The Dog Days of Summer

The temperatures in Oklahoma and Texas have been reaching well above 100 degrees since we arrived at the beginning of July. The weather here is much more forgiving than the eat coast. We don't have the humidity that is common in July and August in Virginia. Even though it isn't as oppressive, I am still looking for a way to keep the dogs cool. Kira loved to swim in the pond at Wind Dancer and we used to take her to Goshen Pass outside of Lexington. So, because I cannot afford to build her the ideal pool, we improvised.

Radleigh, in true little sister fashion, stole the pool from Kira. Eventually Kira decided to partake in the fun.

The dogs are beginning to settle in and so are we. The majority of the last six weeks has been spent repairing the house. When we first moved in the contractor was finishing the paint and carpet. Shortly after, the air conditioning failed and the whole heat pump had to be ripped out and replaced (along with duct work and the furnace). We then had some electrical work done on the house followed by a handful of citations delivered to the mailbox from t he city of Lawton. Apparently the brush in the back yard was impeding the way to the utilities and had to be cut back. So, the majority of time has been spent managing these issues. Just this weekend we have begun to focus on putting together the house, unpacking boxes, and making it more habitable.

I am truly enjoying living in Oklahoma because for the first time EVER I have a sense of ownership in this house. I have always been a renter and have never been allowed to personalize my living space (outside of furniture/pictures/etc.). Our house in Oklahoma is basically a blank canvas. We have already begun to personalize it by taking down the 1970's doors that separated the den from the kitchen (these doors looked like something straight out of That 70's Show). I then decided I was going to learn to install light fixtures, ceiling fans, and outlets. The first thing I tackled was a ceiling fan. The one that was in the kitchen was covered in some kind of grease (chicken grease??) that would fling off the fan and stick to your feet every time it was turned on. It took three attempts and six hours of work (and one phone call to my father) but the ceiling fan was successfully installed. I am extremely proud of my work because now I don't feel like I have to pay someone $80 to install at $60 fan.

The next project was to install a new hallway light and kitchen light (there is a second light besides the ceiling fan in the kitchen). We ended up having to call an electrician to come install the lights (because of confusing wiring). Today though, we tackled our final project before the beginning of the school year. We installed a new bathroom light.

I am proud of myself for learning how to take care of these common household things. There comes a sense of ownership with learning to customize your house. We are going to continue to update this house with hopes that it brings a higher resale when the times comes. We would love to remodel the kitchen (the stove and range and from the 1930's....no lie...I swear...I'll take pictures).