surprise!

 These are pictures from the family room.  This is a busy, heavily used room, full of toys.

 Well, not today.

We added this family room onto the side of the house in 2003.  There was a little room off the dining room before, and we called it the school room, and spent more time in that little 10 x 12 room than anywhere else in the house.  The TV was in there, and pillows on the floor, shelves all around, soft, pretty green carpeting, and it was great.

This family room has been great too, and the last thing to finish the room has been the flooring and baseboards.   Jay tiled the doorway and the bathroom recently, and we got in touch with a carpenter to put the maple floor in.

We asked for a week's notice to empty the room in advance of the floor installation.   Seemed good.  Well, Monday there was an email saying they could start TOMORROW.

TOMORROW--at 8 am.

I called Jay and he said we'll do it. Somehow.  We will.

Dan's trailer was available and he was even willing to drop it off since our van is in the shop and no way to pick it up.

I was having a nervous breakdown, but James, Aaron, and Maria all said they'd be here to haul stuff out. Kari hauled. Julia and Tim helped.  Jay disconnected the radiators and removed those at the end.   We drained the turtle tank and moved Bernie to the kitchen again.

It was a long evening.

But look at the emptiness!

 And the floor is going in!

 The varnish is planned to be applied next week, and we can move back in a few days after that.

 And this goofy thing?  A squash vine appeared in the window well.

And that's about that.

Love, Val