Ready for Christmas

2015

 

8 December 2015 - Decorations Complete. We are ready to Celebrate the Birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ!!!!! 

 

 

My brother always said that one can never have too many angels.  Well, we have over 20.

This is the first Nativity Scene and I acquired it for Christmas 1971 when I first arrived in Macon, Georgia.

We always enjoy a real tree.  We have acquired our Trees from many places here in Middle Georgia.  Most recently Roberts Tree Farm near Bryon is the place to go!!!!

Many of the decorations have a special meaning for our Family.  We always include these special pieces to bring back precious memories. 

 

Alan

 

Today I post poses and views from the 1960s to the 2010s.  

 

 

The first two I am standing near an Arbor I constructed a few years ago in the East Garden.

 



 Here I pose with a Tulip Poplar Tree!

 Three of My Buddies while I was stationed at the Washington Navy Yard in the Mid 1960s.  The two on the left were on the Operation Deep Freeze Staff and remained in Washington to coordinate logistics for those deployed down under!!!  My Buddy and I on the far right were stationed at Navy Command Systems Support Activity, which was a Computer Software development Command to support the Navy Information Center for the Navy and also the Fleet Operational Centers for the Atlantic, Pacific and the European Fleets. 

 The next eight are poses by the Tulip Poplars in the Gardens at My Home in Macon-Bibb.  They were taken in 2013.

 

 Unfortunately I was not able to solve all of the problems our Federal Government faced, even back in the Mid 1960s.  But you can be sure that I did my very best.  I was a Second Class Petty Officer in the U. S. Navy.

Planning for the Future!

 

Planning Ahead!!

 

Many times in the past I have often had to look through stacks of papers and files to obtain information about the documents that are important to every homeowner.  Such things as copies of the deed, the warranty for air conditioning and heating equipment and every other item/s that are vital when maintaining a home.  I finally organized all of the purchase documents and warranty sheets as well as operation manuals in an expandable file with tabs and a complete index as to what each individual file contains.  The expandable file and the individual file folders are readily available in any office supply store.  I am confident that now I have a complete file system that will be available whenever I have a question about the many systems that our home has.  It will also be a valuable resource when we ever decide to downsize to another home.  I know what we paid for a specific system and when it was installed.

 

 

Thank You and I would suggest that you also construct a file system for your own home. 

Home Lifestyle Information

 

Lifestyle Information

 

Recently My Bride and I have been engaged in the renovation of our Home.  Over the past two years we have acquired new appliances and also taken the time to read the manuals that came with the new Clothes Washer and the new Dishwasher.  Today I will share information on having all of the products organized for each appliance to that everything is quickly available.

 

After we acquired a new Clothes Washer I learned that one should use a washing machine cleaning product once a month.  I perform this task on the first of the month, which is the same day I change the Heating/Cooling Filters for our HVAC systems.  The product I use is produced by "Affresh.  I have also learned that it is wasteful to simply pour appropriate soap into the washer so I have learned to use the "Tide" PODS which require no measuring.  You simply drop a POD into the washing machine before you load the clothes.  I also use Tide BOOST or Tide BOOST Extra to help remove stains from the clothes and other household items that we wash.  These are also available in PODS so again there is no measuring required.  You may be wondering about the red container shown above.  I acquired these at my local Home Improvement Store.  They have a soft cover so I can place it with the products I use on the top of the Dryer so everything is very available.

 

The new Dryer we also recently acquired requires that you remove the lint from the lint trap after each load.  To do otherwise is a fire hazard and also makes the dryer run a longer cycle thereby consuming more electric power to effectively dry your clothes and other washed items. 

This is the box I also obtained to keep the products required for the Dishwasher and Disposer to run effectively.  The owners manual for the dishwasher also stated that using a cleaning product once a month will allow the machine to operate in the most effective manner.  I obtained "Affresh" for the dishwasher.  Additionally the manual indicated that I should use a spot eliminator for washing glass ware.  I use "Finish" which is available in a bottle in liquid form.  For the cleaning product the manufacture of the Dishwasher recommended using PODS versus using a liquid dishwasher product.  I acquired a large box of Finish PODS.  This eliminates the need to measure the soap and as I just indicated, is much more effective than liquid soap.  In view of the cost of new appliances I consider it an appropriate investment by using the recommended products.

 

 

We also acquired a new Disposer for our Sink.  Once I read the Manual I learned that by acquiring a "Glisten" product for disposers you can eliminate odors and also clean the disposal cavity as well as the drain line.

I share this Post so that all may be aware that there are options we can all employ to help our home appliances to serve us more effectively and efficiently.  Thank You.



128 Weatherby Drive

Macon, Georgia  312120-8234

22 September 2015

 

Today I post a complete report on the exterior renovation of our Home.  This project commenced on 15 May and is essentially complete as of this date.  Admittedly I have a few more hours of labor to conduct before the Deck Renovation is totally complete.  The following is a summary of events with dates.  It must be stated that during the period of late June through mid July My Bride and I were enjoying our Annual Holiday to the Holy Land.

 

15 May            Henry Leslie at 747-2872 repaired the top of the Chimney and placed concrete at the                      top.  Once the concrete was dry he sprayed a sealer on the cap to prevent any future

                        cracking.

 

20 May            Ordered Window repair kits for seven downstairs from Warner Robins Supply.  The

                        old windows had rotted and in some cases the springs to allow the up and down

                        movements were broken.  The contact was Paul at 953-4100.

 

21 May            Covenant Plumbing installed a Rinnai Tankless Water Heater.  Contact is the owner

                        Dennis at 745-7436

 

2 Jun                Covenant Plumbing replaced all of the defective supply line plumbing with “PEX.”

                        The task was completed in two days and we enjoyed running water except for a brief

                        period when it was changed over.  The removed the old water heater and the exposed

                        water lines in the attic.

 

13 Jun              Gerald Madison at 808-8343 completed the patching and repainting of the holes that

                        were made to install the new plumbing lines.  Gerald was recommended by Dennis of

                        Covenant Plumbing.  Dennis made this comment:  “Gerald makes me look good.”

 From my point of view, Gerald Madison did a perfect job.

 

17 Jun              Macon Tent and Awning at 743-2684 installed a new awning over the front door.  The

                        Previous awning was over fifteen years old and the stitching was weak so the decision

                        was made to replace it.

 

19 Jun              Warner Robins Supply at 953-4100 installed the seven window repair kits and the 14

                        Sashes.

 

19 Jun              Blues Painting and Pressure Washing at 956-0830 – Point of Contact:  Mark.  The

                        Pressure washing was performed on 2 June.  The exterior trim wood and rotten wood

                        was replaced and painted.

 

27 Jul               Blues Painting and Pressure Washing completed the exterior painting and received the

                        final payment.  The replacement window sashes installed on 19 June were replaced

                        with non-energy efficient sashes so that they would match the rest of the house.  Thus

                        the final exterior painting was completed in July.

Early Aug        A David “S” recommended by Marshall Lumber completed the repair of the wood

                        At the base of the front door frame.  David can be reached at 361-3971.

 

12 Aug             Stinson Heating and Air replaced the upstairs Air Conditioning Coil and the outside

                        Compressor with an SEER 14 unit built by Amana.  The contact number for Stinson

                        is  742-4311.  This was not an anticipated project; however when a Compressor is

                        worn out, it must be replaced.

 

9 Sep               Gerald Madison at 808-8343 completed the interior painting of the window sash grills.

                        He also repainted some of the Dining Room wall that was damaged when the Tankless

                        Water Heater thermostat was installed in the garage.  Covenant Plumbing covered the

                        repair and repainting of the dining room Wall.

 

22 Sep             The final project for the exterior renovation was the Deck Board project.  I, Alan with

                        some help from My Bride completed this project with a total expenditure of only

                        $1995.00.  The decision was made to use “Lowes Choice” Composite Deck Boards

                        and the special clips so that there are no splices, nails or screws visible.

 

Please note that I would encourage anyone anticipating such a project in the future to get the various vendors lined up well in advance.  It is also realized that many of the vendors that were used in this project are so well regarded that they often cannot perform the required task on the Home Owner’s schedule.  Thus, I learned to be flexible.  Both My Bride and I are extremely happy with the results that were achieved. 

 

 

2015 Deck Rehabilitation

 

 

During the Summer of 2015 we conducted a major rehabilitation of our Home in Weatherby Plantation, Macon, Georgia.  The last major project concerning the exterior of our Home was the rebuilding of the Deck.  The former Deck was constructed when the House was build in 1990 or 1991.  We purchased the House in February 1992 and have lived here ever since.  The Contractor for this Project was the Home Owner, Alan, who also publishes this Blog.

 

This is the old deck boards which were hauled away!

All of the joist were in good shape except two, which were
replaced.

The Ledger Board, which was bolted to the house lacked
support post which were installed!!

The orientation of the deck boards was changed so that there
would be no splices.  Lowe's Choice Deck Boards were selected
because they are a composite board which should last
a very long time!!

The project was started on 16 August and except for the "Cap" Boards
and the "Molding" where the deck meets the brick wall the project was
completed on 16 September when the new Outdoor Rug arrived and
was placed.



The total funds expended for this project, including the Outdoor Rug with Pad was $2200.00.  The furniture shown is not included in the cost because, if and only if we ever sell our home we can take the furniture with us.  The Choice Deck was installed with special clips so there are no nails or screws visible.