Mums

I could not resist buying these beautiful mums. I can't wait for the blooms to open, especially on the multicolor mum.

Photo Spot

I still love our stone walkway. It is one of the best improvements we made to the house.

Cooper and Otis like it too.

Happy Birthday Cooper !

Cooper has been with us for 4 years. He is now 11 years old. Cooper is an amazing dog who continues to  flourish in our home. Our diamond in the rough has turned out to be a true gem.

This is what Cooper looked like when we adopted him. Cooper's skin is now pink and his coat is soft and silky. The dog that did not want affection has disappeared. Cooper will often spend work days in our home office with me. When Coop wants to get petted, he will thump his tail, until you go to him.

Cooper has taught me patience. He reminds me that trust is fragile and cannot be rushed.  Cooper still has his moments of craziness. However, we now take his exuberance in stride. We no longer wonder if  a dog who survived a lifetime of abuse can shed his fear and be happy.  Coop is secure in the love of our pack. His sparkling eyes and wagging tail announce, "Life is good".

Wilton Jewelers

It is rare to find a business that I love and would recommend without hesitancy. Wilton Jewelers is a shop that I am thrilled with.

I have been to Wilton Jewelers several times over the last few months. Howard, the store owner, is a very nice and trust worthy person.

I have been amazed by the high quality work that Wilton Jewelers has performed. A mangled platinum band was restored to near perfection. A chipped diamond was cut and polished making this tired stone sparkle again, while losing very little of the carat weight. Earrings which had lost accent pearls were repaired and look beautiful.

Wilton Jewelers has a wonderful selection of jewelry. The display cases sparkle with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies.  If you ever need a reliable jeweler, I would suggest speaking with Howard at Wilton Jewelers.

King Crab

Stew Leonard's is running a tremendous sale on King Crab Legs. I love crab legs, but rarely buy this expensive treat, especially since Jeff does not eat seafood.

I left the store with 6 large legs. It turned out that this was too much crab for dinner for one. I ended up having crab salad for lunch the next day.

Both dinner and lunch were fantastic. The crab was sweet and juicy.  I do have to say that the Costco crab legs tend to be larger. However, their cost is much higher.

Photo by: Northwest Seafood

Chillin' Out

The dogs enjoying the new deck.

New Heating System

The heating system has been replaced. We were told that this high efficiency system should reduce our oil and electric consumption. I hope that is true.

The hot water tank is much smaller than the original one. Supposedly, the system heats water so quickly, that a bigger tank is not needed. The smaller tank is also more energy efficient.

The install took one day. Two plumbers arrived at 7:30 am and an electrician arrived at 1:00 pm. Cold water was available during the installation, which made being in the house much easier.

When the heat was turned on to test the system, Coop, Otis and I began to roast. Extra heat on a 90 degree day is a too much!

Congratulations, Jeff !

The Connecticut State Sporting Clays Shoot was held at Fairfield County Fish and Game this weekend.

Jeff won the Class A FITASC event! Jeff started shooting FITASC in April 2011.  He has made great progress in a little over a year.

Oil Burner

This is our existing 30+ year old oil burner. Back in May, we realized that the furnace needed to be replaced.

With Fall and colder weather approaching, we knew it was time to order a new heating system. We are also having the electric water heater removed. The new furnace will supply the hot water.

The installation is supposed to take 1 day. I am hoping we do not encounter any install issues. It is tough to live in a house with no running water.

New Door

The new basement door is installed. This is Cooper's favorite spot. Coop loves being able to see outside.

New Windows

The basement and garage windows are installed. These Andersen windows match the windows on the first floor of the house.

Deck Complete

The deck is finished.

Aerial views of the deck, shot from an upstairs window.

We are very happy with the way the deck turned out.  .

Garage Window

These are the existing windows in the garage and basement.As you can see they are in bad shape.  The previous owner, replaced one of the panes with a piece of wood. He then drilled a hole in it to run electrical wire outside! I always wonder what the previous owner was thinking when he was doing "home (not) improvements".

We are having the windows replaced while the deck is built.

Almost Done

The deck is almost finished.

 

All that is left to complete are the stairs and gate.

This is what the deck looks like.

Basement Door

We replaced the basement door shortly after buying the house. However, due to the constant moisture and lack of sunlight, the outside frame was starting to rot. While the deck is being built, we are having a new door installed. The frame is made of a composite, that should last forever.


The new door is all glass. Cooper will love being able to see outside. I hope  the quality is as good as the sales person claims.

Progress

Most of the floorboards have been installed. I like that the builder put an "edge or frame" on the outer rim of the deck and then installed the floorboards on a diagonal within the frame.

The railing is also starting to be installed.

Posts

The railing posts are installed. The floorboards are starting to be installed. We chose to run the flooring on a diagonal, instead of the traditional horizontal.

Framing

The framing for the deck is almost complete.

The new 32 foot deck is much smaller than the previous one.

Footers Ready

The footers have been poured. We are waiting for the lumber to be delivered, so construction can start.

Footers

The footers have been dug and inspected. Deck construction can now begin.