Sheet rockin' with Hank !

Sheet rock and supplies have arrived

off loading supplies has always been interesting

in through my bedroom window

tape and glue , I believe.

sheet rock 

Hank, my sheet rocker, has arrived !!

taking on shape

looks great

down the hall...looks like a real house

wow...thanks, Hank, nice job. 

Pat will come by tomorrow to clean up and Dennis

will be taping and gluing.

mama doe showing off her newborn (out my nook window)

history continued ...

  I last left off stranded in my house, during a once-in-every-100-year-snowstorm, that was exciting but a little unnerving,  too.

   Life was happening and I was working a lot of hours in my various jobs.  
   Five years working the front desk at the recreation center was a good experience and it was fun to be around all of the kids and swim and workout,  but I finally decided it was time to turn in my resignation.   I worked after school until closing, around 9:00 p.m. or whenever the numbers matched up in my accounting.   But one night after gripping the steering wheel, and  driving the switchbacks in my trustworthy Subaru Outback up 10,000 ft in the snow to my house and with a knot in my stomach....I thought, I don't want to do this anymore.    I turned in my letter of resignation the next day with bittersweet feelings but I really didn't want to drive home, late in the snow anymore.

  At the same time, the state was cutting funding for the Mentoring program and that ended my work there.   I missed the income from these two jobs but now I had more time to plot and plan.

  So, I continued to work in Special Education at the high school .  I would work at the gift shop at Echo Lake Lodge on weekends during the school year and summers.   Andrew  and I continued to swim and spend Sunday's together.
    In 2005 my son graduated from McPherson College with two degrees, his Associates Degree in Classic Car Restoration and a Bachelor of Science Degree.
He would move home for a time and enjoy Colorado and then pack up a U-haul truck and a trailer, with his Model A on it and head for Tacoma, Washington.. his birth place. He would now be close to the Vaughn Property but living in a trailer in Tacoma while volunteering/apprenticing at the LeMay restoration shop.  He has been hard at it going on 12 years now and is very skilled in his field.  

 In fact, both of my son's are entrepreneurs and are skilled in their areas of work.
Both boys were diagnosed with BMD (Becker's Muscular Dystrophy) when they were in their late 20's.    
    This was not in any of our plans. 
  However, both boys (men) continue to go forward with their hopes and dreams and live pretty full live's.  MDA says they are close to a cure and I am holding them to it.

  I am 57 years old  now and thinking in terms of retirement and moving back home and building my house.   My dilemma is should I retire at 62 or 65 ?  Do I want  more time or more money ? I'd like to have both.

to be continued ...

Getting her done !

Hank, Jeff and Brian finishing the bands on the south wall. 

Jeff and Brian ... last side.

lookin'  kinda funky

Saturday morning arrival at 6:50 a.m.

John and his dad, Jose.  My insulation team.

Both worked 10 hours and finished up with insulating

my entire house. 

Insulating under the bathroom 

living area 

nook and  living area

ditto

my upstairs bedroom...had to move my sleeping

gear back into the trailer. :-(.. insulation has a funny smell

and I don't want to sleep with it around me.

the house is air tight !  every hole is caulked !

When you walk through the house, it has a different sound now..

solid, sturdy and quiet.

cleaning up the debris field

my backyard 

 

history continued ...

 

I last left off with my life being full !

 

It is now March 2003 and I am heading home after school and ready for spring break.

A light snow is falling and a lady on the radio, from down south, is saying if

this snow keeps falling at this pace, we are in for some heavy snowfall. 

  Thinking about this for maybe a minute, I decided to stop at the grocery store and stock up a little, just in case.  Oh boy was she right on !!!!! 

Two days worth of snowfall left me in 7 feet of snow and no way to get out of my house.  My son had to cancel his spring break vacation from Kansas because the roads into Colorado were closed. 

This photo is kind of hard to see, but if you look closely at the door all you can see is the imprint of the door handle in the snow !  After 7 days of cleaning the cupboards, the closets, the refrigerator and putting several puzzles together, reading ... I am now running low on food...and cat food ! And, getting restless.  Day 7 I called the sheriff and asked what was going on.  He assured me that the county  would be up the next day to clear the roads.  It took a backhoe and a bulldozer to sorta clear the roads.  I was still stuck in my drive-way.  A young man came by in his bobcat and said for 40 dollars an hour he would clear my drive.  Go for it !!!   Took him 30 minutes but I was so relieved I gave him the whole 40 bucks.  This was an experience I will never forget.  I had to bend over to fill the birdfeeders and dig down to my woodpile.  All vehicles were completely hidden under mounds of snow.  I guess this event happens every 100 years. Fun,  but once was enough for me.

 

Today's blog has a lot of pictures and a lot of words, so I will close for now.

 

 Not only am I burning out with some of my jobs, I am now burning out on snow.

Working at the high school and with my special needs kids remained high priority .

 

to be continued ...

 

Picking up the pace ...

 

 

 

All hands are on deck this week !

Placing the last two windows.

Jeff, Brian and Hank working together

to lift these last two windows.

no mosquitos tonight

I missed the placement of this last large window,

because I was out doing the laundry....I will be

doing my laundry in my new home.....soon.

I met with my cabinet creator, Joe Millie and decided to go with maple for my cabinets.

The property is surrounded by maples and I thought it would be fun to bring

them into my home.  I also decided to go with the natural wood and not paint them.

  Joe taught me about wood, texture and natural designs of different trees. 

Very interesting.

Notice my new very large window.

 

History continued ...

 

I last left off with our independence and now I will continue with my independence.

 

Colorado life was good.  One full-time job and two part-time jobs. 

Special Ed not only took me back to high school but also took me to the mountain slopes.

Our kids all participated in Special Olympics.  During the winter months, every Monday

morning, we boarded vans and headed to Breckenridge to practice skiing and snowshoeing .

  The final Special Olympic competition was held at Copper Mountain...a wonderful mountain to ski.   We all enjoyed skiing the best snow ever ! The season ended with the kids receiving

their ribbons and medals to the tune of the official Olympic theme song.  They loved it !

 

In the meantime, my older son and his bride were married at St. Mary's in California.

My good friend, Crystal, my other son and I drove from Colorado and joined in with

the wedding festivities.  Beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple ! They have been married

now for 14 years and have given me three grandson's, Dillon, Owen and Austin...

the loves of my life !

 

Another opportunity was offered to me from the state, regarding a mentoring program and

 it paid  $20 an hour.   I decided to fit this in.  I was able to mentor two of our special needs girls.

We would get together one time a week for a couple of hours and bike ride, walk or just

mess around.  It was fun.   I also picked up a one day a week job with my friend, Andrew.

We would swim at the rec center or go for a drive.   My life was becoming pretty full.

 

Maybe too full ? ......  burn out ?  ...... and a once every 100 years snow storm was brewing...

 

to be continued ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Freedom to build my House.

front view of the house with new siding and bands

living area and nook 

Jesse finishing up with the electrical hook ups 

wires are all labeled and tucked in neatly

Hank Appleton, the master mind, my builder.

 

history continued ...

 

I last left off,  contemplating a 3rd part time job.

I  decided I could fit the hours in after my school job

and alternate with the gift shop job.  Now I was making ends

meet and putting some money away into savings.

 

 

In 2001 the "No Child Left Behind Act" was passed.

Our special needs kids would now be going into the regular classrooms

rather than one classroom all together.  I became a Pera Educator

going to the classroom with the kids and modifying the

curriculum to a level they could understand.  

It was like going back to high school.  I loved it.

I learned right along with the kids.  Fell in love with Geometry

and our Government/Economics teacher,  Mr. Warmack ..

reminded me how much I love baseball and also inspired me

to read the Declaration of Independence every 4th of July.  He always

read it, and now, so do I....

 

...We hold these Truths to be self-evident,

that all Men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator

with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are

 Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness....

 

                                                  - July 4, 1776

to be continued ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting anxious.

 

It's all about power !

wires here .. 

wires there .. 

wires everywhere .

wrapping and siding 

Electrician almost ready for  county inspection

tomorrow.

 

history continued ...

 

While working in the school district was great, at minimum wage,

I'm needing a second job to help out with my finances.

   Each day while I was driving down to the school, I would pass a charming lodge, 

 Echo Lake Lodge on Echo  Lake.

I met Barb Day, she runs the lodge and bakes her infamous homemade pies.

If you are ever in Colorado, I highly recommend driving up to Mt. Evans,

which has the highest paved road in the north America up to the observatory

and stop in for a piece of fresh homemade pie at the lodge.

Finally, I  asked Barb if she needed any help.  Her response was "can you start tomorrow?"

My first job was to wash ALL of the dishes, glasses and pots and pans and wash the cupboards

and put all of the kitchen utensils back in place before opening for the season.  The lodge and the mountain are only opened during the summer months.  I could work weekends until the school year is over then full time.   I had to chuckle while I was washing dishes.  I kept thinking about something

Mother Teresa said, "what ever you do, do your best" ... so I did.   I did so well, Barb gave

me 25 cents an hour raise and moved me into the adorable gift shop.  Where I remained for years,

meeting people from all around the world.   World class bicycle races are held on this mountain

and folks came from far and near to ride their bikes and to drive up 14, 620 feet to the top

of Mt. Evans.

Working  two jobs at the same and different times of the year was good.

Only they both paid minimum wage and I was still coming up a bit short.

 

Our kids from the classroom would go to the Idaho Springs Recreational Center

to swim and workout....and, one day I noticed a "Now hiring a front desk position"

hmmmm ......

 

to be continued ...