My sister, Mary, and hubby, Reagan are visiting for some sunshine relief from the cold Wisconsin winter. He is a handyman who seems to be able to tackle anything, and has kindly taken on some of my "honey do" jobs. I now have a lever handle to replace the difficult round knob on my back door, my patio swing is now securely attached to the patio post so it doesn't list sideways, my burned out back light has been replaced, and best of all....I have two walls painted to give some color and warmth to my living room and bedroom! Mary is an artist, and helped me choose colors, and she and Reagan taped and painted away. I offered to to the lower half of the walls, but Reagan is pretty fussy, so I didn't get to do too much of it! Gave me time to do some dusting of the items removed from the shelves and walls and clean up some hidden dust bunnies. I also got to prepare a big meal again and made them a pot roast dinner with popovers...yum! Last night we enjoyed the final look while watching "Pure Country" (for their first time, my tenth!) while munching on snacks and a cocktail. Today they are doing the tourist things in town and at the museum, and plan to visit one of the local mines this afternoon. They will be taking their dog, Keno, to my vet this afternoon to check on the wound in his side that happened the day they were leaving home. Poor dog has been so good, despite a nasty gash and his floppy plastic "necklace" that keeps him from licking at his stitches.
It is so nice having them here. They have great ideas and are so clever about fixing, repairing, painting and moving things. They spent the day before doing Mom's house....adjusting her laundry doors so they would stay shut, painting her kitchen cabinets, hanging a new light fixture in her dining room, and Mary and I found a new dining room set for her at a sale, so her house has a fresh, new look! It turned out to be a working vacation for them, but we would rather pay them for their efforts, and give them gas money to visit us than pay a stranger. At least they can walk their dog out in the sunshine, and have enjoyed relaxing in the pool and Jacuzzi at night. Can't do that in Wisconsin, where yet another winter storm is predicted. Will hate to see them go.....so many more things we could do....FUN things instead of work! But they are talking about pulling out tomorrow, so I will get back to riding my neglected horse and get ready for my next visitor coming on the 16th!
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My latest company left today. It was a busy week of eating out, celebrating St. Patrick's Day, casino, playing Gin 13, cooking real meals, enjoying an evening with friends at the local bar with karaoke and dancing, and playing tourist at home with a walk about town and a day at the local River Preserve....where I discovered a spring-fed lake just a few miles from my home! The Preserve was formerly a ranch ( who's owners were murdered and burned by a competitor and are now buried on the grounds), a guest ranch (which planted the towering palms which are now over 100 years old), and has a spring-fed lake where mallards were enjoying paddling about when we visited! I have been coming here for twenty years, and had never been to this idyllic spot before. One of the fun things of having visitors, is that it encourages one to get out and see the local spots that are around, but often overlooked in one's day to day living. The house seems quiet without company, and Wylee will miss his walking partner. But Bart will be happy to get more attention again, and I will try to get out and riding him more in the nice weather and get us both back in shape!
