Home again, home again, jiggity jig

We got home around 8 to absolutely gorgeous hardwood floors in the hall, living room, and dining room. Well, we think they are absolutely gorgeous. Considering the fact that they are around 72 years old, I think they turned out really well. There were a few pieces of wood that needed to be replaced, but again...they are 72 years old, so a few pieces certainly wasn't bad. Now, though, I have some cleaning to do. The dust isn't too awfully bad,except on the stairs going up, but I'm still going to have to get out the Rainbow and/or the shop vac. I can't wait to get everything back in place. It's going to be so much fun to decorate at Christmas. I wonder if I could convince John that we needed a live tree again this year instead of the artificial one I bought last year? Might be worth a shot. :) Once I get everything back in place, I'll post a picture or two.

The week at the lake went by entirely too quickly, but we got a good start on our to-do list. The two biggest projects--replacing the fuse box with a breaker box and replacing the fascia board--got done. Ron came over Tuesday, and he and John did the electrical work. The rest of the week, John and I worked on the fascia boards. We still need to paint them, but that won't be difficult. We're going back up weekend after next (the weekend of the Bama-Tennessee game) and hopefully, we'll get the painting done and get the lights put up. I'm going to try to convince John to go ahead and replace the hot-water heater that weekend too. The 12 gallon one ain't cutting it. :)

There were a couple of sad news happenings during the week. First of all, Misty, one of my closest and best friends, lost her dad. Mr. Smith had been sick for a couple of months, but it seemed as if he was slowly getting better. I was completely shocked when Susan called me Thursday afternoon and told me he had passed away. I haven't had a chance to see Misty, yet, and when I do, I have no idea what I'll say to her. I doubt I'll say anything at all. Sometimes just hugging someone says much more than words can ever say. The next few months, especially around the holidays, will be so difficult for them.

The next piece of sad news was from Mom. Their chihuahua, Gizmo, died about 12:30 AM Thursday. He had been attacked last Sunday morning by a German shepherd, and he just couldn't pull through. She and Dad were talking to him and petting him when he died. Gizzy brought such joy and happiness to them. They were only going to be puppy-sitting him for a couple of weeks or so, but that was six years ago. Long time to puppy-sit, huh? I knew this little guy had taken over my dad's heart when he (Dad) started letting Giz sleep in the bed with them. When I was growing up, animals belonged in the yard, and they certainly didn't sleep in the bed with you. Funny how a ball of fur can make a person change his mind. Mom says that Mule, their other chi, is completely lost without his buddy. They are looking for another red apple-head chihuahua, so if you know of one, LET ME KNOW! Both Giz and Mule can be considered rescue dogs, so they aren't opposed to one who isn't a brand-new pup.

I know there is more I probably wanted to post about, but I am dog tired. John and I worked our tails off this past week, and neither of us can sleep very well on the bed we have up at the lake. It will feel SO good to rest my tired bones on MY bed in just a minute.

I hope everyone has a great week.