So this last day of 2013 was a productive one. After attending a meeting at the club re: the weight control program and fitness opportunity I drove to Ace hardware to spend my $5 coupon on free stuff. I got a couple $1 light bulbs and some clips that can keep food storage closed.
Then I set out for Oakland to see a house that I last inspected in 2007. The owner had died and the house was just sitting waiting for the next step. I was there to do a "end of reverse mortgage" appraisal. Once that was completed I checked my emails and found a new order. So I called the contact and got permission to see the 3900 sf home this afternoon. Using a Supra Key I gained entry, did the inspection, shot the comps and was home by dark.
Just now I've come back from Steve and Nikki's where a party with friends and neighbors in in full swing. They do a super job of entertaining and the kids are playing and a huge game of dominos is going on strong. Food is everywhere and some of it is amazingly good. What fun.
Now I'm home and soon I'll be in bed.
I'm not filled with warm and fuzzy memories of this year, 2013. I hope 2014 can be better. For one thing I'll start to get Social Security in August and I'm so ready to start getting something back after paying out for so long to the government. It should be over $1,600 which will help a lot and a couple of the long time credit cards that I'm paying off will be paid off soon, that will help too.
I'm thankful for so much, for a great house (without heat), for a good company that I enjoy running, for good health in spite of the way I've treated it and for an incredible family and some of the worlds best friends. I love my church family and its fine pastor and great people.
Love to all,
Tim
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
A Great Finish
Good evening,
So after last nights time with the Hobbit I found it difficult to wake this morning. But eventually responsibilities beckoned and I rolled out to a very cold house. The family room was 59 so breakfast was quick, steel cut oats, a banana, an egg and a slice of wheat toast.
Once in the office which tends to run warmer due to the computers being on I did research for today's appointments in San Jose and Mountain House. The I finished up other work on my desk and set to work on reconciling the business check book. I've not kept up so now while I have the time I'm working on getting the data up to date. I'm a long ways from being caught up but at least I got a couple more months checked off today, felt good.
At 11:45 I left for San Jose and took some munching food along in place of lunch. The home was nice and is located on a corner. I was surprised to locate a room with bathroom with no access to the interior of the home, only a door opening from the back patio. Once inside I found a young girl who was somewhat frightened, she was also very pregnant, in a conversation in broken English I learned that her due date for the little guy was 2 days ago. Never did really learn who she is related to, just one of those strange things one finds in the course of doing appraisals.
Once I was completed in San Jose I then set sail for Mountain House with the GPS saying I would arrive a couple minutes ahead of the 3:30 appointment. Traffic was slow in several places but I pulled up just 2 minutes late. I found a very beautiful Porsche parked outside and the agent was ready to show me through. The owner was home as well. It is a townhome located in Mountain House and built by Pulte. It is one of the toughest places to measure, I remembered once I started the last one I measured. Once again it challenged me and we'll see when I do the sketch tomorrow if I got the measurements right or not.
Then it was home for a few minutes. There was money waiting in the mail so I prepared the deposit and made the copies for the records. Then it was time to leave for my big date!! Janice was already there and we were quickly seated. BJs is such a beautiful place and nearly every table was filled with hungry people. We ordered and enjoyed a really good meal. We caught up on so much that has happened in her life, the loss of her mother and father in law over the past 8 months. Her life is never without challenges and during a walk she fell and broke her ankle which has now healed. She is a fine woman with lots of education. However she is easy to talk to and we share a lot of values. We both had spouses who died with great courage and never made our lives difficult through the process. We can talk about our former lives easily without it getting in the way of the now. I'm looking forward to seeing her again and I'm hoping she can meet you as well at some point.
So now its bed time, I can't wait. Tomorrow morning at 9 I meet my coach for the weight control program I've joined at the club. While I have mixed feelings about all this I simply must do something or prepare for a shorter life.
So good night one and all, love to each of you.
Tim
So after last nights time with the Hobbit I found it difficult to wake this morning. But eventually responsibilities beckoned and I rolled out to a very cold house. The family room was 59 so breakfast was quick, steel cut oats, a banana, an egg and a slice of wheat toast.
Once in the office which tends to run warmer due to the computers being on I did research for today's appointments in San Jose and Mountain House. The I finished up other work on my desk and set to work on reconciling the business check book. I've not kept up so now while I have the time I'm working on getting the data up to date. I'm a long ways from being caught up but at least I got a couple more months checked off today, felt good.
At 11:45 I left for San Jose and took some munching food along in place of lunch. The home was nice and is located on a corner. I was surprised to locate a room with bathroom with no access to the interior of the home, only a door opening from the back patio. Once inside I found a young girl who was somewhat frightened, she was also very pregnant, in a conversation in broken English I learned that her due date for the little guy was 2 days ago. Never did really learn who she is related to, just one of those strange things one finds in the course of doing appraisals.
Once I was completed in San Jose I then set sail for Mountain House with the GPS saying I would arrive a couple minutes ahead of the 3:30 appointment. Traffic was slow in several places but I pulled up just 2 minutes late. I found a very beautiful Porsche parked outside and the agent was ready to show me through. The owner was home as well. It is a townhome located in Mountain House and built by Pulte. It is one of the toughest places to measure, I remembered once I started the last one I measured. Once again it challenged me and we'll see when I do the sketch tomorrow if I got the measurements right or not.
Then it was home for a few minutes. There was money waiting in the mail so I prepared the deposit and made the copies for the records. Then it was time to leave for my big date!! Janice was already there and we were quickly seated. BJs is such a beautiful place and nearly every table was filled with hungry people. We ordered and enjoyed a really good meal. We caught up on so much that has happened in her life, the loss of her mother and father in law over the past 8 months. Her life is never without challenges and during a walk she fell and broke her ankle which has now healed. She is a fine woman with lots of education. However she is easy to talk to and we share a lot of values. We both had spouses who died with great courage and never made our lives difficult through the process. We can talk about our former lives easily without it getting in the way of the now. I'm looking forward to seeing her again and I'm hoping she can meet you as well at some point.
So now its bed time, I can't wait. Tomorrow morning at 9 I meet my coach for the weight control program I've joined at the club. While I have mixed feelings about all this I simply must do something or prepare for a shorter life.
So good night one and all, love to each of you.
Tim
A day of accomplishment and enjoyment too
Dear Family and Friends,
Doors open and close in our lives and this afternoon I learned that a friend who I had met has found a new friend and I won't be needed anymore. It was a relief really but it's never fun to be rejected, oh well. So I thought it over and called my friend Janice who I've seen several times over the past year and a half. She has had to deal with so many tough losses this year, her mother died rather unexpectedly and then her spouses father died after gradually going downhill. She and her children had cared for him for years, it was not easy but they did all the right things. She is still really working through losing her own husband a few years ago. We've not talked much over the last few months, I felt she had so much on her plate to cope with and it turns out that is the way she has felt too, just almost an overload.
So we are having dinner tomorrow evening and I really look forward to seeing her again. She spent her life as head of the adult education portion of the Antioch School District. She has had an interesting life and is a deep and thoughtful lady.
This morning I set to work after breakfast. When I got up I guilt a fire, made a cup of coffee from freshly ground beans, it was so good. I boiled eggs and decided to make oatmeal in the microwave. It turned out so good, perfect at 3 minutes in the microwave. I also had one of the freshly boiled eggs over a slice of toast and a banana. It was just perfect.
I started writing appraisals and at first it was challenging but pretty soon I got into it and started really moving along. For lunch I found a Tupperware of salad left from when Jason and Jo had made dinner. It was still fresh and very good. I cut some avocado into the bowl and added some low calorie Italian dressing. I had another boiled egg with just salt, so good.
This evening I found a couple chocolate chip pancakes that Jason had whipped up. Because they were for Timothy they are vegan but you could never tell. Very good so I warmed them up a bit, buttered them with vegan butter and enjoyed them. So the left overs from Jason and Jo are still being enjoyed. Wish I had some of Nikki's mashed potatoes, talk about good!
Once it became clear that I was going to be able to get totally caught up today I started planning for the evening. On line I purchased a ticket to see the Hobbit in IMAX and 3D. I went at 8:45 and at 9:05 the movie finally started, the time wasted was for previews and warnings about cell phones and how to escape if the place was on fire. I totally loved the move, this one is perhaps even more exciting than the last one and it makes a story that we all read in younger years come alive vividly on the huge screen. It was a great experience but the little popcorn ran out way too soon, popcorn and a drink was $10!!
So now I'm home again and very ready for the new week. Tomorrow I have an appointment at 1 pm in San Jose to see a property, hope to maybe catch up with the kiddos depending on what they are doing or where they are going. Jason and family are back from being at camp wawona with Big Kev and his family which means the kids may have seen some snow.
Well I'm sleepy and ready for rest.
Love to all.
Tim
PS Sylvia Ahn is in Japan with Kevin and family and emailed some photos. I'll include a couple here. Very exciting for all.
Doors open and close in our lives and this afternoon I learned that a friend who I had met has found a new friend and I won't be needed anymore. It was a relief really but it's never fun to be rejected, oh well. So I thought it over and called my friend Janice who I've seen several times over the past year and a half. She has had to deal with so many tough losses this year, her mother died rather unexpectedly and then her spouses father died after gradually going downhill. She and her children had cared for him for years, it was not easy but they did all the right things. She is still really working through losing her own husband a few years ago. We've not talked much over the last few months, I felt she had so much on her plate to cope with and it turns out that is the way she has felt too, just almost an overload.
So we are having dinner tomorrow evening and I really look forward to seeing her again. She spent her life as head of the adult education portion of the Antioch School District. She has had an interesting life and is a deep and thoughtful lady.
This morning I set to work after breakfast. When I got up I guilt a fire, made a cup of coffee from freshly ground beans, it was so good. I boiled eggs and decided to make oatmeal in the microwave. It turned out so good, perfect at 3 minutes in the microwave. I also had one of the freshly boiled eggs over a slice of toast and a banana. It was just perfect.
I started writing appraisals and at first it was challenging but pretty soon I got into it and started really moving along. For lunch I found a Tupperware of salad left from when Jason and Jo had made dinner. It was still fresh and very good. I cut some avocado into the bowl and added some low calorie Italian dressing. I had another boiled egg with just salt, so good.
This evening I found a couple chocolate chip pancakes that Jason had whipped up. Because they were for Timothy they are vegan but you could never tell. Very good so I warmed them up a bit, buttered them with vegan butter and enjoyed them. So the left overs from Jason and Jo are still being enjoyed. Wish I had some of Nikki's mashed potatoes, talk about good!
Once it became clear that I was going to be able to get totally caught up today I started planning for the evening. On line I purchased a ticket to see the Hobbit in IMAX and 3D. I went at 8:45 and at 9:05 the movie finally started, the time wasted was for previews and warnings about cell phones and how to escape if the place was on fire. I totally loved the move, this one is perhaps even more exciting than the last one and it makes a story that we all read in younger years come alive vividly on the huge screen. It was a great experience but the little popcorn ran out way too soon, popcorn and a drink was $10!!
So now I'm home again and very ready for the new week. Tomorrow I have an appointment at 1 pm in San Jose to see a property, hope to maybe catch up with the kiddos depending on what they are doing or where they are going. Jason and family are back from being at camp wawona with Big Kev and his family which means the kids may have seen some snow.
Well I'm sleepy and ready for rest.
Love to all.
Tim
PS Sylvia Ahn is in Japan with Kevin and family and emailed some photos. I'll include a couple here. Very exciting for all.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
A Great Sabbath
Dear Family and Friends,
Except for it being nearly 70 degrees today, just too warm for comfort this time of year, this has been a really good day.
Rolled out at 6:45, hit the shower in a very cold room but the chill was gone due to the little heater doing its job once the shower was over.
Built a fire using wood that Steve cut up into small pieces. It quickly helped knock off the 58 degree chill in the family room. Had a delicious breakfast and then drove to the kids to pick up the girls. They had not eaten breakfast but were dressed and after some hair brushing they took food for the road.
Angel was the teacher today as Kim was vacationing somewhere. There were just two girls, her daughter and Kallie and both were wired but Angel did a really good job with them and used her IPOD to play music for the songs, very clever. Jackie arrived just as SS was over but caught some snacks.
Then we did a variety of things the girls wanted to do which included stops at WalMart, the Dollar store and Strings where we met Nikki for lunch. At that point I lost the girls as they had a party to attend later in the day. I drove home with a very quiet car.
Not wanting to just sleep the day away I watched some Christian dish programs and then using the wheel barrow loaded up all the wood that Steve had cut up for me to use to start fires. The back of Jason's Subaru was full. Two wheel barrow loads later it was all on the back porch in the wood holder and covered.
Since I was outside I decided to see how hard it was to install the new hatch struts for the back of the VW. I went online and found the cheat sheet, it was easy! So went and tried and 5 minutes later I had both new ones installed and the hatch works perfectly now. It even releases when the button on the door is pushed and opens easily. You would not believe how big the box they used for shipping, it was huge and filled with those silly little air pillows. Oh well its all in the blue recycle bin now.
As the sun was setting I noticed the rims on Jason's Subaru, they had not come clean when I had the car washed. In fact they looked terrible. I filled a bucked with soapy water, grabbed a brush and sponge and gave each wheel some attention. While its not perfect it is certainly much better now and the car actually looks respectable. Kind of fun to try to do little things to help your kids no matter how old they are.
This evening I went online and found lift struts for Jason's Odyssey, his struts have totally failed as well. So I ordered them and when they arrive I'll see if they install as easy on his van as my car was.
I found that failure of the struts to be really dangerous as it was hard to hold the hatch open and get my ladder out at the same time especially with a right arm that suffers from tennis elbow. So now I feel much better about the bug and the hatch.
This evening after having dinner at the local BJs at the Streets of Brentwood, our local fresh air mall I happened to come across great performances on KQED. It was a performance of Phantom of the Opera that was held recently in the Royal Theatre in London and it was incredible. Wonderfully staged with a top flight orchestra, beautiful costumes and outstanding singers it was a very enjoyable way to end the day. I turned on the receiver which gave me four more Bose speakers and the sound and picture were just perfect. How well I remember when we flew to LA and took Jason and Nikki to see the Phantom in the Dorothy Chandler, we all loved it, had great seats and have never forgotten it. In a very ordinary life there are spots of art, music, beauty that just make everything worth living through. Need more special times and less ordinary times.
I don't know about you but I really don't care much for 2013 but I have high hopes for 2014 for me personally and for my delightful family. Mine will involved more gym time, more careful selection of what to eat and when and a taking control of the way I live.
Sending love to all,
So good to see friends at church today, precious people every one.
Tim
Except for it being nearly 70 degrees today, just too warm for comfort this time of year, this has been a really good day.
Rolled out at 6:45, hit the shower in a very cold room but the chill was gone due to the little heater doing its job once the shower was over.
Built a fire using wood that Steve cut up into small pieces. It quickly helped knock off the 58 degree chill in the family room. Had a delicious breakfast and then drove to the kids to pick up the girls. They had not eaten breakfast but were dressed and after some hair brushing they took food for the road.
Angel was the teacher today as Kim was vacationing somewhere. There were just two girls, her daughter and Kallie and both were wired but Angel did a really good job with them and used her IPOD to play music for the songs, very clever. Jackie arrived just as SS was over but caught some snacks.
Then we did a variety of things the girls wanted to do which included stops at WalMart, the Dollar store and Strings where we met Nikki for lunch. At that point I lost the girls as they had a party to attend later in the day. I drove home with a very quiet car.
Not wanting to just sleep the day away I watched some Christian dish programs and then using the wheel barrow loaded up all the wood that Steve had cut up for me to use to start fires. The back of Jason's Subaru was full. Two wheel barrow loads later it was all on the back porch in the wood holder and covered.
Since I was outside I decided to see how hard it was to install the new hatch struts for the back of the VW. I went online and found the cheat sheet, it was easy! So went and tried and 5 minutes later I had both new ones installed and the hatch works perfectly now. It even releases when the button on the door is pushed and opens easily. You would not believe how big the box they used for shipping, it was huge and filled with those silly little air pillows. Oh well its all in the blue recycle bin now.
As the sun was setting I noticed the rims on Jason's Subaru, they had not come clean when I had the car washed. In fact they looked terrible. I filled a bucked with soapy water, grabbed a brush and sponge and gave each wheel some attention. While its not perfect it is certainly much better now and the car actually looks respectable. Kind of fun to try to do little things to help your kids no matter how old they are.
This evening I went online and found lift struts for Jason's Odyssey, his struts have totally failed as well. So I ordered them and when they arrive I'll see if they install as easy on his van as my car was.
I found that failure of the struts to be really dangerous as it was hard to hold the hatch open and get my ladder out at the same time especially with a right arm that suffers from tennis elbow. So now I feel much better about the bug and the hatch.
This evening after having dinner at the local BJs at the Streets of Brentwood, our local fresh air mall I happened to come across great performances on KQED. It was a performance of Phantom of the Opera that was held recently in the Royal Theatre in London and it was incredible. Wonderfully staged with a top flight orchestra, beautiful costumes and outstanding singers it was a very enjoyable way to end the day. I turned on the receiver which gave me four more Bose speakers and the sound and picture were just perfect. How well I remember when we flew to LA and took Jason and Nikki to see the Phantom in the Dorothy Chandler, we all loved it, had great seats and have never forgotten it. In a very ordinary life there are spots of art, music, beauty that just make everything worth living through. Need more special times and less ordinary times.
I don't know about you but I really don't care much for 2013 but I have high hopes for 2014 for me personally and for my delightful family. Mine will involved more gym time, more careful selection of what to eat and when and a taking control of the way I live.
Sending love to all,
So good to see friends at church today, precious people every one.
Tim
Friday, December 27, 2013
Slowly getting back into the work mode upon which I survive.
Good evening,
Up at 6 and it was very cold in the room, fortunately I have this wonderful heater given us years ago when the furnace would not work. I have it in the master bath dressing area and its just right, heats instantly and its great when I pop out of the shower. But when one leaves the heater things turn cold.
Downstairs it was about 60 degrees but I decided to not build a fire as I was going to be working in my office with its little heater and warmth from the computers running. I worked up until about 11:30 and then drove to Tracy to shoot comps for an appraisal I was finished with, then inspected a nice home located near the lake but not on it like the one the other day. The agent met me and she was very pleasant and helpful.
Then I drove to Antioch and using my Supra Key inspected a less ideal two story home, sort of junky but OK. Selling for a lot less than the Tracy one.
I had driven Jason's Subaru today as I wanted to let the bug rest until I can get the new timing belt installed. The Subaru was so dirty from when the transmission fluid leaked so I had it washed and it does look much better now. Steve had texted me that he had a stack of short boards cut up for me to use in the fire so I swung in and we loaded them in the back of the car, perfect place to carry the stack.
This evening I drove to Concord and had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and now I'm home ready to crash.
It is so quiet here without the little people, I miss my 4 sweet kiddos so much. In the morning I'll take the girls to Sabbath School and perhaps lunch. Its a nice routine.
Right I'm sending Christmas greetings to all,
Love
Tim
Up at 6 and it was very cold in the room, fortunately I have this wonderful heater given us years ago when the furnace would not work. I have it in the master bath dressing area and its just right, heats instantly and its great when I pop out of the shower. But when one leaves the heater things turn cold.
Downstairs it was about 60 degrees but I decided to not build a fire as I was going to be working in my office with its little heater and warmth from the computers running. I worked up until about 11:30 and then drove to Tracy to shoot comps for an appraisal I was finished with, then inspected a nice home located near the lake but not on it like the one the other day. The agent met me and she was very pleasant and helpful.
Then I drove to Antioch and using my Supra Key inspected a less ideal two story home, sort of junky but OK. Selling for a lot less than the Tracy one.
I had driven Jason's Subaru today as I wanted to let the bug rest until I can get the new timing belt installed. The Subaru was so dirty from when the transmission fluid leaked so I had it washed and it does look much better now. Steve had texted me that he had a stack of short boards cut up for me to use in the fire so I swung in and we loaded them in the back of the car, perfect place to carry the stack.
This evening I drove to Concord and had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and now I'm home ready to crash.
It is so quiet here without the little people, I miss my 4 sweet kiddos so much. In the morning I'll take the girls to Sabbath School and perhaps lunch. Its a nice routine.
Right I'm sending Christmas greetings to all,
Love
Tim
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Christmas 2013
So I'm sure you had a special day with your people, not that this is an easy season for many of us who grieve along with rejoice. For me there is someone missing who would have loved this Christmas with a mountain of presents, great food, warm family fellowship. How she would have loved seeing the kiddos enjoy their presents and the joy of what was inside. Yet we as a family have pulled together and everyone has done their best to make it a magic time. Our lives are so rich mainly due to the incredible adults but also due to the bright and happy children.
I jumped up this morning after 6 to make sure a fire was roaring, to lift the temperature. The heaters in each of the guest rooms have helped a great deal in keeping the chill away. We had fires burning in the living room fireplace this morning and in the trusty wood stove in the family room. The fires easily overcame the chilly air.
We had an incredible breakfast at Nikki and Steve's this morning. Nikki made Swedish pancakes and they were terrific, wow, what a feast.
The kids had no problem getting started opening their gifts and this year Mia knew just how to rip open a gift, she even came and helped me open some of mine. There were dolls, more dolls, games, puzzles, Lego's seemed to be a big hit and for us adults there were needed clothes, I have a new jacket, a really nice one and a new pair of dress shoes, a new giants hat, beautiful photos of the families all set in frames, some really cool little boxes of candy and host of other things that enhance a life. I even got a gift certificate for IHOP. Kallie bought a little pencil with a soccer ball on the top from her school store, I love it.
Sending love to all as the family has all settled in for the night.
Jason arranged for a birthday dinner at a local highly rated Asian food place, the food was really good. Then after the got the kiddos ready for bed I watched them so Jason and Jo could go to the movies. Unfortunately the one they wanted was sold out, that was an unexpected bummer so they selected another one. The kiddos were great and easy to persuade of their bed time. Nice!
Merry Christmas to all,
Tim
ps. It is sure special to have the family here at the house, what fun to see things used, enjoyed in the kitchen and thanks to Tanya everything sparkles, seems like the dishwasher is running a lot and that is great, there is a reason for it to run, life is happening and it is very special.
Thank the good Lord for our families.
I jumped up this morning after 6 to make sure a fire was roaring, to lift the temperature. The heaters in each of the guest rooms have helped a great deal in keeping the chill away. We had fires burning in the living room fireplace this morning and in the trusty wood stove in the family room. The fires easily overcame the chilly air.
We had an incredible breakfast at Nikki and Steve's this morning. Nikki made Swedish pancakes and they were terrific, wow, what a feast.
The kids had no problem getting started opening their gifts and this year Mia knew just how to rip open a gift, she even came and helped me open some of mine. There were dolls, more dolls, games, puzzles, Lego's seemed to be a big hit and for us adults there were needed clothes, I have a new jacket, a really nice one and a new pair of dress shoes, a new giants hat, beautiful photos of the families all set in frames, some really cool little boxes of candy and host of other things that enhance a life. I even got a gift certificate for IHOP. Kallie bought a little pencil with a soccer ball on the top from her school store, I love it.
Sending love to all as the family has all settled in for the night.
Jason arranged for a birthday dinner at a local highly rated Asian food place, the food was really good. Then after the got the kiddos ready for bed I watched them so Jason and Jo could go to the movies. Unfortunately the one they wanted was sold out, that was an unexpected bummer so they selected another one. The kiddos were great and easy to persuade of their bed time. Nice!
Merry Christmas to all,
Tim
ps. It is sure special to have the family here at the house, what fun to see things used, enjoyed in the kitchen and thanks to Tanya everything sparkles, seems like the dishwasher is running a lot and that is great, there is a reason for it to run, life is happening and it is very special.
Thank the good Lord for our families.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Family comes together for Christmas
What a huge blessing it is to have a great family.
Jason and Jo arrived with Mia and Timothy around noon. They had already started planning with Nikki for our dinner together this evening. So a few trips to Safeway later we finally managed to create a really terrific meal. I did nothing. Jason and Jo made salad, cottage cheese loaf, Nikki made mashed potatoes and the desert, Lima Beans, pasta for Keanna and I supplied the sparkling apple drink I can't spell but it sure tasted good. Jason and Jo also cooked green beans from raw to perfect.
Safeway supplied some turkey and chicken.
We had a fire going all day and kept the place warm and toasty and we have a small space heater in each guest room tonight. We've had Christmas music playing in the background all day from Direct TV. We tried to use the old CD player, the one that holds 300 CDs and it won't work, one more thing to fix or replace. Of course who plays CDs anymore, now its all electronic stuff.
The kiddos are so excited about Christmas and were allowed to open one gift when we drove over to see Steve's Christmas lights and have some excellent desert that Nikki whipped up. So good. They just can't wait for Christmas to arrive so they can open their presents. They have been tracking Santa's journey all day today on the computer.
Well it is once again bedtime and I'm thinking Jason is falling asleep in the family room in front of the fire.
Life is full of ups and downs, hard times, easy times but the best time for me is with family, I love every one of them from Mia and her rapidly expanding vocabulary to Keanna with her 10 year old wisdom and dramatic flair. Then there is Timothy with his serious yet total fun loving nature and Kallie who just is so full of energy and ideas. Wow, what a bunch.
Had a chance to talk to sister Sibyl in Ohio and Jerry in Weed. They are enjoying their Christmas time very much.
So sending love to all,
Tim
Jason and Jo arrived with Mia and Timothy around noon. They had already started planning with Nikki for our dinner together this evening. So a few trips to Safeway later we finally managed to create a really terrific meal. I did nothing. Jason and Jo made salad, cottage cheese loaf, Nikki made mashed potatoes and the desert, Lima Beans, pasta for Keanna and I supplied the sparkling apple drink I can't spell but it sure tasted good. Jason and Jo also cooked green beans from raw to perfect.
Safeway supplied some turkey and chicken.
We had a fire going all day and kept the place warm and toasty and we have a small space heater in each guest room tonight. We've had Christmas music playing in the background all day from Direct TV. We tried to use the old CD player, the one that holds 300 CDs and it won't work, one more thing to fix or replace. Of course who plays CDs anymore, now its all electronic stuff.
The kiddos are so excited about Christmas and were allowed to open one gift when we drove over to see Steve's Christmas lights and have some excellent desert that Nikki whipped up. So good. They just can't wait for Christmas to arrive so they can open their presents. They have been tracking Santa's journey all day today on the computer.
Well it is once again bedtime and I'm thinking Jason is falling asleep in the family room in front of the fire.
Life is full of ups and downs, hard times, easy times but the best time for me is with family, I love every one of them from Mia and her rapidly expanding vocabulary to Keanna with her 10 year old wisdom and dramatic flair. Then there is Timothy with his serious yet total fun loving nature and Kallie who just is so full of energy and ideas. Wow, what a bunch.
Had a chance to talk to sister Sibyl in Ohio and Jerry in Weed. They are enjoying their Christmas time very much.
So sending love to all,
Tim
Monday, December 23, 2013
Not the best of times
Well my main heating and AC guy came again today but after trying everything he had no luck at all. The heater tries to ignite but fails to release the gas supply. Very frustrating and while I was at the bank getting cash for today's service call!! I turned to speak to him and the ATM kept my card, so the card I had planned to use for groceries tonight is safely in the banks ATM until morning. Not really the perfect ending to a challenging day.
Tanya came this morning and she is a wonder woman. She cleaned most of the day and was very reasonable in what she charged me. What a difference. This is not casual surface cleaner, the sinks are bleached bright white, the floors gleam both Quick step pergo like flooring and the white tile in the living and dining rooms, shiny white. All the cobwebs are gone, the spiders are gone and she has made a huge difference.
I inspected a home in Antioch today and the new little dude was there. Just 1 week old he is so cute and sweet, wow babies are tiny. Then I ventured into Toys R Us which was a mixed experience. They had so sacks for your purchases so people had to carry their stuff in their arms and they mentioned that after the first of the year they won't carry sacks at all. Didn't set to well with me.
I was able to find some really cute things for kiddos and amazingly other shoppers were very helpful so I found what I was looking for. I felt totally like I was in a foreign country as I do not shop, period. So many of the toys were either based on evil looking guys or war or super natural. I could not help but think, no wonder our society is so violent, most of the boy toys were based on violence of some kind.
I did my shopping mid day without knowing if money had come today or not. That was sort of a strange experience. Counting on overdraft if needed. That means any purchase that pushes into overdraft could cost an extra $33. Yikes.
On the way home I had to stop at Kaiser. The idiots in the shipping center refused to refill my Coumadin, they said it was too soon. Well tell that to the doctors who have me taking 4 pills a day, that is 25 days and they didn't want to renew since a month had not passed. Anyway it cost me an hour to talk to the rep, then wait for the prescription to be filled. Finally my name appeared and I was able to get the meds I needed. One does not miss a day of Coumadin ever as it has a serious effect on the thickness of the blood. This will not happen again, my medical team needs to get it right for the future.
So I was just a bit out of sorts when I finally got home. Tanya was still doing her magic and everything was looking great. That really was a nice boost for a lousy day. But in the mail three clients had remembered to send funds, wow was that ever welcome. So I quickly prepared the deposit for the bank and got there before closing at 4 pm. Thank you Lord for the funds.
So once again I'm without heat tonight. I have the house comfortable with the wood stove and I just got the fireplace ready for tomorrow so we will have heat at both ends of the house. We will be fine.
Sending love to all, please pray for my furnace. Many hours have now been invested into making it light and over $400. It appears like everything is in order but there is no ignition.
Tim
Tanya came this morning and she is a wonder woman. She cleaned most of the day and was very reasonable in what she charged me. What a difference. This is not casual surface cleaner, the sinks are bleached bright white, the floors gleam both Quick step pergo like flooring and the white tile in the living and dining rooms, shiny white. All the cobwebs are gone, the spiders are gone and she has made a huge difference.
I inspected a home in Antioch today and the new little dude was there. Just 1 week old he is so cute and sweet, wow babies are tiny. Then I ventured into Toys R Us which was a mixed experience. They had so sacks for your purchases so people had to carry their stuff in their arms and they mentioned that after the first of the year they won't carry sacks at all. Didn't set to well with me.
I was able to find some really cute things for kiddos and amazingly other shoppers were very helpful so I found what I was looking for. I felt totally like I was in a foreign country as I do not shop, period. So many of the toys were either based on evil looking guys or war or super natural. I could not help but think, no wonder our society is so violent, most of the boy toys were based on violence of some kind.
I did my shopping mid day without knowing if money had come today or not. That was sort of a strange experience. Counting on overdraft if needed. That means any purchase that pushes into overdraft could cost an extra $33. Yikes.
On the way home I had to stop at Kaiser. The idiots in the shipping center refused to refill my Coumadin, they said it was too soon. Well tell that to the doctors who have me taking 4 pills a day, that is 25 days and they didn't want to renew since a month had not passed. Anyway it cost me an hour to talk to the rep, then wait for the prescription to be filled. Finally my name appeared and I was able to get the meds I needed. One does not miss a day of Coumadin ever as it has a serious effect on the thickness of the blood. This will not happen again, my medical team needs to get it right for the future.
So I was just a bit out of sorts when I finally got home. Tanya was still doing her magic and everything was looking great. That really was a nice boost for a lousy day. But in the mail three clients had remembered to send funds, wow was that ever welcome. So I quickly prepared the deposit for the bank and got there before closing at 4 pm. Thank you Lord for the funds.
So once again I'm without heat tonight. I have the house comfortable with the wood stove and I just got the fireplace ready for tomorrow so we will have heat at both ends of the house. We will be fine.
Sending love to all, please pray for my furnace. Many hours have now been invested into making it light and over $400. It appears like everything is in order but there is no ignition.
Tim
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Discovery but ultimate failure
Well it went this way. I've spent the day pre cleaning the house. It works like this, I pick up clutter so my dear Tanya can concentrate on doing real cleaning instead of push around piles of stuff. I've made a lot of progress today with boxes, trash, clutter. I've also done loads and loads of laundry cleaning linen and tonight the beds are made for Jason and his family, all freshly laundered with clear detergent and dryer static clear tissues.
The grand piano is clear of dust, wall ACs are put away for the winter.
Ray came over this morning and on a whim we decided to take on the furnace. Yes we made discoveries but failed to see it light up and heat. We worked the majority of the day and found a big clump of clay like substance just before the turn off value in the gas line near the furnace. It is hard to see how any gas could have even gotten through the value, it was a lot of stuff that should not have been there, so my impressions that I needed to check the gas supply line were well founded. Then we found the ignition tube to be nearly blocked and cleared it as well with a wire hanger, hot water and BBQ cleaning fluid. Yet when we put it all back together it would not start. We could hear the igniter doing its thing but whatever is supposed to turn on the gas would not do so. It was a very hard end to a long day of work. I've made it work so many times over the years but clearing the ignition tube and removing the pile of dirt in the line failed to solve the problem.
I had Kallie today and had a fire going so the house was warm for her. She was such a good kiddo and I totally forgot to feed her lunch today. It is true she had an entire bag of popcorn, several Popsicles and even more popcorn when we went to Ace hardware for little electrical connectors but no formal lunch, poor little girl, starved by her papa.
So my long list of things to get done is only partially completed and I'm pretty discouraged about it all.
So tomorrow becomes very important as I have several reports to get out the door by tomorrow night or by the next morning. I've found this Christmas season to be very tough to cope with overall. Right now I've signed up for a new weight program at the club but am not sure how to even get started or when I'm to check in at the club, I've not time to even get started, my blood sugar numbers are awful, I have very little energy to do anything, I need to move a load of wood to the back porch, I need to grocery shop and I need to get Christmas cards written and out. I hate to admit it but I just sort of feel out of control and totally behind with everything. Not a great feeling. The salvation is that I'll soon get to spend time with family and that's the great part.
So right now its off to bed. Sending love to all
Tim
The grand piano is clear of dust, wall ACs are put away for the winter.
Ray came over this morning and on a whim we decided to take on the furnace. Yes we made discoveries but failed to see it light up and heat. We worked the majority of the day and found a big clump of clay like substance just before the turn off value in the gas line near the furnace. It is hard to see how any gas could have even gotten through the value, it was a lot of stuff that should not have been there, so my impressions that I needed to check the gas supply line were well founded. Then we found the ignition tube to be nearly blocked and cleared it as well with a wire hanger, hot water and BBQ cleaning fluid. Yet when we put it all back together it would not start. We could hear the igniter doing its thing but whatever is supposed to turn on the gas would not do so. It was a very hard end to a long day of work. I've made it work so many times over the years but clearing the ignition tube and removing the pile of dirt in the line failed to solve the problem.
I had Kallie today and had a fire going so the house was warm for her. She was such a good kiddo and I totally forgot to feed her lunch today. It is true she had an entire bag of popcorn, several Popsicles and even more popcorn when we went to Ace hardware for little electrical connectors but no formal lunch, poor little girl, starved by her papa.
So my long list of things to get done is only partially completed and I'm pretty discouraged about it all.
So tomorrow becomes very important as I have several reports to get out the door by tomorrow night or by the next morning. I've found this Christmas season to be very tough to cope with overall. Right now I've signed up for a new weight program at the club but am not sure how to even get started or when I'm to check in at the club, I've not time to even get started, my blood sugar numbers are awful, I have very little energy to do anything, I need to move a load of wood to the back porch, I need to grocery shop and I need to get Christmas cards written and out. I hate to admit it but I just sort of feel out of control and totally behind with everything. Not a great feeling. The salvation is that I'll soon get to spend time with family and that's the great part.
So right now its off to bed. Sending love to all
Tim
Saturday, December 21, 2013
A great family day, Keanna has a great performance.
Good evening family and friends,
Tears filled my eyes as Keanna's part in the Nutcracker began. She was first on the stage and had a beautiful angel costume which lit up and was gold and perfect. She was on stage for quite a while as first she and the other angels did their dance, then other dancers joined and eventually there were even more dancers on stage dancing with the angels. Her movements were flawless, at least they looked perfect through my tears. A thought passed through my mind, oh how proud Nan would have been of Keanna as she performed on stage before a packed house.
Making the evening more special was the fact that we were all there. Of course Nikki had been there at the theater all day, the first performance was at noon and then we arrived at 3 so Kallie could see the dancers who were located a different points around the entire theater. Steve was with Kallie and me and Jason and Jo had arrived with Mia and Timothy. Since we purchased our tickets at different times we had a section of 3 seats where I sat with Jason and Jo and then Nikki's seats were lower and closer to the stage so Mia, Kallie and Timothy sat with Steve and Nikki. It all worked out great.
Afterwards we traveled over to UNO's and had a great meal sitting at a long table. Seems everyone enjoys the food there and the talk was great. It warms our hearts as parents when we get to see our whole family at one table.
The day started with my picking Kallie up, she was ready to go and full of life. Then we drove to Sabbath School and Kallie ended up performing under Kim's direction for first church. There were 11 children and everyone is a real cutie.
Kallie and I caught lunch at Burger King, thanks Yvonne for telling me so long ago about their vegeburger. Its great.
What a day of joy, Keanna was very pleased with her performance and loved being a part of such a great production. It is a very complicated show with great costumes, inspired dancing, beautiful music and its held in a very nice old but restored theater in the downtown Antioch district near the river.
So I go to bed very happy tonight, family is so very precious.
Love to all,
Tim
Tears filled my eyes as Keanna's part in the Nutcracker began. She was first on the stage and had a beautiful angel costume which lit up and was gold and perfect. She was on stage for quite a while as first she and the other angels did their dance, then other dancers joined and eventually there were even more dancers on stage dancing with the angels. Her movements were flawless, at least they looked perfect through my tears. A thought passed through my mind, oh how proud Nan would have been of Keanna as she performed on stage before a packed house.
Making the evening more special was the fact that we were all there. Of course Nikki had been there at the theater all day, the first performance was at noon and then we arrived at 3 so Kallie could see the dancers who were located a different points around the entire theater. Steve was with Kallie and me and Jason and Jo had arrived with Mia and Timothy. Since we purchased our tickets at different times we had a section of 3 seats where I sat with Jason and Jo and then Nikki's seats were lower and closer to the stage so Mia, Kallie and Timothy sat with Steve and Nikki. It all worked out great.
Afterwards we traveled over to UNO's and had a great meal sitting at a long table. Seems everyone enjoys the food there and the talk was great. It warms our hearts as parents when we get to see our whole family at one table.
The day started with my picking Kallie up, she was ready to go and full of life. Then we drove to Sabbath School and Kallie ended up performing under Kim's direction for first church. There were 11 children and everyone is a real cutie.
Kallie and I caught lunch at Burger King, thanks Yvonne for telling me so long ago about their vegeburger. Its great.
What a day of joy, Keanna was very pleased with her performance and loved being a part of such a great production. It is a very complicated show with great costumes, inspired dancing, beautiful music and its held in a very nice old but restored theater in the downtown Antioch district near the river.
So I go to bed very happy tonight, family is so very precious.
Love to all,
Tim
Friday, December 20, 2013
A Busy and productive Friday
Good evening,
I know its late, a lot has happened today. First off let me mention that there were lots of miles driven today and the little green beetle got 42+ mpg, I'm pleased.
First thing today I wrote and submitted an appraisal, then I did research for two properties, one in Lodi and one in Carmichael. Both are in the MetroList MLS board and for some strange reason since I went to explored 11 MetroList will not produce a map of the comparables I've selected. When I called to complain they said try Crome. Well I dislike Crome very much and once again today I was reminded why. I think its a mess.
Yes it did produce a map with the addressed and the locations pinpointed on a map but when I then tried to print it there was no way to do so. As I watched my precious minutes count down to zero I finally managed to click on some stupid x and it allowed popups, which the map was a popup and I could print it. Learning is never fun and it is really not fun when you are under the gun to get out the door and systems you have trusted for a long time won't work right.
My first stop was at a house I've seen before, last time the furnace did not work and when I went back today the furnace did not work again. I'm told that it is in fact working now. I certainly hope so.
Then I stopped in Lodi at a very nice home and did that inspection. Then I drove to Carmichael where I found a very nice family who are moving to Texas near Austin so we chatted a bit about the glories of Texas. Love that place so much and its people.
Then I battled traffic back home, unloaded the car, prepared the check I got today for deposit, hit the bank and then went to pick up Kallie who had a birthday party to attend tonight at 6 locally and Nikki was with Keanna at the final rehearsal for Nutcracker. Steve is under the weather.
A couple hours later I returned Kallie home and came home to build a fire and relax. Now the popcorn is gone and I'm heading off to bed. I'll pick up Kallie in the morning for Sabbath School and tomorrow afternoon enjoy Keanna in her second year of Nutcracker. Jason, Jo and the kiddos are coming up to watch the show, should be great fun. Just love to see my Kiddos in action, Timothy on Thursday night, Kallie that morning in her class, Mia last week in her program and tomorrow Keanna.
Makes life worth living!
Love to all
Tim
I know its late, a lot has happened today. First off let me mention that there were lots of miles driven today and the little green beetle got 42+ mpg, I'm pleased.
First thing today I wrote and submitted an appraisal, then I did research for two properties, one in Lodi and one in Carmichael. Both are in the MetroList MLS board and for some strange reason since I went to explored 11 MetroList will not produce a map of the comparables I've selected. When I called to complain they said try Crome. Well I dislike Crome very much and once again today I was reminded why. I think its a mess.
Yes it did produce a map with the addressed and the locations pinpointed on a map but when I then tried to print it there was no way to do so. As I watched my precious minutes count down to zero I finally managed to click on some stupid x and it allowed popups, which the map was a popup and I could print it. Learning is never fun and it is really not fun when you are under the gun to get out the door and systems you have trusted for a long time won't work right.
My first stop was at a house I've seen before, last time the furnace did not work and when I went back today the furnace did not work again. I'm told that it is in fact working now. I certainly hope so.
Then I stopped in Lodi at a very nice home and did that inspection. Then I drove to Carmichael where I found a very nice family who are moving to Texas near Austin so we chatted a bit about the glories of Texas. Love that place so much and its people.
Then I battled traffic back home, unloaded the car, prepared the check I got today for deposit, hit the bank and then went to pick up Kallie who had a birthday party to attend tonight at 6 locally and Nikki was with Keanna at the final rehearsal for Nutcracker. Steve is under the weather.
A couple hours later I returned Kallie home and came home to build a fire and relax. Now the popcorn is gone and I'm heading off to bed. I'll pick up Kallie in the morning for Sabbath School and tomorrow afternoon enjoy Keanna in her second year of Nutcracker. Jason, Jo and the kiddos are coming up to watch the show, should be great fun. Just love to see my Kiddos in action, Timothy on Thursday night, Kallie that morning in her class, Mia last week in her program and tomorrow Keanna.
Makes life worth living!
Love to all
Tim
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Busy agenda today
Good evening,
It was a busy day, an appointment that had been very difficult to schedule suddenly came through this morning for 9 am in Tracy. It was a beautiful property with 140 feet of water frontage and a near perfect home in every way.
Then it was a quick run over to a property that was sold and needed an inspection. Once I finished I didn't even have time to shoot the comps, I just raced to Discovery Bay to see Kallie and her class sing two Christmas songs. It was precious, what a great teacher, so in control yet you could tell the kids love her.
Then it was race home to meet Rob, a new heating system expert. After going over the system he gave up and basically said that I needed a new furnace. I get it but there has to be a way to make my existing system fire up and work, the key parts are newly installed, I've spent $320 and so far no heat. Not sure where I go from here. It was a very disappointing day as I had hoped to have the furnace issues behind me. Rob is going to consult with others to find the answer. I can keep the house toasty with the wood stove and the fireplace so no big deal, just wanted it solved.
Then it was make a quick lunch so I had vege burger, green beans, pinto beans in a fry pan. It was so good. OK, now on the road to Hayward to see a home. Arrived on time, inspected the home and discovered that the owner works in a very special job. He takes a big trawler out to the Farrallon Islands and lets people swim with the great white sharks, for just $750 for the day.
Then it was back onto Mission Blvd., down to 680 and down to Milpitas to the school where Timothy attends. Tonight was the Christmas Program and the kids were great. Timothy did a great job with his part and frankly it is so amusing to see the kiddos in action, just great. The church was packed with parents, grand parents and friends and the show was a real hit.
Now I'm home and figuring out tomorrow. It promises to be another busy day.
Up and write a report first thing and ship it in, do research for the two properties I'm seeing, one in Lodi and one in Carmichael. On the way do a reinspection in Antioch for a home where the furnace now works properly. Then over my least favorite bridge, the high and narrow Antioch bridge to Highway 12 and drive to Lodi where I see a home at noon. Then on to Carmichael for a 2 pm appointment.
Then drive home and take Kallie to a birthday party at the local pizza parlor at 6.
Fun fun.
Sending love to all, hope you are staying busy as well.
Tim
It was a busy day, an appointment that had been very difficult to schedule suddenly came through this morning for 9 am in Tracy. It was a beautiful property with 140 feet of water frontage and a near perfect home in every way.
Then it was a quick run over to a property that was sold and needed an inspection. Once I finished I didn't even have time to shoot the comps, I just raced to Discovery Bay to see Kallie and her class sing two Christmas songs. It was precious, what a great teacher, so in control yet you could tell the kids love her.
Then it was race home to meet Rob, a new heating system expert. After going over the system he gave up and basically said that I needed a new furnace. I get it but there has to be a way to make my existing system fire up and work, the key parts are newly installed, I've spent $320 and so far no heat. Not sure where I go from here. It was a very disappointing day as I had hoped to have the furnace issues behind me. Rob is going to consult with others to find the answer. I can keep the house toasty with the wood stove and the fireplace so no big deal, just wanted it solved.
Then it was make a quick lunch so I had vege burger, green beans, pinto beans in a fry pan. It was so good. OK, now on the road to Hayward to see a home. Arrived on time, inspected the home and discovered that the owner works in a very special job. He takes a big trawler out to the Farrallon Islands and lets people swim with the great white sharks, for just $750 for the day.
Then it was back onto Mission Blvd., down to 680 and down to Milpitas to the school where Timothy attends. Tonight was the Christmas Program and the kids were great. Timothy did a great job with his part and frankly it is so amusing to see the kiddos in action, just great. The church was packed with parents, grand parents and friends and the show was a real hit.
Now I'm home and figuring out tomorrow. It promises to be another busy day.
Up and write a report first thing and ship it in, do research for the two properties I'm seeing, one in Lodi and one in Carmichael. On the way do a reinspection in Antioch for a home where the furnace now works properly. Then over my least favorite bridge, the high and narrow Antioch bridge to Highway 12 and drive to Lodi where I see a home at noon. Then on to Carmichael for a 2 pm appointment.
Then drive home and take Kallie to a birthday party at the local pizza parlor at 6.
Fun fun.
Sending love to all, hope you are staying busy as well.
Tim
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Interesting day
So how did your day go? Did you accomplish your goals for the day?
I started at 7, rode 30 minutes on the treadmill, wrote appraisals until 12:45 when I drove to the club and ended up signed up for a weight plan, loved the program and we will see how it goes.
Left the club later than planned for Oakland and arrived about 30 minutes late. It was a charming loft type condo with lots of open space. Very nice.
Then it was onto the freeway to attempt to reach Tracy at 6 for my date. In spite of the heavy and slow moving traffic I arrived early. We had an enjoyable meal and it was good to catch up. She is a lovely lady and easy to talk to.
Now I'm home preparing for an early call tomorrow. Pittsburg at 8 am and then onto Fairfield at 10:30, the rush back to pick up Kallie and in the afternoon get the furnace fixed, I hope!
Then tomorrow for a meeting at the club to learn more about the program.
More orders today, that is such great news. More bills can be paid.
Love to all,
Tim
I started at 7, rode 30 minutes on the treadmill, wrote appraisals until 12:45 when I drove to the club and ended up signed up for a weight plan, loved the program and we will see how it goes.
Left the club later than planned for Oakland and arrived about 30 minutes late. It was a charming loft type condo with lots of open space. Very nice.
Then it was onto the freeway to attempt to reach Tracy at 6 for my date. In spite of the heavy and slow moving traffic I arrived early. We had an enjoyable meal and it was good to catch up. She is a lovely lady and easy to talk to.
Now I'm home preparing for an early call tomorrow. Pittsburg at 8 am and then onto Fairfield at 10:30, the rush back to pick up Kallie and in the afternoon get the furnace fixed, I hope!
Then tomorrow for a meeting at the club to learn more about the program.
More orders today, that is such great news. More bills can be paid.
Love to all,
Tim
Monday, December 16, 2013
Just a few days until Christmas
Good evening,
This is an interesting time of year, traffic thickens, the air chills, the smell of wood smoke is over the neighborhoods and in some lucky places there is snow on the ground. My little ones have reminded me that I should remember the reason for the season and its very cute from their lips. Of course that does not negate their desire for everything toy ever made.
Work has slowed to a trickle but enough funds have come in to make the house payment once again, I am thankful.
Tomorrow I have a 1 pm appointment at the health club, turns out there are ways to join a very active weight loss class which involves lots of good things and that I can also join the Discovery Bay branch facility so I can walk to the local club where machines are available for upper body workouts. After our meeting tomorrow I'll know a lot more about it but I am excited and hopeful that this comprehensive program might be of help to me and get me going in the right direction.
I'm also excited because my dear house keeper Tanya can fit the house in on the 23rd, just when I need it to be clean. I am so thankful that she can help, just in time for Jason's family who arrive on the 24th.
Now its getting to be time to do some Christmas shipping. Tomorrow evening I'm having dinner with a friend in Tracy and I hope to persuade her to join me for some shopping at the little mall.
Tomorrow afternoon I'm seeing a condo in Oakland and then Wednesday morning is becoming busy, right now if the order comes through I'm seeing a property in Antioch at 8, then another one at 10:30 in Fairfield and then race back to pick up Kallie from school at 1:15. Should be an interesting day.
A bug update. My little green wonder now has a heat shield, a little device that keeps heat away from the CV joint for the passenger side of the car. I just put a new $448 axle with new CV joints on last week but it needed to be protected from the extreme heat from the turbo. For some reason the heat shield had been ripped off the car at some point in the past, who knows what this poor car has been through! It now is such a dream to drive, smooth, powerful and with the heated seats and the XM radio on the Christmas classics channel, its just fun to travel from place to place.
Here is my precious little tree that was selected by the girls, decorated by the girls and is helping build Christmas spirit around here.
Love to all,
Tim
This is an interesting time of year, traffic thickens, the air chills, the smell of wood smoke is over the neighborhoods and in some lucky places there is snow on the ground. My little ones have reminded me that I should remember the reason for the season and its very cute from their lips. Of course that does not negate their desire for everything toy ever made.
Work has slowed to a trickle but enough funds have come in to make the house payment once again, I am thankful.
Tomorrow I have a 1 pm appointment at the health club, turns out there are ways to join a very active weight loss class which involves lots of good things and that I can also join the Discovery Bay branch facility so I can walk to the local club where machines are available for upper body workouts. After our meeting tomorrow I'll know a lot more about it but I am excited and hopeful that this comprehensive program might be of help to me and get me going in the right direction.
I'm also excited because my dear house keeper Tanya can fit the house in on the 23rd, just when I need it to be clean. I am so thankful that she can help, just in time for Jason's family who arrive on the 24th.
Now its getting to be time to do some Christmas shipping. Tomorrow evening I'm having dinner with a friend in Tracy and I hope to persuade her to join me for some shopping at the little mall.
Tomorrow afternoon I'm seeing a condo in Oakland and then Wednesday morning is becoming busy, right now if the order comes through I'm seeing a property in Antioch at 8, then another one at 10:30 in Fairfield and then race back to pick up Kallie from school at 1:15. Should be an interesting day.
A bug update. My little green wonder now has a heat shield, a little device that keeps heat away from the CV joint for the passenger side of the car. I just put a new $448 axle with new CV joints on last week but it needed to be protected from the extreme heat from the turbo. For some reason the heat shield had been ripped off the car at some point in the past, who knows what this poor car has been through! It now is such a dream to drive, smooth, powerful and with the heated seats and the XM radio on the Christmas classics channel, its just fun to travel from place to place.
Love to all,
Tim
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Calm day with a wild finish!
Good evening,
I've been working in today taking care of business. Well that was until the girls arrived. Since then we've been doing fun stuff. We went by McDs for dinner, then to Brentwood to the Streets of Brentwood where the girls remembered seeing a Christmas tree lot, next to where they went ice skating this morning. That's right a company comes in and sets up an ice rink with lights and excellent ice during the Christmas season. Great fun for the little ones.
So we drove Jason's Subaru Forester since it had room for a small tree. The girls selected a tree that was just right, the owners of the lot were so nice, had hot chocolate and took credit cards. We loaded the tree into the car and upon arriving at home unloaded it and then the girls went to work with the box of decorations. The tree is so cute and they did a great job of making it special. They played, enjoyed the fire that kept the house warm, I started this morning with a 55 degree house but as the day passed the constant fire raised the temperature up to the high 60s we were fine.
It is an honor and great fun to have them come. They are sort of crazy and have lots of ideas of things to do at Pappa's. Their new phrase coined by Keanna is, what happens at Pappa's house stays at Pappa's house! Cute huh.
So I need to scramble in the morning to get some work done and out the door. I've tried to make appointments today and so far have all but one scheduled. Plus there are family appointments, Timothy's Christmas program this Thursday night, Kallie doing carols at school at 10:30 on Thursday, pretty surprising as this is a public school! I have a personal appointment on Tuesday night with a friend for dinner, can't wait for that.
This week appointments will take me to Oakland to a high rise condo, a Fairfield FHA sale and a waterfront Tracy property plus a refi in nearby Antioch. I'm so thankful to our good Lord for work at this time of the year. I was able to make the house payment today, another blessing for sure.
Right now I'm going to finish up a Discovery Bay report and email it out, then crash. Got to say I really enjoy driving Jason's old Subaru, its all wheel drive, has a great heater and plenty of power. But I'll have to give it back one of these days to Jason. He is relishing the better mpg of the Civic, 36 on the last tank, not bad at all.
Good night to one and all,
Love
Tim
I've been working in today taking care of business. Well that was until the girls arrived. Since then we've been doing fun stuff. We went by McDs for dinner, then to Brentwood to the Streets of Brentwood where the girls remembered seeing a Christmas tree lot, next to where they went ice skating this morning. That's right a company comes in and sets up an ice rink with lights and excellent ice during the Christmas season. Great fun for the little ones.
So we drove Jason's Subaru Forester since it had room for a small tree. The girls selected a tree that was just right, the owners of the lot were so nice, had hot chocolate and took credit cards. We loaded the tree into the car and upon arriving at home unloaded it and then the girls went to work with the box of decorations. The tree is so cute and they did a great job of making it special. They played, enjoyed the fire that kept the house warm, I started this morning with a 55 degree house but as the day passed the constant fire raised the temperature up to the high 60s we were fine.
It is an honor and great fun to have them come. They are sort of crazy and have lots of ideas of things to do at Pappa's. Their new phrase coined by Keanna is, what happens at Pappa's house stays at Pappa's house! Cute huh.
So I need to scramble in the morning to get some work done and out the door. I've tried to make appointments today and so far have all but one scheduled. Plus there are family appointments, Timothy's Christmas program this Thursday night, Kallie doing carols at school at 10:30 on Thursday, pretty surprising as this is a public school! I have a personal appointment on Tuesday night with a friend for dinner, can't wait for that.
This week appointments will take me to Oakland to a high rise condo, a Fairfield FHA sale and a waterfront Tracy property plus a refi in nearby Antioch. I'm so thankful to our good Lord for work at this time of the year. I was able to make the house payment today, another blessing for sure.
Right now I'm going to finish up a Discovery Bay report and email it out, then crash. Got to say I really enjoy driving Jason's old Subaru, its all wheel drive, has a great heater and plenty of power. But I'll have to give it back one of these days to Jason. He is relishing the better mpg of the Civic, 36 on the last tank, not bad at all.
Good night to one and all,
Love
Tim
Saturday, December 14, 2013
A Very Full Day
Good evening,
Frankly right now I'm sleepy, you see its this way..........
Up at 7, picked up Kallie at 9, enjoyed a great Sabbath School with Kim in charge, she is so patient and kind to the kiddos who have a lot of trouble staying in their seats and listening. Its a happy time.
After SS I got to see Dr. George for a few minutes. He was happy to hear about the good news with the cars and he and Yvonne are having a good Christmas season with his family as well as hosting the Ladies Cookie Exchange at their home.
At the conclusion of Sabbath School we drove directly to my house and Kallie grabbed a Popsicle and I bought two more tickets to the Grace Cathedral Christmas concert so Mia would have a seat and Kallie would have admission.
We had decided on UNO's as Kallie has black listed a lot of eating places recently, hope that will pass. We had a super lunch with salad and soup for me and cheese pizza for her highness.
We found the freeway and set our GPS for the Grace. At first it said we had an extra hour but then began to report traffic issues. The Bay Bridge was very slow as were the surface streets in San Francisco. Finally we were parked and had about 15 minutes to spare. I got our tickets from will call and we found seats. This time we could all see what was taking place.
The first half of the concert was enjoyable and beautiful. The interior of the church has streamers hanging down from the ceiling which is far above. They shimmered in the sunlight and were a great attraction. The second half of the concert was disappointing. It was written about Saint Nicholas and was very long, had a super tenor, beautiful music but was not very festive at all. The kiddos were as good as they could be but as the long musical work continued I noticed many patrons leaving early. It was written by Benjamin Britten, a 20 century musician so the music was unusual.
After the end of the program Jason and Jo shot some photos on the steps and then we found our cars and eventually regained California Street. They had decided on Behihana in Burlingame but when we arrived we found a mob and a 1.5 hour wait. So they quickly regrouped and located a El Torito within blocks. The wait was 8 minutes and the food was good. Due to the rush of the evening the service was weak but when the food is good all else can be forgiven.
Then it was time for Kallie and me to head home. We drove across the San Mateo / Hayward bridge but much to Kallie's disappointment she could not get the phone to charge so there was little phone play on the way home.
All in all she did well today as always. I'm proud of my kiddos, they are a great bunch with lots of solid parenting behind them, it shows in the crunch.
So saying I'm signing off, tired, sleepy and very ready to fall asleep beneath my delicious sheets and blankets.
Love to all,
Tim
Frankly right now I'm sleepy, you see its this way..........
Up at 7, picked up Kallie at 9, enjoyed a great Sabbath School with Kim in charge, she is so patient and kind to the kiddos who have a lot of trouble staying in their seats and listening. Its a happy time.
After SS I got to see Dr. George for a few minutes. He was happy to hear about the good news with the cars and he and Yvonne are having a good Christmas season with his family as well as hosting the Ladies Cookie Exchange at their home.
At the conclusion of Sabbath School we drove directly to my house and Kallie grabbed a Popsicle and I bought two more tickets to the Grace Cathedral Christmas concert so Mia would have a seat and Kallie would have admission.
We had decided on UNO's as Kallie has black listed a lot of eating places recently, hope that will pass. We had a super lunch with salad and soup for me and cheese pizza for her highness.
We found the freeway and set our GPS for the Grace. At first it said we had an extra hour but then began to report traffic issues. The Bay Bridge was very slow as were the surface streets in San Francisco. Finally we were parked and had about 15 minutes to spare. I got our tickets from will call and we found seats. This time we could all see what was taking place.
The first half of the concert was enjoyable and beautiful. The interior of the church has streamers hanging down from the ceiling which is far above. They shimmered in the sunlight and were a great attraction. The second half of the concert was disappointing. It was written about Saint Nicholas and was very long, had a super tenor, beautiful music but was not very festive at all. The kiddos were as good as they could be but as the long musical work continued I noticed many patrons leaving early. It was written by Benjamin Britten, a 20 century musician so the music was unusual.
After the end of the program Jason and Jo shot some photos on the steps and then we found our cars and eventually regained California Street. They had decided on Behihana in Burlingame but when we arrived we found a mob and a 1.5 hour wait. So they quickly regrouped and located a El Torito within blocks. The wait was 8 minutes and the food was good. Due to the rush of the evening the service was weak but when the food is good all else can be forgiven.
Then it was time for Kallie and me to head home. We drove across the San Mateo / Hayward bridge but much to Kallie's disappointment she could not get the phone to charge so there was little phone play on the way home.
All in all she did well today as always. I'm proud of my kiddos, they are a great bunch with lots of solid parenting behind them, it shows in the crunch.
So saying I'm signing off, tired, sleepy and very ready to fall asleep beneath my delicious sheets and blankets.
Love to all,
Tim
Friday, December 13, 2013
Friday night comes just in time.
Good evening friends and family,
I'm just in from picking up Jason's Subaru from Borden Junction, my go to car repair place. I was prepared for a message of the tranny is trashed or something like that, so was Jason but the Good Lord smiled on us.
They discovered that a tube that extends from the automatic transmission to the radiator, passes through the bottom the radiator and then back to the transmission had rubbed against something which caused it to start leaking and since the fluid was being pumped under pressure it leaked out onto the hot engine and started the white smoke contrail behind the car.
So they replaced the defective tube with a new one making sure it is safely distant from any rubbing point, gave the transmission a full service, took it for a test drive and it behaved perfectly. All for a mere $200. Now that's a bill I can handle, I was expecting the worst and we got the best news.
Having just driven it from Borden Junction garage for the 4 miles to my house via Safeway and a fuel fillup it is driving perfectly and there is no automatic slippage at all. The heater, radio and the seat warmers all worked on my way home. This is a totally good news story and is a relief for Jason as this car needs to last awhile longer until law school is over.
Tomorrow Kallie and I are coming to Sabbath School, not sure yet about Keanna who might be doing a sleep over with a friend. Steve is not feeling that great right now, dealing with allergies and related breathing challenges.
Tomorrow afternoon I'll go with Jason and Jo and family to the Grace Cathedral Christmas concert. Its at 3 in the afternoon and there really is nothing like the Grace, well there is Notre Dame or St. Stephens. We will hear boys choirs, chamber music and other choirs and the music will roll over us due to the 9 second reverberation in the church.
When I was in college at PUC I sang in Pro Musica and we often performed in the Grace since our choir director knew someone there and got us in. What a huge experience!
Today I encountered terrible traffic again. A normal 1 hour trip to Milpitas to see a house ended up taking 1 hour and 50 minutes. It was no problem but still I become stressed when I can't keep an appointment. The second house proved to be just a few blocks away in San Jose so I managed to catch up. Then it was lunch at the Great Mall at the Olive Garden, soup and salad.
It has been wonderful today driving the little green beetle. The new axle solved the shaking and shuddering that I've put up with for about a month. The car is a pleasure to drive and today refueling yielded 39 mpg. Not too bad.
Wishing all of you happy shopping, happy family time and warmth. My warmth will have to wait. A needed part that Sean has determined will solve the furnace issue is on back order and will be here on Monday so until then it will be fires and I'm so thankful to Jerry for the wood he brought when he visited last spring. Wow has it been a life saver.
Sending love to all,
Tim
I'm just in from picking up Jason's Subaru from Borden Junction, my go to car repair place. I was prepared for a message of the tranny is trashed or something like that, so was Jason but the Good Lord smiled on us.
They discovered that a tube that extends from the automatic transmission to the radiator, passes through the bottom the radiator and then back to the transmission had rubbed against something which caused it to start leaking and since the fluid was being pumped under pressure it leaked out onto the hot engine and started the white smoke contrail behind the car.
So they replaced the defective tube with a new one making sure it is safely distant from any rubbing point, gave the transmission a full service, took it for a test drive and it behaved perfectly. All for a mere $200. Now that's a bill I can handle, I was expecting the worst and we got the best news.
Having just driven it from Borden Junction garage for the 4 miles to my house via Safeway and a fuel fillup it is driving perfectly and there is no automatic slippage at all. The heater, radio and the seat warmers all worked on my way home. This is a totally good news story and is a relief for Jason as this car needs to last awhile longer until law school is over.
Tomorrow Kallie and I are coming to Sabbath School, not sure yet about Keanna who might be doing a sleep over with a friend. Steve is not feeling that great right now, dealing with allergies and related breathing challenges.
Tomorrow afternoon I'll go with Jason and Jo and family to the Grace Cathedral Christmas concert. Its at 3 in the afternoon and there really is nothing like the Grace, well there is Notre Dame or St. Stephens. We will hear boys choirs, chamber music and other choirs and the music will roll over us due to the 9 second reverberation in the church.
When I was in college at PUC I sang in Pro Musica and we often performed in the Grace since our choir director knew someone there and got us in. What a huge experience!
Today I encountered terrible traffic again. A normal 1 hour trip to Milpitas to see a house ended up taking 1 hour and 50 minutes. It was no problem but still I become stressed when I can't keep an appointment. The second house proved to be just a few blocks away in San Jose so I managed to catch up. Then it was lunch at the Great Mall at the Olive Garden, soup and salad.
It has been wonderful today driving the little green beetle. The new axle solved the shaking and shuddering that I've put up with for about a month. The car is a pleasure to drive and today refueling yielded 39 mpg. Not too bad.
Wishing all of you happy shopping, happy family time and warmth. My warmth will have to wait. A needed part that Sean has determined will solve the furnace issue is on back order and will be here on Monday so until then it will be fires and I'm so thankful to Jerry for the wood he brought when he visited last spring. Wow has it been a life saver.
Sending love to all,
Tim
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Car repaired, furnace not yet
So this morning I was at East European Auto Repair at 9:45 and they took my sick bug right in. A couple of hours later they were done and it drives smoothly now, no more shaking. They found a very dry CVC joint and a missing heat shield that allows very hot temperatures, up to 800 degrees from the turbo that fried the grease right out of the joint causing it to fail. So for now the car drives like a dream, of course now the steering wheel is crooked again after their work, that is a bummer as I just had it straightened when the alignment took place.
I came back home to work and Sean came to install the new part on the furnace. He works hard and hates to fail but after a couple hours he said he would be back tomorrow to make yet another try at repairing it. I know one of these years I'll have to get a new one but there is no money, $5,000 or so, to replace this one at this point.
Then this afternoon my computer refused to print so I turned it off but as it was going off it told me to not touch anything as it had 26 updates to install. Well an hour later they were finally completed and I was able to restart the computer and proceed late to my Mountain House appointment. Oh, yes the printer did work fine after the restart. In the process I also upgraded to explorer 11 from 7 and that seems to help as well.
Ate at Subway tonight and now I'm settled into get some work completed. 5 new orders came in today, is that great or what!
Right now I'm set to see a property at 11 in Milpitas tomorrow and then at 12:30 in San Jose. That should get me out of town before the traffic hits on a Friday afternoon. I hope so as Sunol grade is not fun when traffic gets backed up.
So car works, heater does not but with the wood that Jerry supplied I'm staying warm and the house is doing OK. The pets are all staying indoors these nights, I trap them so they won't sneak outside at bedtime.
Good night one and all,
Tim
I came back home to work and Sean came to install the new part on the furnace. He works hard and hates to fail but after a couple hours he said he would be back tomorrow to make yet another try at repairing it. I know one of these years I'll have to get a new one but there is no money, $5,000 or so, to replace this one at this point.
Then this afternoon my computer refused to print so I turned it off but as it was going off it told me to not touch anything as it had 26 updates to install. Well an hour later they were finally completed and I was able to restart the computer and proceed late to my Mountain House appointment. Oh, yes the printer did work fine after the restart. In the process I also upgraded to explorer 11 from 7 and that seems to help as well.
Ate at Subway tonight and now I'm settled into get some work completed. 5 new orders came in today, is that great or what!
Right now I'm set to see a property at 11 in Milpitas tomorrow and then at 12:30 in San Jose. That should get me out of town before the traffic hits on a Friday afternoon. I hope so as Sunol grade is not fun when traffic gets backed up.
So car works, heater does not but with the wood that Jerry supplied I'm staying warm and the house is doing OK. The pets are all staying indoors these nights, I trap them so they won't sneak outside at bedtime.
Good night one and all,
Tim
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Steve turns 40
Good evening,
I have been very fortunate to have a son in law like Steve. Today he turned 40 and I'm in total denial. Just yesterday he was a teen with hair flowing, riding everything fast and hard, whether it was a bike or a car, even a motorcycle. Even snow boarding on Mt. Hood. Now he has become middle aged, what a shock.
Nikki put together a last minute party at Texas Roadhouse in Tracy and Jill, his special mom during his teen years and who lives in Tracy was there, Kevin, his long time friend, Jill's son and his little son were there. Kevin's brother was there and of course Keanna and Kallie. Texas Roadhouse is a very busy place with hundreds of people enjoying great meals and good service.
Since this is a place mostly dedicated to meat eaters one might wonder what Nikki and I could find to eat. They have it covered with great sides so it was salad, baked potato, veges and water with lemon.
It was fun to watch Steve open his cards and presents. Jason and Jo had sent a very clever gift, a Grateful Dead set of little ice cubes, vintage Steve and Nikki who used to go to their concerts but no go in, just mingle with all the followers who sold and exchanged things outside.
Today has been good, Keanna and Kallie came to visit this afternoon and watched TV, played at making things in the kitchen, had Popsicles and popcorn and Kallie even helped me use the vacuum when she spilled some popcorn.
Tomorrow morning I'm to take the bug to East County European Auto Repair for the new axle which had to be purchased from VW directly, at a cost of $448. Freddie is installing the axle with no labor charges and I hope this is the end of the shaking which takes place all the time now. Going up hills is really rather scary, it shakes so badly.
Also the part for my furnace is coming in so Sean can finish the repair of the furnace. I'm ready for some automatic heat in the mornings, oh yes.
How are things with you the faithful reader? Is your life progressing smoothly, no hitches? Well probably not because life is not just smooth sailing at all. But above us all and caring in a manner we can possibly fully understand is our Lord and Savior, He knows all yet cares in such caring ways for each of us. Do I understand How He works? Never but do I believe He cares, yes I do.
Sending love to all,
Tim
I have been very fortunate to have a son in law like Steve. Today he turned 40 and I'm in total denial. Just yesterday he was a teen with hair flowing, riding everything fast and hard, whether it was a bike or a car, even a motorcycle. Even snow boarding on Mt. Hood. Now he has become middle aged, what a shock.
Nikki put together a last minute party at Texas Roadhouse in Tracy and Jill, his special mom during his teen years and who lives in Tracy was there, Kevin, his long time friend, Jill's son and his little son were there. Kevin's brother was there and of course Keanna and Kallie. Texas Roadhouse is a very busy place with hundreds of people enjoying great meals and good service.
Since this is a place mostly dedicated to meat eaters one might wonder what Nikki and I could find to eat. They have it covered with great sides so it was salad, baked potato, veges and water with lemon.
It was fun to watch Steve open his cards and presents. Jason and Jo had sent a very clever gift, a Grateful Dead set of little ice cubes, vintage Steve and Nikki who used to go to their concerts but no go in, just mingle with all the followers who sold and exchanged things outside.
Today has been good, Keanna and Kallie came to visit this afternoon and watched TV, played at making things in the kitchen, had Popsicles and popcorn and Kallie even helped me use the vacuum when she spilled some popcorn.
Tomorrow morning I'm to take the bug to East County European Auto Repair for the new axle which had to be purchased from VW directly, at a cost of $448. Freddie is installing the axle with no labor charges and I hope this is the end of the shaking which takes place all the time now. Going up hills is really rather scary, it shakes so badly.
Also the part for my furnace is coming in so Sean can finish the repair of the furnace. I'm ready for some automatic heat in the mornings, oh yes.
How are things with you the faithful reader? Is your life progressing smoothly, no hitches? Well probably not because life is not just smooth sailing at all. But above us all and caring in a manner we can possibly fully understand is our Lord and Savior, He knows all yet cares in such caring ways for each of us. Do I understand How He works? Never but do I believe He cares, yes I do.
Sending love to all,
Tim
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Mia on stage
As you know I am blessed with 4 precious grandchildren. Everyone has their own way of doing things. Mia was part of a Christmas program at her day care and school this evening. After seeing a home in Oakley I drove down arriving actually early, amazing for me.
The church was carefully decorated and the little ones were so cute with their angel wings and cute songs. What was most amazing was the wall of parents behind us, all standing and all armed with cameras and phones shooting non stop photos. It looked like a star was on stage and the press was anxious for a photo.
Once again it is a cold night but at this point its only down to 35, better than the 22 last night. It has been a good day with cranking out reports and then going to inspect a property in Oakley. What I will long remember about this visit will be the two black pugs, what cute little doggies and so sweet, not barking, just curious and loving. How they took me back to my own precious Starr, Nan's pug that gave us so much joy during her lifetime.
Here a couple photos from tonight.
Angels everyone!
The church was carefully decorated and the little ones were so cute with their angel wings and cute songs. What was most amazing was the wall of parents behind us, all standing and all armed with cameras and phones shooting non stop photos. It looked like a star was on stage and the press was anxious for a photo.
Once again it is a cold night but at this point its only down to 35, better than the 22 last night. It has been a good day with cranking out reports and then going to inspect a property in Oakley. What I will long remember about this visit will be the two black pugs, what cute little doggies and so sweet, not barking, just curious and loving. How they took me back to my own precious Starr, Nan's pug that gave us so much joy during her lifetime.
Here a couple photos from tonight.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Still very cold, 29 degrees at the moment outside
How much longer will it last? This intense cold that creeps into every crack, chills one to the bone in a few steps, a day, a few days, what can we expect?
Tomorrow Sean, Steve's friend who works in heating and cooling, is supposed to come and make the furnace work again. It would be nice as I don't want to blow through my wood too fast. Right now the house is 68 and a fire simmers in the stove but what will be by morning? 54 degrees again? Yikes that is cold.
Today I've been at the computer most of the day cranking out work, then at 2 I inspected a perfect property up in Oakley, what a beauty, though the owner is an auto mechanic his work working skills are incredible. The entire garage is full of wood working equipment even to an exhaust system.
On the property I found a large pool with safety cover, a huge gazebo, a sport court, a fire pit, epie wood decks, brick patios, childrens play area, trampoline area and an acre of landscaping.
As soon as I finished up inspecting I raced to the school to pick up my girls, then it was too the house and popcorn, Popsicles and fun. When Nikki came we worked together to set up a second little bed in the children's guest room and she went after some spiders with the vacuum. It was fun to have people here as this has been sort of a low day emotionally for me.
This evening Sibyl, my sister called and as we talked she shared some diabetes ideas that seem to work for her. It was good to hear from her.
This evening Nikki and the girls joined me for dinner at the Boardwalk. They really have it decorated for the holidays.
Right now its 29 outside and the night is young. I wish Pooka would come in for the night but she is determined to stay outside, I'll never begin to understand why? The kitties are in by the fire and they are not budging for the night.
Well this is it, I'm out and going to bed, a bed that is only cold for a minute before I make it warm.
Love to all
Tim
Tomorrow Sean, Steve's friend who works in heating and cooling, is supposed to come and make the furnace work again. It would be nice as I don't want to blow through my wood too fast. Right now the house is 68 and a fire simmers in the stove but what will be by morning? 54 degrees again? Yikes that is cold.
Today I've been at the computer most of the day cranking out work, then at 2 I inspected a perfect property up in Oakley, what a beauty, though the owner is an auto mechanic his work working skills are incredible. The entire garage is full of wood working equipment even to an exhaust system.
On the property I found a large pool with safety cover, a huge gazebo, a sport court, a fire pit, epie wood decks, brick patios, childrens play area, trampoline area and an acre of landscaping.
As soon as I finished up inspecting I raced to the school to pick up my girls, then it was too the house and popcorn, Popsicles and fun. When Nikki came we worked together to set up a second little bed in the children's guest room and she went after some spiders with the vacuum. It was fun to have people here as this has been sort of a low day emotionally for me.
This evening Sibyl, my sister called and as we talked she shared some diabetes ideas that seem to work for her. It was good to hear from her.
This evening Nikki and the girls joined me for dinner at the Boardwalk. They really have it decorated for the holidays.
Right now its 29 outside and the night is young. I wish Pooka would come in for the night but she is determined to stay outside, I'll never begin to understand why? The kitties are in by the fire and they are not budging for the night.
Well this is it, I'm out and going to bed, a bed that is only cold for a minute before I make it warm.
Love to all
Tim
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Its cold ouside (and inside)
Good evening,
We are experiencing a cold spell unlike any I can remember. It was -3 at Jerry and Donna's last night, that is seriously cold, more like the Midwest than California.
Its really OK though, I'm using a lot of wood since my furnace is NOT working yet so the fire tends to consume quite a bit of wood. I have the spa ready to enjoy in a few minutes, up to temp and ready to help with my back problems. Since last night it went down to 70 so it has some heat retaining qualities.
The short trip from spa to the house after sitting in it for 30 or more minutes is bracing in this weather.
I've been pretty sell stuck to my desk all day writing reports. While I'm not totally finished with all of them I'm making progress. It is certainly different without Jessy to do her magic with the pre writing. This morning I had two that she had pre written and that helped a lot.
This afternoon I'm working on a tough one. Its a little house which sits nearly on J4, the road that connects Byron to Tracy. It has no garage and is 100 years old. There has been one sale in Byron for the last year of a small house like this one so comps have to come from Brentwood which is 5 to 7 miles away. Then this order requested a rent survey but of course I found only one rental in Byron. The tenants pay $800 because they know someone otherwise they would pay $1100 and my rent survey shows the little house could probably be rented for at least $1200. Anyway I've completed it and shipped it away, lets hope the reviewers enjoy it as well.
I heard from Barbie today, she reported that Gerry is hanging in but is tired and rests a lot. He still likes to go places so they have been doing just that, going places. It was good to hear back from her.
I was thrilled that the 49ers won today, not that I watched, just can't do that, get worked up over a dumb game so I just catch the last minute and this time the last minute turned out good for us.
This has been a rather tough day, just not that excited about life right now, facing challenges it seems on all sides, house is quiet since Marilyn decided to visit her family, how dare she? Her weather is warmer than ours here for a change.
Sending good will to all,
Love
tim
We are experiencing a cold spell unlike any I can remember. It was -3 at Jerry and Donna's last night, that is seriously cold, more like the Midwest than California.
Its really OK though, I'm using a lot of wood since my furnace is NOT working yet so the fire tends to consume quite a bit of wood. I have the spa ready to enjoy in a few minutes, up to temp and ready to help with my back problems. Since last night it went down to 70 so it has some heat retaining qualities.
The short trip from spa to the house after sitting in it for 30 or more minutes is bracing in this weather.
I've been pretty sell stuck to my desk all day writing reports. While I'm not totally finished with all of them I'm making progress. It is certainly different without Jessy to do her magic with the pre writing. This morning I had two that she had pre written and that helped a lot.
This afternoon I'm working on a tough one. Its a little house which sits nearly on J4, the road that connects Byron to Tracy. It has no garage and is 100 years old. There has been one sale in Byron for the last year of a small house like this one so comps have to come from Brentwood which is 5 to 7 miles away. Then this order requested a rent survey but of course I found only one rental in Byron. The tenants pay $800 because they know someone otherwise they would pay $1100 and my rent survey shows the little house could probably be rented for at least $1200. Anyway I've completed it and shipped it away, lets hope the reviewers enjoy it as well.
I heard from Barbie today, she reported that Gerry is hanging in but is tired and rests a lot. He still likes to go places so they have been doing just that, going places. It was good to hear back from her.
I was thrilled that the 49ers won today, not that I watched, just can't do that, get worked up over a dumb game so I just catch the last minute and this time the last minute turned out good for us.
This has been a rather tough day, just not that excited about life right now, facing challenges it seems on all sides, house is quiet since Marilyn decided to visit her family, how dare she? Her weather is warmer than ours here for a change.
Sending good will to all,
Love
tim
Kiddos are so fun
Good evening
Having paid the PG&E bill this evening I decided to try out the spa again. It started at 45 degrees but in a short time reached 95, a great comfort level. It was great and I have the prune skin to prove it.
Earlier I stopped by UNO's for some soup and salad, that along with decaf made a perfect meal and its always interesting to watch people at the bar as the drinks flow and the noise level rises.
This morning both Kallie and Keanna went to Sabbath School with Pappa. They were on their best behavior and both looked so cute all dressed up. Sabbath School was great fun and Kim and Diane always make it a special time. There were several children which always increases the fun level.
We stopped at a place we all love for lunch, Sonic, and the food was especially good today. I turned the girls over to their mom and then settled in for a nice long nap in front of a fire. Once I woke up I turned to making a trail so I could wheel barrow wood to the wood holder on the back deck by the family room. Eventually I finished a set of ramps required and moved a lot of wood to the back deck. Then I took the tattered vinyl wood cover and using duct tape did a repair job on it so now I think it might keep the rain out but it sure looks funny.
Tomorrow is a big work day, one I am eagerly anticipating. I'm thrilled to have work to do right now.
Sending love to all,
Tim
Having paid the PG&E bill this evening I decided to try out the spa again. It started at 45 degrees but in a short time reached 95, a great comfort level. It was great and I have the prune skin to prove it.
Earlier I stopped by UNO's for some soup and salad, that along with decaf made a perfect meal and its always interesting to watch people at the bar as the drinks flow and the noise level rises.
This morning both Kallie and Keanna went to Sabbath School with Pappa. They were on their best behavior and both looked so cute all dressed up. Sabbath School was great fun and Kim and Diane always make it a special time. There were several children which always increases the fun level.
We stopped at a place we all love for lunch, Sonic, and the food was especially good today. I turned the girls over to their mom and then settled in for a nice long nap in front of a fire. Once I woke up I turned to making a trail so I could wheel barrow wood to the wood holder on the back deck by the family room. Eventually I finished a set of ramps required and moved a lot of wood to the back deck. Then I took the tattered vinyl wood cover and using duct tape did a repair job on it so now I think it might keep the rain out but it sure looks funny.
Tomorrow is a big work day, one I am eagerly anticipating. I'm thrilled to have work to do right now.
Sending love to all,
Tim
Friday, December 6, 2013
Finished
At last the week is over, tomorrow the girls take Pappa to Sabbath School if we don't get soaked before that.
Its raining very hard tonight and I have a nice fire going. Did a bit of grocery shopping and picked up some new books on CD at the library.
Saw two properties today, one grand and perfect in Livermore and one very average and tiny here in Byron.
More tomorrow night,
Love
Tim
Its raining very hard tonight and I have a nice fire going. Did a bit of grocery shopping and picked up some new books on CD at the library.
Saw two properties today, one grand and perfect in Livermore and one very average and tiny here in Byron.
More tomorrow night,
Love
Tim
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Changes taking place
Good evening
So Marilyn has just spent her first day back home in Rhode Island and is getting settled in. My animals miss her a lot.
Tonight Jessy texted me that she just got a new job and starts tomorrow. She will be working a lot of hours so her ability to help me will be very limited. Its a hard hit but I understand, I've not had enough to keep her busy for quite a while and she needs to make a living. She will be missed so much.
This morning was another up at 6 am. Quickly showering and shivering through the cold, thank goodness for the space heater George and Yvonne brought us years ago, its in my bathroom and is just wonderful, takes the chill off while I prepare for the day.
Once I got to my office I found it cozy, the equipment keeps it decent if the door is closed. I built a fire with wood I brought back from Weed in the lower compartment of the motorhome and I've been going out each morning to bring a load in. Can't lift much due to my bad back right now. I made a roaring fire while I had breakfast. The room was 57 when I came down.
I drove through morning traffic to San Leandro and did a quick inspection for FHA purposes. Then I drove to a nearby address to do a full appraisal for a purchase. Then I drove to Newark to see another purchase, it was pretty beat up, carpets were really awful.
I then found a Starbucks and had a quick lunch before heading for Vallejo for a 1 pm appointment. I was very late. As I drove I felt my body in distress and that only got worse. I barely made it to a bathroom and was very sick. After a time things cleared up and I was able to get back into the car and finish the trip to Vallejo. After a time I was glad to complete that appraisal, shoot the comps and head home through afternoon traffic.
Its been a long day and everywhere I was a coat was needed. It was cold and is sitting at 32 right now this evening per the weather station, something I dearly love as it lets me know what is happening outside.
So that has been my day and I'm very thankful to be home safe and sound, not warm but at least safe and sound.
Sending love to all and special thanks for the wood from Jerry's wood pile. Its coming in very handy.
Tim
So Marilyn has just spent her first day back home in Rhode Island and is getting settled in. My animals miss her a lot.
Tonight Jessy texted me that she just got a new job and starts tomorrow. She will be working a lot of hours so her ability to help me will be very limited. Its a hard hit but I understand, I've not had enough to keep her busy for quite a while and she needs to make a living. She will be missed so much.
This morning was another up at 6 am. Quickly showering and shivering through the cold, thank goodness for the space heater George and Yvonne brought us years ago, its in my bathroom and is just wonderful, takes the chill off while I prepare for the day.
Once I got to my office I found it cozy, the equipment keeps it decent if the door is closed. I built a fire with wood I brought back from Weed in the lower compartment of the motorhome and I've been going out each morning to bring a load in. Can't lift much due to my bad back right now. I made a roaring fire while I had breakfast. The room was 57 when I came down.
I drove through morning traffic to San Leandro and did a quick inspection for FHA purposes. Then I drove to a nearby address to do a full appraisal for a purchase. Then I drove to Newark to see another purchase, it was pretty beat up, carpets were really awful.
I then found a Starbucks and had a quick lunch before heading for Vallejo for a 1 pm appointment. I was very late. As I drove I felt my body in distress and that only got worse. I barely made it to a bathroom and was very sick. After a time things cleared up and I was able to get back into the car and finish the trip to Vallejo. After a time I was glad to complete that appraisal, shoot the comps and head home through afternoon traffic.
Its been a long day and everywhere I was a coat was needed. It was cold and is sitting at 32 right now this evening per the weather station, something I dearly love as it lets me know what is happening outside.
So that has been my day and I'm very thankful to be home safe and sound, not warm but at least safe and sound.
Sending love to all and special thanks for the wood from Jerry's wood pile. Its coming in very handy.
Tim
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Marilyn travels home to Rhode Island
Good evening,
So the alarms went off this morning at 3:45, nothing in me wanted to climb out and dress in the cold.
We left the house at 4:15 and arrived in Oakland at 5:14. Marilyn quickly disappeared into the terminal and I started driving back to Livermore. Knowing in advance that I would be resting in the car for awhile this morning I had brought a blanket and on the way home I ran the seat heater up high. So when I pulled in to a parking lot off Vasco at 5:30 I pulled the blanket up and went to sleep. Around 6:30 as I was growing colder I woke to discover I was parked next to Waffle House.
What a breakfast I had, oatmeal with fruit, scrambled eggs, wheat toast and decaf, all for $5.95. At 7 I drove the few blocks over to my first appointment of the day, the sun was just starting to shine but in the cold I measured a two story duet, did the inspection with very fine owners and left to shoot the comps.
Arriving home I built a fire as the house was 59 and felt cold. Then I showered and left for Brentwood for a 9:30 appointment. Once that one was over it was time to see the next one at around 11. Then I went to Kaiser for a blood test, came back to the school and picked up the sweethearts, hit up McDonalds and then arrived home where Jessy was already working on reports and office stuff.
The girls played quietly during the afternoon and we both worked generating reports. This evening we went to the local sports bar for dinner and it was great. Then we came back and worked more. In a few minutes I'm going to bed as I'm tired, sleepy and ready for some sleep.
Tomorrow morning I'm in San Leandro at 9, then for another one at 10, then one in Newark at 11:15 and finally at 1 in Vallejo. I am so grateful for the work that has come in and with Jessy helping today we are getting reports back before they are due, amazing really.
Marilyn texted this afternoon that she had arrived and is happy to be home. My dog and cat are in denial, they can't believe she left but will have to adjust. Her family needs her.
So that's how the old people live, busy and productive!
Love to all,
Tim
So the alarms went off this morning at 3:45, nothing in me wanted to climb out and dress in the cold.
We left the house at 4:15 and arrived in Oakland at 5:14. Marilyn quickly disappeared into the terminal and I started driving back to Livermore. Knowing in advance that I would be resting in the car for awhile this morning I had brought a blanket and on the way home I ran the seat heater up high. So when I pulled in to a parking lot off Vasco at 5:30 I pulled the blanket up and went to sleep. Around 6:30 as I was growing colder I woke to discover I was parked next to Waffle House.
What a breakfast I had, oatmeal with fruit, scrambled eggs, wheat toast and decaf, all for $5.95. At 7 I drove the few blocks over to my first appointment of the day, the sun was just starting to shine but in the cold I measured a two story duet, did the inspection with very fine owners and left to shoot the comps.
Arriving home I built a fire as the house was 59 and felt cold. Then I showered and left for Brentwood for a 9:30 appointment. Once that one was over it was time to see the next one at around 11. Then I went to Kaiser for a blood test, came back to the school and picked up the sweethearts, hit up McDonalds and then arrived home where Jessy was already working on reports and office stuff.
The girls played quietly during the afternoon and we both worked generating reports. This evening we went to the local sports bar for dinner and it was great. Then we came back and worked more. In a few minutes I'm going to bed as I'm tired, sleepy and ready for some sleep.
Tomorrow morning I'm in San Leandro at 9, then for another one at 10, then one in Newark at 11:15 and finally at 1 in Vallejo. I am so grateful for the work that has come in and with Jessy helping today we are getting reports back before they are due, amazing really.
Marilyn texted this afternoon that she had arrived and is happy to be home. My dog and cat are in denial, they can't believe she left but will have to adjust. Her family needs her.
So that's how the old people live, busy and productive!
Love to all,
Tim
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Another day
Good evening to family and friends alike
Ho hum day. Up at 6, backache did not keep me awake last night, slept great.
Rented a car at 9, dropped the green bug off at 9:30 for a new motor mount.
Inspected a property in Bay Point at 10:08.
Inspected a property in Antioch at noon.
Dropped back by to discover the motor mount had been replaced but the old one was NOT broken after all so shaking problems are still the same. $315 later plus rental car and not fixed.
Axle coming in next couple days. Freddie will put it in at his cost and perhaps then the problems will be solved. This whole mess has been very disappointing.
Guy in Antioch told me all motorhome mounts were bad and wanted $1148. If he had done the motor mounts that were not bad it would have still shook when he finished and I would have wasted even more money.
We had a fun rental today, some Extara by Nissan.
Marilyn packing for her trip home tomorrow. She has to be at the airport at 5 !!! in the morning so we leave at 4 am.
Then I have a 7 am appointment in Livermore on the way back and a 9 am in Brentwood, then a 9:30 in Brentwood and then its home to nap.
Highlights of tomorrow will be. Jessy is coming to work and Kiddos are coming at 1:15.
Sending love to all, so thankful for life, work and a super family with interesting personalities, great talents and fun factor. Love them all
Tim
Ho hum day. Up at 6, backache did not keep me awake last night, slept great.
Rented a car at 9, dropped the green bug off at 9:30 for a new motor mount.
Inspected a property in Bay Point at 10:08.
Inspected a property in Antioch at noon.
Dropped back by to discover the motor mount had been replaced but the old one was NOT broken after all so shaking problems are still the same. $315 later plus rental car and not fixed.
Axle coming in next couple days. Freddie will put it in at his cost and perhaps then the problems will be solved. This whole mess has been very disappointing.
Guy in Antioch told me all motorhome mounts were bad and wanted $1148. If he had done the motor mounts that were not bad it would have still shook when he finished and I would have wasted even more money.
We had a fun rental today, some Extara by Nissan.
Marilyn packing for her trip home tomorrow. She has to be at the airport at 5 !!! in the morning so we leave at 4 am.
Then I have a 7 am appointment in Livermore on the way back and a 9 am in Brentwood, then a 9:30 in Brentwood and then its home to nap.
Highlights of tomorrow will be. Jessy is coming to work and Kiddos are coming at 1:15.
Sending love to all, so thankful for life, work and a super family with interesting personalities, great talents and fun factor. Love them all
Tim
Monday, December 2, 2013
An amazing day
Dear Family and Friends,
Tonight as I write I'm thankful for God's leading in this troubling day.
This morning Jason called to say, Dad I need help. Well I guess you parents know what that does to ones heart! It grabs it big time.
Jason was driving up the freeway toward the SF airport where he is working this fall, someone had told him that the Subaru was smoking and when he checked sure enough white smoke was coming up through the hood. He pulled off and found a safe place to be and we started the saga. Learning that something was dripped under his car but also that there was no fire, that the engine temp was fine, that the radiator overflow was fine he began to limp his car toward my house and I started the process of pulling out the tow dolly, to load up the Civic and then drive to meet him where I would unload the Civic, load up the Subaru, bring it back to my own Borden Junction Shop for repairs.
After jostling trailers, boat, tow dolly around we were ready to load up the Subaru, just as I picked up the tow dolly's tongue my back went out with a lot of pain and I was almost knocked to the ground. The tongue is heavy and I had pulled a muscle. So I had Marilyn drive the civic up onto the dolly, it takes quite a bit of throttle to gain the last edge and the car shot forward, launched itself out into a couple feet of space and front tires just hung down, we were in a bad place.
Meanwhile Jason is continuing to limp toward my place. Once he reached Livermore the transmission failed to shift and I had him pull over for good. I then drove the green bug to meet him where we waited for a tow truck sponsored by my Good Sam to arrive. Over two hours later he finally arrived and he delivered the Subaru to Borden Junction and Jason and I drove to the house to figure out how to un impale the Civic as it was sitting on the frame.
Steve could not come and help as he had two sick girls at home but could loan beams and a great floor jack. We went there and picked it up.
Once home we used the floor jack under a plank and lifted the plank and wheel up until the car lifted off the frame, then we blocked up the plank and moved to the other side, we did the same but kept the floor jack in place along with some support for the plank. Then I crawled into the civic and gingerly started it and backed it up over the edge of the tow dolly and down onto the street. NO damage and success. Jason was great help and did all the lifting since I was pretty much a waste at this point. With without the floor jack it would have been tough to do. It saved the day.
Jason loaded his things including his suit and headed home but before he left he helped back the boat into place for the winter, then the tow dolly, what a big difference to have both Jason and Marilyn guiding me, this time no smashed fence, just successful parking.
later
Kaiser was helpful with the bad back and had good advice over the phone, Jason got home safely and has a good commute car to get to work, the Civic is a great little car, his car is in a shop where I have total trust that they will do the right thing and I even saved an appointment that was cancelled this morning by going this evening at 8 to Concord, shooting the interior repairs of a home. We also managed to have a nearly last meal at Mels tonight, Great food.
In the midst of the crisis mid day Marilyn texted good news that over $2,000 had come in today, what a relief that was.
So tomorrow morning we drive to Brentwood, pick up a cheap rental car, leave the green beetle to have a new motor mount installed, inspect a couple properties and then come back to get the bug, we hope. Marilyn will pack and we'll leave super early on Wednesday for the airport, then I'm back to Livermore for a 8 am appointment, then to Brentwood for a 9:30 appointment and later I'll get the girls from school.
What do you think? Was today interesting? Marilyn will be upset that I've included her little misadventure but it was a pure accident, I've almost done it myself before plus its a great thing to tease her about from time to time to help her stay humble!
So saying, I'm going to bed now. Love to all
Tim
I think God watched over us all today. It was great to get to have two captive hours with Jason just to talk.
Tonight as I write I'm thankful for God's leading in this troubling day.
This morning Jason called to say, Dad I need help. Well I guess you parents know what that does to ones heart! It grabs it big time.
Jason was driving up the freeway toward the SF airport where he is working this fall, someone had told him that the Subaru was smoking and when he checked sure enough white smoke was coming up through the hood. He pulled off and found a safe place to be and we started the saga. Learning that something was dripped under his car but also that there was no fire, that the engine temp was fine, that the radiator overflow was fine he began to limp his car toward my house and I started the process of pulling out the tow dolly, to load up the Civic and then drive to meet him where I would unload the Civic, load up the Subaru, bring it back to my own Borden Junction Shop for repairs.
After jostling trailers, boat, tow dolly around we were ready to load up the Subaru, just as I picked up the tow dolly's tongue my back went out with a lot of pain and I was almost knocked to the ground. The tongue is heavy and I had pulled a muscle. So I had Marilyn drive the civic up onto the dolly, it takes quite a bit of throttle to gain the last edge and the car shot forward, launched itself out into a couple feet of space and front tires just hung down, we were in a bad place.
Meanwhile Jason is continuing to limp toward my place. Once he reached Livermore the transmission failed to shift and I had him pull over for good. I then drove the green bug to meet him where we waited for a tow truck sponsored by my Good Sam to arrive. Over two hours later he finally arrived and he delivered the Subaru to Borden Junction and Jason and I drove to the house to figure out how to un impale the Civic as it was sitting on the frame.
Steve could not come and help as he had two sick girls at home but could loan beams and a great floor jack. We went there and picked it up.
Once home we used the floor jack under a plank and lifted the plank and wheel up until the car lifted off the frame, then we blocked up the plank and moved to the other side, we did the same but kept the floor jack in place along with some support for the plank. Then I crawled into the civic and gingerly started it and backed it up over the edge of the tow dolly and down onto the street. NO damage and success. Jason was great help and did all the lifting since I was pretty much a waste at this point. With without the floor jack it would have been tough to do. It saved the day.
Jason loaded his things including his suit and headed home but before he left he helped back the boat into place for the winter, then the tow dolly, what a big difference to have both Jason and Marilyn guiding me, this time no smashed fence, just successful parking.
later
Kaiser was helpful with the bad back and had good advice over the phone, Jason got home safely and has a good commute car to get to work, the Civic is a great little car, his car is in a shop where I have total trust that they will do the right thing and I even saved an appointment that was cancelled this morning by going this evening at 8 to Concord, shooting the interior repairs of a home. We also managed to have a nearly last meal at Mels tonight, Great food.
In the midst of the crisis mid day Marilyn texted good news that over $2,000 had come in today, what a relief that was.
So tomorrow morning we drive to Brentwood, pick up a cheap rental car, leave the green beetle to have a new motor mount installed, inspect a couple properties and then come back to get the bug, we hope. Marilyn will pack and we'll leave super early on Wednesday for the airport, then I'm back to Livermore for a 8 am appointment, then to Brentwood for a 9:30 appointment and later I'll get the girls from school.
What do you think? Was today interesting? Marilyn will be upset that I've included her little misadventure but it was a pure accident, I've almost done it myself before plus its a great thing to tease her about from time to time to help her stay humble!
So saying, I'm going to bed now. Love to all
Tim
I think God watched over us all today. It was great to get to have two captive hours with Jason just to talk.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Jerry and Donna's Country
Here are some photos from the recent trip to Weed, CA to visit Jerry and Donna, Tim's brother and sister in law. The trip took place over Thanksgiving 2013.
The perfect Christmas Tree
Trees lining the lawn
Jerry / Spring fed stream
Donna CEO and Ruth daughter
Brother Jerry, Sage of the Inn
The Inn at Mustard Acres
The perfect Christmas Tree
Trees lining the lawn
Sadie and Millie
Jerry / Spring fed stream
Mt Shasta located less than 2 miles from their home
Donna CEO and Ruth daughter
Brother Jerry, Sage of the Inn
A very enjoyable time spent, thanks so much for your great hospitality!
Love
Tim
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Home from the north
Good evening,
We have just arrived at a little after 10. We finally pulled away from Jerry and Donna's about 4 this afternoon. With one difficult fuel stop at a Pilot station located above Woodland where there were just too many vehicles trying to make purchases the rest of the trip was uneventful. While traffic was moderate when you spend your time in the slow lane at about 61 mph there is less stress involved.
About our stay. We drove up on Wednesday and arrived in the evening. We had a nice dinner with Jerry and Donna and family. It was fun to just chat with family, enjoy the warmth from their various heat sources including a great wood stove in the kitchen area which puts out great heat. Both Jerry and Donna know how to built a fire, they are very good at it. I was encouraging my brother to have the daughters shoot a video for U Tube on the best way to built a fire, he really has a system that works every time and uses several different kinds of wood and sizes as well. He is a fire master.
On Thursday Donna and Jerry were up early preparing the food for the day and Ruth and Darla helped out a lot as well. I woke feeling awful and spent the entire day feeling just short of a trip to the ER. It was so sad to feel so bad when there was so much love and joy in the air, outstanding food and football. Jerry and Donna have a new Direct TV system with a remote that has been redesigned and works so much better than my remote. Wow it is a great system and it kept us all entertained the whole time we were there.
We parked the motorhome behind the garage on a nice level space that was near enough to plug in the electrical system. Using the leveling system we got the motorhome nearly perfect leveled. The water would even run out of the tub! The first night as I became more and more ill I was so cold in spite of having the furnace on, it was a lousy night so the next night Jerry provided a little space heater which was a powerhouse, I added a third blanket and I wore sweats, I slept better. By Friday morning I woke feeling much better and during the day Jerry and I went for a moderate walk along a beautiful stream. Last night we had dinner at a local café and I finally felt better.
I woke today feeling great and Jerry and I took a longer walk, perhaps 3 miles. I have to be careful about having shortness of breath and he has to be careful about a bum knee but we had a beautiful day with great views of nearby Mt. Shasta that is only about 2 miles from their home. We saw evidence of many different animals as we walked, bears, coyotes, deer, little mice, various birds and lots of different kinds of brush and trees. Once we got back from our long walk Donna whipped out a great breakfast of pancakes and eggs, excellent peaches and Marilyn shared some cookies she had brought. It was about 1:30 when we ate and we talked some more before preparing the motorhome for the trip back. It was with great sadness that we drove out the driveway. I just love visiting these very special people who are so gracious and welcoming, have such a cute well maintained home and do such a great job of welcoming us.
Tomorrow I'll have many photos to share but tonight I'm pretty tired, my right arm is still suffering from its tennis elbow which seems to be getting worse and I'm just tired after driving about 6 hours.
The motorhome did just great, it rode smoothly and handles hills easily, brakes well and is a huge pleasure to drive. Now I just need to get it out more often and enjoy it.
Sending love to all,
Tim
We have just arrived at a little after 10. We finally pulled away from Jerry and Donna's about 4 this afternoon. With one difficult fuel stop at a Pilot station located above Woodland where there were just too many vehicles trying to make purchases the rest of the trip was uneventful. While traffic was moderate when you spend your time in the slow lane at about 61 mph there is less stress involved.
About our stay. We drove up on Wednesday and arrived in the evening. We had a nice dinner with Jerry and Donna and family. It was fun to just chat with family, enjoy the warmth from their various heat sources including a great wood stove in the kitchen area which puts out great heat. Both Jerry and Donna know how to built a fire, they are very good at it. I was encouraging my brother to have the daughters shoot a video for U Tube on the best way to built a fire, he really has a system that works every time and uses several different kinds of wood and sizes as well. He is a fire master.
On Thursday Donna and Jerry were up early preparing the food for the day and Ruth and Darla helped out a lot as well. I woke feeling awful and spent the entire day feeling just short of a trip to the ER. It was so sad to feel so bad when there was so much love and joy in the air, outstanding food and football. Jerry and Donna have a new Direct TV system with a remote that has been redesigned and works so much better than my remote. Wow it is a great system and it kept us all entertained the whole time we were there.
We parked the motorhome behind the garage on a nice level space that was near enough to plug in the electrical system. Using the leveling system we got the motorhome nearly perfect leveled. The water would even run out of the tub! The first night as I became more and more ill I was so cold in spite of having the furnace on, it was a lousy night so the next night Jerry provided a little space heater which was a powerhouse, I added a third blanket and I wore sweats, I slept better. By Friday morning I woke feeling much better and during the day Jerry and I went for a moderate walk along a beautiful stream. Last night we had dinner at a local café and I finally felt better.
I woke today feeling great and Jerry and I took a longer walk, perhaps 3 miles. I have to be careful about having shortness of breath and he has to be careful about a bum knee but we had a beautiful day with great views of nearby Mt. Shasta that is only about 2 miles from their home. We saw evidence of many different animals as we walked, bears, coyotes, deer, little mice, various birds and lots of different kinds of brush and trees. Once we got back from our long walk Donna whipped out a great breakfast of pancakes and eggs, excellent peaches and Marilyn shared some cookies she had brought. It was about 1:30 when we ate and we talked some more before preparing the motorhome for the trip back. It was with great sadness that we drove out the driveway. I just love visiting these very special people who are so gracious and welcoming, have such a cute well maintained home and do such a great job of welcoming us.
Tomorrow I'll have many photos to share but tonight I'm pretty tired, my right arm is still suffering from its tennis elbow which seems to be getting worse and I'm just tired after driving about 6 hours.
The motorhome did just great, it rode smoothly and handles hills easily, brakes well and is a huge pleasure to drive. Now I just need to get it out more often and enjoy it.
Sending love to all,
Tim
Friday, November 29, 2013
Friday night in weed, all in well
So here we are sitting in the very comfortable living room of Jerry and Donna. Just back from having dinner at the Hi-Lo cafe in beautiful downtown Weed.
Donna has been a leader in the local AA for years and they meet on Friday nights. We joined her after
her meeting. There is something about a local place like this, it's so special.
Today I felt so much better than yesterday. I was pretty ill yesterday so to wake up clear headed and anxious to go for a walk today was a great blessing. Donna made a great breakfast and was so good.
Jerry helped me get the motor home ready to travel and we went to town to fill the
propane tank. It took 12 gallons so it was time to fill. I remember a night in the motor home at leoni meadows and a bunch of guys sleeping soundly when the propane tank went dry. We were all so cold as there was snow outside.
Once we arrived back home we backed the motor one up to a faucet and filled the water tank. Then I parked the motor home, did the power leveling system, plugged the power in and I was ready for a new night.
Now it's bedtime, it's about 29 outside as the inside of the coach is cozy.
One thing to mention. Last night's blog did not broadcast so I sent it out tonight.
Sending love to all
Tim
Donna has been a leader in the local AA for years and they meet on Friday nights. We joined her after
her meeting. There is something about a local place like this, it's so special.
Today I felt so much better than yesterday. I was pretty ill yesterday so to wake up clear headed and anxious to go for a walk today was a great blessing. Donna made a great breakfast and was so good.
Jerry helped me get the motor home ready to travel and we went to town to fill the
propane tank. It took 12 gallons so it was time to fill. I remember a night in the motor home at leoni meadows and a bunch of guys sleeping soundly when the propane tank went dry. We were all so cold as there was snow outside.
Once we arrived back home we backed the motor one up to a faucet and filled the water tank. Then I parked the motor home, did the power leveling system, plugged the power in and I was ready for a new night.
Now it's bedtime, it's about 29 outside as the inside of the coach is cozy.
One thing to mention. Last night's blog did not broadcast so I sent it out tonight.
Sending love to all
Tim
A Wonderful Thanksgiving in Weed
I'm writing this evening from the office of Jerry and Donna in Weed. It has been an incredible day with perfect weather, family here for breakfast and then the spread of Thanksgiving. Donna is pretty incredible at pulling everything together, all the food was warm at the same time and everything was excellent.
Unfortunately I woke feeling really rough and I've been bad all day long. I'm not sure what is the problem but I've been really under the weather. During the night Marilyn sleeps in the bedroom and we close a door between the front and back of the coach. The temperature is about 10 degrees hotter than the front where I sleep so I froze all night and she was too warm. Tonight Jerry has given me a little heater for the front area and tonight I will be warmer.
So I'm not sure what is wrong and when it will pass. I do notice that I'm suffering from the altitude in that I'm short of breath. We are about 3,700 feet here at Jerry's home and it is enough for my lungs to know the difference.
Enough with my whining. Its been a day with family and humor, snacks and football. One of the daughters, Cynthia, is learning to be a truck driver so is on the road traveling the country. In the last few days she has been in LA, Sacramento and is now heading back east. Its a bold adventure but she was wanted to become a driver for years. Now she is making it happen but that meant she was not here for the day, she was missed.
It felt strange to not be with the kiddos but I know they had very good days with their friends.
I would appreciate your prayers that I can quickly recover and be able to drive home on time.
Sending love to all,
Tim
Unfortunately I woke feeling really rough and I've been bad all day long. I'm not sure what is the problem but I've been really under the weather. During the night Marilyn sleeps in the bedroom and we close a door between the front and back of the coach. The temperature is about 10 degrees hotter than the front where I sleep so I froze all night and she was too warm. Tonight Jerry has given me a little heater for the front area and tonight I will be warmer.
So I'm not sure what is wrong and when it will pass. I do notice that I'm suffering from the altitude in that I'm short of breath. We are about 3,700 feet here at Jerry's home and it is enough for my lungs to know the difference.
Enough with my whining. Its been a day with family and humor, snacks and football. One of the daughters, Cynthia, is learning to be a truck driver so is on the road traveling the country. In the last few days she has been in LA, Sacramento and is now heading back east. Its a bold adventure but she was wanted to become a driver for years. Now she is making it happen but that meant she was not here for the day, she was missed.
It felt strange to not be with the kiddos but I know they had very good days with their friends.
I would appreciate your prayers that I can quickly recover and be able to drive home on time.
Sending love to all,
Tim
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Good evening from weed
After a challenging morning wrapping up business stuff I finally left about 11:30. The trip was perfect with nice weather and easy traffic. As weed grew near it sure was nice to have the heater working as we are near mt Shasta.
We have a great evening with jerry and Donna. So much fun to see darla and Ruth too. Their dogs are so sweet. At this house there is a fire going most of the time in their little wood stove.
Tomorrow sounds like a great day of feasting. Our weather is going to be good until sat nite and we r driving home on sat afternoon so I think we can avoid trouble on the road.
I am wishing each of you a great thanksgiving with lots of love for all.
Love
Tim
We have a great evening with jerry and Donna. So much fun to see darla and Ruth too. Their dogs are so sweet. At this house there is a fire going most of the time in their little wood stove.
Tomorrow sounds like a great day of feasting. Our weather is going to be good until sat nite and we r driving home on sat afternoon so I think we can avoid trouble on the road.
I am wishing each of you a great thanksgiving with lots of love for all.
Love
Tim
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Kiddos lighten up the day
Good evening,
We are just back from UNO's where we had dinner with Nikki, Kallie and Keanna. What an interesting time, kiddos are great and have been with me all day.
This morning I rolled out and came down to go right to work. I built a fire to warm the place up, made a hot drink and started working. The girls arrived while I was at the bank making a deposit and they played around the house until at 1 Keanna went to a friends house for the afternoon leaving Kallie and Marilyn to co exist. I left about 2:30 to do a driveby appraisal in Pleasant Hill and then came back after dark.
What fun to see the ideas, the energy, the smiles of the little people God places in our lives.
Tomorrow morning we are leaving in the motorhome for Weed, exactly 300 miles away. I can only hope and pray that the weather will be good and that our trip will be without an incident. So in the morning I just need to jump up and write a review, then pack stuff in the motorhome, run to town to take a photo of a street scene and then hit the road. I will drive about 60 for the trip so I'll be driving for about 6 hours when one factors in stops along the way. As we have taken stock it looks like we'll be driving back a bit sooner than we expected since Kallie has a dance recital on Sunday, something I had overlooked and something I do not want to miss.
I look forward to the trip and getting to spend time with some very precious people in a beautiful part of the world.
Love to all,
Tim
We are just back from UNO's where we had dinner with Nikki, Kallie and Keanna. What an interesting time, kiddos are great and have been with me all day.
This morning I rolled out and came down to go right to work. I built a fire to warm the place up, made a hot drink and started working. The girls arrived while I was at the bank making a deposit and they played around the house until at 1 Keanna went to a friends house for the afternoon leaving Kallie and Marilyn to co exist. I left about 2:30 to do a driveby appraisal in Pleasant Hill and then came back after dark.
What fun to see the ideas, the energy, the smiles of the little people God places in our lives.
Tomorrow morning we are leaving in the motorhome for Weed, exactly 300 miles away. I can only hope and pray that the weather will be good and that our trip will be without an incident. So in the morning I just need to jump up and write a review, then pack stuff in the motorhome, run to town to take a photo of a street scene and then hit the road. I will drive about 60 for the trip so I'll be driving for about 6 hours when one factors in stops along the way. As we have taken stock it looks like we'll be driving back a bit sooner than we expected since Kallie has a dance recital on Sunday, something I had overlooked and something I do not want to miss.
I look forward to the trip and getting to spend time with some very precious people in a beautiful part of the world.
Love to all,
Tim
Monday, November 25, 2013
Some encouraging news, a great visit at Kaiser
Good evening to friends and family,
This has been an interesting day. This morning the phone range and someone said, this is Sylvia, well it was not the Sylvia I normally talk to so I ventured deeper into the call. Turns out it a contact from Match.com who I had started to have contact with yesterday through email. Good thing, she seems like one of the normal ones, bad thing she lives in Fontana, near LA. Now that makes for a long term relationship for sure.
She here she was on the phone and we had a great chat during which I got an order and I had to call her back afterwards. She has been alone for 2 years and is starting to reach out and I liked what she had to say.
It was interesting to say the least.
This morning I went to Kaiser to see a pulmonary specialist. It was a very excellent visit and I felt we made a lot of progress. All the way from my getting to see my lungs from the recent x ray and my heart to his listening to my very noisy lungs. Out of our conversation I came home with
Prednisone for 5 days. A med for acid reflux and a powerful nasal spray to get at the nasal drainage.
An interesting idea was floated about my house, could it be filled with mold? That came from my observation that when I have traveled to Costa Rica and Hawaii I stop coughing, is it because I'm relaxed, is it due to the warm moist air or is it because I'm escaping my house?
So in light of that question I'm going to be keeping a very careful eye on how I do when I board the motorhome on Wednesday for Weed and stay in the motorhome and their home until I come back on Sunday evening. Will the coughing decrease?
The doctor wants me to keep him informed with frequent emails. He also had me email him the details about my CPAP mask so he could order a new one along with tubing since they need to be replaced every 6 months. That was a huge deal since I've been buying my own supplies for awhile from the web without any support from Kaiser.
So it was a big deal for me today, to be heard, to be cared about and to have some possible answers to something that haunts me everywhere I go and all the time. To think of a world where I don't have these awful bouts of coughing is like a dream.
Marilyn came home this afternoon and now the cat and dog are right beside here competing for her attention. They will have withdrawal pains when she leaves for Rhode Island.
Tomorrow is a big day in that I'm writing reports, loading the motorhome and will have both Kallie and Keanna here for the day. Nikki is working and Steve had two properties to see. This whole thing with Steve getting orders all the time is a total answer to prayer, it is just great. He has been very busy loading his house with exterior lights and it looks great. What a guy.
Well I'm heading to bed and sending love to all,
Tim
This has been an interesting day. This morning the phone range and someone said, this is Sylvia, well it was not the Sylvia I normally talk to so I ventured deeper into the call. Turns out it a contact from Match.com who I had started to have contact with yesterday through email. Good thing, she seems like one of the normal ones, bad thing she lives in Fontana, near LA. Now that makes for a long term relationship for sure.
She here she was on the phone and we had a great chat during which I got an order and I had to call her back afterwards. She has been alone for 2 years and is starting to reach out and I liked what she had to say.
It was interesting to say the least.
This morning I went to Kaiser to see a pulmonary specialist. It was a very excellent visit and I felt we made a lot of progress. All the way from my getting to see my lungs from the recent x ray and my heart to his listening to my very noisy lungs. Out of our conversation I came home with
Prednisone for 5 days. A med for acid reflux and a powerful nasal spray to get at the nasal drainage.
An interesting idea was floated about my house, could it be filled with mold? That came from my observation that when I have traveled to Costa Rica and Hawaii I stop coughing, is it because I'm relaxed, is it due to the warm moist air or is it because I'm escaping my house?
So in light of that question I'm going to be keeping a very careful eye on how I do when I board the motorhome on Wednesday for Weed and stay in the motorhome and their home until I come back on Sunday evening. Will the coughing decrease?
The doctor wants me to keep him informed with frequent emails. He also had me email him the details about my CPAP mask so he could order a new one along with tubing since they need to be replaced every 6 months. That was a huge deal since I've been buying my own supplies for awhile from the web without any support from Kaiser.
So it was a big deal for me today, to be heard, to be cared about and to have some possible answers to something that haunts me everywhere I go and all the time. To think of a world where I don't have these awful bouts of coughing is like a dream.
Marilyn came home this afternoon and now the cat and dog are right beside here competing for her attention. They will have withdrawal pains when she leaves for Rhode Island.
Tomorrow is a big day in that I'm writing reports, loading the motorhome and will have both Kallie and Keanna here for the day. Nikki is working and Steve had two properties to see. This whole thing with Steve getting orders all the time is a total answer to prayer, it is just great. He has been very busy loading his house with exterior lights and it looks great. What a guy.
Well I'm heading to bed and sending love to all,
Tim
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Good Sunday
So I'm taking a few minutes before retiring for the evening to speak to you.
This morning I was on the treadmill minutes after rising and it was work. I'm not sure what is going on right now but the lung and coughing thing is getting much worse. In fact there is little coughing now and it is a loose cough with lots of stuff coming up but the cough is deeper when it happens. What is concerning is this, I find myself out of breath at strange time. There were times today when I had to push myself to keep going. I've noticed that they have my heart meds so high that I really have to work to get the heart rate up to even 100 on the treadmill, it hangs around 65, then 70 for most of the time, not because I'm in such great shape but because the Coreg is artificially keeping my heart from catching up the need.
In the morning at 8:30 I see a pulmonary guy and I hope to get some answers.
Today I wrote on an appraisal for Discovery Bay, they just bought the house but the values have gone up so much that they can get rid of PMI, a waste of money anyway so I'm glad that in fact the prices have risen quite a bit over the past year, enough to help them save money.
I left at noon for a 1 pm appointment in Danville, when I arrived the lady was startled and said she would need to call her husband, he had totally forgotten but was home in a flash and the appraisal proceeded just fine. Perfect property, about 1600 sf and worth nearly a million dollars because of where its located.
Once I left that plush neighborhood I needed diesel and had just enough time to get to the next appointment in Oakland, I quickly found diesel with the gas buddy on my phone, pumped in three gallons, that will give me 120 miles. When I arrived at the condo in Oakland much to my delight it was the same model I had measured 3 months ago, it was not easy to measure then and I'm sure glad I didn't have to do it again. So I made conversation, shot photos, took notes and was on my way. Even the comps were still the best available.
By that time I was hungry and feeling short of breath often. Not a great feeling. So as I drove home and passed through Concord I veered toward Spaghetti Factory and had an incredibly nice meal sitting in the bar area by the window. I had the senior citizen portion (smaller, cheaper) of whole wheat pasta with Mazithra Cheese and Mushroom Sauce. Their bread is great and the entire experience cost $10 bucks. I felt much better as I drove home and this time I remembered to give myself an insulin shot.
This evening I've built a fire, the furnace won't blow warm again, same as last year. Then I worked on finishing up the report and I just shipped it out. So thankful for life.
Keanna just sent me a photo so I've included it here. The little brown rabbit is Jackey and they all love him.
Love to all,
Tim
PS after taking out 6 or 7 boards in my side fence as I tried to back the boat in with the motorhome last night after dark I ask Steve if he would help today and sure enough, when I got home the boat was parked right where it needs to be. Thanks Steve
This morning I was on the treadmill minutes after rising and it was work. I'm not sure what is going on right now but the lung and coughing thing is getting much worse. In fact there is little coughing now and it is a loose cough with lots of stuff coming up but the cough is deeper when it happens. What is concerning is this, I find myself out of breath at strange time. There were times today when I had to push myself to keep going. I've noticed that they have my heart meds so high that I really have to work to get the heart rate up to even 100 on the treadmill, it hangs around 65, then 70 for most of the time, not because I'm in such great shape but because the Coreg is artificially keeping my heart from catching up the need.
In the morning at 8:30 I see a pulmonary guy and I hope to get some answers.
Today I wrote on an appraisal for Discovery Bay, they just bought the house but the values have gone up so much that they can get rid of PMI, a waste of money anyway so I'm glad that in fact the prices have risen quite a bit over the past year, enough to help them save money.
I left at noon for a 1 pm appointment in Danville, when I arrived the lady was startled and said she would need to call her husband, he had totally forgotten but was home in a flash and the appraisal proceeded just fine. Perfect property, about 1600 sf and worth nearly a million dollars because of where its located.
Once I left that plush neighborhood I needed diesel and had just enough time to get to the next appointment in Oakland, I quickly found diesel with the gas buddy on my phone, pumped in three gallons, that will give me 120 miles. When I arrived at the condo in Oakland much to my delight it was the same model I had measured 3 months ago, it was not easy to measure then and I'm sure glad I didn't have to do it again. So I made conversation, shot photos, took notes and was on my way. Even the comps were still the best available.
By that time I was hungry and feeling short of breath often. Not a great feeling. So as I drove home and passed through Concord I veered toward Spaghetti Factory and had an incredibly nice meal sitting in the bar area by the window. I had the senior citizen portion (smaller, cheaper) of whole wheat pasta with Mazithra Cheese and Mushroom Sauce. Their bread is great and the entire experience cost $10 bucks. I felt much better as I drove home and this time I remembered to give myself an insulin shot.
This evening I've built a fire, the furnace won't blow warm again, same as last year. Then I worked on finishing up the report and I just shipped it out. So thankful for life.
Keanna just sent me a photo so I've included it here. The little brown rabbit is Jackey and they all love him.
Love to all,
Tim
PS after taking out 6 or 7 boards in my side fence as I tried to back the boat in with the motorhome last night after dark I ask Steve if he would help today and sure enough, when I got home the boat was parked right where it needs to be. Thanks Steve
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Terrific Sabbath Day
Almost to crash this evening.
Its been a super day, Kallie took me to Sabbath School and the cousins were there too. In fact Angel, teacher, had tons of kiddos today, what a happy time. Ryan and his family were there, Michael and his family were there, Timothy and Mia were there and it was just totally fun. Angel let me help by handing her the props she needed next.
After talking to everyone we ended up at Olive Garden, turns out Timothy like to go to Olive Garden with Pappa, GREAT NEWS! We had a wonderful meal with lots of coloring and game playing and the kids did pretty well with their food too.
Afterwards Jason shot a couple photos of me for Match.com. I hold out almost no hope for that site, nearly everyone is super liberal, sound rich and like they play all the time, oh well, fun to see who is out there. Lots of nice women.
Marilyn is in Sac for the weekend with her family. I'm seeing properties tomorrow.
Keanna's team won their game today and championships are tomorrow, who knows who will win that one. Its been a great season.
Love to all, so nice to enjoy little ones and see special friends too at church today, warms my lonely heart big time.
Love
Tim
Its been a super day, Kallie took me to Sabbath School and the cousins were there too. In fact Angel, teacher, had tons of kiddos today, what a happy time. Ryan and his family were there, Michael and his family were there, Timothy and Mia were there and it was just totally fun. Angel let me help by handing her the props she needed next.
After talking to everyone we ended up at Olive Garden, turns out Timothy like to go to Olive Garden with Pappa, GREAT NEWS! We had a wonderful meal with lots of coloring and game playing and the kids did pretty well with their food too.
Afterwards Jason shot a couple photos of me for Match.com. I hold out almost no hope for that site, nearly everyone is super liberal, sound rich and like they play all the time, oh well, fun to see who is out there. Lots of nice women.
Marilyn is in Sac for the weekend with her family. I'm seeing properties tomorrow.
Keanna's team won their game today and championships are tomorrow, who knows who will win that one. Its been a great season.
Love to all, so nice to enjoy little ones and see special friends too at church today, warms my lonely heart big time.
Love
Tim
Thanks Jason and Jo for your help
Friday, November 22, 2013
Gathering holidays, an excuse to love
Dear Family and Friends,
So here they come, the holidays, first is Thanksgiving with its feast, parade, games, family chatter and a chance to be extra thankful, then there is Christmas with all its excitement, presents, sharing.
Kallie told me that Christmas is not just about presents but its about remembering the baby Jesus, I was touched as she explained in a 5 year old manner what is really important about the day and the season.
So do you plan ahead and have everything done by weeks ahead or are you more like me and you do most of your special shopping in the last few hours? Gotta say the selection is really bad when you wait until the day before, really bad.
One nice thing about this holiday season is lower gas prices, not that they are great but Costco in Tracy was $3.19 for regular, now when one fills the motorhome $3.19 makes a different, a big difference. Since it hold 60 gallons a few cents per gallon can add up.
Tomorrow will be special. Ryan and his family are going to be in Tracy tomorrow. He is one of the great kids that our family knows and loves and his coming to visit has prompted Jason and family to also come to Tracy tomorrow. I'm not sure yet about my kiddo girls but I'll be there to see my other kiddos and Jason and Jo for sure.
So finally we can put the week to rest, with its terrific rain storms, its winds, its cold nights and warm fires. This week is one we cannot repeat so lets hope we did at least some things of eternal significance. I especially enjoyed doing the puzzle with Kallie and listening to her wisdom as we worked together. Amazing self confidence, well of course I can find pieces better than you, I have young eyes and you have old eyes but we need each other.
On this run up weekend to the start of the holidays I'm just thankful to be alive, determined to be better in all ways, thankful for work and in total debt to my Savior who is always there caring and loving no matter what happens.
Blessings on all of you tonight,
Tim
So here they come, the holidays, first is Thanksgiving with its feast, parade, games, family chatter and a chance to be extra thankful, then there is Christmas with all its excitement, presents, sharing.
Kallie told me that Christmas is not just about presents but its about remembering the baby Jesus, I was touched as she explained in a 5 year old manner what is really important about the day and the season.
So do you plan ahead and have everything done by weeks ahead or are you more like me and you do most of your special shopping in the last few hours? Gotta say the selection is really bad when you wait until the day before, really bad.
One nice thing about this holiday season is lower gas prices, not that they are great but Costco in Tracy was $3.19 for regular, now when one fills the motorhome $3.19 makes a different, a big difference. Since it hold 60 gallons a few cents per gallon can add up.
Tomorrow will be special. Ryan and his family are going to be in Tracy tomorrow. He is one of the great kids that our family knows and loves and his coming to visit has prompted Jason and family to also come to Tracy tomorrow. I'm not sure yet about my kiddo girls but I'll be there to see my other kiddos and Jason and Jo for sure.
So finally we can put the week to rest, with its terrific rain storms, its winds, its cold nights and warm fires. This week is one we cannot repeat so lets hope we did at least some things of eternal significance. I especially enjoyed doing the puzzle with Kallie and listening to her wisdom as we worked together. Amazing self confidence, well of course I can find pieces better than you, I have young eyes and you have old eyes but we need each other.
On this run up weekend to the start of the holidays I'm just thankful to be alive, determined to be better in all ways, thankful for work and in total debt to my Savior who is always there caring and loving no matter what happens.
Blessings on all of you tonight,
Tim
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