Before and After Vol. I

Below are before and after shots of three of the upstairs rooms. The "before" photos were taken prior to buying the house. They show the tenant's mess in all of its glory. If we had smellavision you could also enjoy a comparison of before and after odors. The photos are of the small guest bedroom, upstairs guest bath and the hallway.

Sheepdog Trials

We went to the sheepdog trials last weekend. Some of the shepherds were great, others struggled to get the sheep herded. But, all were far better dog trainers than either of us.

Local History

We live a short walk away from Royal Spring and the birthplace of bourbon.

Dining Room

We finished painting the dining room and removed all of the boxes, painting supplies, and other clutter that was filling the room. We've also setup the rug, table, and other furniture that we brought back from Nora's parents' house.

Bzzzzzzzzzz

We have an old rotten tree in the backyard that needs to be cut down. We held off on doing this last summer since the fellow who would have cut the tree found a bee colony in the tree. It was very windy here last night and one of the rotten parts of the trunk blew down. The colony of honey bees was in a part of the fallen trunk. We are making arrangements for a beekeeper to come and get them.

Party Deck

With the recent warm weather we've been able to grill and eat outside.

Fashion Crisis

The fashion police have issued a warrant for Eric. He better scurry back up north where they let people wear stuff like this.

Backpack

The pups got something new this weekend....a backpack.

Warm Weather - Yard Work

The weather was really nice this past weekend so we got outside and did some much needed yard work. We added some lattice to the sides of the porch, planted a bunch of flowers, and started landscaping the west side of the house with some brick and gravel around the HVAC units. The seeded grass is starting to grow on both sides of the house.

New Exercise Program

Having watched every episode of the Dog Whisperer over the last few weeks, we decided to take the dogs out to skate like Cesar Millan. We found that there is a park less than a mile from the house that has a long, flat walking path next to the creek. The dogs love to run next to us or tow us behind them. After a half hour of this, they are ready for naps and we are slightly more fit.

Painting - Stairs Part 2

Here are some pictures of the ongoing work being done on the stairs. The wooden balusters are filthy and need to be cleaned before receiving two coats of trim paint.

A Real Snow Day

We finally had a real snow day (for Kentucky) last weekend. In other words, we got more than an inch. The dogs had a ball playing in the snow. Scout was more interested in napping.

Painting - Stairs

We continue to prep and paint the trim. Here I am working on the decorative trim on the stairs. It had a lot of dirt and grime that needed to be cleaned before it was painted.

Relaxing On The Couch

February

John "cooking" in our dry county.

Starting seeds for a garden.....

Mr. Ears

Sleepy cats.

Sleepy dogs.

Painting

Painting, painting, and more painting. With all of the major interior work done the only thing that remains to be done is painting. We're slowly working our way throughout the house to complete the interior painting.

Last Dumpster

With the completion of all the major work there is no longer a need for a dumpster. The fourth and last dumpster was picked up on Monday.

Snow

It finally snowed, but only about an inch. The pups thought it was lots of fun. Alas, the results of this mini blizzard have melted.

Stained Glass Window

The large stained glass window has finally been put back in place. The window trim still needs some work and paint before it'll be totally done.

We've posted a picture of this window before, but it was so pretty with the sunlight coming through that it is worth a new picture.