Refurbishing another unit in the four-plex
(unfortunately, I do not have any before pictures)
Well....some of this wasn't exactly after harvest. More like, along with harvest. Craziness, I know, believe me. Our good combining crew made it possible for Roger and I to be absent at times during the last couple weeks of harvest.The last tenant moved out the end of May. He was a nice fellow and trustworthy, but definitely not a good housekeeper! We were busy with haying and going to convention about then and didn't feel a huge push to work on the space. Sometime in that time frame, we did some of the demolition....tearing out old dirty carpet, worn out kitchen cabinetry, and an unsightly fireplace. We're lucky the last tenant didn't burn the place down with his wood burning. It had a stove insert, but we discovered the glass front was gone and burn marks on the carpet. Everything in this unit was dirty and needed cleaned and painted. We probably still wouldn't have it completed, except a newly hired teacher heard we had an apartment open and he called and wanted to rent it. He said there really wasn't anything else available. He sounded like a nice young man and the kind of tenant we would like to have, so we pushed to get it ready for him to move in. The carpet installer was still finishing up his job when he arrived in town with his Dad and a trailer load of his belongings. We had warned him that it wasn't all completed, but we had a spot for him to put his stuff and he had a finished bedroom and bathroom to use. It took us another week to finish the kitchen and some other details....working around him and sometimes with him helping.
 |
| The kitchen with it's new white cabinets and new counter tops looks so nice now. The refrigerator and stove were still in working condition, (just needing a good cleaning) but we put in a new dishwasher. The refrigerator used to be located just to the left of the sink. It jutted out enough to make opening the back door a problem. We relocated the refrigerator to a spot that used to be a closet/pantry. The new vinyl floor is also a big improvement over the carpet that was in there. A 30 inch sink cabinet fit the space better that a 36 inch, but excluded using a double sink, but I was really happy with this one that I ordered on line from Home Depot. |
 |
| The top left picture shows the wall where the fireplace was located. It's removal really made the living room seem more spacious. Of course it made necessary some new drywall work. In the bottom right picture you can faintly see where the ceiling with its popcorn ceiling was patched. The popcorn had been painted previously, so we sure didn't want to try to remove it. The draperies that were covering the sliding glass door were probably 40 years old and very dirty and tattered, so a simple rod and grommet topped panels from Target were a nice improvement. We removed part of the wall between the kitchen and the living room (top right) and that further opened up the space. Of course, all walls in the whole apartment had to be painted. The unsightly wall AC unit still remains, but it was a life saver during this project! |
 |
| I didn't know so many hours could go into cleaning up a bathroom, or I would have pushed for gutting it and totally redoing it. It had carpet on the floor and rubber baseboard around the perimeter. (including on the tub and sink vanity base). I literally had nasty blisters in the palm of my hand from scraping away the glued down carpet padding. After a week of healing, I went back at it....this time with padded gloves and got it ready for the new vinyl flooring and MDF baseboard. Another day was spent removing mouldy caulking in the tub and shower walls and scrubbing away dirty soap scum. With fresh caulk and the scrubbing done it finally looked sanitary and usable. We are thankful to have this project behind us! |
 |
Rain!!
We finished cutting our spring wheat in the nick of time....just before a large wet cold front moved into the state. We rejoiced to get three inches of much needed moisture! We can't remember when we've had such good conditions for winter wheat seeding. We just recently had another week of wet and cool weather, but are now enjoying some good weather for getting the seeding completed. Many farmers who did not have their harvest done before the rain, were not quite so happy about the rain. Grain left standing was sprouting in the heads and the value of their crops went down significantly. We certainly feel for them. We often wish the rains could be spread out in a timely manner. A little more rain earlier in our growing season could have improved our spring crop yields. But....we take what we get and look to next year. Here is an article to read for another farm wife's perspective in case you think I am just whining.
|
 |
Dessert enjoyed at our end of harvest celebration dinner.
Roger's brother Dale was here to enjoy it with us, making dinner all that much more special. The raspberries are compliments of my brother Dale and wife, Marie. Rich chocolate and raspberries on cheescake...so good!
|
A day on the lake
 |
| On labor day, we took the boat to Holter Lake and enjoyed an afternoon on the water. Abby and Sarah had just returned from a week long trip with their Papa and Nana Clark to visit family in Hawaii. Tom and Jo had to pick them up in Bozeman, so they were able to meet us at the lake on their way back home. It was a bit breezy and cool, but Abby couldn't wait to ride the tube anyway! She was the only one to brave the water and she looked like she enjoyed every minute of it. |
 |
| We had packed a lunch and enjoyed it while floating on the boat. Every time I wish that we had an open bow boat, I am made to realize how much the kids appreciate the cuddy cabin, as evidenced by this little sleeping beauty. Sarah was glad to be back and enjoy some down time and cuddling with her Mom. The busy school year was about to begin for these girls. (a week later than all their class mates) |
 |
| This is my favorite picture from the day! |
 |
| We always enjoy a trip through the beautiful Gates of the Mountains |
 |
| The Pelican decided to race us ;-) |
Another fun day, a week later
 |
| Roger, Joellyn and I travelled to Kalispell to spend the weekend with sister Bonnie and Brenda and Jesse and family. We sure missed Dale, as we was a busy man working at getting some haying done in Sheridan country. Joellyn had a couple business appointments, but we spent most of the time having a grand time. Our first stop on Saturday was at the Vintage Whites Market. When we saw the lines just to get in, we weren't sure we wanted to go that bad, but happily, the line moved right along and the weather and the time just watching all the other people was quite pleasant. It was fun to see all the wares for sale, but for some reason, I didn't see anything I just 'had to have' so I left empty handed. We then had a quick lunch at Subway and grabbed a latte and got down to the real business of the day :-) |
Home Show!
 |
| The Kalispell Builders Assoc. Parade of Homes was on and showcased 10 gorgeous homes. Two of them were built by our friends who own Old Montana Building Co. We have been to the Bozeman Parade of Homes a good number of times, but this was the first time to go in Kalispell,, and it did not disappoint! The best part was sharing it with my sister and our daughters! It was OK having my hubby along too :-) We smiled at the warning sign to keep the kiddos under control. The owners of this home will have a fabulous view of the ski runs at Big Mtn. and if that weren't enough, they also have a view of Whitefish Lake. We were asked to vote for our favorite house. I was hard pressed to pick just one. There were features I loved in all of them. |
 |
A couple of features I admired: furniture and bath vanities and floors made from reclaimed or rough cut wood. I love the look and texture. I loved the bunk rooms too. Wouldn't they be great for Grandkid sleep overs? Back at home, I looked for and found a bundle of pictures from some of the remodels and changes to our own home. I am inspired anew to put it all in a scrapbook (because the photos are mostly printed already) or scan them and make a photo book. Our home has evolved quite a bit over the years and it is truly Home Sweet Home, and has surely been influenced a bit by our visits to Home Shows....though it is quite modest in comparison to many. I also found that I am most inspired by wonderful remodels, more than I am by beautiful new builds....but then, that is just me :-)
Well, off to work tomorrow, so must sign off....
Linda |
