The Original Twisted Spinster - Long Week

Thursday when we arrived in Austin we found Clint franticly walking about and digging around the creamery.  Me: "Clint, what are you doing?" Clint: "I'm looking for my fishing pole." So I am thinking. What an asshole. Creamery is flooded, your wife is exhausted and out of town, your about to go out of town and your looking for your F*&^&&*(*^ fishing pole.... what an ass!   Clint: "One of my wife's chickens is in the river, still alive, sitting on a board." ( as he is still running about and cussing) I slap my forhead for the thoughts running in my head and walk over to the river bank and sure enough there is a little black chicken with a poofy white feathered head, very distressed floating on a board in the flooded river! Well Clint found his fishing pole and on the second cast snagged the board, grabbed the chicken and walked up the bank grinning with chicken under his arm and the fishing pole in the other hand. A HERO!  A sign of true love for his wife...

We started helping him clean out. Lots of muck and mud in the creamery. Fortunatly the unfinished part, Unfortunate for his motercycle. They got about 8 inches of water in there. Cleaned out tool boxes and tackle boxes. A can of gas/oil mix was dumped by the flood. YUK! The loom was spared but not the cabinets and various salvaged finish wood.

Our basement is wet, the auto repair pit in the garage is full. We have been pumping it out all week. It just keeps filling in. Lots of seepage going on. Friday we cleaned out the barn neighbors backyard dumped a bunch of water and mud in there. Considering chickens are kept in that barn we had to clean it. the smell etc would be overwhelming by the weekend if we didnt. Some how we got it totaly cleaned out. it looks great!. Smells better as well.

The pasture is toast with a raging river in it. No grazing for the horses right now. The turtle creek in the front yard crested at just over 15 feet. 1993 it was just over 14 feet. Still had a good 10 feet to go before spilling the banks. *large exhail*.

All in all both properties lucked out. Looks like Stacy and Clint will get a new driveway out of the deal since the culvert is diverted directly at the creamery and the neighbors are tired of thier driveway ending up in Stacys front yard. My driveway is hanging on by a thread in 2 spots. Most of it is in the creek now. We will see what the county does. It may be a while. The county has a mess of washed out roads to tend to 1st. Sadly the gentleman who would have been our snow plower was killed. He was caught up in the flash flood in the middle of the night and his car was washed off the road. He would not have been discovered if another car had no been washed off the road and been stopped by his car. Rescuer's had no clue until the got guy #2 to dry land. The story is he died from impact. Everyone says he never wore his seat belt. All the neighbors where grieving all week. hard for my family being on the outside of all this. very sad.

UGH Monday night.! 2 screaming angus cows all night long and into the morning! Constant bellering. Found they had escaped tuesday morning and where down by the creek. No idea if they where callilng for the rest of the herd or calves. I'm just glad they where on the OTHER SIDE! Though "Annie" Stacy's retriver, brought her a calf leg Wed am. GROSS!

We got home late last night needing a break from the Austin house. Plesant weather sure helped us get things done. 2 rooms are now painted and thanks to Darnel and Sleddogpirate we where able to get the lawn mowed! YEAH! They even brought a load of wood so we could stay warm or do some cooking!. Oh and lunch as well which I may add my daughter LOVED! She wants the recipe! 

Finaly the bath floor is in and looks great. bath walls are painted. Owners came by and took the kitchen sink out and the counter top. Should have a bright new kitchen (excluding floor) by next week. They have asked me to tile a backsplash after the installation. They like what we have done even the bold colors i have picked for paint. They love the green in the bath. It really pops out the coloring of the cherry woodwork. So sage walls, white tiles and fixtures with chocolate brown towels and throw rug in the bath. Amazingly bright! Not dark at all and it will hide country dirt! Still have 2 rooms and the hall and alcove upstairs to paint. The second floor bath remodel will start sometime in early July.

The owners are lawn nazis. They worry too much about the grass. They are frustrated that our time is being spent on repairing, cleaning and painting the house. I think they need to chill myself. I told them early on i have no intention of mowing all 3 acres. Oh well!

I spoke with my Dad for a long time today. he sent the museum more stuff for the exhibit on my mom next month. He gave them her wedding dress and her silver tea set she got when she was crowned. She has a mess of Aquitenial pins the museum did not have. So Dad is pleased as it Hen Co. Dad has readied himself for his trip to Seatle to meet up with his old GF from tghe Korean War. He is very excited and said he may bring her back for a short visit. My daughter freaked out when I told her that Papa may have a girlfriend. She was all about how it's too soon. I had to spell it out for her that he has grieved for the loss of his wife, her grandmother for 19 months. Though she has only been gone now for 11 weeks, the grieving started long ago and that at 81 he is a big boy and can make his own desisions and this is not about us, but what makes her "Papa" happy. I hope she warms up to it. My sis isnt pleased at all. I hope i can get her to turn her thinking around as well. I want my father to be happy and to enjoy life and not sit in a hole mourning my mother till the end of his days.

My mom was pestering me this week in Austin. Many times while working on the house she would pop in and tell me what more the room needed. When i took breaks i was looking at the property knowing my mother would think this grove of trees was pretty or that spot in the lawn needed a shrub, bush etc. moment when Mudpuppy would be playing by himself i knew she would be smiling watching him. I do miss her. heck when i was shown the 5 options for a kitchen counter top the owners where thinking of i did tell them my choices and then told them what my mother would choose and why. I think they are taking my moms advise too! I miss her.

We will head back to Austin on Sunday or maybe next Tuesday. Again still no phone. No point in hooking one up until we quit service here. We have a graduation party on Saturday in the grove. We have been ignoring family for many weeks now with the rehab so we need to spend some time with them.

J3 your guest bedroom looks great! and it's CLEAN!