Another home improvement

For the past four years we have wondered "what were they thinking?" about the sink in our kitchen. The beautiful Kohler sink and faucet came with the house, yet did not transfer warrantey to us, the new owners. The faucet leaked, the spray nozzle was a dud, but worst of all the water from the facet leaked to the back of the sink, onto the tile and caused us concern of water damage growing. We are a dish doing family, we have a dishwasher, yet it is only used part time- this sink was a 1/3, 2/3 style- not great for handwashing.

Friday as my husband lingered away from the home it was not a linger but a shopping spree. He came home with all the needed supplies. Early Saturday he began and the sink was pulled, and so the adventure began. With the sink came 4 partial tiles. Oops- yeah for extra tiles under the house, so they were replaced and the new sink installed, along with a high speed Moen faucet- easier to get parts if needed than Kohler :). We now have a large, spacious double sink with 9" depth. It is great to do dishes in. It is built to direct water back into the sink rather than to the tile. It is functional to us who work hard in this kitchen.

Home Improvement projects- great times, memories made and happy changes. In this house that has needed much functional maintance work the blessing of changes that are wants/needs are a blessing. No more leaky sink/faucet, no more wet tiles and towel laying beyond the faucet to absorb the water. We are blessed with another home improvement!

Working away

Life in Toney has been full... of wood! A few weeks ago my dear hubby told me to find a tree guy to take out a few diseased trees. The yellow pages quickly brought a family run business with men anxious to work. Kind of rare these days to have an employee thank you for hiring him, they did several times... affirming our choice to do the job that day. Down came 3 trees, a fourth one topped and many trimmed.

The result has been a yard full of wood, brush and logs. Slowly the yard ornament- a downed pine tree - dropped in one piece so my hubby can play with his chain saw, has gone away. Today was the last as the youngest and I cleaned up the pine needles and stray branches. The divets and dents will get filled in with the next load of cotton trash compost.

While we were busy in the front yard there was a work crew going in the back yard. For the past few weeks the chainsaws could be heard chunking up the 2 tall downed trees and getting ready for a wood splitter. Today the men spent 6 hours splitting up logs- 3 full cord of wood is now drying beside the fence. The branches that came down are halfway gone, more trips to the branch pile awaits us. I have begun to rake up the stray wood- who knew there was so much work in cleaning up after a tree downing.

I am not sure I will ever again take for granted the sheer physical labor of tree surgeons again. There were 5 folks working in the back yard and still work remains. 24 man hours and several yet to go ... I guess the thought of how wood warms you several times is true as today folks who started with sweatshirts soon were in shirt sleeves.

Dinner was a kind of quiet meal- many exhausted bodies around the table. yet there is satisfaction in a day spent moving muscle, moving nature and accomplishing tasks that were set out to be done.

I thanked the Lord for the blessing of work, for the priviledge of it.... a jail work detail reminded me of how many are not free to work outside, health issues trap others within their bodies and homes. Ahh the blessing of moving leaves, limbs and dirt... spring is here again!