Monday and Tuesday it was too cold for the painters to work. We received almost 2 inches of snow, ice and sleet since Friday. David got out Tuesday to refill the propane. By Wednesday afternoon, the roads were melted off. We went out to the house late in the day. The paint crew was still not bac but they had gotten a lot of the trim painted on Friday.  When we went out Thursday, the paint crew was hard at work. They had started putting the final coats on the cabinets. We received a CR from the builder claiming it would cost almost $2,000 to change the color of the island and utility room cabinets. Leslie decided that she liked the color of the utility cabinets after they had dried thoroughly and we saw them in the daylight. We discussed the color of the island with the paint crew foreman. We showed him the paint chip of the color Leslie wanted and even offered him the pint of the paint (if only they had taken them up front!). On Friday we went back out to the house and looked at the sample the foreman had obtained and sprayed on part of the cabinet.  It was finally the correct color. Meantime, Skyler was being a pest and did not realize we were coordinating directly with the crew. We also approved the exterior paint color (third try). Meantime they continued on the rest of the house and got all the trim and cabinets painted and prepped for painting the walls and ceilings. On Sunday, we went and picked up a beautiful leather love seat that Leslie found online. When we dropped it off at the shop, we went in and saw the repainted island. It was perfect! They will finish painting this week with painting the walls and ceiling (primer and two coats of final color). 

Before the final paint.

Finally, the right color!

19 -25 January 2026 Brrrrrrr

 They began issuing winter storm warnings for later in the week on Monday. We topped up the propane tanks and went grocery shopping on Monday, before the mad rush later in the week. The painters are making good progress. By the end of the week, they had started doing final finish colors. When we checked in with the painters on Thursday, they had shot the final colors on the island, utility room cabinets and the guest bathroom cabinets. Leslie decided later that the island color was not what she had picked out, it was too peachy and not the richer color she had selected. Also, that the light green utility cabinets were too pastel tinted, not the deeper blue/green she wanted. We raised the issue with Skyler on Friday. He will work with us to get them changed, but it will be a CR since we had approved the paint samples they had put on the wall early in the week for us to see. David spent Wednesday afternoon finishing his shelf project in the shop. The weather started to turn on Friday, with rain and cold weather moving in so we did not go out to the Ranch. Skyler told us they had drained the water out of the pipes in the house so there would be no issues with pipes freezing this weekend. Friday night the temps dropped below freezing and the roads began to ice up. Temps will below freezing until Tuesday with lows Sunday and Monday in the single digits. By Saturday morning the roads were ice covered and there was a layer of sleet pellets and snow on the ground. The steps out of the Wanderer are ice encased and very slippery. Keira did not enjoy her morning walk with wind chills down near zero. David woke up early Monday morning because it seemed colder than normal. When he checked the controls, it was clear that the propane tank had froze up. With the temperature around 9 degrees, he was concerned this might happen. He also noticed no water was coming out of the faucet and the water pump was running indicating the pipe from the fresh water tank to the pump was probably frozen as well. So, he pulled on layers of cloths and went out to check on the propane. The front tank we were using had a thick layer of frost covering the lower half of the tank indicating the liquid propane was very cold. At -44 degrees, propane stops flashing from liquid to gas. So he opened up the back propane tank and set the pressure regulator to pull from both tanks. This resolved the problem and the furnaces came back on and warmed up the Wanderer. The fresh water pipe thawed out and we once again had water. The fun of living in a trailer in the winter. 

Rolling Storage shelves for the shop

11-18 January 2026 Paint Preparation

 The paint team got to work prepping for painting by filling all the thousands of nail holes in the trim and caulking miles of seams throughout the house. They prepared all the cabinet frames, doors and drawer fronts. They also laid paper down on all the floors and taped off the windows. Late in the week they began priming the trim and cabinet doors and drawers. They have a lot to do. Fortunately, the weather has been good,  not too cold and not to warm. We had some light rain on Wednesday afternoon, enough to get a wonderful rainbow over the RV park. We spent Wednesday in the shop working on the new tables and putting a more permanent solution in place to block mice from coming in. On Friday we shopped for furniture. We went down to the Granbury square and had a wonderful German lunch at Ketzlers on the square. Then we went to the Wagon Wheel and scoped out the couch we want to buy. We will order one in a couple of weeks so it can be delivered straight to the house. While there, David spotted a “Welcome to The Ranch” metal sign we had to have for over the front door. Sunday, David spent the afternoon working in the shop on some rolling storage shelves and got ¾ of the way completed. 

Rainbow over the RV Park

Priming the kitchen cabinets

Priming cabinet drawers and doors

Priming utility room cabinets

Priming more cabinet drawers and doors

5 - 11 January 2026 Trim Finally Finished

 Nothing got done on the inside of the house Monday through Thursday. On Friday or Saturday, the trim carpenters finished the trim around the front and back doors the way we requested and finished up the closets. This week the painters can get started. They are now telling us it will take an additional 6-8 weeks to complete. We are pressing them to get electric and water to the shop and driveway in so we can park the Wanderer out there soon as possible. Friday, we headed to Dallas to have lunch with our friends Ann and Bill. Then headed up to McKinney to pick up some end tables and coffee table that Leslie had arrange to buy through Facebook Marketplace. Unfortunately, the seller ghosted us at the last minute and the sale fell through. On the way back to Granbury (a 2 hour drive), we stopped off in Irving to visit “The Dump” to see what furniture they had. We were surprised at how expensive the furniture was which was not what we expected from the advertising. We got back too late Friday to stop at the house. Last weekend, we had visited River’s Wind, an auction house, and Leslie saw a large (6 foot tall) candelabra that she fell in love with. So David bought for her Birthday. On Saturday we met our friends Mona and Wade for lunch and then went down to River’s Wind. While walking around the warehouse, we found a couch table and coffee table that set Leslie’s “heart on fire”. Since the other tables had fallen through, we got those for only $400. We loaded them up in the truck and drove them down to The Ranch and put them in the shop. That is when we found they had finished up the trim work in the house. On Sunday we went to Cristina’s American Table on the square in Granbury for Leslie’s Birthday dinner. It was excellent! 

Front Door Trim

Back Door Trim

29 December 2025 – 4 January 2026 Happy New Years!

 We drove back to Granbury on the 28^th. They had completed all the connections to the septic system. The Trim Carpenters had made good progress as well. We have not seen the bill yet for the septic install, but were sure it went over the allowance due to all the rock they had to jackhammer through. We suggested they get their plumber out there to run the water line from the house to the shop while all the trenches were open for the septic system. As usual, nothing happened. Over the last two months, we have been trying to get a price on putting the same clear pine wood ceiling in the entrance hall that is on the ceiling of the front porch to give a continuity from the porch into the hall. All they said is “it won’t cost much and our guys will take care of it”. Just after we got back, Skyler texted that a CR was being sent to the ceiling work for us to review and sign. So, we waited and looked for the email for the CR for several days. We were told the ceiling and barn wood on the fireplace and vent hood would not added until after painting because the painters tape would not stick. The day before New Years we stopped at the Ranch and found a crew installing the clear pine wood ceiling in the front hall. No warning they were going to do it, no pricing and no signed CR approving the work (and definitely before painting). But we stayed silent and let them keep working. Most of the trim work in the house was completed except around the front and back doors where we had requested specific trim work (we gave them pictures). New Years Eve Day, we went back to the house to see how they had done on the hall ceiling. It looks wonderful! But we noticed they had used that same clear pine wood on the fireplace above the mantle and on the vent hood in the kitchen. They were supposed to be White Washed Barn Wood, not clear pine. We took pictures and sent them off to Skyler. We eventually got a text back that yes, it was an error and they would fix it. Sigh! They still have not finished the trim around the front and back doors and the painters can’t start until the trim work is complete. It will take the painters a couple of weeks, then there is a whole slew of things to be done after that. By contract, they are supposed to be finished by 16 January, but it is clear they will not make that deadline. We have been pressing them to give us an updated completion date so we can schedule furniture deliveries and the landscapers. As usual, silence. So frustrating! With all the modern communication channels we have today, silence is not acceptable. We spent New Years Eve around our fire pit enjoying the cool weather and warm fire. Our neighbor, Don, came over and enjoyed the fire with us. There was surprising not as many fireworks as we expected at midnight. We opened a bottle of Gruet Bruit and drank in the new year. The day after New Years, they covered the septic system all up with dirt they brought in. So, we are in wait for the trim carpenters to finish up the trim and undo the pine on the fireplace and vent. 

Septic System Connected

Guest Closet

Clear Pine on the fireplace

Clear Pine on Vent Hood

Primary Closet

Primary Closet

Septic system filled in

Entrance Hall Ceiling

23-28 December 2025 Christmas in the Woodlands.

 After stopping at the house to check on the septic tank, we drove down to the Woodlands for Christmas with Cynthia and Felix. We spent Christmas Eve at Laurens house and got to see the grand nieces, meet Laurens new boyfriend and his kids. Our other two neices, Sydney and Emilly, were there as well. We had not seen them in several years and it was great to catch up with them. As usual, the the gift exchange was crazy fun chaos! The little girls each got a karaoke box from Cynthia with sound effects. The noise from those was enough to drive everyone home! Christmas morning we went back to Laurens for breakfast and to see what the grandnieces had gotten from Santa Claus. They both received a huge Barby Doll House that included a pool, elevator, bathroom (with sound effects) and a kitchen! Even the teenage girls were having fun playing with them! Later that day we had wonderful Christmas Dinner back at Cynthia’s and Felix’s. 

Cynthia with Lauren, Emilly and Sydney

Chaos of gift opening.

15-23 December 2025 Trim Carpenters Start

 The tile and floor contractor continued to work on their installation. They completed the EVP install and tile floor install except for the grouting. The trim carpenters started their work. On Davids Suggestion, we met at the house with the trim carpenters and walked through how we wanted the closets and pantry configured. If we had not suggested it, who knows what we would have gotten installed. They are also installing the doors and attic access stairs. We also provided they pictures of how we wanted the trim around the front and back doors. We picked up a couple of night stands from an online seller. They needed some work. On Wednesday, Leslie sanded the tops down and stained them while David repaired the ethernet cables, finished installing the conduit and filled in the trench. The Trim carpenters are making quick work of trimming out the house and appear to be doing an excellent job at it. They showed up Monday (22 Dec) to install the septic system. David met with Kelby and the Septic contractor to work out where he wanted the sprinklers installed and to check they knew where the wire conduits were so they did not cut them. As he pulled up, he could hear they were jack hammering rock. Sure enough, they only dug down a couple of feet before hitting solid rock. They had to jack hammer through 10 feet of limestone to dig a hole deep enough to put the tank. David had expected some rock layers, but not ten feet of solid limestone. We went out on Tuesday as we were leaving town to see how they had done and the tank was installed (although they still had some connections to complete). We haven’t heard how much extra it is going to cost for the effort to cut through the rock yet. There is a “rock clause” in the contract to give them relief. There is a large pile of rock that will have to be disposed of as well. David asked if they could put it in the low corner in the southwest corner of the lot rather than pay to haul it away, but has not heard back yet. We are going to have to do something different with the propane tank rather than have to dig another whole in the rock. The good news is that house sits on top of this rock shelf, so the foundation is pretty solid. 

Our septic tank

Chipping away at the rock

Tank in the ground

Big pile of rock!