Another Pandemic Project

The Colonel and I have lived in Tradewinds, our custom-built, retirement, dream home for nearly thirteen and a half years now. When we had Tradewinds built, the little garage cottage (Tarpon Cottage) that sits catty-corner from the house did not have an air conditioning system. We had a couple of window units at one time but those really are no substitute for a a good system (plus they are noisy).

I had been wanting to get a good A/C system in the cottage for a long while but just kept putting it off and with the pandemic situation going on, we had nothing but time to do a much needed and desired renovation project on the cottage.

We went to The Home Depot to choose a new floor tile. We wanted something that was light gray in color and had the look of wood flooring. We thought it would be easy working with The Home Depot, but it was not. We kept on getting the install date pushed back. No one at the store seemed to know anything about our order when we spoke to them. One employee called us the day before the install was finally going to take place and demanded more money (because the tile we choose had a special installment procedure unbeknownst to us) or the project would be cancelled. The whole order was mishandled from the very beginning. The tile installer was the exception to the whole experience...but we will talk about him later.   

We wanted a new color for the cottage walls. The original color was called Delicious Melon (very much like the color of the flesh of a cantaloupe). I like the color (my mermaid bathroom is still that color), but we wanted a change for the cottage. The Colonel choose a blue-gray called Absolute Zero. It is a nice cool and calming color. 

We pulled up the old carpet and began painting the walls in the smaller room of the cottage. Then we began to take out the pocket door that separated the two rooms and enlarge the opening. We would need to enlarge the opening so that the new A/C system could circulate the cool air throughout the entire space.

We got the pocket door removed (it is a heavy door) and continued to cut away the wall separating the two rooms of the cottage.

Once we had the wall opening enlarged, we framed it up and painted the wood white.

It was then time to tackle the larger room. There was more carpet removal and wall painting to do.

Before the tile man came, we had the new A/C unit installed. It is one of the mini split type units. It is whisper quiet and keeps the place very comfortable.

Finally, it was time for the tile installer. He was a nice, middle-aged man and originally from Albania. He did an excellent job installing the tile. It looks beautiful! He had the job completed in three days.

The transition from the bathroom tile to the new tile was seamless.

This is what the cottage looks like now. The only thing we are waiting for is a new piece of furniture. It is a chair that can convert into a lounger or a bed (the camping chair is temporary).

The chair we had originally wanted did not pan out. The company kept pushing the delivery date back, so we cancelled the order and got our money back. We decided to order a couch from Amazon and while we waited for that one to arrive, The Colonel, Yam and I shopped at Ikea in Tampa and bought a wing-back chair to sit in while we waited for the new couch to arrive. Funny thing was, when we came back from Tampa, a FedEx truck pulled in a couple of minutes after we did and had our new couch from Amazon (it was not supposed to arrive until the first week of October).

The chair we had originally wanted did not pan out. The company kept pushing the delivery date back, so we cancelled the order and got our money back. We decided to order a couch from Amazon and while we waited for that one to arrive, The Colonel, Yam and I shopped at Ikea in Tampa and bought a wing-back chair to sit in while we waited for the new couch to arrive. Funny thing was, when we came back from Tampa, a FedEx truck pulled in a couple of minutes after we did and had our new couch from Amazon (it was not supposed to arrive until the first week of October).

These are the new couch and chair.

The Colonel and I are very happy with the cottage renovation project. On to the next project...

A Pandemic Project

 We are all experiencing some cabin fever during this pandemic. I think The Colonel's cabin fever manifests itself through the creation of DIY projects (from the crowds at The Home Depot, I think many people feel the same way).

One of his latest projects involved revamping my end table in the living room. He made me the table a long time ago and said it was time to "beef up" the legs, give it another coat of paint and maybe add some color to the interior. Sure, why not. I had some time on my hands too.

This is what the old spindly legs looked like and the interior was plain white (I had removed the top, an old six-paned window frame before I took the photograph).

 

Not only did The Colonel add more substantial legs, he also added some storage (a place for headphones, cables and cords) and a power bar to the underside of the table. 

I painted the interior of the end table a beautiful, blue, chalk paint.

I also repainted the outside, legs and window pane a bright white.

I am glad The Colonel suggested the end table revamp. It has turned out beautifully. I love the new blue interior, it makes the displayed items inside pop.

We have more pandemic projects in the works. Stay tuned!

My Brush (or Swab) With Pandemic Procedure

Image from the Internet

 

That looks uncomfortable doesn't it? THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS!

The image above is depicting the act of a Nasopharyngeal (NP) swab. It is what you have to have done for a COVID-19 test.

I was hoping I would never have to have one of these tests but I had my first (and hopefully last) one done on Wednesday, August 12. I had to have the test as part of my pre-op work-up for my gallbladder surgery on the 20th.

The test would be administered while I remained in our vehicle. The Colonel drove to the testing site (a covered area on the side of the hospital...their signage was less than helpful in locating the testing site) and a nurse came out within a couple of minutes. Once she determined who I was and that my name appeared on her list, she told me I would be having the "regular" test and a MRSA test. I also was to get a small bottle of soap that I was to use for my shower before I had my surgery. She went back inside the building.

The Colonel said having the "regular" test was good, as it supposedly shows less false positives. That made me feel a bit better about having to have this test.

The nurse came back to the vehicle's window and began her first swabbing. It was for the MRSA test. She had two long Q-tips that were attached to one another on one end, like a pair of disposable, wooden chopsticks. She gently spread the two swab ends apart, just enough to fit one end in each of my nostrils simultaneously. She then moved the swab ends around the inside of my nostrils. That was painless and quick.

Next came the much maligned (and rightfully so) NP swab. The nurse then took out one very long Q-tip and stuck it in one of my nostrils. She kept inserting it until she reached the dark line on the swab's shaft that indicated how far the swab needed to penetrate one's nasal cavity. 

As the swab was moving along its predetermined path (which felt like its destination would be beyond my Cerebellum), I felt a burning sensation in my nose and eyes. It felt similar to getting your nose hit or bumped hard. We all know that feeling. I also experienced a metallic/chemical taste that stayed with me for about twenty minutes. Now I knew what to expect and what all the hype was about. I had one more nostril to go. Thank goodness the nurse was experienced and her movements were swift and economical (and that I did not have to pay for the testing...at least not monetarily...as my Econ teacher taught...nothing is ever free...I paid with my time and pain).  

I do not know when I will hear the results of my testing, but I certainly hope they will return negative so that I can proceed with my gallbladder surgery next week.

I have been hearing that some people go and have the COVID-19 tests voluntarily...must be gluttons for punishment.

NOTE: Both tests were negative and my gallbladder surgery took place and went well.

Together Once Again

The current pandemic has caused many people to defer the funerals and burials of their loved ones. We waited five months and three days to have The Colonel's mother's cremains lovingly placed, by The Colonel's hand, between those of her beloved husband and mother.

The Colonel phoned the cemetery and asked if we could finally bury his mother. He let them know it would be a very small, private affair (no tent or chairs required) and that he wanted to be the one to bury her. I think they were taken aback a bit but said yes to his request.

On June 22, 2020, The Colonel, Yam and I (Spud was not able to join us, as he was in Pensacola for his naval training) drove the hour north to the cemetery. We had Jane's cremains in what we now call "The Family Urn". We had used this same urn to transport The Colonel's father's cremains about a year earlier and used it to transport the cremains of his sister before we had her interred in the Key West cemetery in 2016.

The Colonel and Yam transferred Jane's cremains from the urn to a plastic bag, which in turn was placed within a cloth bag made from one of Jane's favorite t-shirts (I had cut it and sewn it into a drawstring bag for this purpose per The Colonel's wishes). We then placed a family photo inside the cloth bag.

The cemetery workers had the grave ready for us. It may seem odd to say this, but it was good to "see" My-Favorite-Father-In-Law again. His little blue vault was visible as we peered into the grave. The Colonel got down on his knees and placed his mother's cremains inside her vault and then replaced the lid before he began to lower the dirt back into the open grave with the shovel he brought from home (the cemetery workers had shovels available but The Colonel wanted to use his own to bury his mother).

 

Yam and I also helped to bury Jane but The Colonel did most of the work.

The cemetery workers had to bring over a couple more loads of dirt for The Colonel to continue burying his mother (and reburying his father).

Once The Colonel had the open grave filled, the cemetery workers took over and replaced the granite stone that covers the grave site.

Finally, Jane is laid to rest. She is nestled between her husband and her mother. They are together once again. Once Jane's bronze plaque is placed below her husband's on the granite slab, we will make another trip to the cemetery to take a picture of it.

Scarlett O'Harvey

A few weeks ago, The Colonel and I went shopping for a tree. We wanted to plant it in our empty lot next to The Pinery (our house in town). We have always loved the look of Royal Poinciana trees. The first time we saw one was when we visited Key West, Florida in 1984. In May 2018, Key West adopted the Royal Poinciana as its official tree.

The Royal Poinciana was named for Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, the 17th century governor of Saint Christopher (Saint Kitts) in the Caribbean. 

In North America, the tree grows in South Florida, Central Florida and in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas (and now my side lot...13 years ago, we planted a Royal Poinciana tree in the yard of our house in the country but a cold snap destroyed it).

When The Colonel and I purchased the tree we were told the blooms would be red. Some trees can be a reddish-orange color or even a rare yellow color. We wanted the red colored blooms.

We have named our new tree Scarlett O'Harvey...Scarlett due to the color of her future blooms and O'Harvey because she now resides on Harvey street (gee-whiz, hope no Millennial gets their panties in a bunch because of the similarity of my new tree's name and that of a certain character from a classic book/movie that shall remain nameless...or maybe...I can say it this way..."Absent with the Zephyr"). 

Two men from the nursery arrived with Scarlett O'Harvey in tow.

We watched as they dug a hole in the ground and planted our new tree.

Nearly done...

                                                      

Scarlett O'Harvey looks beautiful in her new home. We are watering her every day and we are seeing new growth on her limbs already. No blooms yet, hopefully by next season. She should grow out to have a nice canopy and be a gorgeous shade tree.

There are many Royal Poinciana trees around our town, but one of our favorites resides in a park alongside the river.

Fiddle Dee Dee, What a Beautiful Tree!