Back to the list of things to do...for now

The more we can get done, the better. We are not giving up on our dream to get out of here. We are developing an exit plan. Some good news, the illegal gas pipe is removed and the meter is capped. Today my hubby wheeled out the old, broken stove so we can begin repairs on that side of the kitchen. Next step, collect free estimates on the electrical we need done. Probably won't go with an electric stove, though...will need a gas line (by code) run for the stove location.I think we can get a handle on most of the house repairs. The garage is another matter. We think it's going to cost more to fix than its worth. We need a consultation with a realtor.

House weary....

Yup, weary of repairs. Paying someone to do it is not in our budget right now. June was incredibly hot and humid, and my hubby suffers in that weather worse than I do. We have been enjoying the cool weather this July. However, I have been in a pensive mood. I have never liked the Midwest. The thought of moving from one home in Indiana to another home in Indiana was depressing me. So why is my blog named "Somewhere in Indiana"? Because my first husband refused to move out of the state. I think it's time to consider moving out of the state, and the entire Midwest. Seriously.

Finally...a little progress

The bathroom is much closer to being done. Hubby installed bead board part way up the walls and installed new tile on the floor. We also needed a new toilet. We got a great deal at Home Depot, a European-style dual flush with the buttons on top. It works great, and flushes with power just like in Europe. Only $98. Later we need to install the trim and a new door.

We decided that the next  major step will be the electric. We need a breaker box and 220 installed. And we decided to go with an electric stove. See, years ago when my first hubby changed the kitchen around, he installed a gas hookup for the stove that is not code. In fact it's down-right dangerous....copper tubing strung from the meter through the wall to the stove, and there isn't even a shut-off valve! To make matters worse, the shut-off on the meter is stuck open. I called the power company, and they said no one is supposed to touch the meter, but they will come out and shut it off for $45. My daughter, who knows more about plumbing, electrical and HVAC than most men, said that she can run the gas pipe (yeah, she even has a pipe threader!) but to install it by code it needs to be buried 2 feet underground. For that we would need to jackhammer the concrete porch. Solution: have the electrician install an outlet for an electric stove. Then get rid of my broken gas stove (oven doesn't work) and buy an electric one. Problem solved. Since the meter is stuck, we don't want to risk breaking something trying to shut it off ourselves, so will cough up the $45 and have them do it. Then we can remove the copper code violation and close the hole with a fitting. No pipe hassles, no code violations, two steps closer to being done. After that we plan to hire a carpenter to do some framing. We can do the drywall and painting.

The work that needs to be completed to make this house sale-ready is enough to break your head. The obstacles have ganged up on my husband and sent me into bouts of the blues. I have to remind him, and myself, one step at a time.

Waiting to exhail

That pretty much what life feels like. It was a long, long winter. Hubby had no work with the flooring place. After all, he doesn't have his own truck and tools, so he can only work as a helper. But how the heck can you buy a truck and tools if you aren't working? Anyway, hubby is moving on in another direction.

In the meantime we have been trying to form our exit plan. Exit from this house, from this city. I have been packing everything I don't use often in bins which we put in the garage. After all, this house is so tiny there is no place to move things to make room to do any work. Fixing this house is utter frustration.

We thought about selling as is, but reconsidered when we found out our only buyers would be contractors who want to buy insanely low and gut the house to the studs and start over. I went over the house in my head:

• Roof - good
• Bedrooms - need paint
• Bathroom - mostly cosmetic
• Living room - needs a wall built, paint and sills around the windows, ceiling in hallway
• Kitchen - needs the other side returned to a laundry area so we can reclaim the 3rd (tiny) bedroom as a bedroom
• Electric - need 220 put in
• Gas - need new meter installed (free) so we can turn off the gas and hook up new pipe to the stove
• Floors - need tile in the kitchen and carpet in the living room
• Siding - some fixing here and there
• Garage - needs a new roof and new garage door. 

So we need some work done but then we can sell for full price,WAY more than what a contractor would pay. To ease the frustration, we found out a neighbor knows how to do all the work and he will work for a reasonable price, some of it on the barter plan.

My hubby made a valiant effort to finish all the projects first hubby started and abandoned over the years. But hubby never worked with frame homes. Our homes are really different than the re bar-reinforced solid concrete and brick fortresses they live in over in Europe. Our neighbor lives in the same type house we do, same lay-out and everything. It's easy for him.

In other news, my older daughter got married to a really great guy (second marriage for both). The wedding was wonderful and hubby got to walk her down the isle.

Spring 2014, even though it's snowing today

This is going to be a short post, because I have been sick with some kind of head/chest cold, maybe flu. I am thinking maybe flu, because they told me the shot protects against 3 and the nasal spray protects against 4 but had side effects. I picked the shot. Anyway, here are my crocus last week, taken on the 11th.

We had a warm Saturday. I think it hit 80. Hubby and some helpers got the garage cleaned out.

Late spring

Does spring ever come at the same time every year? Mostly not. At least not here in the Midwest. Back in 2012 I took a picture of my crocus in bloom. It's a favorite of mine. Then I noted the date...March 11. What a contrast to this year! Too bad all this rotten cold weather had to come during my hubby's first winter here in the US.

Finally a Mild Sunny day!

We drove out to my daughter's house, then she and her fiance and kids went to the Men's Wearhouse in Merrillville so the guys could get fitted for tuxedos. After that we went to eat, back to the house and then home. It was an enjoyable day.

We need to pry spring out of winter's icy hands

Alaska has been complaining about lack of snow and cold and I just want to tell them COME AND GET IT!!! We have a coveted 2 day warm coming Sunday and Monday. After that we are in for a week of chilly rain, although I do think it will be rain here and not snow. But April is usually rainy here, and chilly.

I gained 10 pounds this winter. I'm really disappointed about that, but I've been shivering my way through this cold weather and I just want to eat. I also wonder if my thyroid might be slowing down by the end of the day, since I take my pill in the morning. I have just been stinkin' cold. I keep bundled up and the thermostat is set at 67. However the floors in this slab home are about 57 degrees, so that doesn't help.

Ok, I'm off to bed now before I fall asleep on my keyboard.

Updates

Work is going good for my hubby at his first job, the tile place. Apparently they have lots of work, which is good news after a 3 month lull. The other boss came home from the hospital, but he lost his big clients while he was absent and told my hubby he couldn't afford to pay him what he offered until he builds the company back up. I thought that was kind of strange.

We are getting better weather, ups and downs as usual,. It's 52 now but the nights have been cold with heavy frost. It will be cold again this weekend. Of course it doesn't help that the lake is one giant ice cube.

Here is "patriotic bunny" to make you smile

Heavy snow

It started with rain and wind late last night, then turned into heavy, sticky snow that is breaking everyone's snow shovels. It stuck to everything, creating a winter wonderland. However we are all full of wonderland up to here. We are now in 3rd place for the most snow in a season. Anyway I got a nice picture this morning.

In other news, my first hubby would have been 69 today.

Walk in the Park

Yesterday was in the 50's and sunny, so we took a walk in the park. It was enjoyable. Tonight we have ANOTHER winter storm coming through with maybe 8 inches of snow. Just get it over with, I say. Most years it snows on the first day of spring anyway.

Hope dances ahead

Winter can't last forever. We are 28 degrees below normal. The historical average high for May 1st is 64. If we are still 28 degrees behind then at least it will be above freezing. But honestly, I do think the north winds will turn around before then. The most frustrating thing is to see 58 degrees forecast 2 weeks out and when we get to the 5 day forecast the 58 has turned into 38.

Hubby contacted boss #1 from the carpet and tile company. He is on vacation, but will be back next week...might be some jobs then. As far as we know boss # 2 is still in the hospital. God willing hubby can work with #1 while waiting for #2. It's not a big deal if hubby leaves company #1 because he doesn't have his own tools and truck, so he can only work as a helper. Job #2 will give us the chance to move forward.

Well...no meeting

At least not until the boss gets out of the hospital. Hubby was getting nervous wondering why his calls were going unanswered. Then he got a call, from the boss' brother. "I'm ____'s brother, I'm sorry, I didn't know you work for him, my brother is in the hospital. He will call you and work will start up after he gets out."

wow

We can't even send get well wishes....don't know what hospital he is in.

This winter has a cold, cold heart

It's long, it's cold, my floors are cold. Yeah, yeah, yeah, quit yer bitchin'. But I have never seen so many people laid off in the company I work for. When I say "work for", I mean I am a vendor....self-employed, I provide a service when needed. I'm not an employee. I guess they are going through some restructuring. It's a bad shake-up.

My husband's job....we are waiting...another meeting coming, and then paperwork. Hope it's still on for Monday. If winter and or the economy would release its icy stranglehold on everyone's throat, maybe, just maybe he could have worked this winter. The company he was working for said there was no more work. Nobody wants to hire a tile setter who has no truck and only a few tools. Like they say, you need money to make money.

Job!

Looks promising :)

Back to winter again

The week long above freezing temps melted about half the snow. Sunny, longer days are welcome. However we are set to go into another round of Chiberia Polar Vortex. It seems it will be moderated by the higher sun and longer days. Eventually spring will win. In the meantime, things are not moving, work is not moving. Heck, we are both used to seeing dreams on hold....story of both our lives. But, we are together, thank God for that.

Thanks to my daughter, I was gifted a tablet. I have been downloading free Kindle books. I am enjoying it. And yes, you really can curl up with a tablet....though it's not the same as paper haha

This is funny :)


French Toilet Paper Commercial With Tablet & Emma from Adpressive on Vimeo.

Snow is Melting!!!!

It's so nice to have some sunny days and warmer temps. Hubby has a job interview today. We shall see what happens. This place mentions FULL TIME and some Saturdays. The other place is part-time only and still no work. We are hoping it's real full time - 40 hours per week - like full time used to be, before it was re-defined to be 30 hours per week.

Two more days

Two more days of arctic weather and we should be back to a more normal winter.

That about sums it up

I saw this on facebook. It's for Canada, but it just cracks me up.

LMAO

snow cold snow snow COLD Snow SNOW SNOW cold snow snow cold

That's about the extent of this winter. The jet stream has buckled because of warm Pacific water. It is pushing warm weather all the way up into Alaska, causing devastating landslides. Alaska has been in the 60's. Then the jet stream makes a sharp bend and pushes the polar air straight down on us. They are saying now it could continue through March.

I guess the one good thing about having a tiny house is that it's cheaper to heat. I have plastic on all the leaky windows, which hubby and I both hate because, well, the plastic looks podunk, and the tape leaves residue. Hubby has had no work since the 2 days in the beginning of January. People just aren't getting tile installed in the dead of winter. The big hotel jobs that were mentioned last fall have not materialized.

I think pretty much everyone in the Midwest feels they didn't sign up to live in Alaska. Last winter was one of our warmest. The weather has always varied here, sometimes more so. However, we do seem to be bouncing around in extremes.

In other news, (not sure if I mentioned this before) my older daughter is getting married in the spring. We were all hoping we could fly her sister and her hubby here for the wedding but it looks like those plans are in limbo for two reasons....$1000 for round trip tickets for the two of them and no one to watch their kitty who needs medicine every day. The thing about Crescent City, they are 6 hour's drive from anywhere there is a major airport. The only thing that flies in and out is a "prop job" owned by United.

My Samsung Intensity II phone captured a cool stop-action of the propellers. My camera only caught a blur.

I would like to go back to visit, and bring hubby. He has not seen any more of America than O'Hare Airport and our immediate area of Indiana.