Not our typical Sunday

Okay.  So.

#1

The car is still banged up and sitting here at home while patiently awaiting the parts that the collision center has ordered to do the needed repairs.

#2

 The water mitigation people came yesterday and put a big heavy duty dehumidifier downstairs.

Things are a mess.

Tomorrow I will be boxing up breakables and bring them upstairs.  

It's already a mess up here too, so a few boxes won't make a diddly damned bit of difference.

The water guys will be back to move everything else out.  Everything.

Don't know when they'll be here or any clue as to how long all this is going to take.

One step st a time.

Or as Dr. Loewy, a former boss at Georgia Tech, used to say, "You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time."

But.

Today was the day Donald worked on those two home organizing projects.  Remember those?  They got backed up in the order of things.

Delayed but not abandoned.

#3

First the kitchen -

This week I'll spend some time organizing things, putting some things into small labeled baskets, and eliminate some kitchen clutter.

#4

And then I get to do the same in my little bathroom with my new cabinet Donald hung for me today.

Since I love organizing things, these two projects are going to be fun for me.

Having a very handy husband who enjoys measuring and hammering and nailing, etc. is a big big big plus.  

But i know he is ready to move on and get to projects of his own that he's put on hold.

Who knew one stupid hot water heater could throw things into so much disarray.

I am spending some time chatting with our house spirits during all this, thanking them for keeping us safe, asking them to please be patient while we get their home back into order and return to our usual peace and quiet.

We will eat the elephant one bite at a time.  And things will, once again, be smooth sailing for us here in Meat Camp.

BUT!!!!!

We can't be too sure of the rest of the country.

So, y'all

VOTE ! ! !

Vote   Vote   Vote 

Don't think you'll ever win a battle with water

 

Water will always get its way.

Whether it's a hurricane, a flood of nature, or one caused by a water heater.

Water wins.

Here's our latest.

The insurance company sent a water mitigation person to see us.

He was here for a few hours and did a terrific job inspecting everything.

What we know so far -

The damage is extensive.

His team will come and pack up everything.

They will move everything from downstairs outside to a pod they will be  providing.

Carpet will be pulled up.

Because the water seeped up the walls, some of them will need to have the drywall removed.

All this to facilitate clean-up, including whatever unhealthy biological stuff may have started growing.

We'll be getting a call from them letting us know when to expect a packing and moving crew.

It's gonna be a mess for awhile, and then it'll be alright.

Send good thoughts.

And, oh yeah -

Don't Forget to Vote!!!!!!!

Deer vs. Car, Water vs. The Entire Downstairs, and oh yeah - Don't Forget to Vote!

 Driving home last Sunday evening on one of our dark, windy, mountain roads a deer ran into our car.

Everyone, including the deer (thank goodness) were okay.  The car was jam packed with our luggage and some random stuff from shopping trips and a project Donald is working on that he brought home with him to complete.  

The car needs some work

The stuff in the car went flying.

Thankfully, Annabelle was tucked safely in her cart.

We were pretty shaken, but happy that the car was able to get us those last couple of miles home.

We usually have a small herd of deer sleeping in our back yard, so I opened the back door and called out that their Uncle Buck had had a bit of a mishap, but was okay.  He'd probably be here pretty soon.

I love our deer and I was upset that this had happened.  They know our place is a safe place for them and I felt like we had let them down.  (don't judge me . . .  🙃 )

Happy to be home, I had a cup of coffee and turned in.

Donald, however, couldn't settle until the car was unpacked.  Where he got this energy after a 9 drive home is a mystery to me.

Like I said, it has been a week.

Some of the shopping I did was specifically for some items to help me do some organizing.

Our house is small.  A lack of space is problematic.

Having that long drive home from Birmingham gave us time to talk about some possible solutions - focusing on the kitchen.

Donald has a real aptitude for these types of projects, and he enjoys them.

On our first full day home, last Monday, we ignored the suitcases needing unpacking, measured a kitchen wall, agreed on some shelving, and off Donald went to Lowe's Hardware.  

For a guy who normally hates shopping, he is like a kid in a candy store once he gets into a place like Lowe's.

When he returned home a few hours later with shelving, brackets, etc., it was to discover that our entire downstairs was flooded due to a failed water heater.

Y'all.

What.

A.

Mess.

Bless Don Barley's heart.  He has worked really hard all week cleaning up the mess downstairs.  First using his shop vac to get up all the water which took a couple of full days and nights.  Then ran the carpet cleaner a few times to get rid of the odor.  Our carpet cleaner died, so he bought a new one to finish the job.

Moved a bunch of stuff in order to dismantle and remove old water heater.

Brought in and hooked up new water heater.

We both lost track of how many trips he has had to make to Lowe's Hardware.

So.

Things in this little house are a mess.  

In the process of getting back to normal, but we're not there yet.

The insurance adjuster has already sent a check to cover the damage to our car, now we just need to get that taken care of.

Another insurance adjuster will be coming out to look at all the water damage caused by  the hot water heater.  

This is going to require a LOT of work. 

 There are many  bookshelves, filled to the brim with books, that need to be emptied, removed, and replaced.

Nasty carpet pulled up and replaced.

The kitchen organization project is on hold, of course, with the new shelving still in the car.

Send good thoughts!

And - early voting is beginning in some places - - - 

Don't Forget to Vote!!!!!!!

Monday at home in Meat Camp - Award Winning "The Day I Met Don Barley" Chili on the Menu

 After spending two weeks in Birmingham with family, we're home. 

Spending time with Donald's mom and dad was good.

The are both well into their 90s.  Both still enjoying, like their son, their ice cream.

Along with an occasional glass of wine with dinner.

We enjoyed spending time with them.

They raised two fine sons.

Birmingham is a wonderful city.   Great places to eat.  Great places to shop.  But it is hot.  For those of us used to cooler mountain weather, that's an issue.  Whew.

We did have a couple of storms and one of those presented us with a gorgeous rainbow.

We have actually been home a week.  

And what a week it had been.

Short Version -

       -   Deer/Car collision (everyone is fine, including Mr. Buck Deer)

         -  A failed hot water heater (which did not happen until we had been home almost a full day)

More about all that later . . .

Today I'm cooking up a big pot of Chili

The Day I Met Don Barley Chili

(reposted)

Chili

Because I think recipes are fun to make your own, I never follow one to a "T."

Play around, add what you want - remove what you care to.

Below the "notes" is my basic blueprint for chili.

When I was working at Georgia Tech, our office was invited by the

 GT Physical Plant to participate in their chili cook-off.

We won first prize.

And that was the day I met Donald Barley.

He mistakenly thought I could cook, but hung around even after finding

 out that my cooking skills are fairly limited.

But this chili is pretty darn good - thanks to our main chef, 

Georgia Tech Campus Architect, David Savini.

He'd be proud, I think, that this recipe is still around.

(Notes #1 - The original recipe had beans, but I do not like beans in my chili

 and neither does Donald, so you won't find them in this recipe, but feel free 

to add them back in.  Note #2 - This recipe can easily be halved. 

 Note #3 - Play with the recipe and change it around to your heart's content, 

I've never been one to believe a recipe needed to be carved in stone).

The Day I Met Don Barley Chili

Ingredients:

3 ½ lbs. Boneless chuck roast cut into 1/4" cubes
4 lbs. Ground chuck
3 lbs. Extra lean pork loin cut into 1/4" cubes
5 medium sized onions (chopped)
1 medium sized bell pepper (chopped)
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsps. Salt
2 tsps. Ground pepper
4 dried chili peppers (chopped fine)
2 Tbsps. Cayenne
1/3 cup chili powder
2 Tbsps. Paprika
3 Tbsps. Ground cumin
2 Tbsps. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Mole paste or powder
little Worchester sauce
1 10 ½ oz. Can beef broth
1 12 oz. Can of beer
1 stick of cinnamon
Tomato sauce to the consistency you desire

Sauté each meat separately in a little butter flavored crisco or oil. 

 Throw away the liquid and store meats overnight in the refrigerator. 

Sauté onions and bell peppers in butter.

Place everything in a large pot, add tomato sauce to get your chili to the

 consistency you want.

Bring to a gentle boil, turn down to simmer.  Simmer for at least a couple 

hours before serving. (OR in your crockpot - that's what I do now).

The Prep has begun . . .

Bon Appétit!!!

Doing a thing - edited

 

I like to do things to pamper my girly self.

Recently it was a trip to Sephora for a make-up lesson.

Because our skin texture and tone changes as we age, it's ridiculous to think we can continue the same make-up shades and routines for years and years without change.

It was time for me to seek professional help.

And i walked out feeling like a new person.

I put myself in Emily's hands.  

We started off with a chat and Emily asked a few questions after which she decided  that what she was hearing was that I wanted a simple routine, unwilling to spend a lot of time in front of the make-up mirror these days, but still wanting a finished, subtle but elevated, look.

Just right!

And this was the result.

I'm happy.

Note:   For the lesson.  Rather than just having Emily do my make-up, she taught.  She would apply the various products step-by-step on half my face, then i would follow-up by doing the other half.

And then I bought a pretty new dress.

And then my best guy took me out to dinner.

It was a perfect day.

So.

This is me, encouraging you,  to do something to pamper your own sweet self.

❤ ❤ ❤

Just one more tiny reason I love our little home in the mountains

 

Today's gift.

Annabelle and I stepped out onto the back deck this morning to be greeted by this early glimpse of Fall.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

" Take time to see the quiet miracles that seek no attention”

―  John O'Donohue