Homemaking at Evans, Inc: Busy, busy week

It's been hectic around here the past week. Just a few updates:

We have a pet spider named Charlotte (Jeff remarked "how original" when I suggested the moniker but didn't have a better idea ;-). She's not exactly a pet, but she lives in the same place and we check up on her. Every night, she comes out and constructs a huge web on the back porch. She has "struts" that anchor from the top of the ceiling all the way down to the concrete. She's gone by dawn, leaving no evidence of her web. We've been watching her every night for a week, and I'm saving dead houseflies to throw into her web, so that kind of makes her a pet!

Jeff took me to dinner and a minor league baseball game on Thursday. We had a lot of fun eating popcorn, drinking lemonade, chatting with seatmates, and cheering on the home team.

We went to a church picnic this past Sunday and enjoyed fellowship, food, and volleyball. I wish I had brought my swimsuit, as the pavilion site was on a beautiful lake with some man-made beaches.( I have the fondest memories of swimming and playing in the lake with my family as a child). I won a bean bag toss against a very worthy opponent. For a supposed kids' game, it was surprisingly fun. Who knew there were real rules (it's quite similar to horseshoes)!

The laundry room is coming along, but things in the living and dining rooms are "looking up" also. That was my subtle attempt at a joke given that I finished painting both ceilings this week. I wish I had a before picture, but imagine 85 years of yellowing paint and nicotine stains and you'll be pretty close.

Please ignore the odd ceiling fan effect from too much bright light and too much motion.

We are preparing for chickens, so I've been working on the little coop/run already constructed behind the shop. Like so many parts of our mini farm, it has the promise of beauty and function, but it needs a lot of help. This one is covered in wild vines, has a few rotted boards, is missing a section of fencing, and the door is wedged closed from years of dirt, debris, and grass. Nothing a little time and material can't fix!