Grace Village Apartment 150

 My husband's sister lived in Grace Village Apartment 150 for about 5 years. After she died in 2022, a couple in a Robin Hood condo reserved 150 for themselves. They made quite a few changes. Unfortunately, they both ended up with health problems, and she died last April. He moved closer to one of his daughters. They invested a lot into upgrades but didn't even live in the apartment a whole year. I believe they moved in July 2022.

Today Grace Village had an open house with tours; apartment 150 was open to view though it has been reserved. I took some photos of the changes.

A patio was added which means there are now sliding patio doors where previously there had been windows.

The doors have blinds built between the glass. This is about half of the patio size. It looks out on trees and a gazebo.

The bedrooms did not look too different except for the new carpeting. New ceiling lights and fans also.

The bathroom has been reworked.

I had heard that they wanted a smooth-top stove. The cabinets and drawers look pretty much the same. The flooring is what my SIL had.

Inside some of the cabinets were pull-out shelves and in an upper cabinet a two-tier lazy Susan. It is all very nice. 

This a two-bedroom D style apartment at Grace Village. 

Condo Restoration Progress

 Most of the work this week on the burned condos has been inside. They finished reroofing the entire quadplex. I am glad to see the progress, but since I am a light sleeper hearing hammering at 6:40 a.m. meant I was up far earlier than normal many days.

The vinyl siding and trim that melted in the heat of the fire still needs to be replaced. I think it will be hard to "match" with the existing material.

I was surprised when I looked inside today (no workers on Saturday) that all of the walls are being reframed. It looks like even the kitchen has been gutted. The front door and sidelights appear to be the only structural elements that are original. 

This is what I saw before July. It has all been cleaned up to bare cement. 

The last report I heard was that the two burned units would not be ready to move into until October. The fire was February 12th. Such a long wait for the couple that wants to move back. According to the grapevine, a new couple has signed up for the unit next door. They will get a "new" condo so to speak. 

As far as I know, this was the first fire ever in the condos. It has been a learning experience for the administration.

Blueberry Time Again

 The great deal on blueberries that Martin's had in the past are not available. Instead, we bought blueberries at Sweetcorn Charlie's. If you bought a 10 pound box, it was $3.50 a pound. When we used to pick our own blueberries, we averaged about 10-12 pounds. These are from Baroda, Michigan. In previous years, the ones we bought were from South Haven. Baroda is slightly inland and north of Saint Joseph. I ate a few of the smooshed ones; they were juicy and sweet. We froze almost 3 gallons, putting the softer ones in a container to eat fresh.

It is a lot of work to wash and sort the berries, but now it is done for the summer. Lots of nice frozen blueberries to eat the rest of the year.

It is really pleasant today. Low humidity and a slight breeze. I sat on the front porch for 40 minutes after finishing the blueberry work. Next week will be in the 90's and muggy. 

New SUV

 Towards the end of last week, we received an email from the Toyota dealership that the 2023 RAV4 hybrid we had been waiting for since last April was on its way. Monday morning the sales rep called and said that the vehicle was here. We looked it over and took it for a spin Monday afternoon. We had not been able to even test drive any RAV4 hybrid. There are a few things we wish were different, but we had been told one accepted the car as is or passed and waited for a different one. There was no customizing options. We signed on the dotted line and paid with a check. We are the proud owners of a 2023 RAV4 XLE Premium hybrid. 

It is Ruby Flare; my sister-in-law calls it candy apple red. We noticed yesterday while in Fort Wayne on a cloudy day that it looks considerably darker without sunlight.

The seats are ash gray. It came with extras like the heavy floor mats which will be helpful when winter slush and snow show up. 

I rarely used the moonroof on our sedan; maybe we will try to use this one more.

Although some of the features are similar to what our Avalon sedan had, so much is controlled now by the touchscreen. This vehicle also has lane assist and a feature that keeps you from getting too close to the car ahead of you. The blindspot alert and the backup alert when a person or car is crossing your path we had on the Avalon. It is going to take a while to know what all is on this SUV. The backup camera is great! The picture is clear and large and best of all you can wear polarized sunglasses and still see the screen. On our old car you had to take the glasses off. My husband is happy to be sitting higher than a sedan. 

We have owned several Toyotas as a married couple: Previa minivan, Prius, Avalon hybrid. My husband had a Celica before we met. We have been pleased with the performance and longevity of Toyota vehicles. 

We have a 3-night stay in Michigan in August mid-way between New Buffalo and South Haven planned. I have a deposit on a cottage surrounded by hydrangeas and with a screened-in porch. A Lake Michigan beach is within reasonable walking distance. It should be peach season. That will probably be the first long-distance trip in our new RAV4. 

Yesterday CarMax in Fort Wayne bought our Toyota Avalon hybrid sedan. We had given the VIN and answered some questions online; they provided a quote. I was afraid they would whittle down the offer giving excuses. But after the inspection and test drive they stuck with the initial offer for an amount we are happy about. The Toyota dealer in Warsaw had encouraged us to look around as he said the dealership would not be as generous. The CarMax rep who handled our transaction was amazed to see our 2013 car had less than 68,000 miles. She communicated with headquarters in Chicago, and they approved the amount of the first offer. We received a check for the full amount which I deposited in my bank account today. 

A learning curve ahead, but it feels good to finally have a new SUV.

Quiet 4th of July

 It is a quiet July 4th for us. Too hot and humid to sit on the porch; next weekend should be better for that after a cold front moves through Wednesday night. Winona Lake had fireworks Saturday July 1st. We watched the higher ones that we could see through the bedroom window. I did notice blips of light in the yard so the fireflies are showing up. 

I have had a cold since last Thursday or I might have gone to the Patriotic Concert in Winona Lake on the 1st. Today, I finally feel better. Sneezing and runny nose came to an end; still have lots of phlegm and a cough though.

 I hope to stop at the post office tomorrow to buy stamps before the price goes up on July 9th. I have one stamp in the drawer at home. 

Talked with my sisters in California. They were gathering with other family members to celebrate my oldest sister's July 4th birthday. She picked out her own birthday cake, a chocolate mousse from Costco. Tonight, we ate Costco Tuxedo cake. I had frozen two pieces the last time we bought that cake. My twin sister is in California for a missions conference celebrating missionaries past and present. They had no problems traveling by air. 

Our skies are actually blue instead of hazy gray, but unfortunately that won't last very long. Once the wind comes out of the north again, we will get Canada's smoke. 

I have distracted myself from my pains, etc. by knitting a headband from a ball of yarn I bought at a garage sale. The pattern instructions came from the internet.

I thought maybe this would keep my ears warm without wearing a hat and getting "hat hair", but with my short hair, wisps stick up in the back and the bangs look weird. I did learn how to make a mattress seam to create the round circle. I looked at a book. Mostly I am self-taught from books and a few times from YouTube.

Some time ago at a Friends of the Library book sale, I bought a book about Charles Wysocki. Since we had many puzzles by him through the years, I thought I might enjoy browsing. There was a little bit of biographical information, but mostly the author Betty Ballantine uses his pictures to talk about Americana living. For example, how sugar maple syrup is made. I think the book was printed before Wysocki got into puzzles; mostly, I guess he started out with calendars. None of the places he paints are real places. They are bits and pieces of New England that he incorporated.

One of my sisters sent me an African Violet as a get-well wish. The plant that arrived was pathetic, but the company stood by their promise to make good unacceptable plants. I have a replacement.

I don't have a green thumb, but at least I have a fighting chance with a healthy plant rather than a wilted one. 

Hope your Independence Day was enjoyable.