April 21, 2007

Sticks and Stones...

The roof is on, the rock is going up, and the brick is on its way!!! Eaves and soffits are being trimmed, the electrician and plumber are on the scene, and things continue to FLY! We are very pleased with everything.

On the home front, the doctor says my ankle is healing well, and I need a full 6 weeks in "the boot" (which means this Sunday, at least). I start physical therapy next week on Tuesday, and Greg thinks I should wear the boot until my first session and see what the therapists say. I can start putting a little weight on the foot. The doctor says that I have a 6 to 8-week window now for regaining range of motion in the ankle... after that, it's gone for good! Now THAT's a motivator!!! He says you can build strength any time, but there is limited time to regain the range of motion for the muscles and ligaments. So, I will have to work hard these next few weeks.

The other component is going to be pain. The doc says if there isn't pain in the therapy, the therapy isn't working. So he has started me on a regimen of Aleve to help with inflammation and pain. Greg pointed out to me that I am pretty tough (!), so maybe the pain won't be as bad as the doc says. At any rate, I will work through it... he says that this is why you have to have a therapist... your natural instinct is to quit when it hurts, and the therapists won't let you do that. I will do exercises every 12 hours, which means that Greg will be my therapist at home... he's flexing his fingers and getting ready!

This Joint is Jumpin'!!!

Things are happening so fast it would make your head spin! Since Monday, this is what has happened:

• the framers finished the framing and the new deck on the back


• the roofers are over halfway done and should finish on Friday (just in time for storms and more rain!)


• the stone masons are working on the dormers and bump-out walls


• the brick is on order and could begin going up as early as next week


• the fireplace is in


• Greg has talked to men about the security system, television and Internet connections


• the plumber is on the scene


• the electrician is gearing up to start


• the heat and air man is ready to begin, and his men are here to dig wells for the geothermal heat pump we are installing! You will see several photos of their equipment, as they dig 200-ft. deep holes to house the vertical loops of pipe that will circulate the water and use the ground temperature to keep it warm before returning it to a heat exchanger. You can learn more at http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/
  home/heating_cooling/ . Greg said as the guy drilled deeper and deeper, the dust really flew -- and it changed colors as the layers of rock changed!
  

We are excited about all of the rapid-fire changes going on... it is fun to go to the house and see what has been accomplished in, literally, hours! If this trend continues, we are going to be moving sooner than we thought!Click on any photo to see a larger image. Click on any

Happy Easter!

I hope it wasn't too cold in your neck of the woods today. I would be surprised if it got out of the 40's here... it was COLD! But it was sunny and beautiful, and we had a good day... church, brunch with Greg's mom, a visit from Cindy and Charley and their children, Caitlyn and Chase, and trips to the new house to look things over. Caitlyn played a concert for us from her piano lesson book, and that was WONDERFUL! She is a first-grader, reads on a high 2nd-grade level, and is doing a great job learning to play. We even played a duet! She has promised to bring her book back this summer so that we can have an extended "jam session."

The house is going so well. Greg has worked hard to keep the yard cleaned and make plans for the exterior, and I have nearly worn a hole in this couch!*LOL* You can see that we did figure out how to get me up into the house, and I have enjoyed being able to tour the first floor and sit on the outside covered porch, which should be truly covered tomorrow! As you can see, the trees have really filled in, and we will have to decide this summer which ones we can spare to open the view for spring/summer and fall!

The big wide photo inside shows what will be our living room/kitchen. The other vertical photos are of our little sunroom, and I am thinking it may be one of the favorite rooms of the house... surely for our cats! There is a wonderful old cedar tree just outside the big windows, and the birds really flock to it. You can also see the next-door creek from these windows, as well as all sorts of ferns and foliage.

As you can see, crutches are still my constant friend... 4 weeks today and counting! Each day gets better, and I am so blessed to have wonderful help. I don't know what I will do if Greg grows tired of waiting on me! He has been incredible... a real trooper!

Almost Covered!

The house is coming along really well, and we should have a FULL roof by the end of today. Greg has gone out several times to sweep out water, as it seems we've had rain every few days. More is expected tomorrow, but hopefully by then the whole roof will be on, and not much will blow inside. In the photos, the orange things in the trees is a bunch of balloons! We have no idea where they came from or how they got there.

Everything here is in FULL BLOOM, and it is gorgeous! I managed to hobble to church yesterday (sat on the back pew - felt soooo different!), and afterward, Greg and his mother and I went over to the house for a look/see. They got out and walked around, and I sat in the car and looked at all that has been accomplished in the last few weeks. Windows and doors come next, and then we will start on the electrical and plumbing... visible progress is going to slow down a lot, so I may not have as much to post as often... stay tuned!