paper bag brown

The camera was recovered Sunday as we checked out the cabinet Mike and Will worked on for us. We have a picture Will took of Michael and a shot I got of Will as he lectured me about the cash register and inventory.

The cabinet looks really good in it's new shade of paper bag brown. We will use this same paint for quite a bit of the inside shelving and counter top area. it is the color we want Tim to paint the outside.

We are finalizing the placement of walls and shelves which have been drawn in so many different shapes and widths I can not say how many, but on Sunday we drew in the final version on the concrete floor with chalk and it made a few things clear. We had not left enough room for someone even with a small cart to navigate the asiles. So we enlarged them to 4 feet not three and we also had a few places mismeasured which actually worked to our advantage.

We drove to the Walmart in Clarksville and looked at the cabin samples Mr Hines told the boys about. We could not get inside but were thinking we would ask about prices/floor plans when we saw him next.

Bill sprayed the poision ivy again. But we do seem to be winning this battle. Some bulbs had come up probably from Cathy's efforts. There is a pretty red bud in the flower bed that is also too close to the store so must regretably cut it down too. It is small and should not pose much of a problem.

The store is beginning to change. Thank you again guys.

just imagine...

Two sons 17 and 25 single full of well you know what and alone in Kanawha. There were three things they were to get done for us.

1.sand prime paint a long counter that is topless and backless.

2.find dig and follow the sewer line to hopefully a septic tank.

3.remove old wood from porch beams.

When the labor is free from children you love one out of three is not bad at all.

It came a torrent of rain and had them inside trying to stay dry and not blow away which led to some interesting conversations and lots of laptop computer games. They did find the sewer line which should be very helpful when the old folks try to dig it up next week. They got the cabinet in pretty good shape for a top/back and touch up next week. Also folks job.

All in all they had some good brother time that included a poker game with Tim's Harley buddies and Stephen's friends. There is the beard challenge where they are all four trying to grow a beard. Tim seems to have the corner on this one. Tims beard is bushmans dream. Michael is looking like the devil with his red pointy chin one and Will looks like a Wolfman with his werewolf version. I have no idea where this will lead or how it relates to the store but should be a deterant to anyone thinking about robbery. I have not seen Stephen's yet, that might be for the best.

A man who owns some picture pretty 20 acres in Kanawha came by and talked to our two youngest sons. He has a deep fryer, metal table and other cooking supplies for sale but we will be roasting and baking food. Our tables will be sturdy wood versions so we capture an era gone bye. He did say he is a builder of cabins and wanted us to see his samples in front of Walmart. Possibly something to check out. I am sure the impression the guys left since they were into their third day of no bath was one to remember. No one in Kanawha has seen us clean since we bought the store as everyday has been a work day. I hope we can live that stinky image down.

All in all the guys had a good time and we got some work done that is one step closer to JUST IMAGINE...opening a store. That was one L O N G cabinet and with many coats of paint to sand through. Thank you Mike and Will! You done good!!!

There were some pictures camera man Will took but they are lost in a sea of dirty clothes at the time of this post.

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Meanwhile back home, Bill removed the old uneven tiles in the center of the rectangle table and he discovered too late they were glass and very sharp. I sanded it down between serving on jury duty and the big storm. The red stain we put on it is to mimic the wood on the round table we will also be using in the store.

We want to put wood pieces back into the table and make a checker board so it can be played on. Nice addition to the store if it comes together.

=================

Mary said Chuck will cut chop and haul the two trees in question at the store. She said he would not need any help unless they were sequoyas...I am so glad because this is one more thing we have been very concerned about. I know Stephen will be sad we had to get rid of the tree that is beside the store but its roots are tearing up the concrete floor, it is in the way of the cottage we plan to build on that side of the store, and it is a sweet gum which is one of those trees that has balls and Bill likes his trees without balls tho I can't say why.

Just call me Noah and Delay not Tom

The 410 Water Supply will turn on the water to the store with a deposit of $110.00. We expect this to happen before the end of March 2007.

We now have three monthly bills:

store payment, electric and water.

So far with some answered prayers and a few lifestyle changes we are staying afloat.

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The Income Tax Man

Seems the work and expense of the store will be tallied up when the store actually opens. This delay makes that interim time expensive, but it takes the burden of trying to file bits and pieces for several years off our shoulders. We bought a portable filing system with pockets to keep up with costs trips and other information about the process. I got this information from the IRS number I found on line for small businesses.

the Plumber cometh

We followed the pipes from the store outside and found the kitchen sink drained into the flowerbed. That was just a foreshadowing of things to come.





We have not found a sewer line but more importantly we have not found any sign of the septic tank. Our concerns about its condition have changed to our need to know whether there even is a septic tank.





It is just the two of us making a quick trip during the holidays. Bill says, "I don't have a tape measure". Forgot to pick it up as we left. And a few minutes later we are standing hip to hip in the restroom admiring the two pieces of chair rail high paneling we got on the wall last time. When he says, " I also forgot the blades I need to cut the panels". We reposition tummy to tummy and I said, " shh hear that". We stand silent and he says, "what"? and I say, "exactly". He looks at me and says,

" you love this place don't you"?

I say, "lets hunt the sewer line".


So we try to track it down and wonder if we ran over it with the tractor. Still no septic tank we can find. Bill stands next to the cut off so we can make a picture indicating where it is.


I promise to hunt a plumber. Actually I wrote Billie and she emailed back Mr. Shores name. She never used him but said his name came from my Aunt Jane so couldn't be a better recommend than that.





Stephen our oldest son calls him for me and we set up an appointment in February.





He looks at half the work we need done that will cover the restroom fixtures enabled and says 1200. That is double the money we have set aside for this work so some scrambling has to be done. We are impressed he will do a good job and the excitement of progress is helping us get back on track after the holiday lapse.





He gives us direction about finding the sewer line and septic tank and then with a knowing look in his eye he says You know there may not be a septic tank and as if to read our minds...I don't do anything with septic tanks.





We get some more of the wood and trim up in the bathroom. Bill does a poorboy version of venetian plaster with premixed plaster and a gallon of gold oops paint and it is looking soo good. The ceiling and walls seem to be shaping up nicely tho there is still a good bit to be done. I prime and paint the outside of the restroom in a barn red. It takes three coats but is so refreshing to see a change. I think we are bringing the country colors we dreamed about inside. All that time on the HGTV channel may actually have had some benefit.

Mr. Whittle comes calling. He tells us a story about him being a little boy and the old timers pulling his leg and sending him into the store my grandfather ran in Manchester. He said he bought a cork gun for a dollar and they told him Ras was buying cork guns for 5 dollars! Looking for a profit at age 6 he goes to ask about selling his cork gun and of course Ras tells him he isn't buying cork guns.

We will sell cork guns

so some unsuspecting customer can hear this history retold:0) Cork guns have gone up in price considerably! Mr. Whittle promises to come back. He is related to me through the Vickrey's.




We try to find a way to insulate and seal the walls. Bill sees some panel insulation that could stand alone behind the bead board paneling we envision. It is expensive and not as good an insulator but he reminds me we already have two steel walls with blown in insulation so this might be an answer. To attach it we might use glue and nails at the top and bottom where the only wood seems to be placed. It is a plan that needs some thought. Will run it by the sons when they are out at the store again.


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March 10-13
Our two youngest the teacher and the in college to become a psychologist are going to spend a bit of their spring break working on the store for us. So on the 3rd we drag the trailer down and set it up so they can camp in it while they help us out. Bill puts an anti theft devise on the hitch and don't have any real worries about leaving it with the Good People of this community.





Their to-do-list looks like this:


1.wash sand prime and paint one of the cabinets (paper bag brown)


2.remove the old wood off the porch posts


3.follow the sewer line out to find where it leads





These things will be a tremendous help. These two are the least able when it comes to this kind of construction, but they are enthusiastic and willing to learn. Timothy may ride his Harley out to check on them for us.

-----------------------------

Addressing the question of credit extended or not...we took a vote and our children are split on it. Our sons said they will become bill collectors if we do extend credit however several alternate means of helping people in our community are suggested. One of which is unique to us. Timothy says you can give gas credit to someone in a crisis and for 10 dollars of gas you hold their drivers licence until they come to pay you back. It is something to think about because it would be hard to say no to someone in dire straits.

Just one more area where our inexperience may get us in trouble

so needs a hard and fast answer to both help the community and not bankrupt our business. Our daughter says absolutely NO CREDIT, who would want to try to collect a debt from your neighbor, friend or family? She has a point.

------

Now to get the water turned on.

STUCK is a four letter word

We went to Home Depot with our orange card and the promise of no interest for 12 months. By the time we left we were considerably poorer. Bath fixtures, sheets of paneling, chain saw, water heater and cleaners. With what we thought were 6 months of supplies we calculated a 200 dollar a month payment to HD would leave us ready for another trip in the summer. At this point we no longer ask where the money is coming from. Credit cards are like that. Without the help of our four sons we would have never been able to load haul and unload all these items that are heavy and difficult to maneuver

Now we have pulled our trailer down to Kanawha and just the two of us are camped out. We plan to cover the problem walls in the bathroom with paneling. Looks easy, just put sheet on wall and hammer like they do on TV. Only there is the light switch, the corner which is several degrees off center, plumbing pipes a plenty, wall paper that is no longer attached in places and a wire that sits on top of the wall.

We decide to remove the old paper first. After several hours of removing one inch strips at a time we decide that what is under the paneling and stick on tight will just add to the insulation of the room. Loose pieces removed and cleaned up we try to decide which wall to do first. We narrow it down to one wall that has no odd angles only one plumbing pipe and no outlets. Bill decides to take it into the restroom and we immediately have a problem getting a 4x8 sheet through a 2 foot doorway (Yes, we have a very small utility closet size door on restroom. It is not in the budget to change this.) He wedges himself in and begins to call me. Not wanting to be stuck by himself no doubt. Winnie the Pooh has nothing on us. After about 10 minutes we manage to get the sheet of paneling into the restroom and the door closed. We are in a 4x6 area with a 4x8 sheet wedged between us and we can neither get it on the wall...ceiling slopes down, and it needs trimmed, nor can we get it back out the door. Bill begins to get that look in his eyes and things start rolling out of his mouth that should not decorate the cloudless day above Kanawha. Another 10 claustrophobic minutes and we pop out of the room like a cork both of us getting a little heated and sweaty. Bill slices off a chunk o panel after careful measurement in 4 places along the wall ceiling to floor. We begin the task of getting the paneling back into the room and behind the door but this time I go in with him and the panel follows. It took 5 more minutes to shove me out again so he can get it wedged and then he calls me and wants me back inside. Guess what, after another 10 minutes with only a curse or two holding the paneling in place, it still does not fit. We manage to get it back out the door and it is three hours into this ordeal and the paneling is winning. We are getting pretty mad at each other by this point. Mainly because there is no one else to blame. We make one last attempt and the wall is so off center we can not make it wedge in the spot but our efforts to do so have it stuck tight. Bill looses it and has a fit the size of Pennsylvania, his native state, which just makes it that much more difficult to get out of the room. I am not a carpenter he wails.

I am sure we will be found in the restroom next week

when we begin to smell.

Neither one of us has the strength to get out of this room and there is only one thing left to do. Laugh. After we catch our breath we make a hole big enough to slide through and finally the panel is out. We cut it in half and decide a chair rail effect is just what a 2 ft door demands. We worked into the night and got two panels up.

The next day we have a good bit to pray about. We begin measuring for the next panel and a neighbor, Robert Hall, stops by. He welcomes us and offers all kinds of help we are too embarrassed to take. For example he says we can off load our trailer at his facility designed just for that purpose. We thank him and know it was very kind but our poop will travel back to Cedar Hill where we will off load it at the state park. We have a season pass. We can't let the first relationship we have with a future customer be smelly like that. He does tell us a wonderful story about going to the W E Boulware Store and his little boy being given an oatmeal cookie. So his son asks his Dad if they can go to the store and get a drink and a

"Boulware".

I cherish this bit of love that demonstrates exactly the kind of relationship Ernest and Jane had with the community. I want to give "Boulwares" to our customers children too. It is a charming way to keep Ernest's spirit alive for future generations.

While we are talking to him Cathy the previous owner rides up on her bike. We listen as they talk about the good times they shared at the store. Seems the Circle C cowboys used to come in and order Cathy's burgers. Cathy has a good deal of charm and wit. It is easy to see how she made this store a place to come to. I hope she will feel at home with what we create of course right now we are stuck on the bathroom paneling which does not seem to speak well for our ever opening the store. I give Cathy a hug and her sweet grandson who sits quietly while we talk looks like a prime candidate for one of those Boulwares.

Bill and I have had it with confined spaces and go for a drive. Kanawha has put on it's coat of many colors and it is easy to just soak it up. As evening comes the new security light on our new pole glows softly over the heap of rubbish we still have not managed to haul off. It is quiet except for a dog the size of a calf who stands his ground across the street woofing at us. It would take a bear sized can of mace to take him down should he decide we taste like chicken. We debate what kind of dog can grow to this size, and are happy to note he recognizes property lines.

Not a lot of progress. We are frustrated and not excited about another round with that little restroom. Lots of problems to solve and skills we do not have needed. On the up side my husband seemed almost excited about getting back to work where he is knowledgeable and respected in his now perceived "roomy" cubicle.

Deconstruction

At the store with the four sons

and our

grand

daughter

Danielle.

We removed the old oven, ripped out the area where a grill once sat and mangled the old AC vent wrestling it to the ground. Decisions had to be made about whether to reuse old cabinets or trash them.

Costs are of great concern as the first electric bill has arrived, payments on the store are relentless and the fuel bill for traveling to the store each month has exceeded the savings from the Rodeo payment Michael has assumed. The Rodeo sacrifice proves to be the easiest. It is the hairdresser every 6 weeks, occasional movie and eating out that are more difficult. Normal during each Fall includes looking for the perfect gift for family members. This year my wish list has these three items: toilet, sink, paint. My husband says his list looks surprisingly like mine.

More rat poison is set out. More sweeping, trash removal is getting to be more and more difficult as we haul trash home in our truck. Our Danielle sprays the outside of the building for poison ivy. She loves her Bepa who is still scratching a month and doctor visit later. The counter is pulled away from the wall to see how it would work as a buffet/deli food type counter.

Ceiling fans work but are covered in years of grease, the ceiling and walls have areas also grease covered and one area of rust. Numerous holes are cut into the walls interior and exterior. Even if we wanted to cover the walls or remove them to be replaced we are looking at a daunting task with heavy steel screws holding large steel sheets. Solutions that are cheap and easy seem to be what we are searching for.

We have an idea for opening the store onto FM 410 with a new porch but the wall crisis seems to be most important and will likely consume our dollars that changing the direction of the store front would have used.

The guys demo the restroom in a flash. The water heater is rusted through and a new one needs to be relocated into it's likely original position outside the restroom which is very small to begin with. It is about a 4' by 6 1/2' space. The walls are very bad condition made more evident when the fixtures are sitting in the store proper and the room is empty. Solutions to wall damage and fixtures that will not overwhelm this tiny area are needed. A scrap of the daisy contact paper Cathy had used to pretty it up is saved in the hope of having something sweet to remind her of the success she had here and the warm fuzzy feeling she left with the residents who consumed her burgers.

In the midst of all this deconstruction we get visitors. Lonnie Ham stops to say hello and introduce himself. He has a good bit of advise which summed up is something like...don't extend credit/you will have to extend credit and serve BarBQ or Fish. People need a place they can stop and get something to eat. It was fun talking to him and he was followed by the Bryant brothers to the past owner Gary. They also cautioned against extending credit. Friendly and excited we were going to open the store again it was refreshing to meet them. Mr Bryant said he would carry off some of the items we ripped out of the store because he makes bird houses. We suggest maybe we could sell them for him in the store and he nods but that is as far as the negotiations got probably because of the gaping empty of the store.

Jodie Pardue stops and leaves us some homemade bread. She is a welcome sight. With all the devastation going on we don't talk much. Our time is so limited with only weekends to get a lot done, visiting is out of the question but we will have long lazy summer days to talk once we are in the store. She recounts the two weeks with no electric power in 2004. We need some kind of heat other than electric she cautions. Listening carefully to the families who are living here is a way to be successful or at least we hope so.

That night when the guys left and we were in our trailer alone. We suddenly start noticing a good number of cars and trucks turning in front of the store. This heavy traffic lasts for hours. We are confused as to where they are going since the road they are turning on dead ends at the river several miles from here. We are optimistic at first thinking hmmmm future customers but as the night wore on and the traffic lasted into the wee hours of the night we questioned the wisdom of this plan. It is something to mull over as we continue the renovation we estimate to take between 3 and 5 years.

We end our work with an experimental brisket at Nanny and Popa's where we share what has been done. The guys all have a message for us.

You need a plumber.

let there be light

City people don't question things they think are normal. I innocently called the electric company I thought was closest. They sent me on a 5 day calling frenzy that had me circling most of three counties trying to get someone to take my deposit. Finally someone decided to quit playing ball with my brain and said electric to Kanawha was provided by Lamar COOP not Bagota. Bagota may well be a front for the mob! But most likely they just wanted to see how many times I would dial someone else before I gave up and I can tell you after 12 I was still dialing but they tired of the game.

Bagota 1 Kanawha 0

I called Lamar Electric COOP and they could find no previous account for the store. I stuttered around and gave them the last owners name and they found no record of him ever having electric, gave them Cathy's name and they found a record but said I would need to meet the installer in Kanawha before they could turn it on.

I met electric man who immediately told me I had no electric right of way and no existing electric pole. He said this with a perfectly straight face

"You always get right of way when you buy property."

I said ...you mean to tell me I have no electric and no pole and no right to get either one???? Well I said what happened to the pole that was here? He looked at the chunk o pole decorating the right side of the lot. When we had the ice storm in 2004 it took out the poles in this area and only occupied buildings were repoled. He said the best way to get electric is through the property across the street. I ask what all this repoling and stringing was going to cost and he gets out his walking tape and begins stepping it off to the tune of 600 dollars. But the best part was I had no legal right to this pole on the neighbors property and was left with a paper I needed signed and notarized by someone I had never met asking if I could put a pole on their property. I prayed about it and went next door to meet my neighbor Mr McCarty.

Mr. McCarty is an older black gentleman. He was kind and told me it was Mr. Pardue I needed to talk to. I thanked him. Mr. Pardue was not at home. I sat in my truck under his confederate flag in front of his trailer and could hear his dogs barking. No one came out. I guess they were gone for the day. I would have left a note but I am a coward. I tried to sacrifice my 17 year old sent out with a note but he didn't want to loose a leg either.

When we got home I looked up Mr Pardue's phone number and address. I composed a polite note and enclosed a small check to cover gas and time. I mailed it to him. I got a phone call from the Lamar Electric lady and Mrs Pardue. She was a sweet person and returned my check saying we were cousins of her husbands and we would work it out. Her name is Jodie and she has become someone we look forward to seeing when we work on the store. Because of Jodies efforts and because of the kindness of Cathy we were able to get electric pole and all in it's original position across 410. It cost about 90 dollars for the deposit, 7 phone calls, three letters and 16 prayers. The time required was about 2 months. We met with the electric pole man one last time and he still did not smile.

The next month we went to work on the store we hailed the pole and for the first time in about 5 years we let there be light. It was as close to Genesis as we are likely to get ...well there is still that little issue of water......

Scratch scratch scratch

August

To say my husband is allergic to poision ivy is an understatement. he is one of those lucky folks who can have a leaf blow by and it is all over him like a tick on a June bug. So we waded around in the stuff for two days and snipped and clipped. Stephen brought his tractor and trailer to help out and Timothy hopped on it and ripped and roared so we came away with one mostly cleaned up patch of land and one rash covered man.

We discovered the downed tree from the 2004 ice storm was way bigger than we could move and would need cut up. Lots of scrap metal parts and just trash of every kind littered the place. What was once a car wash and was now just an uneven piece of concrete with jagged pieces of metel protruding covered a good bit of the back side of the building. It began to rain or were those tears? The two youngest arrived just in the nick of time to serve us Chicken Express sort of like a 30 mile meals on wheels. It felt good to see the talents of these men as they tore into cleaning the place up.

Wet, dirty and wornout the guys group photo says it all. But we can now see the front porch thanks to their efforts. Left to right Will, Bill (husband), Mike, Steve and Tim. God bless them all.

Inside I swept up dirt and rat leavings. We set traps and hauled off trash. It was a very productive weekend because of so many helping hands.

We decided we needed electricity and after taking stock of the restroom fixtures which were all broken, that water was not going to happen for a while.

On the way home we stopped and visited Nanny and Popa to share what was happening at the store and just check in on them as well.

Because of the generosity of Stephens Boss we had equipment to deal with the years of vegetation and large pieces of sheet metal.