As promised a picture of the new utility room. Janine did the work, I took the picture. I told you she did a great job. Doesn't that just make you want to do laundry? I have two loads to run if anyone's interested. I'll even throw in the vase!
Things are a lot greener now that spring's here. The pollen this year is insane though! Everythings coated in a fine layer of yellow dust.
Very cool to see what is flowering so far. There's a lot of pinks and reds, which is fine. I decided to go with a Halloween theme for the rest of the flowers. Everything else will be purple and orange. I call that "Neen Approved".
The best part of the warmer weather isn't the flowers or the lawn mowing, or the bugs, or the pollen. It's being able to go outside and throw slabs of meat on a fire and eat to exhaustion!
And listen to Heavy Metal! (Testament - Souls of Black)
Things were quiet here at The Lewis Show this week. Janine got a rare week off from work and spent the week updating the utility room. It looks really nice and it's probably not fair to tease without showing off her awesome work, but the camera is in her car. So I'll take some shots tonight and tomorrow and post again the newer, prettier utility room.
I don't think I could begin to make such renovations. Janine basically sandpapered and scrubbed the walls, patched holes, painted, moved out the washer and dryer, tiled the floor, put in wall shelves, and a hundred other things that I couldn't even fathom. While that's insanely hard work, it's the most rewarding work anyone can do. She's improving the investment that we made in this house. I'd like to think I helped, but it was mostly some help moving some heavy things, and going out for dinner.
I'm so proud of the room. Our next big projects will probably be the kitchen and the window/door replacement. We'll take it all one day at a time and take pictures all along the way.
It's not the manliest thing to do, posting about a soap opera, but when I heard that The Guiding Light was going off the air, I was reminded of the one memory that I hold of my Grandmother.
I remember a very warm August day at my Grandmother Bessie's house. My brother was just an infant and sleeping, I was probably 3 at the time. We were outdoors playing badminton. I remember her green, patterned outfit and her black penny loafers. I remember having no coordination with the badminton birdie and getting beaten badly by a woman, albeit a much older woman. I remember the trains as they roared by her house, she lived directly beside train tracks, which in the Hampton Roads area, is pretty common.
I remember the above theme music even to this day and am taken back to that moment. I remember her stopping suddenly and herding me inside because she didn't want to miss her soaps. Once inside she turned to the bedroom and yelled out, as only a 4'11 elderly Irish lady would do, "Get out of bed, Buster!” For a long time I thought Buster was my Grandfather's name. That was not the case, that was her affectionate at times, not affectionate at other times nickname for him. Buster.
Theodore was his name; everyone called him Teddy though...except Grandma. You would have to see him to believe him. He stood a giant, well over 6 feet, 5 inches tall. He was a rough character, loud and downright mean, but when it came to his wife, a woman half his height, he knew well to listen quick. He would later go on to teach me how to fish, and would buy me a comic book every week. He set my foundation of being the geeky redneck that I am today..but that is another story.
Teddy got up after a little grumbling and preceded to play a board game with me while my Grandmother, dear sweet Bessie watched her soap, Guiding Light. And that is my one memory of my Mom's mother and in that one moment in time, I'm reminded of what a kind, and fun loving grandmother that I was blessed to know. Even for that one moment in time.
She lived a rough life, surviving the depression and raising 5 kids while her husband worked on the road as a trucker, but she always had a good spirit, and she always demanded respect. She died the next year from cancer. Everyone that knew her to this day, 33 years later, still have nothing but the highest regard for her and I learned a valuable early lesson, don't mess with little old Irish ladies...ever!
I could never make a Vegas worthy brand, but it's time I started to do something..
Janine has always been a source of inspiration and good ideas for me. She has strongly suggested several times that I start a small, general/all purpose tech help service where I help people clean their computers, show them how to organize and store their data, and how to grasp the basics of everyday computer use.
The thought makes me feel like a very small fish in a very large pond, and I've never even dreamed of monetizing helping others, but maybe it's time I focus on creating something that can really benefit people while benefiting myself too. My Dad showed me that it is possible to be a jack of many trades and a master of most. I'm going to take what I've learned and make myself useful.
I'm putting it out there, and while this is about making a better me, mostly it's about time.
