Almost decked out

(think the tune "The Way You Look Tonight)

Some day, when its quiet at home, I'll be having coffee on the front deck and be happy that the dirt is covered.

Okay, not really quite working with the song, but you get the idea.  This is the front door "platform."  Eventually (like the very last part) there will be a ramp between the steps and the house that will go clear out to the area where the garage is going to be.  Our thoughts are that eventually we will need that because to be perfectly honest here, we are not getting younger.

The plan for this spring/summer is to connect this front door platform to the east deck (pictured below) with another deck that is about 20 inches lower than the 2 sections it will connect to.  Then you will be able to walk out one door and in the other without ever leaving the deck.

 We are already preparing to start this work by taking down the cattle panels that were between the posts so that my morning glories could climb up them.  I have found an alternative spot out past the driveway and now all that is left to do is to lift each planter with the skid steer and take it to its next location.  Then we can clear out the rest of the things under the porch roof and start setting post block supports.

Then there will be a 3rd set of steps in the open space you can see in this last picture toward the back of the picture, but going in the same direction as these steps. 

The underside of the deck currently has hog panels blocking entrance because the dogs seem to think that is a good place to dig a hole in the summer to lay in the cool dirt.  The problem was, they were digging next to a post support and you get enough dirt dug out and that thing will start to shift, sink and eventually not support the deck.  My plan is to use some old yard fence that I found on the farm all the way around the underside. 

My whole design process on this house has been to reuse and repurpose items on the farm that are no longer being used and to find new purpose for them in cool and creative ways.  Hopefully this time next year, or maybe sooner, I can share a picture of the wrapped around deck on the house.  That will leave only the ramp and the back deck left to build.  Little by little, piece by piece, day by day, we get something done or accomplished.

Preserving the past

As we build this new house that we call home, I continue to try to bring in some of the things from Larry's past to preserve the memory of the farm he grew up on and some of my past to honor my grandmother, who passed just before we met, and whom I believe was the divine intervention bringing Larry and I together. 
One of the ways I am striving to do this is by using some of the best boards from the sheep sheds we dismantled in order to clear the area for the house. 

Bringing my past to the new house is in a more decorative manner.  I inherited some floral pieces from my grandmother's supply.  Since the kitchen is a staple from my past -- grandma making wonderful meals, cookies for grandkids and where everyone seemed to gather when visiting, I decided it would fitting to put the teacup arrangement (a mother's day present for my grandma from me) in the window above the kitchen sink along side the aloe vera plant that is an offshoot from grandma's aunt Selma. 

Anyone who has ever been in an old farmhouse, the window above the sink is the quintessential piece of a kitchen.  It is the place that moms and grandmas on the farm have watched the kids playing in the yard or seen the neighbors driving up for a visit or watching the cows come in for a drink or watching the tractor go by on the way to or from the field.  At least that is what my grandmas saw through their kitchen windows.  So when it came time to design this farm house I knew I wanted the window over the kitchen sink. 

Anyone who knows me knows I hate to spend time in the kitchen; however, I still find comfort in standing at the sink looking out this particular window.  You can see what I see.  There are no kids in the yard playing, I can't see the cows or watch the tractor go by with my husband on it, but it still represents all that I remember of my grandmas, where I always found them, where memories are made.  They may be my memories, but now that both of my grandmas are passed away, the memories are all I have and the little tokens that make it easy to recall the memories.

I hope this brings your own memories of your grandma and those memories bring a smile on your face today.

New Year, New Challenges

2019 started off rather disappointing.  I lost my job of almost 6 years without an explanation or any indication leading up to the day my boss walked into the office to hand me my paycheck and tell me that I don't need to come back to the office to work.   (pause for shock factor to set in)

It took me a couple of days to get over the shock of it all but luckily I had been quietly testing the job market in NW Kansas to see what was out there and had an interview set up for the end of that week.  I didn't get that job from the interview I had already set up, but the lady that interviewed me was nice enough to let me know of a couple other jobs in the area she thought I might be interested in.  That led me to 3 positions posted in the county hospital.  At the time of this post writing, I am waiting to hear from the hospital. 

In the meantime, I am back to working full-time doing medical transcription, specifically radiology.  Hopefully I won't get to comfortable in that 2nd shift schedule by the time I get offered a job outside of the home.

These are my challenges: 
1.  Learning to job hunt after age of 50.
2.  Figuring out how to balance my life between my house on my parent's farm and the new house on my husband's farm.
3.  Figuring out what day of the week is by my location and work schedule.

I am still trying to figure out how chaos and upheaval found their way into my quiet life.  I thought by this point I would be settled in a job/career that would have me looking forward to retirement in 25 years. . . . . now I am just hoping to find a job that I can work at for the next 25-30 years.