My Mother In Law Is Dying

 Dementia is an awful way to die.

That Was Fun

I'm officially a 62 year old senior citizen

Our trip to Zion was pretty awesome, we went to Kolob Canyons and it just got more beautiful as we rounded every curve in the road.  We didn't go to the other entrance, we will save that for another trip.

We did a little work to clean up the outside of the Pioche house, we had accidently left some junk laying around. Felt bad for the neighbor who had to look at it.

We went for a drive up to Mt Wilson and a couple of state parks, so beautiful. So much exploring to do!

We found this old stone house at one of the parks and I think I kinda love these outside window frames.

We're pretty sure we're going to knock down this brick chimney. It would take too much to make it usable & then might still burn the house down. IF we have anything for fires inside then we'll just put in a metal chimney for it.

This is our kitchen.

From the right, so far, we think it will have a tall pantry, cabinet, dishwasher, sink, cabinet, stove, cabinet and either put the fridge at the far left or put it at the bottom left of this photo so the 'kitchen triangle' will be in use.  This window will be replaced with a double width one, moved up to the level of the blue tape that's on the 2x4s.

While we were in Hurricane we stopped at Matts Offroad Recovery and checked out their tow vehicles. They had just left with the big wrecker but I really enjoyed seeing the banana and Lan liked the rest. We got to pet Peanut & Lady too.

Our next trip to will be for 2 weeks in April or May and we're hoping to get the walls finished, maybe some electrical done and insulation. I measured for plug ins and wiring, we'll need about 20 double plugs ins and 5-6 quadruple ones along with up to 500 feet of wiring.

For our trip we flew on Spirit and it worked well. In Pioche I spoke with a few of the locals and found out there is a shuttle bus that travels from Pioche to Las Vegas once a week and I'm thinking we could fly down & ride that to town and drive our own car once in town. We're planning on leaving one down there permanently. The shuttle only goes to Vegas once a week on Tuesdays, leaving Pioche at 6am. I have no clue how long the ride is since they will stop in Panaca and Caliente and its about a 4 hour drive to LV. I don't know where he stops in the big city or if he might pick us up at the airport or if we'd have to go to a certain location. 

We had to stay at the hotel in Pioche and it was $401 for 3 nights so once we got home we decided to get a camper trailer to haul down there to use while we're there. Found this on Marketplace for $1,500, its a 2003 Terry brand, 25' long and it has a little water damage. They already tore it apart and did the leak repair but didn't fix up the inside. If this hadn't leaked, it would sell easily for $10,000.  

We offered $1,000 and they accepted.

It has good tires, everything works except the heater but we can plug in a heater down there. Its got a cover and they threw in the brand new unopened twin size mattress they ordered.

Now its sitting in our back yard, we might move it into the arena to get it good and dry & finish the repairs. We might put the cover and a tarp over it.

I've already bought silverware for it, I'll put a few plates & get bowls for it. It needs a new queen size mattress, curtains, basically everything. That window at the back is where the bunk beds are and the water damage occurred. I purchased window film to cover it and IF there's a window the bathroom I'll cover it too.

For the curtains I'll use the same material I used in the other camper, its got little retro campers on it, super cute.

I'm pretty sure I still have enough to cover a couple windows in there already.

Today we picked up Soren and took him to get a Christmas tree at Alpine tree farm across town.  Super nice guys there. The tree was $100 (ouch) but its pretty. Soren got to cut some branches and I made him pull it to the car. At home he helped set it up and decorate it.

 

End of 2024

When we were in Pioche 2 weeks ago we had to stay at the local hotel and 3 nights cost us $401.00.  We stayed there for warmth but mostly for a place to go pee and shower.

So we bought this camper to tow down there to live in while we're down there.

Its a 2003 Leyton Lite, 23 foot long and we paid $1,000 for it.  Its got a little bit of water damage that they had started working on & just got tired of it so listed it at $1,500.  I offered $1,000 and they accepted too fast, maybe should have offered less.

You can't see from the outside but the back left side has the damage.

They had pulled out all the ruined materials and patched the outer roof but left the inside.

I do like the layout, a queen bed up front with night stands, large kitchen sink, bathroom has a tub. Bathroom also has a soft floor so we'll need to address that issue.

The water damage is in the bunk area and since we don't have kids we'll just have a closet or storage there. The table does fold down to a bed.

we're moved it into the arena to dry out and do the work in there.  Once its dry we'll put the roof sealant on it.  Until then, I can put stuff in there. I have a lot of stuff we use in the other camper that can go into this one full time and things for the Pioche house.  Tools and materials can definitely go in.  

The bed is a queen like the other camper so the bedding can be interchangeable.

This is where it will be staying down there, on the side of the house. Its already flat and theres a sewage clean out right around the corner of the bathroom that we can use. Neighbor Tom said we can use his water and I'm OK with that set up.

Our next trip down in in April or May so I only have about 4-5 months to save up for it, then another 2 weeks in September.

Good news, I will have Fridays and Saturdays off for the next 3 months.

 

 

A Week

My birthday is in 8 days

This week, before we leave on our trip to Pioche, I hope we can go to Orting to visit Denton.

I haven't been there in far too long and I have lots to tell him. BUT, I feel that the spirits of our loved ones already know what's happening here and watch us living out our lives.

Denton was only 43 when he died, 19 years ago~ wow, 1/3 of my life ago.

 

Christmas 2024

Lan will be surprised on Christmas morning because I got him the belt sander he's been wanting.

This took $340 or the $450 I had saved for gifts. 

I'll have to cut everyone else short.

Its sad that I will make about $70,000 this year but still am short every paycheck.

 

Gloomy Fall Days

 Its been cool and dreary here lately, usual for fall. Toady its been raining all day and will probably rain all week. There are 3 weeks till Thanksgiving and it will probably rain till then.

Lan put a new started into the Metro yesterday and it seems to be running now, I will start driving to work in that so we can save the tranny in the Escape for winter.

Today we went to the Orting house 

and delivered a washer and dryer that I picked up for free. Don said he needed to fix the plumbing for them & I said no, just leave them as they are & he actually did.

My big brother Jeff buried a Time Capsule out here 45+ years ago, I remember doing it. He put stuff in it like the front page of the news paper, a dollar or some coins, a few other things.

Earlier this week Mom & Heather dug for it and today we did again but didn't find it.

We did find LOTS of rusty nails, a few odds & ends and this piggy.  The pig is now going to live here on our farm forever more.

We've decided to tentatively put it on the market in Mid January, after the holidays. That gives me more time to get the wording on the sales add better and to make sure we have ALL the photos we might need.

Here is what I have for the add so far but this is just parts & pieces, I need it to be perfectly worded to attract as many buyers as possible.

MOVE IN READY! Nestled on an easy to maintain city lot with mature trees and a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier, this home is clean and well cared for. With a simple 2 bed 1 bath floor plan to enjoy, it is perfect for the first time home buyer or to scale down and minimize.

The cozy living room leads to a spacious kitchen with fridge and a gas range, then into the utility room with Washer and Dryer (dryer can be electric or gas!)

In addition to the 918+ SF downstairs, there is an additional 700sf+/- bonus room upstairs.

The great town of Orting has all the necessary amenities within walking distance including groceries, restaurants, schools, city parks, skate park and fishing in either of the 2 rivers. The Rails-To-Trails Foothills Trail is literally steps out the front door.

There is ample room in the detached garage with a shop behind it, the fully fenced back yard boasts a nice covered deck with BBQ spot, and has enough room for a sizable garden with NICE valley dirt. The yard has mature trees and flower beds.

Home updates include fresh interior paint, vinyl windows, newer roof, bathroom was just refinished…

Sellers offer a $2,000 kickback for flooring so you can choose your own colors of carpet.

It is the responsibility of buyers to verify all info regarding this property. 

We've taken a lot of photos and the house looks really good right now. 

This is the house I grew up in and holds SO MANY memories for me. I had asked Mom to please sell me the house once before & she refused so I'm just going to help her sell it and be OK with it.  The following photo isn't one I took but I'm going to use it in the add anyway

Those trees growing in the middle of the mountain view are in our yard!  Mom has mentioned they should be cut down but we can let the new buyers do it. Heck, the new buyers might be a lawyer who tears down the entire house and puts in a nice office building.

45 Days

There are only 45 days left till my Golden Birthday and on that day we will be getting to the airport somehow, going thru security, waiting for who knows how long & then flying into Las Vegas.

There, we will pick up a car we've rented on Turo, make a stop at Walmart and/or Costco then driving to wherever and staying the night. 

Next day it will be Thursday morning, so we'll drive into Pioche and get our room at the Overland Hotel, then head over to our house. Its going to be cold and no warmer inside the house so Walmart will be selling us a heater. Also food, drinks, maybe a blanket to keep us warm inside the house. 

We plan on taking a few drives out to the desert to enjoy it in winter. I've been wanting to make it out to Atlanta but after doing a tiny bit of research I'm finding out its locked up tight & no one can get into the buildings.  I like exploring those.

While in Pioche we will visit Jon, eat at any restaurant thats open, view the town Christmas tree and just freeze our butts off.