Simple Pleasures

 We are having a warm, lovely Autumn. I find plenty of things to love during Autumns like this. There are the last blooms of summer: Azalea,

Phlox,

 and roses.

I'm also eagerly anticipating the enjoyment of my $3,028 cantaloupe:  $4.25 for the starter plant and $3,023.75 for watering.

I'm going to get a grand total of *one* homegrown, vine-ripened cantaloupe for my money and efforts. 

It's totally worth it.

 Since there is no Montana winter in sight, my strawberries decided to kick into production again. Life doesn't get much better than this--

--unless, of course, I think about the joy of spending quality duplex time with Stan. We are hard at work on the 1334 side. Someone gave us a used, huge piece of rusty orange carpet in 1985. We used it to carpet the duplex's basement family room and had enough left over to carpet the smaller bedroom.  Even Stan agrees the time has come to replace it and

the stained 25 year Berber carpet in the larger bedroom.

We are doing a few other updates. This is the chandelier that was in our home when we moved in. When the chandelier at the duplex broke a dozen years ago, I selflessly suggested we get a new light and give our ugly dated interesting chandelier to the duplex.

 As remodeler co-boss, 

I put myself in charge of refinishing the doors. They are in sad shape.  We dealt with these old doors on the 32 side by replacing them--however, we are tired of throwing money at duplex remodeling, and are finishing our updating with elbow grease instead of cash this time around. You can see the kitchen on this side has already been remodeled.

 After eights hours of backbreaking work, I sanding and primed all 7 doors and 4 bi-fold closet doors.

 And I managed to only gash myself once. I only bled out half my blood volume. 

Obviously, I have a gift for this kind of work.

 Meanwhile, the other co-boss is painting popcorn ceilings made of pure asbestos. 

What could be funner than spending every free moment fixing up our duplex?

Yeah, I can think of a bunch of funner things, too.....