Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving this year was very enjoyable. Dad and Millie came from PA, the Cochran family came from Woodstock and the Snell family (of three and a half) came from 20 minutes away. All together we had 14 in our little house. Fortunately the weather was decent and we were able to spill out onto the front porch. If everyone had as good a time as I did then it was a wonderful day.

The next day Larry and I and Dad and Millie took a very short train ride through a tunnel and to a turn-about, visited a workshop and then back again.

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Another huge project complete!

2010 - the year Larry built an entire apartment in our basement. He started out moving the existing lights in the garage and framing some of the walls. Then he wired for the apartment. He worked on plumbing next and then more framing. You may recall that I posted some photos when it was framed.

Insulation was next with special emphasis given to sound deadening. That wasn't easy with the kind of joists we have holding up our main floor. In order to add to the sound dampening he also put in two layers of sheetrock on the apartment ceiling with a small gap between them. It added to the cost but hopefully will pay off in keeping good tenants. Then he added the sheetrock to the walls and then taped and textured the walls. The painting, then flooring, then trim, appliances, countertops, window trim, etc, etc, etc.

Writing this all out makes for a short list but everything takes time - more than it would seem up front. Larry worked very hard for many months. Before he had it fully sheetrock, Laura and Ben found a renter. That increased the pace so the last 6 weeks or so Larry was working really hard on it. He finished the week-end before Thanksgiving, the day before her move-in date.

I'm very proud of him. All the while he was working on the apartment I was outside working in the garden or yard. This didn't contribute to the apartment at all but did contribute to the Okra and Peppers he wanted. :-)

Ruffles' new friend

Ruffles was lonely and needed a buddy. So the search began for another dog. He or she needed to be about her size and low shedding. I found this little white one on Craigslist. I'm guessing she's a Maltese / Yorkie mix. We met at a dog park and they got along very well so I brought her home. She came to us with the name "Flea".

Do you like that name? Not us. So, we thought and thought and came up with "Pringles". Cute, right? That stuck until a couple days ago when Larry said we should call her Scruffy. Now I'm confused (and so is she) because he's calling her Scruffy and I'm calling her Pringles, Scruffy, Flea and White Dog, Abi's name for her.

Whatever her name ends up being, she is a pretty good dog. She begs; you know, hanging around the kitchen while I'm cooking (not Ruffles) and she's a licker (not Ruffles) which we're discouraging. She was also accustom to being on furniture. I think she's more or less got the idea that's not allowed here. That's pretty good for just one week. She is completely housebroken, not much of a barker, loves to sit on someones lap (just like Ruffles) and is just generally pretty good. Best of all, the two of them get along very well. They sleep in the same crate and keep each other company while we're gone. It's a pretty good arrangement.

Wreaths Across America

For the few people who visit this blog, you know Larry and I recently joined the Civil Air Patrol. Larry has hit the ground running - already advancing to 2nd Lieutenant and is learning to be the Public Relations person. I'm still trying to decide what role I want to take on.

At any rate, the real reason for this entry is an effort called Wreaths Across America. The paragraphs below say it better than I can.

The Chattanooga Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol is proud to be the location leader for the 5th annual Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. This year we are also joined by a multitude of other community organizations and groups.

When it was held for the first time in 2006, six wreaths were placed in a ceremony at the cemetery’s Armed Forces Memorial. In 2007, 120 wreaths were placed at the headstones of our local veterans followed by a ceremony honoring veterans and active duty members of all branches of the Armed Forces. In 2008, with the addition of sponsor groups, over 1000 headstones were decorated with sponsored wreaths. 2009 surprised us all with a record 1440 wreaths and over 17 sponsor groups participating, it was our most successful Wreaths Across America ceremony to date.

Our Mission is to Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve, and Teach our children the importance of protecting this country and the freedom we have. Please join us.

Sponsorships are $15 each. Proceeds place a wreath at Chattanooga National Cemetery; help support our fundraising partners, educational and veterans services outreach. Please note that all sponsorships are sent directly to the location and no wreaths are sent to the individuals purchasing sponsorships.

http://www.kitepilot.com/wreathsacrossamerica/form2010.doc This link has an order form although you can order online. Here's a link for that option quite easily at www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org. Be sure to use Group ID TNCAP192 so our squadron will get credit for your purchase.

Abi the HoneyBee

Abi is two. As such, she didn't want to wear her bee costume for long. Actually, she didn't want to wear it at all but finally went along with it for 10 whole minutes. We quickly snapped some photos while she was still willing to smile about it.

:-)

It helped only a little that Pooh bear was wearing his bee costume too.

You may notice that Abi is hanging onto Ruffles'

leash. She doesn't miss a chance to be the boss of the dog.

I'm so glad that Ruffles is patient and easy going. I got some photos of Abi hugging Ruffles and patting her eyes but I'll spare sharing every single photo with you. I realize I get a bigger kick out of these than you do.