December 2019

Flowers....they just make your day better

December....an incredibly busy month.  The casita has been very busy and our hired help too, has been busy.  The drywall was completed and the painting done so the upper casita is coming along.  There is still so much to do.

Hank has a habit of sitting on top of Booko.
Good thing Booko is so lay back!!

Hank has been completely "puppy",  getting into everything and bugging Booko relentlessly.  It is such a good thing that Booko is so mild mannered and tolerant as I am sure Hank is testing his patience.   Booko has been battling an abscess in his neck and Hank has been a bug and tends to irritate it so we have had to put a training collar on Hank to teach him that he is not to be biting at Booko's (or any other dog's) neck,  Playing is not hurting but, those puppy teeth are sharp.  Hank is a smart dog though and after a few good zaps from the collar, he quite grabbing at Booko's neck and it healed beautifully after a couple of weeks of antibiotics.

We found cheap beer and bought it all
Strawberry Lemonade Beer - that kept me in beer all winter

Hank - full of puppy mischief, of course
that was Booko's dog bed he destroyed

Kay's VERY FIRST  Christmas tree

Because we were going to be entertaining over the Christmas season, I convinced Kay that we needed a tree.  Luke had two children and we simply could not be without a tree.  Because this was Kay's very first tree, she had no ornaments to hang on it.  Behind Kay's back, I contacted all our friends and relatives that knew and cared about Kay, to bring a meaningful ornament for her to hang on her tree.  This way, each ornament came with a memory.  It was a great idea and was so successful.  Kay was shocked but I think she too loved the idea when she saw all the different ornament, each having their own meaning and holding that special memory.

Hank saying sorry for wrecking the dog bed

More Hank destruction - Booko's kennel this time.  I guess
he didn't want to stay inside the kennel when John and I took
Booko to the vet

More Hank destruction - this time it was
the cushion on the glider rocker

Christmas wreaths - neither one of them
made the cut

one of our signature sunsets

I kept busy baking all kinds of cookies, bars and snacks for our incoming guests.  I made a batch of cabbage rolls and perogies for Christmas Day supper and got everything set for the influx.  All too soon they would be there and we would be in entertainment mode.   All but one member of Kay's immediate family would be here to spend the season with us.  Of course when Neal and Tammy arrived, they would join the work force and get a few things done.  I was certainly looking forward to that as both of them had a knack for projects and had decided to tackle  the roof for the mancave  bathroom.  John had got the walls up but it still needed a roof.  Before they left, the roof was up and shingled and all the plumbing to the upper casita was finished off by Kay's brother in law (Kim's husband).  Tammy and Kim also finished off a few painting projects that Kay had started and didn't get done.  It was a very busy ten days but we all had lots of laughs and good times.

they really are buddies

Hazel and Becky

Again, Hank lying on Booko

Booko and Hank - he simply can not get
close enough

A load of rock

We got a load of landscape rock delivered and that was spread infant and beside the casita along side the newly finished sidewalk.   It looked awesome and we got lots of compliments on it.  Slowly by surely, the plan was coming together.

landscaping rock

Another new shed

Another thing we got done was get another shed into the back yard so that we could further organize all our "stuff" and start getting our back yard looking good.  The shed had to be delivered before we could actually finish off the fence and get our yard totally enclosed.   This was more important  now because we had two pit bulls and just that fact was intimidating for our guests.   Once the shed was delivered, we got the gate ordered and the fence completed.  The dogs were now enclosed and our guests could now come and go to the laundry room without having to worry about encountering them.  That was a very good thing.  Not everyone loves dogs and being pit bulls was even worse.  It didn't matter that they were the friendliest of pups....they were pit bulls.

Getting ready for the concrete sidewalk
to the laundry room

The outside of the new mancave bathroom

the sidewalk infant on the casita

dog tired

Christmas ornament made by Luke
(Kay's Nephew)

Becky, driving the jeep

Lots of construction happened this month nd we got a pile of it done.  It was an exhausting month but it was also a good month.   WE managed to get a few trips out into the desert with the family and they loved it.  They loved it so much that they have vowed to return next year's!!  Oh boy.....
Life is Good.