This past week held a few big events. Easter, Becky bought a house, plumbers finished the job sink, and Becky’s daughter, Lilly, had surgery. I added some updates to my computer system and continued my VHS conversion project.
Easter brought activities to the house. Pam set up a holiday centerpiece on the table and colored eggs.
Better weather for the day enabled a photo opportunity on the east porch.
In addition to an excellent meal of ham, potatoes, fresh green beans, and pineapple Pam made an apple pie. Everything went down well!
Spring may finally be arriving even though the weather continues to be cold and wet. I noticed some spring flowers beginning to bloom under one of the oak trees. I don’t know the name of these, but they have lifted our spirits.
I added a few updates to my computer system to handle the VHS to digital files and movies I have been creating. My Mac is old, but at the time it featured a technology Apple called ThunderBolt 2. This interface was designed for faster transfers of data to external devices such as hard drives. Now nearly obsolete, I was able to find the parts and pieces I needed to add a “port replicator” or “Dock” to my system. The dock has USB 3 ports which are faster than the Mac’s built-in USB 2 connections. I attached a new 4 terabyte (4TB) drive to the dock and will use it for file storage. Another port will handle the VHS to digital capture device. Hopefully these upgrades will speed up the process.
Finally, after 5 1/2 months, the laundry room plumbing was completed. Yes! The job sink is finally functional and we moved the washer to it’s new location. This means we have eliminated the need for heating tapes on lines running to the old location. Plumbing in the basement was cleaned up and simplified. Another house project completed!
Much news revolved around Becky. After months of looking and a few trips to view properties, Becky found “The One” in Greene, Iowa. The Shell Rock River flows through town. We had visited the town last spring to take in a plant show and had a favorable impression of the area. The house is not on the river, but has a view of it from the deck and kitchen window. One end of the garage has windows that have the best river view and Becky is already considering turning that space into living area to take advantage.
Here is the listing for the house. Closing is set for late May. Now Becky is working on all the details that go with a home purchase, including getting insurance, scheduling a home inspection, arranging the financing (she had been pre-approved) and forming plans for moving and decorating. It is an exciting time.
Becky’s youngest daughter. Lilly, had surgery this past week and is currently hospitalized. Becky plans to go to Minneapolis to help Lilly for a few days after Lilly is released from the hospital. Vanna, Becky’s cat, is now comfortable coming down stairs and mingling with the other cats and dogs (to some extent) and will stay with us while Becky is gone.
Both Pam and Becky have been working on sewing projects. Pam sent me this photo of Becky working at the library table and working on a banner.
I continue with my VHS conversion project, but did manage to get some yard work done on one of the better days last week. Leaves were raked from around the garden fence and mulched. I made the first trip of 2022 to the compost area and unloaded a trailer of mulched leaves and branches we had picked up from the yard.
The bird feeder received its last fill of the winter. Bird Flu is making the rounds in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa and organizations have asked that bird feeders be taken down for the summer. As soon as ours is empty it will come down. That is a shame as we enjoy watching the birds come and go. Recently I spied a Yellow Finch for the first time, bright yellow with black trim, another sign spring is on the doorstep.
Photo Archive
Flowers, critters, and landscapes from 2016.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
Just like local farmers, we watch the weather to determine when to plant our (garden) seeds. Could be tricky this year.
Houses are a big topic in my family at the moment. One brother is building a new house, sister is buying a house, another brother is considering housing options, and we are – of course – renovating a house. Who knew retirement would be so house-oriented?
Happy Trails.
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