# 552 - Clearing Land - a GrandBaby - a Niece!

The past two weeks have found us to be busy...nonstop. We first started with the unbelievably great experience of having our grandbaby Coraline with Nana and Pappy! I laughed about us being in an RV during our first extended visit with Coraline, but it was a blessing and rather easy to keep up with a 20 month old in a small space! She has stayed the night with us a few times before, but this visit was a week long visit...perfect!

Coraline and her babies as they are kissing goodnight!

Then, it became an extra delight to find that my daughter Heather had already been potty training Coraline and our stay gave her a warp push forward with potty training, probably because of the small space involved with our temporary living quarters. Soon, Coraline refused to wear a wet diaper or even a dry diaper and the good news is, in seven days of watching her, I only had to change ONE poopy diaper on her first day with us...all other poopies were IN THE POTTY! Yes, if you change diapers or have EVER changed a diaper during your lifetime, you can understand that this is newsworthy info!

One sunny afternoon at the park to let the
grand-baby RUN --- too many days of rain
had made us stir-crazy. She needed to be a kid!

The next week, I had my eight year old niece Shaye to watch. She was adorable. Actually, I had both children for nearly 48 hours, so I was reminded of what it is like to have two energetic children in my possession! It was wonderful! And I was thankful these cousins got to spend some time together.

Coraline and Shaye...My grand-daughter and niece. Super special kids!

I even got to enjoy a visit with my dad who got to cuddle and be delighted by his first great-grand-daughter. I know my dad, these moments were Heavenly to him. I could see the father he had been to me as he held is great-grandbaby girl. He becomes a puddle of mush when allowed to just be himself with the baby. I sure love my dad.

My daddy and his great-grandbaby.

Soon, Coraline was on her way home with her parents, back to the Greater Fort Worth Area and this gave me and Shaye some much needed time alone. So, we headed back to the country and I bought Shaye a pair of galoshes so she could go on a hike through the acreage to see the future home-site being cleared by the timber crew. I wanted her to see the construction process from the start. But, she had never owned a pair of rain boots and wasn't very confident in their ability to keep her feet dry.

Her Uncle David had to say, "Girl, step into that water! Those boots were made to keep your feet dry!"

She finally took a timid step and then she shared a HUGE smile as she realized her socks were still dry. Then, Shaye began to find every puddle in her path so she could tread across the muckiness.

Shaye and Gracie had a great time exploring the build-site together.

Of course, she got to have her new boots hosed off after the hike. Shaye LOVES her rain boots. We talked about her being able to wear them on rainy days and not worry about the puddles. I think she will be ready for the next rain day with a smile.

Next, it was my turn. Sgt. Dave hosed down my own boots as I stood and giggled. How does that man still manage to make me giggle and smile as my cheeks get flushed?

It is difficult to believe that our house will soon be standing in this area. We will soon have a REAL house, with a metal roof instead of an RV with slide-outs!

I can't wait!

Have I said that I can't wait?

Oh yea...I CAN'T WAIT!

# 551 - Rain, Rain Go Away, I Want to Build Our House Today

We closed on our construction loan as of May 5th, then we immediately had a crew jump in to start clearing the home-site of the densely wooded forest. Everyone was READY TO BUILD! Then, the rains in Texas began pouring.

And it poured.

And much of our part of Texas began to experience devastating floods.

Then, the rain stopped for a moment, oh, but wait, it soon started to rain again, for weeks.

The fires that we had started so that massive timber debris could be turned to ash didn't have a chance. A sizzle wasn't even possible. Hauling this level of unsellable timber away costs THOUSANDS of dollars. Out here in RURAL LAND...you burn the timber removed from your homesites, but that wasn't happening. Everything sat in the pouring rains and became soaked to the core.

The land became so saturated that the large equipment needed for clearing couldn't stand a chance at running through the muck. If they try to operate, the bulldozer would simply become bogged down and create more damage than good.

Since we cannot remove the remaining large trees we selected to be removed from the home-site, we could not proceed. And we can't start building unless the trees are removed because there is no sense in having one of these massive trees fall on any structure being built, so we can't begin building.

Additionally, we need to haul in several loads of top soil after the composted soil is removed so that we can build the house and detached garage upon a proper crowned, elevated site to prevent drainage from pooling under the house.

Each step is critical. But, for weeks we didn't make one step forward because the rain put a halt to all construction steps.

During these weeks I watched news reports highlighting widespread and devastating floods, especially throughout the Greater Houston area where most of my loved ones live. The images were terrifying.

Across Texas, there were stories of tragedy and unexpected flash floods that took unsuspecting lives. Experiencing a true flash flood is something that one cannot imagine...I experienced one at 17 years of age in San Antonio and I NEVER want to go through another one. There but the Grace of God...

Remaining outside of my own small-world irritations with construction delays due to rains wasn't a choice, due to widespread suffering. Of course, I had been feeling sad that our long-awaited construction process was so severely delayed. I was feeling the severe pinch of living in an RV for a much longer time-frame than intended, but as we realized the rains were not stopping and there was 90% rain in the forecast every day for the next week, and the next, then I began to also breathe a sigh of relief that we hadn't started construction the week prior to the heavy rains because we surely would've suffered major issues with material damage. As for construction, I would rather be patient and wait out the major rains.

The picture below is from about a week ago. This is 288, which is a route we take to reach downtown Houston and the Medical Center. For years I drove this strip of 288 as I traveled either to Rice University or to Houston's Medical Center and we still drive it whenever possible, very frequently. The bayou running parallel to 288 became so inundated with flood water that it completely covered this entire section of 288. I had never seen such massive flooding. Indeed, people died in this area. Terrible tragedies.

 

So, I could cry about the tragic losses due to massive flooding, but I am getting back on track in my small world. Truly, we do need a minimum of two solid hot days to begin drying out the land, even though we have fantastic drainage on our acreage, the terrain is still problematic after it rains day after day, for weeks. It would be problematic, anywhere.

Even so, if all had gone as expected, I thought most of the shell of the house would be constructed by now. So, constructing our custom country home has not gone as expected, but WHAT part of life ever goes as we expect? I am thankful Texas is getting some sunny weather because we could not have endured much more flooding.

Flooding inside Minute Maid Park...

Keeping things in perspective, I know our family is extremely blessed and being content with rain is normally a good thing. But, this level of rain has been challenging. Fortunately, nobody in my own family flooded during this round of storms, but many of our friends have flooded homes and vehicles. Eventually, the rains will slow down, and we will be working like dogs beneath the Texas sun. Until the hot, rainless days come, I am happily making sure that all of our construction decisions are livable ones that truly feel right. And, it seems that everything is really great...even though not much is going on.

Sgt. Dave is digging around our home-site zone for old bottles about
50 years old. This area was once an old Timber-Town. Every now and
then, we find truly valuable treasures. We have so much fun!

Along with the rain, I've had ample time to reconsider spare closet placement in the house along with other nook and crannies to be added. The down time has been well spent. I also spent one full week taking care of our first and only grandchild, Coraline, and the next taking care of my niece, Shaye, as my sister and her husband took a week long cruise to Mexico for her 40th birthday. After those two weeks, I was BEYOND WORN OUT and sick with a terrible cold virus unlike anything I've experienced in YEARS. Life...

However, I pray for everyone directly impacted by these horrendous rains because Mother Nature can indeed be unrelenting and indiscriminate. But, the selfish side of me screams, "Rain, Rain, Go Away...I want to build our house today!"

I spent about a week with my niece Shaye. It was great
to see her stand in the area where the house will be
built. Sharing the house-building process with her has
been fantastic! However, it is not very exciting to an
eight year old, in fact, it's kind of boring. But, that's ok.

Oh well, as of a couple of weeks ago, we've now officially worked for TWO YEARS to build this house. I cannot believe it has taken us this long to get to this point. Building on raw acreage in a rural area is NOT an easy process.

The great news is that today has been another bright and sunny day and our area has several days of hot, great weather ahead of us. This time in Texas can give LONG hot days, which can be beneficial for those in construction, especially after weeks and weeks of traumatic flooding. Even better, I can hear sounds in the distance of the crews working and it is MUSIC TO MY EARS!

As I sign off, I can also smell timber debris burning. It's good we are getting all of it burned before the hot weather kicks in the dreaded BURN BANS because those will present a completely new kind of hurdle, if we're not prepared!

House...I want you...I NEED you...I want your closet space, your bathtub, your full-sized kitchen...I want all of our lifelong belongings out of storage to be placed inside your innards! House, oh house...the house of my dreams that I have never seen in real life...I am ready for you!

# 550 - Country House - Land Clearing Galore!

Closing on our house this week has been very exciting, draining, and a relief. Closing the business end of the transaction almost seemed unreal. The process took so long that I should have started it one year earlier. So now we are onto the next step of clearing the land, which for us feels like LAND CLEARING GALORE!

We arranged for our acreage clearing crew to show up early Saturday morning for their first day of land clearing at the home-site. After our closing, that afternoon we had a final meeting with our land clearing supervisor before the actual work was to commence, I tried to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for our acreage to be forever transformed. This is a bit difficult because even though we are building our dream home, I knew, as of Saturday, that area of our forest would be forever altered. That area has acres of gorgeous towering trees and it is one of my favorite places in the world to stroll through.

Since the excavation crew would be here Saturday morning, Sgt. Dave decided to hand-chop the Wild Cherry tree down so we could pull it aside for the long drying process so it can be used for some project down the road. Using an axe, he felled the Wild Cherry. Since dusk had arrived, we decided to head back to the RV and go back the next day to pull the tree aside.

However, the next morning, which was a day before the land crew was expected, we awoke to the sound of large machinery being operated nearby. We have a land-owner next door and they sometimes mow and then bale hay, but they were not baling hay. The only other possible way that such close work with large machinery would be possible was road work, and no such work was occurring.

Sgt. Dave launched himself out of bed, threw on something appropriate and ran outside with messy hair, a gun and wide eyes.

Within a few minutes, he returned with a few pictures taken on his iPhone...the pictures were of the crew clearing our acreage!

It turns out that our builder spoke with our excavator and told him that every hour counted and he wanted him out there within 24 hours!

 

But, nobody called to tell us of the change and since it was the very first work day of the entire construction process that will require months of work, it was definitely unexpected to get started earlier than planned.

You can see the bulldozer in the background with one of the crew
standing there in a denim shirt. That helps give perspective.

After the crew had worked a few hours, a strange thing happened...The dark forest floor beneath the dense canopy was giving way to light...lots of light!

The dogs didn't quite know what to expect. Their first moments out there were tense as they wanted to attack and growl and bark at the machinery and people on their territory. It was nerve-wracking for me as well to get it across to the dogs that this was okay. They seem to sense the excitement in the air.

Gracie is brindle and appears to be camouflaged right into the scenery as
Howdy sticks out like a Shepherd often does. Liyla is at my side.

Also, Sgt. Dave works most Saturdays and had planned to take off to be with the crew as they began clearing the acreage, but since they weren't supposed to be there on this day, he had to continue with our normal routine of him getting up and off to work.

 

 

As Sgt. Dave headed for work, I could hear the crew working and I suddenly remembered the dang wild cherry tree had not been pulled to the side before the crew got started. In the distance, I could hear large equipment running simultaneously with a chain saw as the bulldozer was a mean machine of positive and impressive destruction.

So, as of me sitting here writing, we have just finished Day 2 of land clearing with a huge pile of trees being burned, slowing but surely the pile is burning. But, the clearing is by no means finished, there is still much to do. However, the burning of the debris is critical...we cannot do anything until the pile is burned down because the debris is so massive that it is taking up space that is actually part of the home-site and we don't want to be burning massive debris next to the new construction taking place. That's a stupid kind of risk that I'm not willing to take.

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Even so, the vision I have held for our country home setting has been shifting around in my mind's eye for so long, but it is coming to life, bit by bit. I stood at the home-site as the bulldozer knocked another tree down and couldn't believe that the vision is emerging, the vision is appearing right next to me in real life! I stand there and can SEE what I have imagined and dreamed. It is pretty odd and I am one tremendously blessed woman. My husband has sought to give me a home that I can use as a nurturing tool; he trusts that I will make our home as good as any home can be for the two of us and that it will be a welcoming touchstone family home for gatherings with our children and grandchildren and so on.

I pray for continued good health for my husband and I throughout this process and into LONG old age so that we may enjoy the fruits of our labor. May God continue to shine his face upon us and may we continue to see the good in everything!
 

# 549 - COUNTRY HOUSE - CONSTRUCTION LOAN SIGNED & SEALED!

Oh Dear Sweet Jesus and a very thankful me is ecstatic to announce that we FINALLY closed on our country house construction loan! We had another delay, but finally closed yesterday!

Here is a picture of poor Sgt. Dave and me as we were at the bank yesterday morning...just before we headed to the title company to sign our papers.

Deer-in-the-head-lights expression for Sgt. Dave.

At the title company, Sgt. Dave finally re-gathered his composition.

Actually, the day before closing, I began having massive anxiety. For those of you who have followed this process, you know how much we have gone through. Major ups and downs were part of the process...mostly those belonged on my end because Sgt. Dave left everything pretty much up to me to decide. That is both good and bad. It's good because my husband trusts me to make the best decision possible, and it's bad because he trusts me to make the best decisions possible...and this is completely new territory for me. Building on raw land, in a rural area, is a big challenge.

We did not take drawings from another person's house and we did not buy architectural drawings already completed...our house originated from me spending time over nearly two years drawing and considering each element. Basically, our house drawings sprung from my drawings on graph paper.

Yes, graph paper. At least I used measurements and a ruler for my layout. I had foundational ideas for our custom country house that were ingrained into my mind as either a wish-list kind of thing or a hard-core requirement. After owning several homes, I knew what we liked and didn't like. Of course, I couldn't work everything I loved into the house design, but I can guarantee that every single element of this house has been considered and mulled over, extensively.

First floor:  Great Room is truly great with the height going to 2 stories.

We actually have 1.5 stories, here is the upper floor.

After we closed our deal, we went to a local Italian restaurant we love and had a very late lunch and we even ordered extra food to bring home for dinner.

However, our day was not over...we got home and barely had time to change clothes and then walk across the acreage to meet the agricultural specialist we have hired to oversee the final clearing and prep of the home-site. He will be here on Saturday to do some major work and to oversee clearing activities.

Paul is able to walk through the area and immediately be able to identify every tree, its worth, the root system, its potential and to also determine if it is a "trash tree" that should just be eliminated because it will likely cause problems.

After this Saturday, we will be able to better see our home-site area and to make further decisions about the clearing process before Paul returns for a final full day of work.

So, that means we have about a week and a half to two weeks of land prep, then our builder can come in and start building the actual house.

I can't believe it's happening. Every day, I have many decisions and significant business to handle; it can become very draining. But, I am one happy woman!

For now, I am thankful that everything is sign, sealed, and delivered so that our house can be built. This is a joyous time for us, and most of us know that the great times should be savored because we never know what the future holds. Therefore, good times are to be appreciated and treasured; don't ever let those good times slip by!

These are GOOD TIMES, indeed!

# 548 - Country House Closing Date Scheduled!

A miracle has occurred! We have a closing date set for this Friday, which will be April 24, 2015 and the construction can then BEGIN! This means we have about three days to close the deal!

The past few weeks, Sgt. Dave and I have been looking for construction supplies and building materials...lately we were on the prowl for solid wood interior doors. I was disappointed in discovering major home improvement stores mostly sell hollow core interior doors with solid interior doors being a "specialty" item you often had to order. Plus, I wanted a door design that would go with the Texas theme of our house.

The top left are the interior doors, solid pine. Any size is $125.
The double full-glass panel front doors (exterior) with the Texas design
are also ready to be stained and cost $1,000. After comparing prices at
many places, these doors are a steal.

Our builder has great networking contacts and through one of his recommendations we found the interior doors...solid pine pre-hung doors that have an awesome design that goes perfectly with our Texas theme. These doors are just $125. a piece...all sizes, still $125. and they will be the pantry, laundry, bedroom, hall, bathroom and closet doors. They are stain ready. With the raw country style trim we prefer instead of baseboards and crown molding, the trim will be left in its most natural state with a light stain or polyurethane coating to bring out the wood grain warmth. So, the wood doors and trim throughout the house should warm things up. We've always had white doors and white trim...this is the first time we've taken a more natural finish thru the entire house. No doubt, we will have lots of wood finishes.

Then, we also found the double front doors that met three requirements...full glass design, they can be stained to match the wood-grain finish and both doors have the Texas star. The stained/beveled glass panes are protected by being wedged between two protective sheets of glass.

Even the residential door to the garage has half the glass with the Texas design.

Also ready for stain.

We have other areas throughout the house that will incorporate the Texas theme design and some of the lighting will be interesting, both indoor and outdoor.

I feel at peace about the house being built...it should be a beauty, at least in our eyes. But, the truth is, since we have not seen a house exactly like the custom one we are building, you will have to watch it come into existence with us. I hope it will really be similar to what I am expecting! There is only so much you can do on paper. I can't wait to walk through our own designed home.

This week, we also selected our kitchen appliances and I learned a great deal about getting the best prices and sales. I will try to make a post about those appliances next. I can tell you that after living in an RV for almost two years, I literally daydream about cooking in my custom kitchen and enjoying all the appliances we selected.

I am such a happy, contented woman, but I cannot wait until our house is finished and we can again enjoy and share our home with loved ones and friends. We often feel stir-crazy.

Being in an RV has rather stifled my social life and highly restricted my basic ability to move around since everything is within an arm's reach, so it feels great to get out of our tiny space and enjoy the day looking for supplies for our new house.

We get out of here for a little bit and you would think we have lost it. We have too much fun during our days of running around town. But, I have laughed about the "tiny house" movement and suggested to those who think they might like that life to go get an RV and try it out. Until you have tried it, you can't say whether or not you would "love" living "tiny." We have now lived in a "tiny house" for nearly two years and it is getting really old.

Well, let us hope our closing happens this Friday without anything holding us back. We are ready to get this house BUILT!

# 547 - ME...HOUSE...EXCITED!

I feel like a caveman with my language because I am SO EXCITED about us inching close to our closing for our house! This month, hopefully within the next 10-15 days, we will be sitting at the bank and signing for our construction loan.

Of course, we are building a larger house than we originally intended because we did come to terms with the fact that long-term, having more room is important for numerous reasons...

1. Since we live a significant distance from our grown children and other family, most traveling to see us will be staying at least one night, so we need the room for them to be able to stay over, and we normally have a LOT of gatherings at our house.
2. Additions are more costly than adding ample square footage upfront. Additions often require more extensive roof issues. We decided to price the difference in the upfront cost of the extra square footage compared with potential costs down the road...upfront definitely won.
3. Having more room is better than not having enough. We can actually block off half of the second story so we don't have to fully heat and/or cool it, but the space is readily available.
4. Closet space is important and as the square footage goes down, the closet space takes a major hit. Also, I wanted to make sure our laundry room has ample room to store extra items, such as bulk items that can bring an overall savings for the budget.

I am also diligently working toward giving our house unique character. I am so excited because I found three stained glass windows that will go into our Master Bathroom.

I had been concerned about our wrap-around porch being too intrusive into private spaces, such as bathrooms, even with privacy glass. It felt like privacy glass was an UGLY option to have facing the porch. So, having these stained glass windows solves a lot of issues. The glass is mottled, so there is no clear visibility through it, yet it is beautiful.

While working with the local antiques dealer, I also decided to get this child's rocker to have in the living room for our grandbabies.

Then, I let this chair capture my attention because it is very similar to another antique chair I already own.

It almost time to celebrate!

# 546 - Man-Weather and Food

After weeks of rain, rain, rain that made the ground a sopping, mushy mess, we finally are enjoying gorgeous weather! This "living in between" on the acreage as we ready to build our country home has been difficult to endure during rainy days because of being stuck in an RV.

I can handle RV living on the decent days that allow us to get outside into wide, open spaces, but being here during days and days of rain that turns into weeks brings about a special kind of stir-crazy.

If I didn't love the outdoors so deeply, it wouldn't be so bad, but being cut off from being able to go on walks because the ground is a sponge becomes a challenge after three consecutive days.

Sgt. Dave has been BBQing just about every meal. It has been Heavenly!

The old pit is hanging in there!

The other day, he was in a mood to make brisket. Since our long-time favorite local BBQ restaurant closed down recently, I was thrilled. Lately, I have been craving chopped beef sandwiches, sliced beef and loaded beef spuds.

Sgt. Dave made this brisket PERFECT. I am a pure Texan and this brisket was the best I have ever eaten, in my life. The slices of beef were so tender that it began to fall apart in your hand. The bark on the brisket is the most flavorful I have ever tasted with the taste a perfect level of sweetness, with no bitterness.

For 3-4 days, I have eaten this brisket for at least one meal a day, and I still can't get enough of it. There is enough to put in the freezer tomorrow, but I am already mourning the fact that some of it will need to go into the freezer!

I have raved about this brisket, but Sgt. Dave told me, "What do you expect? This is the time for lots of BBQ because we have MAN-WEATHER!"

Yes, I love "Man-Weather." If it means I get a brisket every 2-4 weeks such as this, then I hope this "Man-Weather" lasts for an eternity.

I sure hope Heaven has "Man-Weather."

# 545 - Seedling Babies

This week I have finally started to get my seeds. I still have many more to do, but at least things are getting underway for the veggie garden this season. We got a late start, but I was in the hospital a few weeks ago and didn't get to do everything I wanted as fast as I wanted.

Well, I am trying to catch up now. I have some great seeds that will soon sprout...Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Chives, Sweet Basel, Cilantro, Jalapenos, and a lot more. I will be thrilled to have my OWN veggie garden this season, a raised box garden. As time passes, I will be adding more raised box gardens in the same area to make it our garden zone.

 

I can't wait to be able to eat home-grown veggies. There is NOTHING that can compare than a vine-ripened tomato. We love our sweet Basil and have a pesto we make with our basil and it is a special, highly requested menu item we are always requested to make. This year, I am definitely going to learn how to start canning, especially our home-grown green beans, carrots and such...we are going to try our best to avoid buying such foods at the grocery store. I am ready! 

 

 

Then, our chickens are laying about 12 eggs a day. The past couple of days, the dogs have enjoyed a pan of scrambled eggs as a nice treat. They love their eggs. So, when we get too many eggs, we supplement the dog's meals with some scramble eggs and they are some happy, healthy dogs.

 

Now, we are still working on the house. This week, we are working on running ductwork, both rigid and flex duct. We have learned a lot about the issue through extensive research. We might even run a rigid exposed run through the Great room and that would help solve a lot of ductwork problems to the rest of the house. 

 

 

We will see what our HVAC person suggests. Time is short...we don't have much longer to set our mind on how we want these things to be done. Time for more decisions to be made.

 

 

One thing I can promise is that the chickens will not be allowed to roam around the front porch or the yard of the new house. We have a grandbaby who is ready to run around NaNa and Pappy's country house...the kids get the yard and porch. That means, the chickens need a secure area so they can be happy, but not trespass. I need clean porches for the pitter-patter of little baby feet!

 

I can't wait. My grandbaby will finally be able to stay with Nana and Pappy once the house is finished. We can't wait!

 

Life is good.

 



 

 

 

# 544 - Bathtub Blues

Today, I am feeling as if this process of moving from the greater metropolitan Houston area to our rural country acreage is now approaching the end of my patience because of extensive bathtub withdrawal.

As we moved from the city to the country, I did not have any unrealistic expectations, I knew this would be a difficult process. It has taken longer than expected, which was really expected. I had suspected the process would take a minimum of a year, but I had always told my clients that anything real estate related WILL take three times more money and three times more time than expected. Believe me, from Day One, those true words of advice have become my personal experience, yet again. So, I have known this process would likely be more expensive, more challenging and would likely take more time than initially imagined.

However, this week is one of the times I've most missed a bathtub. I long to enjoy sore muscles and aching bones feel the deep relief that comes the weightless glory of a lengthy soak in hot water. I miss my master bath garden tub.

In the old house, you know, the one that had actual bathtubs...we also had an upstairs bathroom that we made into a spa-like setting and it had a jetted tub. The jets on the feet felt especially great on days I had too much to do. But, to tell the truth, I prefer a regular tub without jets. The ability to soak in hot water is all that is really needed to feel the luxury of a tub.

The funny thing is, I would love to take a long hot bath to have a moment to escape from the process of building this house, but I won't get another tub unless I move forward with the process...one of those cycles that doesn't feel so great at  this particular moment.

Today, again, I will have to accept that a long, hot shower will wash away those aches, pains and frustrations, but it just isn't the same as a tub of hot water with a good book and a washrag to scrub away the layers of dirt that I feel cannot be washed away with a shower and a washrag. As for washrags, I prefer those cheap Walmart washrags because they are abrasive enough to truly scrub the skin...the fluffy rags are sudsy beautiful kind of rags, but not worth a darn for scrubbing purposes.

Yea, I sure do miss my bathtubs this week and that's a bit nuts, but it is the way I feel. I am positive there is a layer of dirt beneath the skin that is being missed. It's there! It might not be visible to the naked eye but there is a speck of bodily dirt somewhere that would not be survivable if I had a bathtub!!!

Yes, my OCD tendencies are rearing their ugly head this week.

We had someone suggest buying an old cast-iron tub off Craigslist and setting it up outside near the water hose with some logs underneath it for a small fire to slowly build a nice warm tub of water. A few patio stones with the water hose at the side of the tub to wash off the feet before getting inside is another good idea.

If we have too many more construction delays, I might start surfing our local Craigslist because my need for a soak in the tub is one that is near toddler-tantrum level.

Oh well, for now, it's time to go get my cheap washrag and sing the blues in the shower about missing my bathtubs!