Can you send up a Diet Coke?

Charles pokes his head through the attic entry and smiles at Bizzy as she snaps this shot. Charles was up in the attic helping Grandpa string electrical wire from one side of the house to the other in order to run power to the new additions. Most of the old electrical circuitry was bypassed and shut down, with the exception of two good circuits running the three main rooms in the center of the house. Everything else in Yellow House will be virtually new electrical wire.

We don't know where to start!

Uncle Rod looks over the electrical wiring that Grandpa, Charles and Bizzy pulled during the previous week. Uncle Rod said he was impressed with the work thus far and promptly got out of Yellow House before being recruited to inspect the attic.

Charles was thankful that Uncle Rod showed up, because he so needed a Diet Coke break (don't worry, there is more bottled water than Diet Cokes in Charles' cooler!).

This part of the new addition belonged to the old front porch. Behind Charles, on the other side of the stud wall, is the front entry way and beyond it, the living room. The doorway in the extreme rear goes into the master bedroom.

The blue green walls behind Uncle Rod belong to the old kitchen, which now has become the dining room. Behind the wall to the left is another existing bedroom, above which is the attic entry in the peak. Where these two are standing will become a third bedroom/den/office.

Yellow House NOW (sort of!)

With the exception of the front windows, which have since been replaced, this is about what Yellow House looks like now. We're waiting on siding to arrive and we're ready to drywall inside (see above posts).

Yellow House sits on an acre-and-a-half with a one-car garage in the back. The idea, when Dad bought this last November, was to build a pole barn on the back of the lot so that we'd have a place to store the boats. Yellow House sits approx. 4 miles from Bass Lake.

While we were working on the house during June, we discovered a mommy deer and two baby fawns feeding from the droppings beneath our one apple tree at the rear of the lot. Every night at dusk they come out and we watch them feed.

Yellow House THEN (February 2008)

This is the same side view as the post below. The attic opening is in the peak. We had the front porch sheared off and built a new addition with entryway. The far bay window (extreme right rear) is the front living room. Our goal was to try our hardest to keep the rounded window bays.

Yellow House NOW

As you can see, the two new additions nearly dwarf the old part of the house (the center part with the peak). The opening in the peak goes into the attic, which Charles had to climb into to help Grandpa run new electric wires to both sides of the house (see above).

Yellow House THEN (February 2008)

While we waited for the weather to warm up, we started making plans, the first of which was to shear off the back addition (the one with the makeshift chimney and back door) and the front porch and add two new additions. In the post following, you can barely see the rear peak as the new roof covers the old one. The wood shingle siding has been totally removed all the way around. Where you see Becca walking in the picture below, she is to the right of the old grill, but 10 feet away from where the old building was.

Yellow House NOW

This is the back side of Yellow house with the new addition. We'll be receiving siding this week with the hopes of being covered next week. That's Becca exploring.

Our newest addition!

We recently added to our little family. This is D.D. (prounounced "DeeDee"). When we first began looking for a dog last fall, we found an Amish dog breeder near one of our favorite Amish towns, Nappannee. He breeds Pomeranians, and we fell in love with his adult dogs - one male and three female - all of which reminded us of our beloved Sandy and Tigger.

When Mom and Dad picked up Abe (pronounced "Aay-Bee") they purposefully gave him a name that Becca could say, at the same time learn the alphabet. A unique idea, and we wanted to follow suit. Becca decided that our new puppy should be named either C.C. ("CeeCee") or D.D. (see above). She liked D.D. better, so we now have D.D., or her appropriately named AKC moniker, "Biz's Darling Dog".

She's smart as a whip. At 13 weeks, she's nearly potty trained, can do several tricks and loves Abe to the point that when they go out together, she's hanging off his ears!

That's my Peanut Butter Sandwich!

Becca and Grandpa enjoy a quiet moment on the deck at the Bass Lake cottage over the Fourth of July weekend. Grandpa is feeling much better after two week-long stints in the hospital in May and June.

In May, Grandpa Claude felt like there was something wrong with his heart, but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong, adjusted his medication and sent him home. He started feeling better, but was having some pains in his lower torso and knew, just knew that he was sick. He went back into the hospital two weeks later and doctors found an intestinal infection - Diverticulitis - and treated him. After five days, he was sent home to recuperate, which took another three weeks.

He's feeling much better now and is back working in Yellow House. More to come!

Update coming soon!

I know it's been awhile, but I will have an update posted this week! For those of you who check periodically, we thank you for reading. I have pictures of Yellow House, fun at the lake, and summer school to come.

Thanks again and check back soon!

WITNESS TO A 21ST CENTURY HISTORICAL EVENT!

While trying to finish up some last minute details as the final month of school opened, Biz received a phone call from Hillary Clinton's advance team wanting to know if President Bill Clinton could make a campaign stop at Plymouth High School. As Biz's principal was in meetings most of that day, he delegated that she should be the event coordinator for the former President's visit. For the next two days, I saw very little of Biz, as she spent hours with Hillary's advance team, members of the Secret Service, and our community's emergency services personnel to plan this event.

Last Saturday, after waiting for nearly three hours, more than a thousand people turned out to hear what President Clinton had to say. I, of course, wanted to be a witness to this one-time only event, as I'm sure President Clinton and I would never again cross paths.

I stood at the far edge of the crowd, thinking I was at the spot where President Clinton would exit once he left the stage after shaking many hands. Instead, President Clinton walked all the way over to where I stood, and shook my hand first! I was so caught off guard, I was speechless. I recovered quickly, and encouraged the former President to shake the hands of a couple of my students standing nearby, which he gladly did. He then proceeded to move along the wall of people that you see in the picture, shaking hands and greeting well-wishers.

All of my fellow colleagues at the school have been jabbing me of late, kidding that I, as a Republican, was the first listener and potential voter to shake the visiting former President's hand.

The rest is, as they say, history. Hillary went on to win Indiana in Tuesday's primary, but lost to Obama in North Carolina. I don't care; I got to shake a former President's hand, even if I never voted for the guy.

A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT

Never before had a presidential primary election season heated up communities in Indiana as this season has. Last Saturday, former President Bill Clinton made one of his 15 stops on a 3-day swing through Northern Indiana at Plymouth High School.

After a modest introduction, President Clinton proceeded to speak on the merits of Mrs. Clinton's bid to become President. Nearly a thousand people, both Republican and Democrat, turned out to hear what he had to say. From the perspective of a former journalist-turned-teacher, it was a wonderful social studies event just to be a witness of history in the making.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Many of Biz's students at Plymouth High School turned out for former President Bill Clinton's visit while campaigning in Indiana for his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton.

OUR NEW FAMILY ADDITION

After Becca returned from Arizona and Grandma and Grandpa arrived at the lake, we got a call from our Amish Pomeranian dog breeder. Two of his female Poms had puppies three weeks apart. Each had two, one had two boys and one had a boy and a girl. He called us to come look at this wonderful little creature.

She's four weeks old as of last week, and we will get to bring her home about the first of June. We timed it so we could spend the summer training her - that is, with the help of Grandma and Abe (Mom and Dad's Datsch-Pom mix). Charles still has some fixing to do with the back yard to ensure that she will not get out this fall.

After two years of letting Abe out the back door, Grandma has finally requested that Grandpa and Charles build a doggie door at the lake house, especially if this cutie comes to visit this summer.

We'll keep you posted.

EASTER AT THE LAKE

After Aunt Leslie's visit in February, we hunkered down and waited for Spring. Before Spring could arrive, however, Easter weekend ushered in a chilly Spring Break for us. We spent the weekend at Bass Lake, and got ready for the Easter Bunny, which meant coloring Easter eggs.

As you can see, Becca has become quite adept at using a fine-haired paintbrush. Anything she can do when it comes to painting, she enjoys.

As the weekend came to a close, however, Charles said bye-bye to Becca and Bizzy, who both flew to Las Vegas on Easter Sunday, Bizzy to drive back with Grandpa, while Becca remained in Bullhead City, Arizona. Bizzy stayed for a couple of days, but then drove back to Indiana with Dad, who wanted to bring his tools and the pickup truck to use this summer.

Becca, on the other hand, stayed with Grandma and Aunt Leslie, and remained in Arizona for four weeks. Charles and Biz spent the first week after Dad flew back to Las Vegas, wondering what to do and how to talk to each other without a little one around. It was quite unsettling at first, but everyone survived and Becca is back with us.

I'm sorry it has taken so long to get a post on the blog. Becca's absence, at first, gave me quite the writer's block. More to come . . .

IT'S MY PARTY . . . II

Becca celebrated her fourth birthday with a party at the Bass Lake House last weekend (her birthday was actually the 20th). A special visitor arrived and surprised Becca Saturday morning. Leslie flew out of Las Vegas Friday evening and Charles drove to Midway Airport in Chicago to pick her up at midnight. Leslie's flight was delayed until 1 a.m., however, and it was after 3 a.m. when they finally reached Bass Lake.

Meanwhile, Biz took Becca to Bass Lake to warm up the house and get everything ready . . . only to find the furnace had quit and the temperature inside dropping as rapidly as outside. Uncle Bill and Cousin Barry came to the rescue, helped Biz with arranging repairs and waiting for the repairman to arrive, which he did at midnight. By 2 a.m. the furnace was fixed and the house warm by the time Leslie and Charles got there. We held Becca's party Saturday afternoon, and spent the day with Aunt Leslie. Uncle Bill and Aunt Gloria, and Barry, Crystal and the boys came over and had lunch and cake with us.

We spent a quiet Sunday with Leslie, who returned to Las Vegas Monday night. She had President's Day off, while our schools were in session. Charles went to work, but Bizzy took the day off and she and Becca spent the morning with Leslie. Cousin Claudia, who was also out at the lake, ran Leslie into Midway Monday afternoon.

It was a great weekend, one everyone enjoyed, and Becca got her "Auntie" fix, which hopefully will last her until summer. We hope everyone's February is nice and warm, while we weather out this cold snap and try to stave off the sniffles, coughs and colds.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA!

Aunt Leslie gave Rebecca a special birthday present by coming to Indiana and spending the weekend with the Indiana Ratliffs. Fun was had by all, albeit inside because it was cold outside (brrrrr!), and Becca celebrated her fourth birthday with an early afternoon party at the Bass Lake house.

Besides Leslie, Uncle Bill, Aunt Gloria, Barry, Crystal, Ethan and Trevor all showed up to wish Becca a Happy Birthday.

That's Charles in the middle who just happened to be in the picture.

FLOOD OF 2008 (the 2nd) Update . . .

The river continued to rise, this time reaching last month's mark. It's expected to crest sometime today, but with all the flooding in town and around the county, school was cancelled (again!). It really looks like we will be making up snow and flood days into June.

This is the historic Magnetic Park clubhouse two blocks over from our house. If you look closely, that is the gazebo in the back. The water has almost reached the point as was pictured in previous posts.

Our friends tell us this is unprecedented. Northern Indiana had just been declared a disaster zone by President Bush and FEMA for January's flood, then this happens. The Boys and Girls Club had just reopened with all repairs completed last week, then turned right around and was flooded, again.

We continue to perservere. Keep us in your prayers that as the water doth rise, so must it flow downstream. The upside of all this, the lakes are full and waiting to be used in the summer. We can hardly wait.

THE RIVER RISETH . . . Again!

With a mixture of snow and rain pounding an already saturated northern Indiana, the Yellow River has breached its banks yet again!. Officials say that the river will crest tonight or in the morning at 14.7 feet, a mere 6 inches shy of last month's flood stage of 15.1 feet. This all in just two days, as opposed to the week it took to rise and crest last month.

As we have said before, please don't worry about us, our house sits higher than the flood plain and we're still dry . . . for now. The picture shows a familiar area behind the Plymouth Boys and Girls Club, just south of our house, but only two blocks from Charles' school (downhill from, he adds!). Notice the piles of snow that had been plowed from roads, and the new slush in the lower part of the picture. No, the snow pile is not floating by. It's as stationary as an iceberg can be.

If you really want to see something familiar, click on the Pilot News link in the far column and look at their front picture for Thursday's newspaper. The pictured gazebo is the one in Magnetic park down the street from our house.

WHAT'S UP WITH THIS WACKY WEATHER?

Just a quick update: On the heels of a massive flood, one not seen since 1982, the weather turned cold again and we saw several inches of snow. That melted, and we warmed up again and a major wet-front came through. We started to get rain last Tuesday night, and right in the middle, an artic blast roared through. A major rain storm changed into a major snow storm right in front of our eyes. We got just a couple of inches, but the roads were wet and slick underneath the snow. School was canceled on Wednesday.

Then, the snow melted some Thursday morning, but by Thursday night, another cold front came through and dumped fourteen inches on the ground. School was canceled Friday.

By Friday night, the roads were cleared and on Saturday, everything was fine, except for a little snow shoveling, which Charles absolutely hates. We're waiting for the end of season clearance sales to come through and Charles is going to buy a snow thrower - that is, if all the companies that make them don't run out of stock before then!

It's Sunday morning and Becca is sporting another new dress that Bizzy found in California. She picked it out herself, put it on herself and Bizzy helped with the hair do. What did Charles do? He helped Becca pull on her tights - what a job for a Daddy.

Please keep thinking of us - as we are thinking of you - and pray this wacky weather straightens out before winter is up in six weeks or so!

More to come later!