The Front Porch Swing

[Windy Bay Farm]

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:Your money is your money, you leave it to whoever you like. You are not obligated by law, moral or civil, to leave it to blood relatives. My older sister and I were in my Aunt's will (never married, no kids), my younger sister was not but one of the 24 hour caregivers was. Why? Because that sister NEVER bothered to contact our aunt. She even lived 15 miles away for a couple of years in her very early 20's when her husband was in the Navy. Never called unless she wanted something. My Aunt met that sister's two girls at my mother's funeral when they were 11 and 16. It isn't so far from Fallbrook to Mill Valley. As my Aunt aged, my older sister would go up (from Huntington Beach) several times a year. Me, obviously, much less often given the distance. We both called. A few years ago my Aunt asked if she should put my younger sister in her will because she was family. I said the same thing to her I said above. She has shown no interest in you or your life, it is your money, give it all to the Sierra Club if you like (she was a very active hiker in her younger days, I STILL have my "Sierra Cup" from backpacking with her when I was in college). She died in January last year. She was cremated and her ashes spread on Mt. Tamulpias per her wishes by my sisters and members of the California Alpine Club (in which she was also active). So yeah, my younger sister had not seen nor contacted her in the 10 years since our mother died and pretty much not at all the prior 30 years but found the time to "see" her one last time AFTER she died. If family doesn't care about you, you own them nothing but civil interaction. Write your will to explicitly exclude them so they can not fight over your assets. Bruce

 

[enola]

Quote: Which presumes that YOU will go first. My mother once said she would kill me if I died before she did. Not a concern now, she died in 2003. Bruce

Bruce, It is my supreme wish to out live my mother. My brother passed away 4 years ago. I saw the toll his death took on her.........

 

[rrrmamma]

Bypass today. Please pray for Linda and our family. May The Lord hold her hand and guide the surgeon's hands. I held her hand for a few minutes before they took her down and whispered to her, "Can you feel my hand? I'll be holding it the whole time. Don't let go, Linda." So if you would periodically just whisper, "Don't let go, Linda" I would be so grateful.

I will be thinking of all of you today and praying for a good outcome for Linda. Hang in there Blooie.

 

[rrrmamma]

WBF- We just bought a huge stock trailer. I showed my hubby the picture and I think he is out searching for the paint can!!!!!Lol . It came with the Highlander's we just bought. Can't wait to get sheep. No excuses now that we have the trailer to haul them in.

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:
Well, there IS a difference. If mail going to WV is flown to an airport a goodly distance from your P.O., they don't want the birds to die on a 2 day trip, has to be overnight. Perhaps your sister's P.O. is close to the airport. I have learned that the P.O. is WAY MORE COMPLICATED than I ever would have thought since my wife started working there last November. She's gotten chicks, ducks and last week, bees coming through the P.O. She was worried about that one but it was fine, all the bees stayed in their enclosure. Bruce

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I have a chick in my bra!

I let Gust out for his before breakfast pee ... and was standing on the back deck when I heard growling from the bushes between the house and the chicken run. Maybe a raccoon?

I got Dad, and asked him if he heard the same thing (with my condition, I never know how my perceptions are acting). Nope, he couldn't hear anything. So I marched down there. As I got closer, I heard clucking, and peeping. And then I saw a momma trying to get her brood to follow her to safety. At my feet there was one little chick upside down on its back looking at me. I picked it up and tried to put it closer to broody. But Broody tried to thrash me. So I put the chick in my bra and brought it inside and will try to feed it some egg and water to see if I can get it running around ... and then I can put it back out with the broody. But ... howamigonna get that broody and her chicks to the coop?

This is my first freedom ranger broody. I really didn't think I'd let them out enough for anyone to get a clutch together. And with the raccoons ...

Nature does all this stuff so much better than we do.

 

[Triple Willow]

Woke up to five, yes that's FIVE neighbor dogs having a self-serve chicken dinner. They tore into a wire dog kennel/carrier to get a rooster I had caged because he was getting his butt kicked in the roo pen. I only had one of the locks fastened so they bent the door up and got in. Well one got in (and couldn't get out) and the other four were circling like great white sharks getting a bite when they could. It is now open season on dog at my place. Guess I'll have to start packing a gun at all times to get them.

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:

I'm glad to hear that your DH is not a 'fly by night' do-it-yourselfer for this project. Not only will he NOT cause structural problems, he will improve the structural integrity. Given the low ceilings, my guess it that your house was built in the 20's or 30's and the floor joists are REAL 2xs (8"max) between the first and second floors with no load bearing wall running the length of the house (though there may have been when the house was first built). That is why all the marbles roll toward the center. That is how the house we are now vacating for the much older farmhouse was built before the crash of '29 (found newspapers in the kitchen floor for "leveling" when someone converted a rear porch into the kitchen). When we rehabbed it 20 years ago, the carpenters sistered 2x8 microlams to both sides of the 2x6 joists between the first and second floors. That lowered the ceiling from 7'4" to 7'2". They sistered a single 2x12 microlam to the joists in the basement. There is still a little 'spring, but not much. They flattened the floors as much as they dared because wood than has held a shape for decades wants to keep that shape. When you take the ceiling down (you will *), he can reframe the stairwell opening at the same time he beefs up the floor joists. (*) Seems extreme but replacing the ceiling drywall makes it a lot easier to do a proper job of fixing the floor. Unless the ceiling is lath and plaster, then Oh Boy! big decisions.
As far as the front door goes, the back door that we are going to be replacing has had a quality storm door installed and is on the east side of the house. In the area, most of the storms blow in from the northwest, so the door will not see that much severe weather, and the morning sun is not as damaging as the afternoon sun so that will help. All the interior doors are also still the original mahogany doors also, so not really any to replace with the exterior door - especially since it has glass almost the entire height of the door. A couple coats of sealant should help also.

DH has also found a place that will make a custom door out of mahogany that is not cheap, but something that we can probably afford in a little while with some saving.

Any idea what I can use to seal the door before we re-install it in its new place? If we do that. I kinda like the idea of using it for a pantry when we redo the kitchen and mudroom. That would help to tie that area into the architecture of the rest of the house.

Since you live in Wyoming, I would consider half glass insulated exterior doors. As for refinishing the doors, if they are SOLID mahogany, not laminate over a core, sand them down to "clean" wood. If they are laminates (and they were doing that a LOT longer ago that I would have thought), sand "just enough", laminate is THIN. If you use them for exterior doors, 3 coats of marine spar varnish. If interior, any decent polyurethane. Though, since you said you have a good storm door, you can use polyurethane on the exterior one as well. Pictures, I need PICTURES! Not for non-professional advice giving, but because I LOVE old architecture and wood. You can keep the steel and glass buildings. Bruce

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:
Geez. Sounds like someone needs a lesson in dog containment. You and your gun won't necessarily be around when they come by. Bruce