Here's my column from last week. I was on vacation Thursday and Friday and didn't get a chance to update until now. I'll post this week's update about the fair along with pictures in a few days. Oh, and last week I didn't get my ark jabbed. It was my arm, and my blood test turned out good, so no more pokes!!

8/29 Column
After wasting a good three or four columns on the subject for the past year and a half, I sort of buzzed right by the subject for the past few weeks. We finally bought our house. And we even moved into it. Being a first-time home owner has been a real education. Thus far in our lives Nate and I have only lived as renters or leeches on the rest of the family. We closed on the house Aug. 8, and I swore we were going to sleep there that night. While Nate milked cows I got enough clothes and other necessities moved to spend the night. We had our bed, couch and TV. That was about it.

Over the past few weeks we’ve made many improvements to the place. Our appliances came in stages since some were in stock, some required a few modifications to the house and some had to be shipped and installed. I first got my washer and dryer. The dishwasher was delivered but not installed until a little wiring could be done. Next the refrigerator and stove were delivered. However, we learned our stove opening was about one-eighth of an inch too narrow. After a little amateur carpentry work by me and Nate with a hack saw and sander, we were good to go.

This past Saturday I finally had all my appliances up and running. I’ve finally been able to cook beyond the microwaveable, and Nate’s been reaping the rewards. He has enough leftovers to tide him over while I head south for a few days of vacation Thursday and Friday. Another ongoing project has been the installation of closet organizers. I found a great Web site with a closet design tool that I’ve been playing with. All I needed to do was adjust the closet to my dimensions, then draw in the shelves I wanted. At the end it printed a shopping list for me. My closet shopping trip turned out to be a waste. I learned the shelving was only sold in eight foot sections, meaning I’d need to high jack the truck for some serious hauling power. I got my chance last week and the seven sections of shelving, along with two bags of brackets, clips and supports filled our hall.

I spent most of the weekend drawing level lines, drilling holes, and popping in the hardware and shelves. The cordless drill and bolt cutters are my new best friends, but I’m asking Santa for a laser level. I still have a linen closet and front door closet to do. So far I’ve done all the work myself, but I thought I’d let Nate help with the last few. He’s been eyeing my newly purchased bolt cutter with envy since I brought it home Saturday.

If I’ve learned anything about being a home owner, it’s that they can sure drain a bank account fast. I hope now that we’re settling in, I can let the debit card cool off for a while.