OMG TEH BROTHER!

He came over! Are you dead of shock? No? Amazing.

He didn't call first and just arrived at around 11am. I was still lounging a bit in bed. I had another terrible night of sleeplessness and tossing-turning. Cat is upset at me. Sigh. Should do catbox tonight because rain is forecast for Monday.

Day started off a bit awkward. I don't think he knew how I'd be. We took a bit of a tour so he could see the back yard and so forth. See with his eyes that I'm not being lazy. He thinks house will look nice! I agree. House will look very good. He said it was shame Mother didn't live to see it. That got me a bit emotional because I had thought that off and on. It's very hard on me.

We first went to home improvement. I couldn't find the light for the kitchen cabinets. He looked for work parts! He always does that. He is worse than Father--always on the hunt for work parts! We then went to grocery. I spent $101.99 and supposedly saved $50. I splurged and got a tin of chips for $1 and a bottle of Dr. Pepper (Cherry Vanilla) to go with my salad. I decided Mother would have said you have to take care of SELF--it is ok to treat self once in awhile! I always saw that as being enabling but considering I'm battling to keep my sanity, we will take Mother's advice!

Kitty is here. I gave petting. Maybe she will like me tonight? Oh. She is excited and purring. This is a good sign!

Where was I? Oh, grocery. That was good. Frozen food sale wasn't as great as I'd hoped. But I got enough I think for another month. I saw there was a new frozen salmon dinner and immediately if Mother would like it. Silly me! Heh. She was like that a long time too seeing things like those ugly tangerines and thinking she would get them for Father. Sigh. :/

We brought groceries back to house and I got them put away quickly. Open freezer and turn bags over! HA! Well that worked for many items. What else? I got that put away and Brother decided it was time to eat so he started on a salad he had bought. I hadn't eating anything and decided to have one of the salads I had bought too and my Dr. Pepper. It was odd? I stood behind counter and he sat. Mother used to stand behind counter and I would sit! But it seemed natural. Salad was good but I don't remember it.

It was after 1pm and we then got started on putting wallboard into the eyesore (used to be window, Father put up distressed mirror selving) area! Brother held while I drove screws into the wallboard. Just as I had figured out, one sheet was not quite enough for that area so we trimmed the second sheet a bit and will still have enough for around the French doors.

When that was done, I pushed ahead and wanted to bring the French doors inside. I got my sets of wheels (they're for file cabinets) and they were wonderful for getting the doors out of the garage. Mother and I got them and I had used them to move her old china cabinet when she gave it away after Father died. She hated the thing which Father only bought because a coworker had gotten one for his wife.

Again those wheel things came in handy. I don't remember exactly why we got them but they've done very well! Free pettings! Mother was so good about making sure I had all kinds of crazy things to help me with the house handy-man tasks. I wish I could thank her for being insistent on some of the acquisitions. I would try to resist and she would say, "Get it!" "That way I / you know you've got it if you need it." Now that I type that I remember Grandmother (Mother's mother) using that phrase or something like it. It is good strategy for some items. Father would go overboard on acquiring tools though. If he misplaced something, he'd just get new and end up with many duplicates! Some of that is good because I am using those tools but there is way more than I'll ever use probably even if I were building a house from scratch! I am glad he had the sledgehammer, axe, hatchet, table grinder, table saw (Grandmother bought him that) and hand tools. Lots and lots of sockets. But I digress!

Anyway, we got French doors out of garage and into the walkway. We were going to remove the doors and just take it in as three pieces but clearly we needed a third party. I offered to get neighbor who had offered to help in the past when we were taking those inside. Well, the removal of the doors was scrapped when neighbor decided it could be carried inside! Well, that and rolled on the wheels. Neighbor and I carried as needed. Brother moved the sets of wheels as we made it from one set of steps to another. When we got to the entry, it was rest time! I got all the boxes and things out of the way so there was clear path while neighbor and Brother kept doors from tipping over. I took over from Brother and with neighbor, we tilted and lifted into the house. It got put back on the wheels and... "Zoom!" Down the tile into the kitchen-dining area. Free petting for Self for putting the tile down from entry to the back of the house. It was good for wheelchair and now for these doors. Sometimes I have good ideas!

Doors are leaning against the original back wall of the house where the new wallboard went up. Neighbor declared he and I will be able to move them if needed. I invited him to show me his technique for finishing the wallboard and he'll do that when convenient. I feel very good. Pleased the wallboard is finally up and I can get that finished and the doors are inside so I can frame it out and finally get that done too. Very pleased with today!

Brother is going to get the savings out of the credit union account and he has agreed to let me write a check to myself for reimbusing some of what I payed out so I can pay my bills in June. This way I don't have to ask our uncle for a loan because inheritence advance will likely take more than 10 days since it will be probably mailed, and there will probably be a business hold on it of five days when deposited. Even if I pay myself back some money from the estate that will still leave enough funds for the June mortgage.

Brother left around 5pm in car with the kids videos and old baseball bat that neighbor asked me to give him. I also made him take the car cover since the car is not kept in the garage. It is after 6pm. Kitty is back demanding attention and I should take meds and consider dinner! I think I might sleep OK tonight. That reminds me, I need to close the windows since rain is possible tonight.