M.I.A.

I've been missing in action for the last three weeks because of this.

I've packed around 60 boxes and Tex probably 5. Awaiting the moving van right now. There are more boxes in the house. I had the moving company pack up the kitchen yesterday. No way I was going to do that. Nellie has run out of steam.

After 15 years, we are leaving our home on Canterbury Lane.

We haven't been out to the ranch since the last post. I've insisted on waiting until they got the whole thing framed and we could "go up the stairs" to the second floor. I didn't want to see Tex climb up to the top like Spider Man again!

Nervous Nellie

THE WIDOW MAKER

We were at the ranch this week to check out the framing and everything was going swimmingly. We decided to eliminate the tiny powder room window by the front door. It's distracting, off center ('cause it's above the john) and would take away from the front door. We've ordered that already and it's a beauty! We also decided not to HAVE a roof because we can't afford a retractable roof. Isn't the sky unbelievable?


Tex in his garage. The garage out there is bigger than our garage here. Go figure.

You are looking at a kitchen wall, plumbing for the island, corner pantry and in the front right is where another pantry will be under the stairs.

Now you are looking at a roaring fire and the TV on the far family room wall. The doorway goes into a hall where you get to the master bedroom, powder room and office.

This is when things went sour. Phil the Phoreman had expressed some concern about the height of the vault and not being able to see out the upper windows from the center of the upper hall railing. So, Tex decided he was going to measure the height of the peak and figure out for himself just how much space we were talking about for beams, flooring, etc. Any sane person would have called the architect and had him give you the details. Oh, no, not my Tex.

He got up on the first level of the scaffolding and my heart stopped. "TEX..YOU..ARE..NOT..GOING..UP..THERE," I hollered. He did what he always does when I open my mouth. He ignored me. Then he started inching over and I knew he was going to go up there. My stomach hit the ground. I can't get on the higher rungs of a ladder and when I see somebody at those heights I freak.

I was seriously getting sick at this point.

I missed taking a picture of his progress because I was urping my fish.

I am pleading with him to get down. PLEEEEAAASSEE COME DOWN. He seems to be adding up figures in his head and still ignoring me.

Whew!! Just a few more minutes and he'll be down.

I took my first breath in a long while thinking it's going to be OK and then he got down on that beam just below where he is squatting and stepped on that beam going over to the cross beams you see at the right. You should have heard me ranting and crying and screaming, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW??" He assured me he was holding onto something the whole time and was fine.

Does it look like he's holding onto anything here????????

I am now naming our humble abode "The Widow Maker" because he could have killed himself. A dead body sprawled on the concrete floor would greatly distract from the beautiful view.

I have every reason to call myself........

Nervous Nellie

FOOD, FUN, FIREWORKS

This looks like a nice peaceful place, doesn't it? This is the office of our Darling Dependable Builder, David.

Out back was quite another scene. Our DDD hosted one heck of a 4th of July bash. There was food, fireworks and a band. I have never been so up close and personal at a fireworks display. We were sitting 50 yards from the launch site. It was like a grand finale display for over 30 minutes. My neck is sore from looking straight up.

This is Darling Dependable David taking the stage just before the fireworks. (His arm is in a sling...injured it dirt bike racing.) He introduced the gal standing next to him. She's a Blackhawk helicopter pilot deployed to Afghanistan. We sang patriotic songs and got all choked up.

What a night.......what a country!

Nervous Nellie