Family Mellmann

After a quick run to Billings to take care of some business, I went to the construction site.  While the last visit was a bit lacking in the photograph department, this week I could get inside the house now that the painter is nearly done. It was a gorgeous day today and the prairie grass is green and dotted with wildflowers.   Meanwhile, most of the siding is now done.  What remains is bits and pieces which will be completed once the "tongue-in-groove" ceiling is installed everywhere...but first I have to stain it.  That starts next week when the materials arrive. The master shower is nearly complete.  A couple of tiles are missing (they can't go in place until the electrician has connected the heated floor) and there's a bit of grout left to finish.  She (the tiler) will finish the grouting when she returns to tile the guest bathroom floors. The painting inside is nearly complete.  The dining room needs a second coat of paint and then there are a few...

I am a little behind on photo updates so I'll take this opportunity to play a little catch up. Early May - green grass, snow in the mountains, and the painter is busy getting the garage painted so we can store stuff in it. By the middle of the month, the master shower was tiled (almost finished) and grouting was right around the corner. Two of the bedrooms and bathrooms are painted and the painter was putting another coat on the doors.   On Wednesday, we returned from a trip to Michigan to surprise my mom for her birthday.  Today I went out to the house to see that the siding is going up and the exterior fireplace has been installed. The painter has everything protected and is spraying the ceilings.  No inside visit this time. By the time I visit next week, hopefully all the siding will be done.

I had the most lovely afternoon with my daughter today. She moved, somewhat unwillingly, into her own (first) apartment last Saturday. Despite having more than a week to get ready (months actually), she moved out unprepared. She didn't have flatware, dishes, glasses, pots or pans, or anything useful for living on your own. For those of you familiar with inattentive brain ADHD, planning ahead or having a vision for the future - even if that future is only 48 or 24 hours away - is not a thing. Without tools and strategies for planning and executing tasks, NOTHING gets done. Nothing is important until it's...too late. So, alone in her disorganized tiny apartment, Katherine started to figure out what she was missing. Most notable, she couldn't cook meals - unless they came in a microwavable package, which she has decided is fine once in a while but not every.single.day. Ahhh. The brain starts to learn what happens when you fail to plan. Anyway, Grandparents (and paren...

Today was a beautiful day for a drive to Absarokee.  We are getting eager for completion so the progress feels slow but there is progress nonetheless. The painter has most of the space primed and is currently painting trim and doors.  He may get the garage finished before the weekend. The tiler has the master shower floor in (cement) and the drain set, as well as all the walls finished with cement board (drywall for wet spaces).  The builder has put in more posts and beams, and is completing the gable over the front door.  They also gave the last batch of beams a first coat of stain. Meanwhile, the cabinet pulls and knobs are coming in, the appliances are in and sitting at the warehouse, and we are ready to order chandeliers and wall sconces, and the drop-in vanities for the guest bathrooms.