Racing winter

I am often in political discussions online and when someone uses the term, "framers" we all think of Washington, Jefferson, and so on.   But out here on our little five acres of desert, we know them as Aaron and Clinton, AKA the Badger Boys as I have dubbed them since they mentioned they both grew up on a nearby street called Badger.  They are our framers.  And they have been a-framin'.....

Front:

Back:  (Covered patio.)

View from the street.

We have also ordered our wood stove, about which our builder is incredulous.

"You don't want a gas fireplace??"

"No."  (We had a lovely fireplace in our last house and prefer a wood stove.  We cannot wait for that first cozy, bone-warming fire that stoves are so good at. )

We have also picked out exterior colors which took little imagination since just about everyone goes with taupe and/or gray and we are tagging along with the crowd.  (I heard it said on a podcast -- "We tell our friends, our's is the 4th taupe house on the left.")

Plus we've selected our exterior rock.  And our flooring.  And .... cabinet finishes, tile, pavers, lights, appliances, doors, and just about everything else we can think of, wearing a path through the aisles of Lowes, Home Depot, and every other building supply business.  It has kept us happily occupied the last few weeks, in spite of the rude awakening that EVERYTHING is crazy expensive and our original budget is now almost laughable.

And ..... how on earth did people DO this before Pinterest??    It categorizes every idea, keeping them instantly accessible as long as my phone is within reach.  If I find something I like -- a click or two files it in Pinterest.  Then if I need to show what I'm trying to explain to the Husband or to a salesperson, I just pop out my phone and open up Pinterest.  It's all there, literally at my fingertips.

We're in a race against winter that we may not win.  Our conversation yesterday with the paint-store-guy taught us that since we'll probably be painting the outside of the house in November or early December, we'll have to pick our paint days carefully.

"Don't start painting till after the frost melts off in the morning," he said, "and stop early enough in the day so it can dry before everything freezes again that night."  Fortunately deserts are supposed to be relatively dry, so there's that.

So come the holidays, we will be hopping busy as we take over the finishing part.  We've been contemplating buying a hot tub which may become essential and possibly prevent the need for a few physical therapy sessions after we lay the flooring and pavers.

In the meantime, we're camped out of the way, just off our driveway, where we are being the model home-owners by not pestering the workers or making daily changes to the plans ...... of course.  'Cause you know we're not those people.

How Firm a Foundation

It has been requested that I update my blog.  (Hey, Steve!)  So here's the latest.

Are we doing any traveling?

Nope.  Well ..... Husband and friend drove across several states, landing in Montana, to decide that fishing is (give or take a few pros and cons) really no better there than it is here.  But when the trout are beckoning, who needs logic?  So there was that.

As far as RV traveling ...... no.

Do we plan any upcoming trips?

No.  (How boring are we??)

So why the heck do we live in a motorhome?

Because right now we don't have much choice.  And it provides a roof of sorts until our house is built.  And with THAT, we will segue to .... THIS .... HAZAH!

And after WEEKS of hiding in clouds, haze, and smoke .... the Ladies (Three Sisters Mountains) finally emerged, elegantly dressed in their latest ballgowns of snow.  Oh, how we have missed them.

So unless you want all the gritty details, which are dutifully posted in my pinterest account, regarding our choice of appliances, flooring, paint colors, etc. ..... I'll leave it at that.

From webfoot to desert rat

This blog began over six years ago when I found myself doing things completely out of character.  (See sidebar -->)  We can now add to that list ..... Moving from the Pacific NW to the desert.

Being that I get extremely whiny when the thermometer rises above the mid-eighties, why, you may ask, are we doing this?

My answer:  Heck if I know.

We should, by all that is logical and sane in the universe, be moving to the coast or possibly Canada, where temperatures stay humanely moderate ...... (well maybe not Canadian winters) and where I would not be checking the forecast first thing each morning in hopes that it has improved since I checked it last thing the night before.  (Who's obsessing?)

In an effort of due diligence, I carefully watched and compared the weather in western Oregon where I have lived since the Beginning of Time, to central Oregon where we will be moving ..... and during the summer of 2016, it was often hotter where you'd THINK it would be cooler.  Yes, western Oregon, known as "the valley", also known for rain, greenery, and general lushness, had crazy hot days with higher-than-should-be-allowed humidity.  And in central Oregon, AKA actual desert ..... it was, of course, drier and .... get this .... not as hot.  Weird, that.

This summer (and taking into account our previous winter of non-stop ice storms) western Oregon weather has completely lost its mind.  Two weeks running with temps nearing and sometimes souring past 100.  Locals USED to say you really didn't need AC since it only got hot a few days each year.

Yeah, right.  Not lately!

In central Oregon, generally it's been the same or slightly less (it never topped 100) AND with low humidity.

So all in all, if I can't move to the coast or to Canada, I might as well move to the desert.  Besides, Husband likes it here and I like him.

Needless to say, it's taking some getting used to.  I've joined a community Facebook group here and have learned that wild fires and "What kind of bug is THIS??" are daily topics.   (Husband announced that he saw his first scorpion yesterday on our property.  Google is now trying to reassure me that Oregon scorpions are of the more friendly variety since they are not deadly.  Somewhat like a bee sting ....... Uh-huh.)

One of the perks of our new stomping grounds is our local community pool, which is part of our HOA, and therefore we feel compelled to use .... frequently.  There's a lot one can say about having the use of a pool that one does not have to maintain.  Much like living at a resort.  (We don't mind this at all. )

"Our" pool.

Us and some of our spectacular progeny during our recent family reunion. 

Typically, my days here (still in the RV park since our property is yet house-less) start out with cool mornings and a long walk, then chores and running errands, then holing up with the AC, then maybe the pool (ahhh!),  then more AC till well after sunset when we can actually stand to sit outside again.  As long as I don't have to do anything outdoors (beyond walking from AC to a hot car and back again) between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., I'm okay.  It's doable.  So far.  (And many thanks to my little oscillating fan that lulls me to sleep each night.)

Update on the House-To-Be project:   Excavation!  A flat spot is emerging from the copious dirt, ridiculous dust(!), and rocks, upon which (someday we hope) there'll be a cool, well-insulated, shaded, three bedroom oasis ..... sans scorpions.

But don't hold your breath.  As my sister says, the three consistencies of life are:  death, taxes, and construction delays.