We went home, thankful that we didn't throw away the old door. We will paint it and put it back on, for free.

 

Terry's been working on the patio excavation all week, and today, he finished.

 

Now, we have to decide if we have the energy to cart home tons of bags of gravel, and sand, and some patio stones.

 

I think... that if I get a couple of estimates from outside companies... we will decide that we DO have the energy.

 

I planted some cold weather seeds in my new garden beds today.

 

We are still afraid of overnight frosting, so I only planted spinach, lettuce, and onions, and chives.

 

Tonight, we mowed the lawn, hung the address sign, I cut Terry's hair, we went up to the Home Depot and picked up mulch, soil, and plants for tomorrow's work at mom's house, and then...

 

we went for a visit with Nick's new puppy, an adorable 6 week old Husky, named Perry.

 

Too cute.

 

 

Busy, Busy

 

Today was busy !!!

 

Went to the hospital twice, the first time Terry's brother slept through our visit, so we went back at dinnertime to check in. He is getting better, but still has complications to deal with.

 

Terry put some polyurethane on the fireplace molding. Perfect color match, but needs to dry before putting in place.

 

So... he went outside and started digging out dirt for our patio. May 3rd, and 50 degrees and windy as heck. What is going on here? Really crappy Spring !!!

 

This will be a patio... I promise.

 

At 2:00 the tree guys showed up to plant our new Crabapple. The "coodinator lady" also showed up to remind us of our responsibilities for this tree.

 

They act like we've never even seen a tree before...

 

There it is, they planted it crooked. Who's gonna take care of that... We will.

 

Finished my own sign... ready for grout.

 

Finished my brother's sign and grouted it.

 

Needs sealing...

 

and then ready for giving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not So Free Tree...

 

Well... this is a very interesting development at project house. We got a letter in the mail, a few months ago, announcing a tree incentive program in Center Line.

 

The city would give homeowners a tree, if they attend a one hour class, on tree care, at city hall.

 

We thought, "what the heck", and signed up.

 

I was excited to have a tree planted on the city curbside, and had the perfect bare spot for it.

 

So... we attended the class this week, and we were informed that the tree would only be planted in the front yard, no curbside, 10 ft. from sidewalks, drives, and water and gaslines.

 

Well, this leaves a tiny area on our front lawn, for planting this new Prairie Fire Crabapple tree.

 

And, it will sit among all of the other giant trees that are already in our front yard. Three Honey Locusts and a Sugar Maple.

 

They dropped it off today and the workers will be out tomorrow to plant it.

 

Why do I just know that this story will have more twists and turns before it's over. ???

 

 

Fireplace Project

 

 

The weather continues to be cool and definitely not Spring like, so we are taking care of some projects inside. This weekend, a fireplace makeover.

 

We do not want to mess with the wood, or the basics of the fireplace, but the surround and the hearth are pretty beaten up, and needs a nice fresh update.

 

The surround was marble, but all cracked, and loosened from the mortar bed. The hearth was done in shiny Black square tile, much of it cracked from the foundation.

 

Terry got down to the demolition...

 

We took the surround right down to the original brick. The Black hearth tile will be tiled over...

 

Terry built a temporary frame around the inside of the fireplace, and we set a leveling layer of thinset over the bricks.

 

Here we had to figure out what to do with a gaping hole in the floor, in front of the hearth. Three layers of backer board did the trick. It brought the area level to the existing tile.

 

Here's the tile, a mix of glass and stone, tiny tiles, and the colors are complementary to this 1949 house. We were going to do some larger slate tiles, but you know what happens... when you see something and just know it's right...

Ready to go...

 

Nice look. This is me getting some much needed exercise. These projects remind us how old and out of shape we are.

 

Here I am, waiting for Terry to get back from the tile store, because, of course, we misjudged how many tiles we needed (by one sheet).

 

Tomorrow we grout, and take care of finish molding...

 

Then we clean up the inner brick, give the log crib a bath, and shop for a new screen.

 

This weekend project is going to continue into the next week.

 

Carry on.

What Happened to Global Warming?

I got started on my brothers address sign, but the warm weather came, and I went outside...

 

You can't even see it, but I am planting a baby "Clump River Birch" tree.

 

Shorty just wants to play ball.

 

There she is... We need some mulch !!!

 

Okay... it's cold again. Back down to the workshop.

 The forecast is cold, and more cold, so I guess I'm going to get this sign done.