A taste of normal

We had a friend over yesterday.

In our house.

Without masks.

For hours.

It was the first time since Christmas Eve of 2019.

She brought a couple of plants and planters, and asked me to show her how to start a container herb garden, so we sat outside first, but then we came in, and chatted, and had cake, and it was wonderful.

Today, Dave and I were planning to go hiking at Red Rock Canyon, which we also visited on Christmas Day.

But. Yesterday got past us, and we still have a lot of stuff we need to do around the yard that has not been touched yet, and have decided to stay home and get out there at last.

If we can, we might also cut that barrel in half and get the first step in that large container garden project started.

My seedlings are doing great, so far.  The lettuces came up first, and are thriving.  The cilantro has sprouted, too, but the marigolds and sunflowers have yet to poke through the dirt.

We FINALLY got our stimulus money this past week, and Dave has initiated the next (and probably the last) big home improvement project.

Next Wednesday, we are replacing our heat/air unit.  This is a major event, and a major expense.  I have taken that day off from work, because the work will all be done RIGHT outside the window of my office, as well as inside the house, and there would be no way I could work while that kind of noise is going on.

The poor kitties will have to be sequestered in my office, too, because the crew will be going in and out, and putting a new vent in the bedroom.

Our FORMER home improvement guy bid us WAY over the top on this project, so we had to hire someone else this time.

It seemed to me that that last couple of times he did something for us, he was jacking up his fees over his previous work.

This time, it was REALLY obvious, because we shopped it around, and he was $5000 higher than the next lowest bid. Wow.

The last time we had to repair the furnace, it cost $800.00, and Dave is afraid that it is on its last legs.  We are switching to a heat pump system, which is popular down here.  I am nervous that it would not be able to keep the house warm the next time it gets dangerously cold, but Dave thinks it will work just fine, and be a lot more efficient.

The crew is also going to fix the duct work that was installed in a half-assed (read "okie") manner before we bought the house.  There will no longer be a vortex of air drawn through the linen closet.  That will help things a lot, too.

The process of selling the condo continues.  I sent off the fees that the stupid condo association charges (I had to go to the bank for two certified checks, in the same amount, both made out to the condo association).

My tenant did send his rent, so I deposited it to help pay fees.  He has told us that his move out date will be April 13th.

Nothing much else to report from OKC on this pretty spring morning. 

We don't celebrate Easter, but we wish our readers who do a happy one!