Another Amazing Sign from Spirits of Rob's Mom and Dad

Norma and Ed are bell-ringing again!

On June 29, my (Rob) mom and dad's house was sold. Mom and Dad wanted to give us one last sign that they knew the house was being sold and they did.

The day before the sale, my brother Doug (the executor)  went to the house to meet with a technician from the house alarm company. He was going to disable the alarm before the new owners took over, so they could decide what to do with it. When Doug met the tech, he was told that the alarm went off by itself early that morning - and rang so long and so loudly, that the neighbors called the police who in turn sent a tech over to turn it off. The police found nothing out of order - no forced entry, nothing broken. 

A house alarm ringing

It was just Mom and Dad setting off the alarm one last time to let their three boys know that they're still around us and watching over us. It was also an acknowledgement that they know the house was being sold.
 
What's interesting is that in the SIX MONTHS that the house was empty, the only other time the alarm went off by itself was on June 19th, my parents' wedding anniversary and my mother's birthday- so that was their first sign. This is their second sign. 

So, keep an eye or ear out during anniversaries of any kind because you may get a message from someone you know - although it might not wake up an entire neighborhood!

 

Remembering Rob's Childhood Home: Part 1

The dining room

Since my (Rob) mom passed on Dec. 29, and because we have a house, and my two brothers have their homes, we have decided to sell mom's home. It was actually the house that we grew up in - it was built and ready by August 1962, just 3 months before I (the middle guy) was born. So, that was the only house I and my younger brother had ever known. There's a lot of memories in that house, and it's very sad to see it move on.
  My mom used to make her own drapes and loved yellow and white, as you can see in some of these pictures. 

kitchen table

  My older brother suggested I take some pictures of the inside of it, to remember how it was when mom lived in it (my dad passed in 2008). So, here's the first part of those pictures.

the master bedroom

The side door into the porch

A morning glory on our fence after a dog walk!

A morning glory on our fence after a dog walk!

Yes, they only bloom in the mornings, thus the name. Don't ask me what color it is, though- I'm (Rob) colorblind. My guess is blue, but it could be purple or violet for all I know. :) Enjoy!

New Room - Carpeting In!

We've been converting the garage into a room, and one of the last steps was laying down carpet. 

 Over the weekend, Tom did the installation of the carpet (tiles) into the new den/exercise room. Here are some pictures of the progress...

Tom coated the floors with adhesive and started installing carpet

A stack of carpet tiles (back), small area left!

The finished carpeting!

New Driveway upgrade!

Thanks to our city and the taxes we pay, we got a new cement "apron" for the end of our driveway. The city has been doing that to driveways in the older part of town for years, and this year it was finally our turn. Of course, Tom has been sending them emails asking for our neighborhood to be done- so we think they wanted him to stop! :)

Workers tearing up the end of the driveway

the nice, neat, new cement driveway "apron" with drainage!

A New Barrel Shed

Tom found a nice looking all-wood barrel bin on-line to match the style of the house. So, we ordered it and Tom put it together.  Not that I'm not competent to do it, (okay I'm not good at construction, but I'm hell at Destruction!) but I (Rob) was cleaning and dog tending during the construction. Although everything was pre-measured and manufactured it took hours to get it together.  Now that we don't have a garage to store barrels in, we needed a shed. As always, Tom did an outstanding job. :)

Our Favorite Flag is Flying

A couple of years ago we had this flag made of Dolly and Franklin and it's our favorite. We put it up a couple of weeks ago. 

A Simple Job Becomes a Complex Mess of Mistakes

In Mid-April we had our electrical panel updated by BGE Home. The salesman came to the house twice and was nice, and outlined everything BGE Home would do for us, including getting all the permitting done. He assured us that his company would take care of everything, and be quick, responsive and timely.
 - The work was completed on time and it was done well. No issues there. 
 - BGE Home didn't call the county to get the inspector to come by. It was supposed to be done in 2 days. We called the salesman we worked with every day for 10 days and he NEVER  returned any calls. *(Yes, they were already paid in full via VISA card*).
- By day #11, Tom was able to get someone in the Main office who apologized for someone dropping the ball. That person DID call the county (the call has to come from BGE Home) and an inspector finally DID come out on May 3rd.
- No Documentation in Time - The day the inspector came out there was supposed to be paperwork from BGE Home. The documentation arrived that NIGHT in the mail. Fortunately, she had a spare copy, so she proceeded with the inspection.
- Inspector Mistakenly Filed "Rejected" - Several days after the inspection I called BGE the electric company (not the same as BGE Home services) to tie-in the new electric cables to the pole cable. They hadn't received the Approved Permit. SIGH. So, I called the County Permit Office and one nice guy checked it and learned that the inspector mistakenly labeled it as "FAILED." So, he called her in the field, and got confirmation that it passed. He then had to email BGE (electric) the "Passed" inspection certificate.
- Still Waiting - The original job was done on April 18. It was SUPPOSED to take a total of 7 DAYS between the upgrade of the electric panel; the inspection, and tieing the new lines into the main service from the pole. This is the 18TH DAY and BGE Electric is still waiting for the approved inspection certificate. Only THEN can we schedule the final tie-in, which may take another week. **Interesting how a 7 day job can wind up taking almost a month.** Meanwhile, we're still waiting.

No Hot Water!!

The rule of life is that when something inconvenient happens it will likely happen when it affects you most. Such is the case with our Hot Water Heater that's no longer heating water. It started Wednesday night (of course, things usually wait until night time to not function, right?). So, it was cool showers Thursday and this morning, and then going out into the frigid 12 degrees Fahrenheit (Tom to work and me with the dogs, as I'm working at home).
 So, we hired Ron the Plumber (a local plumber that has a state license, and is licensed to work with gas heated water tanks) to install a new one for us. Because he's installing on Friday, Rob got to work from home again (which is great). However, all of the water in the house was turned off during the day (so big bowls were filled with water for the dogs and COFFEE in advance).
 - It will be nice to have a HOT shower again... considering it's nasty to take a cool shower when it's so darn cold outside!

We Installed a "New" Ceiling!

Last weekend, we did another home project that took all afternoon, but it was worth it.
Tom is always looking for new, cool ways to make the house look better inside and out, and came across a wallpaper for the CEILING that looks like floorboards. He found it on-line and we installed it on our Kitchen ceiling on Sunday, Sept. 26th. It took about 3-4 hours.The most difficult parts were cutting it correctly (which Tom did) and making sure it stayed up!  Of course, when you're putting up wall paper on the ceiling, all parts of it want to come off - so it took 2 of us to do it. Tom would line it up while I propped up the other end near the ceiling. Lining up the next piece was also somewhat of a challenge.
  The end result, however, was well worth it. What do you think?

Plain Ceiling -Before the wallpaper was installed

Installing the wallpaper on the ceiling

One corner done!

The Finished Ceiling!

Lots of Tree Planting and an Awesome Private Nursery

We've been looking for Leyland Cypress trees as a natural border for our backyard (in addition to the fence) as our neighbor loves to ride his sit-down tractor mower for hours. Rob was checking prices on the Internet and came across a small privately owned nursery, where a guy grows trees for more of a hobby! He sells them at 1/3rd of the cost you'd pay at other nurseries! SO, we bought 9 Eight foot tall trees from the following nursery in Southern Maryland and highly recommend them! Below are the photos from the adventure we had planting them today (we did take a break to have lunch with our friend Phil in the backyard, who needed help with his homework in Architecture; and later, enjoyed a nice BBQ at our friend "Superboy's" house (Rob's nickname for him).
Maryland Pride Nursery is a small, family-owned part-time business located in scenic and historic Southern Maryland. We grow our plants for sale to local customers.
15674 Prince Frederick Road, Hughesville, Maryland 20637, Phone 301-274-0483
Hours: Although we are open from 8am-noon most every day, our hours of operation can sometimes fluctuate depending on our full-time jobs. For this reason, we encourage you to call us to check plant availability, prices, and to ensure we will be here when you arrive. http://mysite.verizon.net/vzess41d/marylandpridenursery/index.html



Franklin and Dolly decided to chomp on some of the tree roots that we dug up while digging the holes to plant the new trees.

Day 1: Major Home Renovation: a New Window Dormer

We decided some months ago that we wanted to install a new, wide dormer (containing 3 windows) on the 2nd floor of the house. We hired a contractor that installed dormers in another house in the neighborhood - as we run into a lot of folks walking the dogs each night. Last week, all the lumber was dropped off into the driveway (seen here). On Monday night, Tom and I moved all of the furniture, computer and TV away from the front wall of the house. Inside on Tuesday, August 4, the inside front wall of the upstairs "TV room/office" was torn out. On Day 2, the contractor is going to open up the roof...although there's a slight risk for severe thunderstorms in the evening...

Lots of Home Improvements this Winter

The Cape Cod style house that we live in was built in the 1960s, and the large 3 front windows are the originals, and the front door let a lot of cold air in...so, we used our tax refunds to get them replaced.
We recently had thermal windows installed in the living room (front of the house) and they've made a huge difference in keeping the warmth in the first floor of the house. The installer did a great job (although the window company is a nightmare to deal with- see Tom's earlier blog).
We finally got the front door replaced, too - because I was tired of putting a towel on the bottom of it. Now it's sealed, and keeps the cold out. It's a fiberglass door that we ordered a Lowe's, and the installer even fixed the outside storm door, too, so it also has a tight seal to the doorway.
We now have to replace our front window in the bedroom - the mechanisms on the side broke (it's a Pella Window). After WEEKS of calling the people that installed our new front window, a salesman came over this week to have us sign a contract. He wanted 50% down (that's okay), but added a $14charge because I had to put the $450 on a Visa card. (yeah, the window costs $900- for ONE Bedroom window- and there's nothing big or special about it).
With Tom being sick this weekend, it looks like home projects are on hold, although laundry, sweeping and cleaning the kitchen are always on his list, even if he's dragging! I have to admire his dedication and cleanliness!

Doggy Spa Treatment / Painting / Home Projects

TOM PAINTING THE LAUNDRYROOM - We wound up spending all afternoon painting the laundry room today, because there are so many little pipes and areas to work around. It looks really nice now, despite the time-intensive effort and detailed work.

The weekend is here and that means lots of home projects again, and a personal Doggy Spa treatment for Dolly and Franklin. On Sunday, our friend Steve met us for an early breakfast at Panera Bread, minus Jane, who wasn't feeling well. Nice to laugh first thing in the morning! The day progressed with Tom painting the laundry room, while I (Rob) bathed our 2 dogs, then clipped their nails and washed their ears. Of course lots of treats were required! They're both great with taking a bath now (we have a utility sink), and with ear cleaning. It's the nail trimming they don't care for, although Dolly puts up with it. Franklin still squeals like a little girl and won't let me clip but one nail at a time.
Saturday was also busy, with all the house cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, laundry, grocery shopping, dog walking, etc. We did take time out to enjoy seeing The DARK KNIGHT on DVD with our friends Mike and Heidi, and 2 of their kids, Sadie and Jake (my godson). We had a fun time, and the movie was fantastic (just as it was in the theatre the first time).

Comic Con/ House / Doggy Stuff / Eyes Have it!

Yesterday's Baltimore Comic Book Convention was great. It was very crowded, and I went with my friend Grey, and Tom's friend's partner (both of whom are HUGE comic book fans). We spent hours there going through the aisles of comic books, seeing artists and writers, looking at toys, tee-shirts, and other superhero stuff. It was fun! We also took a lunch break and went to the Federal Hill Street Festival (nearby) that our friend Jane organized. We met Jane and Steve for a quick lunch and enjoyed the festival before going back to the convention!
- HOUSE PROJECT Meanwhile, Tom stayed home with the dogs, and installed 4 new in-ceiling lights in the Kitchen. They look awesome, and provide great light in there now!
DOG NEWS- Dolly gets her stitches out tomorrow!!! Franklin's leg is much better, too. The doc apparently worked it back into place.
- EYE STUFF- I pick up my 2nd pair of glasses tomorrow, and in 2 weeks, Tom goes for his cataract surgery consultation. Yup, he's got them and they're driving him crazy, so they need to be removed. Stay tuned.

2 Electricians and Recovery Day #4:Sunday

We're staying close to home this weekend, because Dolly is in a lot of pain from her surgery. SO, on Saturday we had two electricians here to work on several projects. The light switch on our stairway doesn't work right on both floors; we had two spotlights wired up in the backyard (to see the dogs at night); an attic light installed; wiring to the new backyard fountain we bought (at 50% off last weekend!)and a light and ceiling fan in the new patio we built (but still haven't enclosed). The job is continuing on Sunday, too. Meanwhile, there's no rest for us. I made a run to the dump and bought 12 mum plants and 5 bags of hardwood mulch. After we moved our new fountain, Tom planted the mums and mulched another new bed of plants he planted last weekend. (see photo) Because we've put so much effort into the backyard, I made a little VIDEO TOUR of some of the backyard, so you could see it!

DOLLY UPDATE DAY #4: When Dolly relieves herself she cringes, because of the pain. It's supposed to subside after a week. I can't wait. Further, she's learned to work her way out of the Elizabethan (plastic) collar, and can actually bend past the inflatable dog collar. Fortunately, she's really good about not going to her stitches. She's on Codeine and Rimadyl (I think people take both, although I've never had Rimadyl). Saturday night into Sunday, I slept on the floor with her again, and she was a lot more comfortable, only getting up 4-5 times and moving. I've been walking her and Franklin short distances around the neighborhood, and the small amount of exercise seems to relieve the pain she gets when she pees. So, that's a good thing. Tonight I plan on sleeping in our bed for a change!

More Weekend Patio Work and Gardening

Sunday was a beatiful day outside, sunny and 86F so Tom finished the third and final side of framing the patio roof, so we can paint it and screen it! It took about 4 hours.

While Tom was finishing up the side of the patio today, Sunday, I was in charge of planting and dog washing!
This morning, we bought 10 creeping juniper shrubs and it was my job to plant them near our backyard shed. I did that and washed the dogs, so Dolly and Franklin were sparkling clean! I used a dog shampoo that smells like strawberries - we bought it in Target and I recommend it.
We finshed around 4:30pm, cleaned up and met Tom's folks for dinner - what a way to end a weekend.

Another Working Weekend! - with VIDEO Proof!

This weekend we worked on the porch more, actually Tom did, with his step-dad, and his sister's boyfriend. They built two of the three sides, that are going to be screened in next weekend... and they put one of the two doors on it! You can see some of that in the picture here, and you can see our paint job from last weekend. I was in charge of cooking for 6! - we did take time out to visit a Baltimore Antiques Show and Federal Hill, Baltimore, and the Hampton National Historic Site (Mansion) in Towson, Md. - a great 19th century home, with 95% of it's original furnishings. Worth the trip!

Sinking Money into a Sink!

We spent the last two weeks trying to install a utility sink in our laundry room. We thought it would be easy. It wasn't!
It went from $100 to almost $1000 with lots of plumbing issues. First, we needed to run water lines in - we got a plumber to do that. Then we learned that the drain line wasn't big enough or something to take the water, so the first time we ran the washer machine - that was connected to the same drain line as the new sink- ALL the water gushed into the sink, through the sink drain... and didn't go down. SO, then we needed to make the drain to the sink the only drain into the line, and put a discharge line from the washer into the sink. Okay.
The sink STILL didn't drain. Then we had to buy a $225 sump pump for the sink (and washer) to ensure the water gets thrust down the drain. THEN it worked. Apparently, the 1" in diameter drain line wasn't large enough to take all that water. Oh, yeah, we also had to buy a "Backflow valve." Tom knows what all this stuff is and he installed the stuff post-plumber (I took care of the dogs and made banana bread- hey, you do what you're good at!)
We were finally able to get it finished and do 2 weeks of laundry (we were unable to do it, because it was attached to the same drain system). What a mess!

The Not-so-Joys of Selling a House

Well, it's happened. I have one contract on the townhouse, but they want part of the new roof altered/fixed, and a little mold in the attic removed (which is estimated at 2K), a couple of small plumbing issues; insulation and some roofing material removed from the attic (which was left there when the roof was replaced), and get this- the home inspector said "when I turned the Auxiliary heat to 112F it only reached 97F in the house. This MUST be fixed." Who in the hell would put heat up so high? I dunno. Anyway, I've got an HVAC person coming this afternoon. I'm glad I'm not married to a home inspector. Can you imagine trying to cook for a person like that? What a pain in the #%(^ they'd be.