Has it really been that long?

Well, we've been busy. Being a slumlord is hard work at best. We have been camped at the Elkhart Campground and spending our days at the apartments taking care of "stuff."

Mostly supervisory stuff. We had windows to replace in one duplex, ten windows in all. We have been really impressed with this company. This is the third building they have done for us and they get started by 9 a.m. and finished by 3 p.m. The windows are great and the tenants love them. Easy to work and they can all be cleaned from the inside. The next big project was to replace two sliding glass doors. They are coming up on 30 years old and the weather stripping is shot. The doors are obsolete, so that means replacing the entire thingy. Terry bought the doors and had them delivered. Our roofing contractor also doubles as a general contractor and he put them in for us with the help of one other guy. They make it look easy. The doors are heavy and the work a little strenuous, but they had no problems. Terry had bought all the fillers, insulation, etc., they would be needing and he basically acted as the "gopher" getting them tools, etc., when they were needed. The doors are vinyl frame, so there is no painting--ever! Yay! Also, we had them "wrapped" with aluminum on the outside when finished, so they look exceptionally nice. Since the standard sized doors are not the same standard size of 30 years ago, we had to buy wider trim for on the inside. We made a visit to Miller Door and Trim in Goshen and found some old stock in their warehouse that will work perfectly. They are even finishing it for us, so all we have to do is nail it in place. Then that job will be complete. We really have great tenants and we want their homes to be comfortable and hope they stay forever! We enjoy a good relationship with them.

On another note. . . we have had yellow jackets. We thought at first they were honey bees, but they are not. We have them both at the main condo and at a tenant's house. So we called Orkin. Not sure we did the right thing there. After the first visit, we had MORE yellow jackets than before. We kept calling Orkin back and they kept telling us to give it a week. Finally Terry called and told them how unhappy he was with the service. So the next morning another guy came out and he hit them again. I must say that he did greatly reduce the activity, but there are still yellow jackets flying in/out of the nests and both places. This time they said to call back on Tuesday if they were still there. I think I will be calling again.

Last Thursday we closed the motorhome up. Phaeton Place had an appointment on Friday at Hill Truck Sales, Inc., for a 50,000 mile checkup. Hard to believe we have almost that many miles on the motorhome. Since our appointment was for 8:00, we decided it would be best to clean her up and get all unhooked, filled with propane and ready to go. Once we did that, we spent the night at the "storage condo" and in the morning, I took Terry over to the camp so he could go over to the service center. All is well with the coach and we brought her over to Goshen for the week.

We are staying here while I finish up a couple doctor appointments. On Friday the 11th, we are heading out to Virginia to see Jocelyn, Tom and Ronan and Whiskey. That should be fun. We are anxious to see them.

Last night we visited with my niece Staci and husband Kevin along with Brianna and Collin. Collin just turned two. He was born prematurely at something like 29 weeks 2 years ago. He was incredibly tiny, but has certainly beaten the odds and developed normally. He was excited about the new toys. It was good to visit with them and my other niece and family. . . Michelle, Rod, Kirstin and Kira. Kira was born 5 years ago and was born was a serious heart problem. She spent a month at Riley Children's Hospital. You would certainly not know the child had such a rough start.

Things are winding down for us here. We will be back up here for a few days the end of September between doctor appointments and close the place up. This extra step was made possible by one doctor canceling and rescheduling Terry's appointment. I'm not sure when they planned to tell us. . . we found out by accident. So, a little inconvenient, but hey. . . we're flexible.

Till next time. . .

Dale