On the road, farm updates

Mama and I were on the road yesterday so I did not get to write. The trip was more interesting than usual since we had to wait in Bowie for the banks to open before we could leave. Grandpa is buying some hay for us and we needed to get the money to then via a bank in Bowie. It turned out to be a good thing we were getting off to a late start because I had to repair some fence the horse had broken through and get her back into her pasture so Victoria did not have to deal with that while we were away this week.

When we got to the town of Childress we found that the highway was shutdown in both directions so we had to take a very crowded detour for about thirty miles. There were anxious drivers playing hop scotch in the queue of traffic only to find that there was no gain in the very dangerous game they were trying to play at everyone else’s expense.

 Mama could not see how close some of them came to getting wiped out by the oncoming traffic as we approached one rise after another which was just as well since it would have panicked her no end. I was relieved when we got to Memphis and Hwy 287 was open again. (I found out today that the closure was due to an overturned truck that was carrying some hazardous chemicals. It must have been a doosie of a wreck.)

Over the weekend we got the double oven cabinet set and I got the bathroom hooked up. I have one minor leak in the lavatory drain that I will have to repair when I get back and I have to do something to fill the gap between the shower faucet and the shower wall – about ¾ of an inch total. The valve was placed a little too far out for the final wall.

I also put on the back door to the apartment – where we access the shop. My tentative plans are to be able to move in the last week of September. It should coincide with Grandma and Grandpa returning from their time in West Virginia. That is, if we get to the point where we can move by the end of the month. Right now the major delay is getting the kitchen ready. Mama and I are planning on going to IKEA for the cabinet and sink she wants in the kitchen and that will determine how I lay out the kitchen.

I almost completed modifications to the second double oven cabinet. I have put the two extra drawers I had to cut out of the cabinet that will actually hold the double over into the frame of that cabinet. When I am finished with it will have five drawers, a large opening for small appliances and cabinet doors on the top.

Grandpa bought us two garage doors that I can fit into the two openings at either end of the shop. That will be a fun project that will finally allow us to seal up the completed part of the shop building. Lots of work still to do but we are clearly making headway.

Today I will be working out of the Borger office while Mama goes to Amarillo to spend the day with Chase and Makaila. I know she plans on baking some cookies and making Mexican casserole. Other than that I am not sure what they will get into. We plan on meeting tonight in Dumas where Mama and I will stay through Friday.

Meanwhile, Victoria is tending to the farm and all the livestock on her own. I think she was looking forward to the time alone – and at the same time dreading it, at least a little.