After 34 years in Colorado, I had almost forgotten how annoying these pesky little varmints could be. I honestly don’t think I had one mosquito bite the whole time I was in Colorado. Maybe the Colorado mosquitoes (what few there are) didn’t like me all that much. Not so in Texas where I have had three mosquito bites in the last two weeks, all which I got while working at the Magnolia Market. Hmmmm….. And did I mention that there seems to be a family of lizards residing in our garage at our apartment? They look like little gecko lizards. I have been told that they are harmless, but I…
Our House is Progressing
Howdy Everybody! So work is progressing on our house despite the fact that a spike in COVID-19 cases here in Texas is causing a “pause” in this phase of re-opening. As I mentioned earlier, construction is considered an “essential business” so work on our house progresses. But first, an update on what we are doing. Trace continues to work from home and I have returned to work at the Magnolia Market. Believe it or not, this place is still hosting pretty good sized crowds. And folks have travelled from all over the US! Most don’t seem to mind that they have to wear a face mask, or that they may…
It’s beginning to look a little like a house!
As the state of Texas is getting back to what we are now calling “the new normal”, work on our house continues. Personally, I wish it would go a whole lot faster than it is going, but I also want them to do it right! We have already caught a couple of mistakes that they did with the foundation. For instance they forgot to run an electrical line to Island #2 in the kitchen. Because the islands are out in the middle of the floor and not up against any walls, they needed to run the plumbing and electrical lines through the concrete foundation. Ooops!! They forgot the electrical line…
Never has a hunk of concrete looked so damn beautiful…we have a slab!!
Ok, so it has been awhile since I have posted to my blog. But I have an excuse. While I was on furlough from the Magnolia Market, a little over three weeks ago, they called me back to work at their warehouse. Since the Market was not open (and still is not), I decided to go work there. The work is a lot more physical but I am only working from 8am til noon Monday through Thursday. So all in all, it’s not that bad for the short term. The Market is due to open back up on June 1st, but I may not be in the first wave to…
Is That a Light I See at the End of the Tunnel?
I realize that it has been awhile since my last post. I would love to say that I have been so busy that I just haven’t had the time, but I don’t like to lie. In truth, Trace and I have both been dealing with this new norm of sheltering in place and keeping social distances. Trace continues to work from home, but as I mentioned in my last post, I have been furloughed from Magnolia. That’s the tough part. I actually miss the countless daily social interactions I get from working there. It’s tough being cooped up in this apartment all day, everyday. We did find a local park…
“Sheltering in Place”
So let me first say that I hope all our friends and family who may be reading this blog are staying safe and healthy. Trace and I are doing fine here in Texas. As of today, our county has about 24 cases of confirmed people with the COVID-19 virus. Trace continues to work from home. But I got informed yesterday, that as of 29 Mar 2020 I will be “on furlough” from Magnolia. We were getting paid last week and this week for the hours that we were scheduled to work. But I figured this would not last forever. Chip and Jo may be rich, but they couldn’t possibly keep…
The Impact of COVID-19
As of the time of this writing, Trace, Will, and I are all doing fine. We are hoping that y’all are doing fine as well and coping with the bizarre impacts that this virus has had on our ways of life. It’s hard to think of anyone or anything that hasn’t been affected in some way by this horrible virus. Trace has continued to work from home as usual so very little has changed in that regard for him. As for me, Magnolia has shut down the Market at the Silos until 30 Mar 2020, so I am home for the duration. So far, there are about 57 cases in…
A Slight Change in Plans
So you are probably wondering why I have not posted anything yet about the house and how it’s coming along. Well, we have run into a few snags. You may recall that in my email blast last October, I mentioned that things don’t seem to move very fast here in Texas. Well that is certainly an understatement where our house was concerned. To make a very long story short, the developer of the new subdivision where we were supposed to build was unable to get the City of Waco to approve all the necessary permits to develop the land. From what we gathered the City of Waco would need to…
Christmas 2019 in NYC
Since we were still “apartment dwellers” in December, we decided to visit our son, Will, in NYC for Christmas. Both Trace and I needed a little vacation away from work. Yes, I know what you are thinking. I am supposed to be enjoying my retirement. Well, as I mentioned in my earlier email blast, I am working for Chip and Jo (of the Fixer Upper fame) at their Silos Market. And it, like any retail establishment, gets mighty busy at Christmastime. (Did I mention before that the Silos have surpassed the Alamo as the #1 tourist destination in the state of Texas?) I was working some crazy hours especially when…
So it’s been awhile…
I realize it has been quite a while since I sent out my first email blast. Well, thanks to my son, Will, who set this thing up, I have this blog to not only get you guys caught up, but also to keep y’all (required language here in Texas) up to date with what’s going on in our little world down here in Waco, Texas. We’ve had lots going on and we have been super busy. So sit back and read on. Hopefully, you will find it mildly entertaining.