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!

New Day - New Developments!

Spring has definitely sprung, and every time we go to the house, there are new trees blooming, and new things happening. Greg went today and took pictures of the framing... the "bonus room over the garage" is framed, as well as the "exercise room" adjacent to it. He discovered 2 more dogwoods blooming over the bluff. The first picture is taken from an upstairs window, and the last from a downstairs window or doorway.













On the ankle front, we went back to the orthopedist Wednesday, and the ankle is healing, albeit slowly. The doctor took off the purple cast and gave me a black "Frankenstein boot," which can be removed for showering... God is good! I will have to wear the boot for probably 5 weeks, and then who knows. The doctor is talking about physical therapy at the end of six weeks, and a complete recovery time of 12 weeks, which would be early June! Poor Greg... he's doing such a great job of taking care of me, but that may wear pretty thin in a couple of months!

Framed Again!

The framing crew returned today, and with good weather, they got in a big day. We now have a garage, 2nd floor joists, and lots of rafters. Hopefully by the end of this week, we will be "in the dry"... Ben (head framer) tells Greg we will need windows by the end of next week! Spring has sprung on the bluff, and Greg went out and took a lot of pictures this afternoon of the house progress and a beautiful redbud tree that is over the bluff just outside our sunroom. He also discovered a dogwood budding next to it... that will be beautiful to look at each spring!

On the home front, the foot feels much better... and I am behaving myself in hopes I can speed this healing process along. We've had quite a lot of company in the last two days... and some wonderful food, thanks to our moms and a neighbor... so all is going well in the recuperation department!

The Latest in Footwear

So, here's my new "boot!" Actually, it's a fiberglass cast, and it will probably be my friend for several weeks. The orthopedist was really nice, and he explained that in addition to the ankle break, I have 2-3 torn ligaments and a bad sprain, and that most likely, one of the ligaments chipped the end off of my fibula (ankle bone) when it tore. He says I will have to keep the ankle immobilized and elevated with no weight on it as much as I can for the next 2 weeks, at least, and after that, it will be several more weeks before I can really put weight on it. Bottom line... I'm looking at about 12 weeks to "full recovery!" So, I am trying to behave, and Greg is doing a great job of seeing that I'm fed and cared for! I have had lots of offers from others for various help, and I appreciate it all. AND...my friend Bill Allbright is keeping me brightened with these little tidbits:

Sorry about your bone near your foot
That's the type of injury up with which
you can not put!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kerplunk! Ouch!
Hope your ankle's doing better
Elaine could'a' climbed down
I think you
Should have let 'er

But no, you yanked her off the heights
You caught her with your self
Would'uv been a better thing
To leave her on the shelf

You've got a topic for your blog
The fracture will not last
But go ahead and write it up
Until you loose the cast

By then the house upon the bluff
will more completer be
And you can visit once again
No cast from foot to knee

Greg continues to do a great job of keeping me updated on progress at the house. Today they are pouring the concrete for the garage and front porch... he says spring has sprung at the bluff, and soon there will be much less view!

Highs and Lows

Well, it's been an interesting few days! Sunday afternoon, I went to the house to do some "pondering" on cabinet placement, etc. Greg's mother Elaine dropped by, and we toured the house. I had helped her maneuver up a 2" x 10" plank the carpenters had affixed to the front of the house, and we had toured both floors. I had even remarked to her that I hoped nobody fell and hurt themselves if they came out to take a tour, since the stairs to the 2nd floor were "open" in spots, etc. Little did I know...

I was helping Elaine walk back down the plank, holding her hand, and I stepped off the front to the "porch" with no problem. But the NEXT step was from the porch to the ground, some 2.5 - 3 feet below, and CRUNCH! My left foot buckled underneath me, and I fell, pulling Elaine on top of me. Bottom line... Elaine is fine, but I have a chipped ankle bone! I have a temporary plaster "stirrup" splint and see an orthopedist Wednesday morning, probably for something a little more long-lasting! I also have a lovely pair of stainless steel crutches that I am fairly poor at maneuvering. The ER doc says I will "get real good" at walking on them!
So far, so good... my pain has been remarkably tolerable. God is good!

I have great caregivers... Greg is doing everything I need, and Elaine came and cooked all the fresh veggies and meat I had in the fridge so nothing would spoil and we would have meals. Mom brought a jelly roll and is making us a meatloaf! I have my laptop, ice and pillows, 2 telephones, and a big screen TV... what else could I ask for?! Well, okay... an ankle that is not the size of a softball, maybe?!

Greg went to the lot yesterday and today and took tons of photos for me. Yesterday, they worked on rafters and pouring the floor to our "safe room" (storm cellar). You'll see Hurshel, Willie and Casey pouring the concrete, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow... a hot, tedious job, as it got to about 80 degrees yesterday! Today they are working on rafters and 2nd story flooring for attic space, and hopefully tomorrow the garage and porch floors will be poured. It's rainy here this week, so it will depend on the weather. The "window view" is from an upstairs bedroom... pretty cool, huh?!

Our Own "Extreme Home Makeover!"

Every day is different, and today was no exception!