The Apartment, coming to a close in a couple weeks

 I am hoping I have some pictures.  I feel so dumb at times just trying to use a phone, PC or my simple camera.  I ordered a simple camera (I THOUGHT).  I am only a point and shoot kind of guy. But I do not know when I am taking  a movie or snap shots.  OUCH!

Some pictures, methinkss...

Above  is what I started with..

This is the main open area, living room, kitchen, dining areas. That ceiling was tough. I have a rough time working over my head. A contractor came thru once as I worked on the ceiling and asked where was my help, you  certainly cannot do a suspended ceiling by yourself? I pointed out my two 'dead men' (A term used for extra supports as I work) I move them around to hold up the 12 foot stuff while I level and tie it to the floor above. LOL

Kitchen stove to be added later of course.

looking into bedroom #1

This is the china hutch with the doll I saved from the trash. That doll waS OWNED BY OUR NEIGHBOR for over 50 years. (Long story there)

above ios Bedroom 2 according door on closet.

This is a necessary room, a pump room. the basement is below sewer level so waste must be ground and pumped up and out to city sewer. This was one of the hardest jobs I had to cut thru 4 inches of concrete. That container is buried 30 inches into the ground.

Bathroom of course.

Terrible shot of the shower; I had messed with this camera too much and the battery was dying.

This is looking from the pump room back to the entry way which houses a 8x10 storage room and a foyer.

My doll has kept me company as I worked.

My working and staging area. in the joining garage. The washer and dryer will be here in this area.

I hung 68 sheets of drywall and finished and painted it. added right at 900 sq ft of suspended ceiling. I plumbed and wired this place. I had help unloading one load of drywall.

Sherry hasn't fussed (much) but she has made it clear this is the last BIG job of an 86 year old man.  I am tending to agree with her.

I am trying to settle down and realize I cannot fix all family problems.  I  pictured retirement as having NO problems. I was once teaching a SS class and mention a friend in the audience. I said, "Wouldn't it be nice to be like the Rev.  QJ Cox. RETIRED and not a worry in the world.  He smiled really big and winked at me.  After class, he came up and said, "It may take a few years son, but you will learn a lot of things when you get OLD!"

Boy, was he right!  LOL

Sending love and good thoughts your way

Nite Shipslog

Trying, but not too much success, LOL

 Photo of the day:

This is the rear of the Duplex (condos). On the far left you can see the door to the basement apt on that side. Now I have cut a door into the grey concrete on the far right.

This is the front of the duplex. I am working under the left side.  We live in the far right (at present)

For now

In trying to keep my mind off ‘ current events’ (both family and national) I have lost myself in creating a 2 BR apartment in the basement of our ‘other’ condo.  Also in the planning stages is a move for us.

Above is the basement I am working on now.... This shot is just inside the open garage door on the right in the top picture.

Background: years ago we bought what we planned as our retirement home. An old house with several add on’s (LOL). We added a big carport for the motor home.  We actually never actually moved into the place but lived in our motor home in the back yard.  We finally sold it to our Granddaughter, and moved back here to our original condo. WE own the two condos (actually this is a glorified ‘duplex’ I built over 30 years ago), we traveled for years on the income from the two condos.

We approached Sherece our Granddaughter  about a trade.  We suggested  she move here into the Condo and we take her home back as our retirement home.  It is a little complicated, but she is agreeable to the trade. She lived here once as a teenager with her family for about a year while her dad (our son Mark) built their home.  She really likes the place and I think her daughter Stella is very happy with the possibility. Stella starts HS next year and this place is pretty close to the High School.  Stella is looking forward to claiming her mama’s old bedroom as her own.

The condo is valued a little more than the home.  The condo is in the city limits, the home is not. There are pros and cons about being in the city limits.

I have been trying to put this entry together for a few days. I will try to take some pictures of the bathroom, it is finished. The electrical is done, the drywall is hung finished and mostly painted. It needs flooring and a ceiling. Since I said that the ceiling is 90% in place.

I cut thru 12” concrete block to put an entry door in place.

More in the next day or two.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet, in person. and here on the net, thank you for being here…  I have been trying to keep up and have enjoyed your blogs and comments….  Until later……. jack

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

               My mother,  Grace Missouri Loyd Darnell (Born 1905)

            Sherry's mother...Susie Geneva Hawes Harris (Born 1904)

The Best Mother's in the World... One of the Blessings of Life

(A few things in the world, we can all have the BEST)

 Today is special, so for all you MOTHERS out there we hope it is the Best.  In my opinion none of us men can EVER know the feelings of a Mother.  I have seen firsthand the closeness of girls with their mother's.  Only a girl can truly understand the position of a LIFE giver.  WE (everyone) can see the apparent problems in motherhood as she carries US.  We men can only imagine the conversations between a mother and that child she carried.

But no words could EVER explain the fullness of motherhood, no matter how hard we try.

LOVE YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS YOU ON YOUR DAY!

Night Shipslog

Feeling Unneccessary

 

Photo of the day:

I sure do miss being 16 yrs old and dating Sherry in this '48 chevy convertible.

For now

My mama was the best.  There are several things in life all of us can have ‘the best’;  Mamas and grand kids are two of those. LOL  When my mama wasn’t at her best physically, she would say, “I just feel unnecessary!”

I use that statement when I do not know how else to say how I feel.

I wanted to take the time to bring family and you that are interested up to date, as I feel UNNECCESSARY!

At present I am in the process of making an apartment in the basement of our rental condo next door. 99% of the drywall boards are hung and finished. Most painted,  That is 60 sheetrock boards 4x8 feet. The electric is about 85% complete.  I did have help unloading one trailer of sheetrock.  I have done all the labor. I work 4 to 7 hours a day over there. I try to work only when our renter is at work to keep from disturbing her.

But my biggest problem, life at present is a little depressing. I have a minor physical problem. I have had 3 or 4 small sore areas that will not heal, some over a year. I finally talked to my dr, and like most dr’s he referred me to another. She said I have too many possible areas to treat, so I need to narrow it down. Have you ever heard of Fluorouracil?  It is some kind of chemo=therapy. I am applying it to my arms morn and nite for two weeks. I have finished the arms. Now a week into my face, ears and head. Dr, said you won’t  want to go out in public, some one may think Mr. Frankenstein has been working on you.  SHE IS RIGHT. I LOOK TERRIBLE and don’t feel much better. I have red spots all over, some scabs, several sores. LOL it is funny but NOT!  LOL  I have to laugh. Skin is tight and itchy…..

Anyway the work downstairs next door keeps me occupied. I need it. I am not supposed to be next to a window without sunscreen.  I cannot handle that. So I stay covered if I have to be outside; the basement work next door is perfect for my condition. I yell at times when I am alone, LOL the skin is tight, tingly, itchy and burns. PERFECT for sleeping (not) LOL

In a few days I can stop the cream and let it work for a month or so, then go back to the Dr.  She said the cream should erase all but the worst skin cancer and she can burn or freeze that.  I think that is what she said.  I will say this, at 86 after going thru this I should be looking 21 again.  LOL

I know this sounds like a lot of bitching, and it is.  Most of you who read this mess have been thru worse and more life threatening situations.  But right NOW I just wanted to gripe.

 

Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet, in person. and here on the net, thank you for being here…  I have been trying to keep up and have enjoyed your blogs and comments….  Until later……. jack

Following Orders, My military background

I have been off the grid or what ever you call it for awhile,  our Grandson and Jenna just gave us our 9th  great grand. 

This GG is a sweet girl. She is Palmer June, She is also a beauty. Mama Jenna had real tough time, however when I mentioned it she said: BUT SHE WAS WORTH IT!!!

I was ORDERED TO MAKE A BLOG ENTRY by my commanding officer, Chief Sherry!

So Here is Our June Bug:

Here is my commanding Officer holding Her, I must say they are both beautiful!

This should be more clear, but my camera battery was dying, but it did take!

This has been a very busy time here in NC.  But we have a lot of family who reads the Blog and doesn't comment, Sherry just wanted the word to get out.

Nite Shipslog

PS   On a sad but sweet note, our friend Dan passed away 30 days ago. His sweet wife Joan, just passed away. Tracy, their daughter just called and said, "Mom and Dad are together again, and dancing in Heaven."  We smiled because Sherry and I never learned to dance, but we attended parties where Joan and Dan were the show of the night, they were great on the dance floor. Joan suffered from Alzheimer's and it is a blessing she has now recovered and KNOWS  Dan again.. 

Just a note

 I hope this is a new post

 

Photo of the day

the ab ove photos are from GITMO when our boys raced Moto cross. Gitmo was one of my best duty stations it was like a small town USA

I got a note from friend Chatty who was wondering about me. I am having a fit with my computer along with other fun things.

For now

Righ when you think you have things set; something messes up my computer and I miss the screen Iusually see with my favoirte sites where all I have todo to click on them. Like righ now I cannot go back and correct those miss spelled words that are nderlined. I do not have a cursor.

I had to delete word for word my last etry here.

Anyway Sherry took a call today from Kentucky. She usually doesn’t do that.  But it was Mixon, the hubby of Ora.  Ora some of yo may remember used to blog here. She had a Cochlea Implant and we drove to see her and Mixon before I had my implants. She was a beautiful lady in every way. Mixon callted to tell us that Ora had passed.

I will miss knowing shew is gone.

I will cut this short and hate to let it go swith all the mistakes. But it is what it is.

I start my gtreatemets for skin cancer I am sure. Tomorrow. The meds have been distracted in the mail since we have two saddresses and confusses lots of things.

This treatment is wupposed to relieve all the precancer stuff down to where they can see the real things What ever that all means. I am sure it is all skin cancer and no need to worry.

I hope to be back soon and out of this funk an old man had fell into.

I hope I can figure all this computer CRAP out soon.

Love and miss you guys.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet. In person and here on the net, thank you for being here…  Meeting Ora was sweet. I know Mixon will miss her. Mixon is a retired chaplain.  He too was a joy to get to know..

What’s happening?

 Photo of the day:

This is our duplex,  it is designed and listed as Condos. The side you see here is the rental unit. We live in the far side when in NC, I am working on the basement presently..

For today:

Things around here have become unglued.

1.       I lost a very good friend from my tour in the USN. DAN Doughton, my immediate boss and leading Chief in Naval Intelligence.  Dan was also my best friend in the USN in Key West. We worked closely together. He picked me to travel to Philadelphia with him on temporary duty to assist a contractor in writing a manual for a new processing system.  We were away from our families for a few weeks and during that time his wife, Joan, taught Sherry to swim, she had always wanted to learn.

    Dan was Catholic. I learned he was very involved in his church. I understand a person must be beyond reproach to be selected by his priest to administer the sacrament. Dan was chosen to visit the bedfast Catholics and serve the communion. I will miss knowing Dan is no longer living up there in Lancaster, PA  He was such a great guy.

 

2    My Sweetheart has been sick, and I have been doing my best to handle the household things and meals. One test came back said she was suffering from e-Coli. I have learned that doesn’t bother informed medical folk, but E-COLI scares the crap  out of me. I associate it with DEATH.  We had a friend who died, we were informed it was due to E-Coli!!!!

AT my insistence, she called for an appointment with her physician, a PA. We learned it is a common problem; it may heal itself with antibiotics. She is now on her second round of them. I am not doing a great job, but I am trying to be her caregiver. ;-(

 

I am not the best about this, but she smiles, although she doesn’t feel like it.

Will be around again soon, I hope

I have started a big project of making a 2 BR apartment in the basement of our rental unit.  Hoping to make it livable in a few months, and pay as we gol

 Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet. In person and here on the net, thank you for being here…