It is definitely feeling like summer here in Oklahoma; the temps are in the high 90’s, with a steady wind blowing, and fireworks most nights!  We are also currently experiencing a Sahara dust storm. I was not sure what was next on the agenda for the 2020 calendar, but a dust storm was not even on the radar! The air quality is in the less than ideal zone, so we are avoiding outdoor work, which I don’t mind so much, especially since I spent most of last week outside, digging in the dirt, yay. The flower beds in the front yard were filled with dirt; and over time, the dirt had accumulated so much that it covered one whole row of stone. I dug 6 inches down and 16 feet across, hauling each wheelbarrow load of dirt to the front driveway area. I then put down mesh wiring, pressure washed the very dirty row of stone, then laid down fabric and mulch. Repeated on the other side. It seems like I should be getting in better shape with all the digging and lifting, but so far, the only thing I have to show, is a callous on each hand!

Our focus right now and for the next couple of months, is finishing the addition! Greg has been working most evenings and weekends insulating and putting up drywall.

The office is done, most of the hallway, and guest bathroom. We still need to finish the grandkids room and guest room. I did learn a new term to describe our hallway with the sloped wall. Batter. Sadly, it has nothing to do with cake. Batter: an inward inclination or slope of a wall or structure. I love that it gives character to the addition, and there are dormers every 20 feet to break up the length.

There are still moments of “did we bite off more than we can chew”, or “should Greg be doing that?” More of the latter, example; one afternoon I decided to check in on Greg, he was in our very steep stairwell, standing on a stool, which was teetering on a thin board, touching on only three of the four legs, which was balancing on a ladder, about 15 feet in the air. Sigh. I did not want to say anything or distract him, so I just slowly backed up, and probably said a prayer. Thankfully, no trips to the E.R.

Big news; we have a brand new septic system! Not something I would normally get excited about, but it means we are approaching the finish line. As one of my friends said, “so long cash flow and beautiful yard!” To which I replied, “At least the yard will come back.” We had no choice but to install a new one. When the clubhouse was built, it was surrounded by a golf course. There is no longer a golf course, instead, there are divided lots with homes being built, and our old leach field from the septic system appeared to drain onto two of the lots, and with the addition we needed a bigger system to support it. We bit the bullet and had it installed. There is some pressure to wrap everything up by August, I think we (Greg) can get it all pulled together. I would love to do a reveal of a before and after, but I’ve decided it is more of a before and in progress…with a home and property, there always seems to be the next project, or repair. I think that is ok, there will always be something to work on! We do manage to take breaks now and then, very necessary when you are remodeling and are flipping old! Most mornings we are up early and have our coffee on the back patio. We were relaxing one morning when I happened to look over at the porch wall, crawling slowly up the stone was a huge tarantula! Greg took care of it, I could not watch, so gross! The good thing, remember there is always a good thing/silver lining, was that it gave us both a shot of adrenalin that lasted for several hours, better than a cup of coffee! Living in the country, there are bound to be critters of all sorts. I much prefer our friendly squirrels, and the turtle Greg rescued from the highway. Our son in law named him Buddy Holly, he only stuck around a couple hours.

Cheers to the 4^th, we will be spending the long weekend finishing up the drywall, then on to taping, texturing, and painting. For the flooring, we may have to go with carpet temporarily, it just depends on the time frame, carpet is quicker to install. We do have the shower/bath insert but still need to pick out fixtures and toilets, sounds like we have another exciting Saturday night in our near future! We will take a moment or two to appreciate and remember our country, hoping you can do the same.

Peace to you all,

Marcy Dawn