Mary & Don's House

I visited Mary and Don's house last fall before going to Florida and loved the location.  They hadn't actually moved any furniture in at the time but I was very impressed with the work the previous owner had done on the house, gutting it and installing new windows, kitchen, bath, and flooring.  This left nothing much for them to do except some finishing touches and building the addition which should begin soon.  They also have what looks like a new and huge workshop on the almost 3 acres of land.  They got it for a song but it will be much improved by them, too.


Faye and I drove out on Thursday and it was apparent that Mary and Don have been working hard clearing out brush and planting flower and shrub gardens around the house.  Big planters overflowing with lush annuals are on the big 2 tier deck and this place looks like a home that is loved and cared for now.  Don has already put up the posts that will create a coral for his horse, too.  He's a little slow getting things done right now because he was quite ill over the winter and hasn't fully recovered.  He has what is known as polymyalgia, an illness that attacks the muscles...it took a while for it to be diagnosed but he's doing better these days.  It brought on a mild heart attack in the winter, too, so he's recovering amazingly well.


This home is something that both Don and Mary have wanted for a long time and it would be a shame if illness caused them to have to leave it behind.  I'm pretty sure that they'll be fine, though, and have many years in their retirement paradise.


We visited Don's son's family who live close by and they have a slew of animals...horses, cats, and dogs.  It's too bad that I'm allergic to cats because one of the kittens was so adorable I almost took a chance to pet it but didn't want to end up with an asthma attack.


Mary, Faye, and I went to the Windsor casino...Faye and I lost but Mary won.  She is so damned lucky!!  We had a big lunch in the casino restaurant so didn't want much for dinner in the evening.  We drank a lot of wine instead.  Nice evening.  We spent a lot of our spare time during our visit sitting out on the deck and gabbing.  It's beautiful countryside and I do envy them that they've found this equally beautiful spot to live in.  They are both happier than they've been in a long time because they had a crazy old lady neighbor at their old house who hounded them unmercifully.  Now they're living in a sweet spot with huge farmland on every side and with nice neighbors who don't live too close to bother them.  Don calls it heaven and I'm sure Mary agrees.


Faye and I left this morning but took the slow route home instead of the major highway.  It was a pleasant drive and, of course, we yakked all the way.  I love little getaways like this especially when they're spent with some of my most favorite people in the world.