Here is Robert in the new living room, getting ready for T time.
We finally have a nice backyard for the kids to play in. Here they are playing on a slide donated by one of our new neighbors. Neighbors...we like that word. People who own their own property, care for it and are invested in the neighborhood. That's new for us, having spent the last 20-something years in rentals.
The house has an assortment of "older home" issues that we have been sorting out over the past four weeks. So far, we've met the local painter, electrician, sewer service and basement humidity contractors. Each of them have been very gracious while draining our bank account. The last big project for the initial move-in phase was the windows and siding-original 1951 windows, many of which haven't opened in years. The window contractor was scheduled for this Monday, but a certain Hurricane swept into the area over the weekend.
Irene arrived Saturday night, the worst of it hitting after the kids went to bed. Many parts of our town sustained significant damage and flooding but, thankfully, our neighborhood was spared. We lost power for about 16 hours but that's about it. Bob used his backpacking stove to cook breakfast outside the front door as the kids watched.
The window and siding contractors showed up Monday morning, as if nothing happened the previous two days. They set to work pulling out the ancient windows and ripping the old gutters off the building. By the end of the day Monday, all of the new windows were in place.
The siding goes on today, then a new garage door and gutters.
It has been a tumultuous month, but we have accomplished a lot in a short time period. With a little bit of luck, we'll be able to get away for 2 or 3 days for a vacation so the kids can have some fun before pre-school starts next week.
