When we first started figuring out what needed to be done around the house, the roof was the one thing I knew we couldn’t mess around with. It was old. It was in bad shape. And after twelve years of questionable property management, it was pretty obvious that replacing it wasn’t going to be optional….
After twelve years in Canada, Dave and I decided it was time to come home to Oregon. I had officially retired in 2025, at 62, and I was looking forward to settling back in, enjoying some time with family, and maybe slowing down a little. The house had been rented and managed while we were…
SOMETHING HAS TO GROW AROUND HERE The Oregon weather had other plans for our Renovation Saga. When it’s too wet to work outside, there’s not much point in trying to fight it. So instead of working on the house and yard, I decided to sit down with my seeds and start planning what I’m actually…
THE FIRST CLUE WAS THE SMELL I knew there was a problem with the house the moment I walked through the door. I smelled mold. Dave and Mom couldn’t smell it. But I could, and I knew that smell. It wasn’t something I was imagining, and I wasn’t about to ignore it just because nobody…
One of the things I’m enjoying about being back on the Oregon Coast is that sometimes you don’t need an actual plan to go exploring. You can just get in the car and drive. This particular drive took me through Newport, Seal Rock and Waldport, following the coast and taking in some of the towns,…
When Dave and I moved back to Canada, I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was born in Canada, had always wanted to live there again, and by then Mom was living with us. We also hoped that moving to Canada would mean better healthcare for her. It didn’t.But that’s another story….
I’ve never been particularly good at doing just one thing. Give me an idea, and there’s a pretty good chance I’ll want to figure out how to do it myself. Over the years, I’ve taught myself all kinds of things. Computer graphics. HTML. Graphic design. Making T-shirts. Making cards. Soap. Skincare products. Cooking. Gardening. Photography….
There comes a point when you realize something isn’t just a bad week anymore. My teaching job had been something I genuinely loved, but things changed, and eventually I knew it was time to leave. So I quit. I didn’t have another job lined up, but I wasn’t exactly jumping into the unknown alone. Dave…