The most exciting thing going on around here is the house remodel and that will likely be the highlight of the Summer. No, we haven’t broken “ground” yet for the changes to come, but things are happening.

Last month we told you of our many starts and stops with various contractors showing up to give us hope, then disappearing. We also told you that we had decided to tear out some walls on our own just to see how things would look. We’ve done just that and are liking what we see. The wall between the dining and living rooms is gone and the wall between the front hallway and the living room is gone as well. Also gone is the very old green carpet in the living room.

Now we are looking at bare floors and views that we’ve never seen before.

Kristin whacks the wall	Mrs. Gerrie removing the green carpet

Earlier in June one of the contractors we invited out to see our job said that they didn’t do design could would hook us up with one of the kitchen remodeling places in town and they would our design. After that fellow left I suggested that we visit one of those kitchen places on our own and see what ideas we gather. Mrs. Gerrie got out the yellow pages and found a company called the JAE company. I knew of them from years back and after she spoke to one of their design people I suggested that we have them come out and look over what we are trying to do. WELL, bingo...since that time we have been swept away by their attention to detail and ability to keep promises. At this point they have offered us a deal we couldn’t refuse. In this first stage, for a fixed fee, they will do a complete plan that we can use to shop contractors if we wish. After the plan is complete they will give us a quote and, if we like, do the entire job.

So far they have been here several times with their building team and as I write they are working on a design. I also took a little trip with their designer to see some of their completed work and liked what I saw. We checked out their company using several sources and have heard nothing but good reports.

The design should be done before July is finished and it’s very likely we will sign up with them to do the work. We are talk a complete make over of the outside complete with new roof line, siding, windows and doors. Inside the kitchen and both baths will totally be redone. All new floors, doors, trim, and ceilings will be completely reworked as well. The living area will consist of what used to be a living and dining room. The kitchen will be moved into the old den and the old kitchen will become a new office. The bedrooms get a make over as well. There is no space that won’t be changed in some way. When done, in about six months, (likely in January) we will be able to show photos of all the new changes.

Wow, I’m out of breath just talking about all this.

Nothing has happened just yet, but stay tuned for the changes to come.

We seem to be in store for an abundant harvest from our garden this year. We were thinking that last year was a bit odd given how things turned out but this year is already seeming more unusual. For instance we are still harvesting peas from the very early spring planting. Likely all of you are seeing weather that seems unusual and we are no exception. It’s almost like we never had a “usual” and we never know what the weather is going to be.

As we write this letter we have just watered our garden for the first time this year and that is “unusual” since by this time we would expect it to be very dry.

Here is what’s happening now: Potatoes, Broccoli, Collards (unusual), cucumbers, Zucchini, cabbage, beets, and green beans galore. We keep watching the tomatoes and wondering if they will ever ripen given the cool nights we continue to see.

Our Bird roost box (containing bees)	Our Queen...soon to get a name

You can see from the photos what the roosting box looked like and the got inside through a small hole made by a wood pecker.

As we write it’s not clear how they hive are thriving. We’ll have to wait to see what the bee man’s says after he takes a look inside.

The only downside to having these bees is that now we can’t mow the yard as we did before. I’ve been leaving large patches of clover (the only grass we have) so the bees will have adequate food.

We’ll keep you posted on how these guys make out. Recently there seems to be less activity around the opening to the hive and we’re wondering if the colony is growing.

Perhaps you know that July is Jacob’s birthday month but this year we started early. Long before the big day he had planned to have a party here at our place complete with a football game between all the adults and his friends. As the time grew nearer he changed that plan and wanted to have a party at the ball park with his friends. Our local professional ball team is The Columbus Clippers, and they offer just such a deal for kids. They offer a pizza and hot dog party before the game. Plus the kids get special

Jacob's photo on the scoreboard

attention complete with their name and photo on the scoreboard, special seats, and at the designated time are invited onto the field.

This month we had plenty of news to write about. We hope you enjoyed reading our stories and will come back often to read our family news.

Do drop a line or contact us when you can as we always love hearing from you.