Saturday, January 24, 2026

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



Tuesday, January 13, 2026

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


Monday, January 5, 2026

29 December 2025 – 4 January 2026 Happy New Years!

 We drove back to Granbury on the 28th. 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