A New Path

Has it really been 9 months since my last post? Well, I guess that in itself speaks volumes. My life is changing rapidly and I'm not yet sure in what direction it will take me.

The past year was very difficult. My husband of 58 years suffered with health issues, was in and out of the hospital and recovery center. He has now gone home to be with the Lord. At last he is in peace, but where does that leave me? I am not at all sure.

I have spent the past little while going through "things", getting rid of "stuff" that I no longer have use for. It seems to be a never ending process, but it also has value in that it is therapeutic. So many memories, so many tears. I am in no hurry to move on. I know I can take my time and I praise God for that blessing alone. He has blessed me in so many ways and I know that my future is in His hands. I just need to be attentive and open to his directions. Waiting is both a blessing and a frustration. Help me Lord to be patient and to take the time I need for your plan to unfold.

This & That

It has been awhile since I last posted anything. Perhaps that is why my site indicates that it now has 3 followers. Have even some of my kids given up on me? I am OK with only a few dedicated followers. This is way to public for my comfort level.

Chris came over today to do a favor. I had downloaded Windows 10 in anticipation that it would allow more graphic options, but it really screwed up a lot of the old options, primarily printing and search options. It was driving me bonkers, so he reversed the install and I am back to what I am more comfortable doing. Thank you Chris. 

We have had about 6 weeks of no medical appointments. that is about to change. Between next week and the end of the month we have at least 8 scheduled between us. Please be in prayer that the weather holds. It is so hard for dad to get out in nasty weather.

Rick was down for a few hours on Saturday. He was going to tack up the rest of the woodwork in the hall where we moved the door, but ended up cutting all the huge weeds on the back slope instead. He did manage to finish calking the 1/4 round in the bathroom and spend some time visiting as well. He has been a tremendous help. Thanks Rick.

I have been busy putting together some more family trees. One for dad's cousin, one for her husband, and am currently working on a tree for one of my cousins, his mom's side. All these trees are different, though some have similarities. Each has a unique story to tell and it gives me so much pleasure to fill in blanks for folks. Mostly, because it brings them joy.

I need to go to bed, so will sign out. For those 3 who follow my blog, thanks for your patience and for caring enough to do so.

Almost there

Family have been urging me to post photos of the new, remodeled bathroom. While not completely finished, I guess it is complete enough to get a good idea of how it will look. Right now it works in it's entirety, but still needs storage shelves above the toilet. sealer on the tile, a couple hooks and a cover plate put on. It also still needs a door, no minor item should we have company. Hope you like it.

 

The wall-hung sink allows wheelchair access (knees fit under)

 

 

A 3 inch riser has been added to the toilet for ease of standing. Grab bars are installed on both sides of the toilet and a transfer pole helps both in that area and when getting off the shower bench. Small tile allow for greater grip.

 

 

The shower head and wand provide water to wash in all areas while seated. A tiled shelf holds washing supplies and a mounted hook (barely visible behind wand tubing) holds long handled bath brush and sponge. Grab bars have been installed in the shower under the shelf (horizontal) and vertically (not visible) adjacent to the plumbing hardware.

 

 

A bit fuzzy, but this photo shows complete layout of room as viewed from doorway.

A remodeled bathroom

Can you hear me screaming? Though only in my mind, it is very loud. Seems that every cut of trim, every line of tile, every everything in our beloved 1924 house needs to be custom. It takes so long and is so very resource consuming. It just goes on and on and on. First one wall of the original bathroom had to be covered with a false wall in order to properly fit the plumbing and electrical. This is because the original wall was comletely covered both by a layer of 1”x 6” lumber and lath and plaster that sat directly over a concrete foundation wall. You could not get through the floor to the crawl space and you could not get into the wall because of the Fort Knox construction. But that was only the beginning. Nothing in the room is square, plumb, or level. Thence, all the customizing. But I must say, it is looking pretty good.

My son Rick originally took a week of family sick time off from work to remodel our bathroom to meet handicap standards for his dad who was in a rehab center. It took two days just to gut the room and to construct walls for the new shower. Thre was trouble finding a preformed handicap shower locally and the cost was prohibitive. So that had to be custom built, starting with a 36”x36” shower pan. Would you believe that plain white subway tile was hard to find? Well enough of it anyway. Rick ran into trouble with old plumbing and electrical, losing precious hours before we finally ended up calling in the pros. Thank God both were available. On other projects, I have had to schedule their services weeks in advance. Needless to say, the week was soon done but the project not nearly so. So a couple weeks later, over a long Memorial Day weekend, Rick took another stab at it, hoping to complete the work in 2 ½ days. Don't laugh, he worked his tail off and made a lot of progress.

It was Rick's intention to work until about noon so that he would have time to finish the job, clean up, load his truck and spend a couple hours relaxing before the long drive back to Seattle. At 4:00 p.m. he still had not finished the trim, grouted any of the tile, or repaired the wall in the hallway were the bathroom door was widened. By 5:30 he did manage to hang sheetrock on the hallway wall, cut the ¼ round that goes around the floor between the tiled floor and baseboard in the bathroom, and drill holes in the shower tile for attaching the grab bars. But someone else, most likely my daughter Dianna will need to do the grouting, nail in the ¼ round, and actually hang the last two grab bars. I will need to do the fill work, painting and papering before this project can be declared complete. Thank goodness I still have some more of the wallpaper left that is in the hallway. I don't want to redo the whole thing.

All our kids contributed some funding and/or labor, and we re-used what materials we could, but this bathroom will keep us pretty broke for the rest of the year. Supplies, professional tradesmen, and equipment rentals are to the point where I don't even want to think about them.We have been talking about remodeling this bathroom for many years, but there have always been “other things” that took priority. So what can I say, our hand was forced and it will end up being a room safe for my husband to use, a room styled to the period of the house, a room we can be proud of. Please tell me it will be finished soon.

Spring in Oregon

Deciduous magnolia, snow drop, red bud, and water hyacinths fill the senses. 

 

It is spring in Oregon, at least in the Willamette Valley. The sun has brought out the flowers and people are out and about once more. Our evergreen clematis is nearly covering the fence by the deck.

 
 

Frustration

Frustration is defined in Webster's New World Dictionary as being blocked or thwarted from doing  what you want. This applies to so many aspects of every day life, as well as to major goals. Sometimes we can easily see why we are prevented from having or doing "things", but other times the reason is evasive. The later is where frustration has us pulling our hair out.

This winter has not brought the extreme cold and snow we had last year. Heating bills have reflected this milder season. So you would think the monetary difference would help ease our over all budget, but NO. The money saved on heat has already gone to extra medical expenses and now I need to have some work done on my car. Hopefully, nothing too major, but still it is frustrating.

We are advised to save for the metaphoric "rainy day" that comes to all people. It is raining here in Oregon. I can think of no family member that is not frustrated in at least some aspect of their lives. But where there is frustration, there is also cause for rejoicing. We serve a loving God. He is our ultimate provider and His resources are without end. All we need do is look back on our own history to see how He has taken one frustrating situation after another and carried us through to the other side.

This process sometimes increases our faith. Sometimes it keeps us from veering off on a path of destruction. Sometimes it provides a lesson we will need to navigate life's rapids yet to come. One of the most important lessons being Let Go and Let God. This is not an easy lesson and we often need to learn it over and over again. Don't kick yourself. Just get on your knees and hand both the frustration and the solution over to the only One that can do anything about it, our heavenly father.

 I pray that your frustrations will yield positive provisions from above. Please pray for us, as well.

Happy 2015

Good by to 2014 and good riddance. There are so many wonderful memories of that by gone year, but way too many bad ones, as well. As I choose to  look forward, I will not fall into listing any of them.

Winter is here and spring will soon follow. My garden will need a lot of attention. But for now, I am working on my office. A son-in-law and his son-in-law came by on New Years Eve and moved some heavy file cabinets and furniture for me. This will make access much easier. I am grateful for that act of kindness. I have already began to sort, organize, and put away. Next will be our taxes.

No trips are planned for 2015. We will most likely stick pretty close to home. Our daughter Amy anticipates coming for a short stay in the spring and I imagine others will find their way to our door, as well. It is always good to have company for short periods. Family and friends are very special to us. So many are, like us, aging quickly. We never know when we say good by, if it will be for the last time.

May 2015 be looked back on as being a year of peace, love, and friendship. May the Lord bring health and happiness to you and yours, no matter what stage of life this year finds you in today. Happy New Year to all.