I Love New York Travel

Isn’t it lovely? I planted two of them a few years ago…. five or six years ago now. I didn’t think they were going to make it, because the deer and rabbits nearly chomped the trees into the ground (and they still do chomp). This year has been a good year for the tree. We had some apples from it last year, but this year I expect a good crop. It’s partner tree, a MacIntosh tree, is not doing so well. It’s a slow grower and it was especially targeted by the deer.

Nonetheless, I am pleased that both have survived. I love watching my baby plants grow. It’s more interesting than watching movies on entertainment centers, to me. Such beautiful things!

I TOLD YOU we have a lot of them right now. They even stop to pose for the photos! :-p

Man, have we got bugs now. Bugs, bugs, bugs. The spider population has exploded. So has the mosquito pool (thanks to the SIX inches of rain we’ve got so far for June, yuk).

My daughter snapped this photo of a bumblebee (or perhaps this is a carpenter bee?) on my son’s hand. He was quite docile. When I think of bumblebees, I admit I have a difficult thime thinking of something besides those goofy black and yellow infant halloween costumes, lol. I can’t seem to tell if this bee is a bumble or carpenter. Can you??

I like the fresh summer weather, the freedom of going outside without cramming one’s limbs into stuffy padded parkas and boots…. but the bugs are horrible. I hate them. They love me. They see me as a walking feast of fresh blood and raw meat. :-p I can’t wait until winter kills them all, muahahahaha.

THIS.

I got the dining room all done, thanks in great part to some wonderful helpers. Next is the upstairs bath and bedrooms, and the kitchen. I’m waiting on the plumbing. Once that’s done, we can insulate and close the walls.

I CANNOT WAIT TO GET THE WALLS UP!!!

This has been one of the hardest times in my life. The renovation has been very difficult (well, the renovation has been OK, but being without the kitchen, and having the house in a constant state of disorder and chaos has been really rough on us)… but the other things slamming us at the same time make it very stressful. One of the unintended side beneits is that I am getting back in shape, building my muscle tone again and shedding a few pounds. Hard work can be more effective than top rated diet pills, did you know that? Plus, I think the stress of the summer has attributed to it.

Anyway. Work work work. So many things to do…

Found this little surprise in the wall, when I removed the old 70s style medicine cabinet from the bathroom wall. Unbelievable, really. For one, junction boxes hidden inside walls is illegal. Two, it’s unsafe. Three, THIS is a hazardous, horrifying mess. Wow. If you need prrof that God exists and He is merciful, here it is.

We’re renovating the kitchen and dining room, as well as repairing the electrical and plumbing and heating systems. LOTS of work. It’s consumed my life right now. I eat, breathe, and sleep plaster and lathe, rough framing, PVC pipe vent systems, electrical code, and flooring. It’s exhausting. Initially, it was all like a treasure hunt: who knew what timeless old treasues we’d find in the studs?? But all we found were half-eaten walnuts, some dead rodents, and a few old grocery lists and newspaper waddings from the 70s. Oh well. Disappointing, yes. I wasn’t expecting gold bars or even refurbished fitness equipment, mind you. But a little note or some greenbacks from the original builder would have been nice.

Anyway, we’re removing horrors like the one in the photo. Whew.