Living the Dream Year 3 Day 339 – Day 4 of 28-day European Vacation – Day 2 of 18 Night Northern Europe cruise on MSC Euribia – Southampton, United Kingdom and Stonehenge

Year 3 Day 339- “Living the Dream”. Friday, 4/05/2024. Day 4 of 28-day European Vacation – day 2 of 18-night Northern Europe MSC Euribia cruise. Awe, I woke up totally refreshed today. We slept like babies in a warm cozy cradle last night. The ship moved silently through the night from Le Havre, France to Southampton, United Kingdom.

Southhampton is Europe’s third busiest cruise port. The largest container ship can carry 21,417 containers. If you line those containers up it will line up 91 miles. We are already docked in the Horizon Terminal in Southampton before we headed for breakfast at 6:30 am.

Southampton is located in Hampshire, Southeast England. It is 53 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy this morning. We are going on a 7-hour excursion to Stonehenge and Salisbury today. First, we had breakfast and then we headed to immigration check in at 7:15am. Everyone on the ship must go through this immigration check in before anyone can get off the ship at this port. The first few days on board a cruise ship is made up of finding things. After a few days we will settle into sitting in the same place for breakfast and eating the same food every morning. We both like a routine in the morning. I don’t like to think about what to eat when all I really need is COFFEE!!. Even though we have never been on this ship, the Marketplace buffet is set up the same as the Maraviglia, so we basically know the layout. We met in the Delphi Theatre on deck six at 9:20 am and were escorted to our excursion bus. There were a few busses lined up to go to Stonehenge.

It took 1 1/2 hours to get to Stonehenge. On the way to Stonehenge, we drove through the New Forest National Park. There are about 5,000 wild horses in the New Forest National Park. They are not wild in the true sense, because they have owners and are looked after by Royal Foresters.

Then we passed into Wiltshire County. There are mostly farmers in Wiltshire. They mostly grow grain and keep sheep.

At Stonehenge we had 2 hours of free time. Stonehenge used to be privately owned. It was bought by local man Cecil Chubb as a gift for his wife in 1915. The site was then gifted to the nation by the couple three years later in 1918. Since then, the site has been managed by the National Trust and English Heritage. Stonehenge was very crowded with visitors. It was a check on our bucket list, but kind of disappointing and a little bit of a rip off tourist trap. In the 1970’s a fence was placed around the stones to stop the graffiti. Four times a year the ropes are taken down for the solstices. You can enter free those days, watch the sun rise and hug the stones. The rest of the time you cannot get near the stones.

After Stonehenge It took 1/2 hour to get to Salisbury.

There we visited the Salisbury Cathedral. This cathedral has the tallest spire in Britain at 404 feet. It houses the best preserved of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta, and it has the oldest working clock in Europe. Salisbury’s main source of economy is tourism.

Houses along the drive today had many chimneys. All I could think about was Mary Poppins. With the wind blowing at 40 mph, I kept looking for Mary Poppins to arrive from the sky even though we are not in London.

I love this area and wish I could spend some time here. What a gorgeous clean area, beautiful land which is lush and green, friendly sweet people with a great English accent, and lovely homes loaded with chimneys. I love the English countryside and the never-ending fields of yellow rapeseed flowers. The feeling driving through the countryside is unbelievable. I was overwhelmed with a strong sense of community spirit. Very few places do I want to go back and visit again. But the area around Southampton has made my list of places to return.

Thought you guys would like to see the WI-FI prices. We dio have the Browse & Stream package for the total trip. I wouldn’t go without it. So far it is really good. The only problem with MSC wi-fi is that once you connect to a device that is where the connection stays. On Royal Caribbean you can share with many devices. Just disconnect from one and connect to another. Being able to share devices is much much nicer,

Here’s today’s compass

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Kraft Macaroni and CheeseHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3UxSLkn Not the healthiest but is easy to prepare and yummy with a good healthy salad and or a vegetable. Works wells in our new world where we will be cooking mostly on the barbecue at a construction site. A good one pot filling pasta.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 338 – Day 3 of 28-day European Vacation – Day 1 of 18 Night Northern Europe cruise on MSC Euribia – Boarding in Le Havre, France – Balcony stateroom 11206 video

Year 3 Day 338- “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 4/04/2024. Day 3 of 28-day European Vacation – day 1 of 18-night Northern Europe MSC Euribia cruise. The train trip from Paris to Le Havre yesterday was exhausting.

We checked into the Hilton Garden Inn after taking an uber from the train station to the hotel. It was a 10 min drive from the train station.

We were so tired we didn’t even appreciate the partial view of the marina or spend any time watching the ships traveling into the Port of Le Havre from the English Channel.

Last night I woke up at 1pm and said to Steve it’s 7am, I am headed into the shower. He says it is midnight. I said no its 7am. Well, it was actually 1am. I was so disoriented from the jet lag. My Fitbit showed 7pm. The room clock showed 00.06 and my watch which I had changed showed 1:00. Oh boy, back to bed till the real morning time. Breakfast this morning was very strange. There was very little English spoken at hotel restaurant. I ordered two fried eggs medium well. Well, I guess you have to say over and use the hand motion of over. I got sunny side up. The food has a lot of spice here. The eggs and hamburgers last night were loaded with spices. Not used to spices. I am unsure if I like them. After a month here I am sure I will love them. We used the Uber app and had a car in two minutes to go to board the MSC Euribia. The Euribia is one big ship. Even though we have been on many cruises, it is always exciting to approach the ship. This trip we are very excited. This is a new ship for us and all new ports. Fun! Fun! Fun!

The check in process was quick even though we had to show our passports four times. We now have two stamps in our passport. We have been many places, but our passports were never stamped.

We have to show our passport in many ports on this trip which is also unusual. We got on the ship and proceeded directly to our stateroom. On MCS passengers disembark and embark on this cruise in every port.

I had a manicure pedicure done on the ship after lunch. The cost was 145 euros which includes the gratuity for shellac manicure and regular pedicure. I could not put it off another day they were frightful looking due to all the cleaning and packing we did right before vacation. Our assigned dining time is 9:30pm and that is way too late for us. We requested an early time for the rest of the trip, but for tonight we ate in the buffet. In our room upon boarding was a nice bowl of fresh fruit, some macrons, a bar of dark chocolate, and a bottle of Prosecco. MSC is starting our trip off very nicely.

Here’s a video of our balcony stateroom 11206.

Here’s today’s compass

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Kraft Macaroni and CheeseHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3UxSLkn Not the healthiest but is easy to prepare and yummy with a good healthy salad and or a vegetable. Works wells in our new world where we will be cooking mostly on the barbecue at a construction site. A good one pot filling pasta.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 337 – Day 2 of 28-day European Vacation – Arrived in Paris, France

Year 3 Day 337- “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 4/03/2024. Day 2 of 28-day European Vacation – After our layover in Philadelphia, PA and some Chickie Pete’s for dinner.

We boarded another plane for a long night of travel.

We left Philadelphia a little after 9pm and arrived in Paris at 10 am Paris time. Paris time is 6 hours ahead of Kentucky, USA time. The flight was 7 1/2 hours. We basically had no sleep last night and I am walking around with old bagging black eyes today. We walked off the plane at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport down three flights of stairs onto a shuttle bus that took us to the terminal. Here you went through customs. It was all automated, very quick and easy. We picked up our luggage not too far away and went to the taxi area. The taxis were right there. No one spoke English though. We headed to The Gare Saint-Lazare train station. First impression of Paris is that it is a large city with lots and lots of traffic. The buildings have really nice Parisian balconies though and it is very romantic looking. I can imagine having my morning coffee or afternoon glass of wine on one of those balconies in the middle of the city. I would be out of this crazy traffic then.

Along with the traffic there are many people on bikes, mopeds, and skateboards weaving through the traffic. They are definitely traveling faster than we are by car. A taxi ride from the airport to the train station cost 56 Euros. The train station is huge with paid toilets and the only bottled water to be found is mineral water.

Our train left at 1:40pm for Normandy. We are staying tonight at the Hilton Garden Inn in Le Havre, France. It is a two-hour train ride to Le Havre. We bought the tickets in advance online. The cost was $65.86 USD for two first class tickets. The train left exactly at 1:40pm.

Within ten minutes we are out of the city and surrounded by small scraggly trees. Our seats are in the upper level of the train. It is a quiet train ride with wonderful views. Although, we keep falling asleep and missing the countryside. This area of France is so much nicer than Paris. The train passes through small towns and housing developments with the most charming stucco cape cod style homes. The farmland is gorgeous. There are fields of tall yellow flowering plants blowing in the breeze. This I like and I have no desire to go back to Paris. I am hoping after sleeping this jet lag off, I will like Paris better.

In the United States, the cost of living, including rent, is 29% higher than in France. American rents exceed those by 98%. When we reached Le Havre, we used the Uber app to get to the Hilton Garden Inn and then we crashed!! Le Havre seems so nice. We were told by two French people today that French people don’t like Paris.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Kraft Macaroni and CheeseHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3UxSLkn Not the healthiest but is easy to prepare and yummy with a good healthy salad and or a vegetable. Works wells in our new world where we will be cooking mostly on the barbecue at a construction site. A good one pot filling pasta.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 336 – Day 1 of 28-day European Vacation Leaving Lexington, KY on a CRJ-200

Year 3 Day 336- “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 4/02/2024. Day 1 of 28-day European Vacation – Last night we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Somerset, Kentucky. It feels like we are going backwards. This is where we lived when we bought the original old house and started the Williamsburg. I forgot how much I don’t like Hampton Inn’s breakfast. Yuk!! Hotel life is not fun. After breakfast we headed back to the Williamsburg to say our last goodbye. It’s been fun lady. She is a great house.

Heading to the airport and tornadoes are expected at our take off time. Lots of nervous energy is flowing through my body. Check in was easy at the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. Justin dropped us off at 1:15pm. This is a really nice friendly airport. We are flying American Airlines today. Our first flight is to Philadelphia where we pick up our flight to Paris. Sitting in the waiting area is so funny. Everyone is in their own little box on their phones. Our plane arrived at 3:18pm to pick us up in Kentucky.

We are flying on a CRJ-200 which has 50 seats. The CRJ-200 has an excellent safety record with no major incidents reported since its introduction in 1991. Production of this plane ended in 2006, but many remain in service. At 4:10pm the seatbelt light is off, and it seems to be smooth sailing. Ha, I am such a nervous flyer, not a seasoned air traveler at all. Our flight attendant did not seem happy. We left Lexington and it was really sunny. By 4:25pm the fasten your seatbelt light came back on. From there on there was some turbulence. The seatbelt light never went off. Put me on a cruise ship anytime over flying. At 5:02pm we started going down —- no no no I mean descending to land. We landed in Philadelphia at 5:30pm.

Our next flight leaves at 9:05pm from terminal a Philadelphia International airport. We landed in terminal f. It was a long walk from terminal a to terminal f. Time to find some food and maybe a drink. I really hate flying. I think about food when nervous. Look at this great recipe. Can’t wait to make it.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Kraft Macaroni and CheeseHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3UxSLkn Not the healthiest but is easy to prepare and yummy with a good healthy salad and or a vegetable. Works wells in our new world where we will be cooking mostly on the barbecue at a construction site. A good one pot filling pasta.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 335- Clifty Hill 2 – Happy Dyngus Day, packed up and ready to close

Year 3 Day 335- “Living the Dream”. Monday, 4/01/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Happy Dyngus Day!! What is Dyngus Day? It is a celebration held on Easter Monday. It is a Polish American tradition which celebrates the end of the observance of lent and the joy of Easter. Dyngus Day in ancient Slavic rituals celebrated the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Later in time this was merged with Christian traditions as Poland adopted Christianity. Dyngus Day has become a wonderful holiday to celebrate Polish-American culture, heritage and traditions. Buffalo, NY is the place to go for Dyngus Day celebrations in the United States. They have a parade followed by parties held at bars and churches around the city. Attendees wear red and white to celebrate the event, representing the colors of the Polish flag. Cleveland holds Dyngus Day events as well. The word “Dyngus” loosely translates to “worthy.” it seems like all holidays revolve around food and Dyngus Day is no exception. Celebration meals include traditional Polish foods like pierogis, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage and butter shaped lambs. More garbage taken away today. We want to leave the construction site clean while we vacation.

The Williamsburg is packed up and we are ready to close! Welcome to your new home guys – Hope you love it as much as we did.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Kraft Macaroni and CheeseHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3UxSLkn Not the healthiest but is easy to prepare and yummy with a good healthy salad and or a vegetable. Works wells in our new world where we will be cooking mostly on the barbecue at a construction site. A good one pot filling pasta.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 334- Clifty Hill 2 – Happy Easter, KFC on packing boxes, garbage loaded on truck, pipe connected to downspouts

Year 3 Day 334- “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 3/31/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Happy Easter!

Well to us today is Easter, but this morning I was reminded that not everyone celebrates Easter today. Remember, some people celebrate a different day like The Greek Orthodox Church. They use the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian calendar that most other Christian believers (and secular civilizations) use. We had a video chat with my daughter and her family, and they are having Easter dinner at their house. I really miss Jamie’s cooking. He is the best cook and makes it look so easy. It is not EASY for me. Hey, I don’t have a helper like Julianna,

So, as I continued dreaming about his cooking and drinking coffee at my cardboard box laptop table. I found this interesting to share – The rates of obesity among US adults have increased from 14% in 1980 to 42% today, and half the world is expected to be overweight or obese by 2035, with children and teens facing the sharpest increase in obesity and its consequences. Hormone-disrupting chemicals are entering our bodies. We eat 44lbs of plastic in our lifetimes. Findings, however, suggest that obesogens found in plastic water bottles promote adipogenesis, a phenomenon by which fat accumulates in the body, causing additional weight gain. These chemicals disrupt your metabolism and bind to estrogen receptors in the body, causing it to store more fat than it needs. How gross is plastic. We are a throw away world and therefore are bombarded with plastics around our foods. We use plastic wrap, plastic milk jugs, plastic salad dressing bottles, plastic condiments and baggies to pack lunches. In the 1950’s we started replacing plastic bottles with glass bottles because they were lighter in weight, easier to transport, and harder to damage in transit. The manufacturers for plastic also began to hit their stride during this time, making plastic a cheaper and easier to produce option for bottles. Then my sweet neighbor called to wish us a Happy Easter and she told me that we have to visit Short Creek. I didn’t realize that we live by the shortest creek in the world, “Short Creek”. This creek is a substantial but very short watercourse in Pulaski County. The water, in volume equivalent to a large creek or small river, flows out of a cave, runs for 200 feet then vanishes into another cave. Steve worked on loading the truck with garbage. He used the excavator, and the truck was loaded in two minutes. Tomorrow is get rid of garbage at the transfer station.

The pipe was connected and laid out from the downspouts. At least the rainwater will flow away from the house now.

Most of the Williamsburg is empty, lonely, and waiting for the new owners to move in.

For us it was a KFC Easter dinner! Steve says he would do that again next year!

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 333- Clifty Hill 2 – U-Haul returned, our belongings are moved to Clifty Hill 2 garage

Year 3 Day 333- “Living the Dream”. Saturday, 3/30/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Look at the 333333 (6 threes) in yesterday’s post – year 3, day 333 and 3/30). I read online that this means that you should persevere in your hard work because you are steps away from success and not allow anything or anyone to cause you to give up on your goals and aspirations now. It reveals a sense of harmony and balance is making its way into your life. This sign also means you need to work on your spiritual life. Our belongings are now all moved into the garage at Clifty Hill 2, and the U-Haul has been returned.

We will spend the last two nights sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the main level and using a cardboard box for a table in the kitchen.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 332- Clifty Hill 2 – U-Haul picked up and moving day 1

Year 3 Day 332- “Living the Dream”. Friday, 3/29/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Picked up the U-Haul truck using U-Haul share. What an awesome experience. Everything is done with your mobile phone. We picked up the 20-foot truck at 7:30am and never talked to a human.

At the end of the day the upstairs is cleaned out and ready for the new owners. Our European vacation luggage is the only thing left at the top of the stairs.

It is kind of sad. Justin, Bobi, and Austin helped us out all day. We never could have gotten this all done without them. We all worked so hard that I didn’t take pictures of the working crew. Tomorrow they will be back, and I will get some pictures.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 331- Clifty Hill 2 – Gutters installed, Packing continues

Year 3 Day 331- “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 3/28/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Gutters are installed. The crew that installed them were fantastic. They were professional, fast, courteous, knowledgeable, and did a great job. They came, made the gutters onsite, and installed them in a few hours. We couldn’t be more pleased. They had all their own equipment and extension ladders. The one gutter was 54 feet long. That is one long gutter and was no problem for this crew. We highly recommend MNG Seamless Gutters. 5-star rating for sure. https://g.co/kgs/x3xeK9f.

Steve picked up some connecting pipe to divert the downspouts away from the house and hopefully will get that done this weekend. Other news, the packing continues

lunch out.

Tired eyes!! lol

As soon as we get settled in our new home, I am making this bread.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 330- Clifty Hill 2 – Packing started

Year 3 Day 330- “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 3/27/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Starting the packing process. I can’t believe how much stuff we own. We moved out of the cabin and into the Williamsburg new construction on 6/23/2022. In 22 months we have accumulated a lot of junk. When we left PA we downsized. There is something to be said about being a minimalist and not feeling burdened by material possessions. Sigh, if only!! But alas for us, it will be a long few days of packing and moving.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 329 – Clifty Hill 2 – Day off, hurt ribs, home inspection completed

Year 3 Day 329 – “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 3/26/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Woke up to a rainy pouring day. Steve took the day off and went for a haircut and then we headed to Lowes to purchase some moving supplies. His ribs are really sore from his fall last week. He thinks he may have cracked a few. They were getting better and then he did the cement jitterbugging yesterday. Today he is in a lot of pain. So, he spent some time relaxing on the sofa in the afternoon. The appraiser came and as he was leaving the sun came out. Must be a sign of sunny times ahead. Tomorrow is a packing day. We have a U-Haul here Friday morning. Yikes, this is going fast now.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 328 – Clifty Hill 2 – Garage floor poured, home inspection and radon test completed, solar 4g cameras, Wellington video

Year 3 Day 328 – “Living the Dream”. Monday, 3/25/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Concrete day! Poured the garage floor. After pouring the floor the cement truck had about a half of a wheel barrel left on it. We ordered 9 and  1/2 yards of 4,000 psi.  What a great estimate.  Couldn’t have been any closer. 

The home inspection is complete on the Williamsburg and the radon test passed.  That is one item we are always nervous about. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. It is a chemical element, symbol Rn, and atomic number 86. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. You can’t see or smell radon. Testing is the only way to know your level of exposure. The ten states with the highest radon levels are Alaska, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington, Kentucky, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and Iowa. The EPA says exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and 1 in 15 homes in the United States have high radon levels. The home inspector came and picked up the machine in the afternoon and I am all over him.  “Can you tell me the results? “.  He says, ” I can’t tell you the full time results, but I can give you the real-time right now reading” .  It was 1.5.  He says that is good.  The outside air is 2.3.  How can we be better than the outside air?  It looks like it’s a go. 

We have to be packed, all moved and on a plane in a week.   The seamless gutter installers arrived after lunch and they didn’t have any extention ladders with them.  They only had a ten foot ladder.  There is no way they could install gutters on this home with a ten foot ladder. So we decided to just find another contractor to do the work.  We hired another contractor who came out and looked at the job.  They should be installed now early next week. We installed a few solar 4g security cameras in the new construction.  Once we close on the Williamsburg we will no longer have electric to the construction site. I am amazed at how great they work. 

Then it was time for my physical therapy. 

Here’s a current video of where we are at on the Wellington. 

If interested here is a video tour from two months ago.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation:  https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 327 – Clifty Hill 2 – Julianna internet competition, Bobi birthday at Mexican restaurant

Year 3 Day 327 – “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 3/24/2024. Clifty Hill 2 –  Busy non work day.  Watching Julianna dance live from our house at a competition was really cool. 

Then we headed out to celebrate Bobi’s birthday and Easter with a Mexican party. 

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 326 – Clifty Hill 2 – Preparing to move

Year 3 Day 326 – “Living the Dream”. Saturday, 3/23/2024. Clifty Hill 2 –  Everything around here revolves around moving.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 325 – Clifty Hill 2 – Garage ready for concrete pour, Rocky Hollow Easter bunny, May VRBO

Year 3 Day 325 – “Living the Dream”. Friday, 3/22/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – The garage is ready for the concrete pour. We placed plastic pipes over the leveling pipes. They are for protection in case someone were to trip and fall. Falling on plastic pipe will hurt, but falling on steel bars can be deadly.

My days always start with an hour long walk at Rocky Hollow Recreation Center. This is such a nice place to walk. It is a 38,000-square-foot recreation center that serves as the main office for the parks and recreation department. The center features an indoor walking track, two basketball courts, two rooms available for rent for special occasions, an exercise room, weight room and a room for fitness classes. This morning they were setting up tables for the Easter Bunny event tomorrow. This is a free event and all are welcome. I heard that the Christmas Santa Claus party was awesome. If you are in the area stop by and take your picture with the easter bunny.

Looking at renting a vrbo for the month of May.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 324 – Clifty Hill 2 – Mailbox up, access drainage pipe moved to back of Wellington

Year 3 Day 324 – “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 3/21/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – The mailbox is up. You can now call “The Wellington” a home.

We moved the drainage pipe from the rear of the Williamsburg to the rear of the Wellington. The access from the Williamsburg is no longer needed to the five acres behind the houses. We will be accessing that property from The Wellington.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 323 – Clifty Hill 2 – Garage floor plastic and wire down, Ground bars beat into the ground, Lunch out and start of Physical Therapy

Year 3 Day 323 – “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 3/20/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – The push is on with a lot of things needing to be done before heading to Europe. The plastic and wire are down in the garage. Remember the cement truck is coming on Monday.

Two ground bars were beat into the ground. Ground bars are also called neutral bars. Their purpose is to terminate all the white return wires from the multiple load circuits in the building. They help protect electrical appliances and equipment from bad weather conditions such as electrical storms. It protects them from the electrical shocks of high voltage. Law requires all driven rods to be a minimum eight feet in the earth and for multiple connected rods a minimum spacing of six feet between rods. All new houses built today have at least 2 ground rods connected to the power panel. In the past the common practice was to connect to the cold-water pipe for grounding the electrical panel.

The new property corners are now marked with three stacked cement blocks and clearly visible.

It was a nice day to have lunch out.

Then get some physical therapy.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 322 – Clifty Hill 2 – First day of Spring, Leveling garage floor gravel

Year 3 Day 322 – “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 3/19/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Hello glorious Spring. Sunny, but very cold on this first day of spring.

Garage is coming along, and gravel is leveled out. Picked up 150 feet of wire to place on top of that gravel. As the cement is poured into the garage the wire will be lifted up into the cement. This prevents the concrete from cracking and improves the concrete’s strength. It also helps to evenly distribute the weight of cars on it.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 321 – Clifty Hill 2 – Cleaning up garage for concrete pouring next week

Year 3 Day 321 – “Living the Dream”. Monday, 3/18/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Hope you all enjoyed your Corned Beef and Cabbage and had a great St Patrick’s Day.

We are cleaning up the garage and getting ready for concrete to be delivered in a week. Need that area to store our possessions when we close next month. Looking forward to visiting the Eiffel tower.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 320 – Clifty Hill 2 – Open House cancelled, we have a contract, rough in plumbing work

Year 3 Day 320 – “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 3/17/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Happy St Patrick’s Day. We are trying to finish quickly now. Hopefully we can get the rough in plumbing inspection soon. The pressure is on. Where to move our stuff, where to live, and heading to Europe.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 319 – Clifty Hill 2 – Bradford Pear trees abound, Spring is here

Year 3 Day 319 – “Living the Dream”. Saturday, 3/16/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – The Bradford Pear white trees are blooming. The Bradford pear, also known as the “Callery” pear, is a popular ornamental tree native to Asia. The trees were introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture as ornamental landscape trees in the mid-1960s. They are beautiful but have a pungent stench. Some say their smell reminds them of dead fish, others say it reminds them of a middle school gym locker, urine, or baby poop. They are considered invasive in the KY countryside. The weird thing is their thorns can puncture vehicles tires. The trees “break easily during ice and windstorms. Ohio, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania have banned, or the law is coming into effect this year to ban the sale of these trees. The UK College of Agriculture is partnering with local groups to entice homeowners to replace the trees. The Bradford Pear Bounty Program exchanges a Bradford pear tree for a free young native replacement tree. They do make the countryside beautiful though. It is a glorious spring, and the real estate market is picking up.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 318 – Clifty Hill 2 – Outside electrical box is installed, DWV pipes completed, scrap lumber hauled away

Year 3 Day 318 – “Living the Dream”. Friday, 3/15/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – The outside electrical service box is up. The ground wires and rods have to be put in still.

The DWV pipes in the home are completed. Pressure testing and sealing leaks is taking place. The installation of the copper water lines is moving along. Copper pipes are not inexpensive. For water lines you use type L. There is also type K and type M. Type K has the thickest wall and is used a lot underground. Type M has the thinnest wall. PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) seems to be more commonly used. But copper pipe is considered a sturdier building material that has a longer lifespan, lasting up to 70 years. It is about 60 percent more expensive than PEX. Also, it can be susceptible to cracking if the water inside the pipes is subject to freezing temperatures. The rough in of the main level water lines are totally completed now.

The scrap pile has gotten very large, and Justin is taking the scrap lumber that is not treated and burning it in his wood stove. That is a win-win for both him and us.

The best news is we now officially own the five acres of farmland behind our houses.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Danish Butter CookiesHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3IS64GS These are the real Danish Butter cookies. This is Steve’s favorite 10am break snack. He has to hide the box from me! There won’t be any left if I find it. Yes, it is so much better hidden.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 317 – Clifty Hill 2 – Testing and fixing waste line leaks

Year 3 Day 317 – “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 3/14/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Pressure testing, fixing the waste line links, and a pedicure.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

29 piece cobalt drill bit setHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4979zDU A drill bit set that any carpenter/mechanic will love. This is a really nice set for the price and comes with a case.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 316 – Clifty Hill 2 – Happy Cow Cafe lunch

Year 3 Day 316 – “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 3/13/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – It was a great day for lunch out with Marley. We met at the Happy Cow Cafe in Columbia, KY. This cafe was okay with the food being fairly good and the service lacking in friendliness.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

29 piece cobalt drill bit setHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4979zDU A drill bit set that any carpenter/mechanic will love. This is a really nice set for the price and comes with a case.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 315 – Clifty Hill 2 – KY flies are swarming, House is ready for gutters

Year 3 Day 315 – “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 3/12/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – The Kentucky flies are swarming again.

The house is fully sided, and the metal is all bent and up. The seamless gutter installers will not be able to be here until the end of next week.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

29 piece cobalt drill bit setHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4979zDU A drill bit set that any carpenter/mechanic will love. This is a really nice set for the price and comes with a case.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 314 – Clifty Hill 2 – Copper water lines started, Road garbage cleanup

Year 3 Day 314 – “Living the Dream”. Monday, 3/11/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Copper water lines being installed.

It was my spring yearly road clean-up Day. Picked up two white kitchen bags of garbage. It was mostly beer cans.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

29 piece cobalt drill bit setHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4979zDU A drill bit set that any carpenter/mechanic will love. This is a really nice set for the price and comes with a case.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 313 – Clifty Hill 2 – First PVC waste line pressure test

Year 3 Day 313 – “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 3/10/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – The first pressure test was performed on the PVC waste lines. There were a few leaks, so we headed to Lowes for some more PVC pipe and fittings. We took the afternoon off for some rest and relaxation.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

29 piece cobalt drill bit setHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4979zDU A drill bit set that any carpenter/mechanic will love. This is a really nice set for the price and comes with a case.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 312 – Clifty Hill 2 – Lowes shopping online and picking up pvc pressure test plugs

Year 3 Day 312 – “Living the Dream”. Saturday, 3/09/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – It is a rainy Lowes day picking up more DWV pipe and pressure test plugs. The Somerset, KY Lowes has separated out the area where you pick up online orders from the customer service return counter. These employees and the new pick-up process is fantastic. When you place an online order. They must run and go get it off the shelf. In a short while they text/email you that your order is ready. When you get to the store, you check in on your phone and by the time you walk from the parking lot to the pick-up counter they are waiting with your order. It is so much easier and faster to order online now.

Yes, we are to that point for the PVC waste lines pressure testing. Then it is on to cutting and installing the copper water lines. I got a detailed lesson on the difference between a repair/slip coupling and a coupling. Steve loves to explain his work to people. So here is what I learned. Believe me the explanation was a lot longer. The repair/slip coupling does not have a stop in the middle and is not tapered as much so they will slide over the pipe completely.

A repair coupling has the stop in the middle and is more tapered.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

29 piece cobalt drill bit setHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4979zDU A drill bit set that any carpenter/mechanic will love. This is a really nice set for the price and comes with a case.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 311 – Clifty Hill 2 – Waste lines work continues

Year 3 Day 311 – “Living the Dream”. Friday, 3/08/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – Another plumbing day. It is amazing how much white pipe there are in the walls of this home. When you walk into a house, we don’t even think about the waste materials and where they go when you use your showers, sinks, washing machines, and dish washers. It is unbelievable how many feet of waste pipe there is in your walls. Without these pipes being properly installed it would be impossible to cook, clean, or do much of anything. Additionally, the system has to be properly vented to allow air into it, so the water/sewage flows properly. There also needs to be clean outs installed so future maintenance is easy to do. No one even thinks of all the detailed work involved in plumbing the waste around and out of your home. Our plumbing and electrical contractors are so important to our life. Encourage young people to go into the trades.

Keeping healthy with morning walks, friends, and flowers.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

29 piece cobalt drill bit setHere’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4979zDU A drill bit set that any carpenter/mechanic will love. This is a really nice set for the price and comes with a case.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count

Living the Dream Year 3 Day 310 – Clifty Hill 2 – Waste lines connected to the Septic tank, electrical box work, walking in the morning

Year 3 Day 310 – “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 3/07/2024. Clifty Hill 2 – The highway from the house to the septic tank was installed. This is a highly traveled road.

Some electrical work was done.

The veins and nerves of this home are coming along nicely. Before you know it, we will be calling for the rough in inspections. HVAC has not been started yet. Actually, we don’t even have a permit for that. My early morning walking continues. Conditioning myself for long walks in Europe. It is amazing how much you get done in a day when you get up early and exercise first thing in the morning.

Another way to increase your general well-being is to have some beautiful smelling flowers in your home. Aren’t these gorgeous.

Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.

Comfortable light weight inexpensive zip up hoodie Here’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/4aa21Bh A nice light weight inexpensive zip up hoodie that you can wear every day for work or play. They come in many different colors. I know because Steve owns a few.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count