New support wall in basement

One of the first items on our renovation plan: replace an old wooden support wall in the basement with a stronger brick wall. After a week of work, this project is almost finished and our house will stand strong for another 150 years!

More renovation...

Slowly we are making progress with the renovation of our new old house. Before getting to the nice part of installing the new kitchen and bathrooms, some more demolition inside needed to be done. The kitchen floor, ceiling and part of the walls had to be removed. So, that's what we did. Since the weather has picked up considerably, ie it was like summer today, we also spent some time in our garden-to-be, raking leaves and planting roses. It will go really fast now that the temperature is going up and before we know it, the street will be all green and lush. A very welcome change! Hopefully we will get our chimney to the fireplace opened this week, a new roof next week and then the interior part can start. We can't wait!

Work in progress

Yes! We have heating in the house. The installation of our new boiler started on Monday and today we switched the system on and finally it's nice and cozy when you come into the house. The nice weather of the past couple of days also contributed to that, but now the chill is definitely out of the air inside. Yesterday we filled the system with water to let it stay overnight and see if it would keep the pressure. If it would not keep the pressure that would mean that there was a leak in the system. So it was a very nervous Anita who came to the house this morning to hear the verdict. Everything OK! In the picture you can see our new beauty of the basement. While the installers were working underground, the demolition of the annex plus brick up of the open spaces on the ground floor went on. Our kitchen is now officially closed off with a brick wall. For the time being a piece of ply wood is functioning as a door, which can only be opened by an electric screw driver, but soon a real door will be placed, allowing light to come in from the back. On Friday they will start with the other underground job: floor jacking. We will keep you posted.

We zijn begonnen!

Het huis is van ons en nu is het tijd om de handen uit de mouwen te steken.
Op een paar kleine tegenvallers na (gesprongen waterleidingen en een kapotte verwarmingsketel) gaat alles tot nu toe redelijk volgens plan. Demolition Mike is druk bezig om een van de twee annexen te slopen zodat we op deze plek een mooie veranda kunnen gaan bouwen.

Volgende week gaan we de centrale verwarming updaten en misschien kunnen we later die week ook beginnen met het verstevigen van de vloeren.

Cold!

We received the below message as a weather warning today. It's -20 degrees Celcius (-4 fahrenheit) on the thermometer right now, but the windchill results in a 'feel' temperature of minus 37 degrees!

When you look outside, the sky is blue and the sun is shining. Fantastic winter weather!

BITTERLY COLD ARCTIC AIR WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE REGION THROUGH TUESDAY. LOW TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL DROP AS COLD AS 10 BELOW TO 15 BELOW ZERO WITH NORTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH. THE COMBINATION OF THE WIND AND BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS OF 25 BELOW TO 35 BELOW TONIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING.

IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS...DRESS IN LAYERS AND COVER ALL SKIN. MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES. LIMIT OUTDOOR ACTIVITY TO MINIMIZE EXPOSURE...AS FROSTBITE CAN OCCUR IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS.

CHECK ON ELDERLY FAMILY MEMBERS AND NEIGHBORS. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO...CALL 3 1 1.

A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF
PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

Our new project!

Three weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon we were driving around in Waukegan and saw this house for sale. Built in 1852 with fireplace, high ceilings, hardwood floors and a lot of windows.

It was standing there in the snow, empty already for three months. Just waiting for us.

After a week of negotiating, we heard yesterday that our bid was accepted!

On Feb 21st we will sign the contract. We will probably need 3 months to renovate it so we are moving again in May. Yes!!

We'll keep you updated about our mortgage and renovation adventures.

Winter!

Twee dagen tevoren was er al voor gewaarschuwd: de eerste sneeuwstorm van deze winter.
Met temperaturen rond de +15 graden Celcius was dat moeilijk te geloven.

De weermannen hebben gelijk gekregen.
In de nacht van 1 December begon het te sneeuwen en 's ochtends om half zeven lag er al 20cm.
Stormachtige wind en nog meer sneeuw tot aan de middag werd er op de radio gezegd. Iedereen die niet perse op de weg moest zijn werd aangeraden binnen te blijven. De sneeuwschuivers konden het niet bijhouden en overal waren er vastgelopen auto's op de weg (of ernaast).

Nu komen onze auto's met vierwielaandrijving echt van pas! Maar voorloping alleen voor Staszek, want Anita had deze mooie winterse dag uitgekozen om naar Nederland te reizen.

Met 900 afgelastte vluchten op O'Hare zag dit er niet zo positief uit voor haar. De trip naar het vliegveld, die normaal zo'n 40 minuten in beslag neemt, duurde nu bijna twee uur. Maar dankzij een beetje geluk en een goede overredingskracht wist Anita haar ticket via Washington in te ruilen voor een rechtstreeks ticket naar Amsterdam.

Staszek bleef achter met de dankbare taak om 's avonds na werktijd de oprit weer sneeuwvrij te maken. Dit resulteerde in een pijnlijke rug en een bestelling van een automatische sneeuwruimer die over drie dagen geleverd wordt!

Vandaag (zaterdag) is het schitterend winterweer met een strak blauwe hemel.
De katten willen graag naar buiten, maar ik ben bang dat ze de hoeveelheid sneeuw een beetje onderschatten. Misschien vanmiddag toch maar even proberen...

Holiday in the USA

Why opt for an exotic far-away destination, when you have so much to discover in the country where you live?! Exactly our thoughts so this year we decided to explore a part of the USA and we ended up planning a real road trip. After all, the text "Cross Country" on Staszek's car is there for a purpose and still had to be proven. Via Wisconsin and Minnesota, we went to the Badlands in South-Dakota. The Blackhills with Mount Rushmore and then just over the border to the Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Then on to the other side of the State for Yellowstone NP, where the largest concentration of geysers in the world can be admired, and Tetons NP. While in the area, we spent one night in the town of Aspen, Colorado, and then proceeded to Rocky Mountains NP, where you can really feel the altitude. On our way back we also spent a short time in Boulder, a great university town, and Denver, where we spent the night in a most amazing B&B. This was really the time of year to go to these national parks and enjoy nature: fall was beginning to show with all the colourful leaves on the trees and the tons of people that visit this region during the summer had gone. Over 4000 miles, 900 pictures and 8 states later, we came home. It was a great, highly recommendable trip.

More guests

With our first visitors gone, the next guests presented themselves a week later: Staszek's parents. For them it was going to be a 'working holiday' because they were going to be catsitters, too, since it was time for our holiday so everything fell into place. Apart from the activities described under the previous posting, we visited the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette again, the only drive-in hotdog restaurant in Chicago, explored the Polish neighborhood in Chicago, went to the Shedd Aquarium, the Botanical Gardens and of course to Starbucks, which is where you can get the only decent bucket of coffee outside your own home. The month went fast and now they are back in Holland with a good impression of our life here in Mundelein.

Winter in Mundelein!

It was on October 12 that winter started in Mundelein this year. A few flakes of snow were falling down in the morning, soon there were more and more until it almost seemed like a little snow storm. The world was white for a while, but when the sun came out, the snow did not stand a chance and winter was over by noon.

First visitors in Mundelein!

Adnan and Nurdan were the brave ones to be our first visitors here in Mundelein. The fun started immediately with a huge traffic jam going to the airport to pick them up and again on the way back home. It was a long weekend, Labor Day weekend, so everybody had decided to go on the move. The weather was great so the scenic tour by car along Lake Michigan to Chicago, with a little stop at the Baha'i temple in Evanston, showed off our new surroundings to the max. Downtown without satelites for the TomTom is always a challenge, but the good old paper map did the job. Dining out in Chicago with Mojitos, all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet in Libertyville, retail therapy in Pleasant Prairi Wisconsin, commuting by train to Chicago to visit the museums, The Cubs versus The Pirates baseball game at Wrigleyfield (which turned out the be almost historical because The Cubs won and they never do!) and a lot of ice cream with CoolWhip. If this sounds alright to you and you want to experience all of this too, please make your bookings now.

Thunder & Lightning

It has been hot over the past two weeks and everybody was looking forward to some rain 1) to cool off and 2) for the grass that was slowly turning brown. Last week, Monday evening, our prayers were heard and the skies turned dark, darker, darkest. Lightning was already in the air, but far away. Then it started storming, raining and the thunder came. It was so strong and hard that the house was shaking literally. This was serious business. When the worst was over, we went downstairs because we had heard some heavy noise. At the sliding doors to the deck we saw... green, lots of green very close to the window. Now, we like trees, but not when they prevent you from getting on your balcony. The thunderstorm and ripped half the tree that was standing in front of our deck and the part had fallen onto the deck, just missing the house by a few centimeters. We had been lucky! In the morning, our neighbours came to check on us if everything was ok, which was the case fortunately. But how do you get rid of half a tree? Buy a chain saw and cut it into pieces. The chain saw was purchased at the local hard ware store. Anita started the cutting in the afternoon and Staszek finished the heavy stuff later in the evening. Some of the trunks will find use in the fire place of Staszek's colleague and the rest of the debris was picked up last Saturday by Public Works of Mundelein. Apart from an open view to the lawn, less shade in the afternoon and a slightly dislocated deck, nothing reminds us of the storm. It's a pity; it was a very nice tree, but in nature only the strong survive.

Safari in Mundelein II

Please meet our neighbour Elvis.

Safari in Mundelein

No need for an African Safari and travel through dusty gameparks to see wildlife.
Today I saw Janneke change from a purring domestic cat, to a real predator when she catched her first chipmunk. After some playing, she went one step further then Jip, who catched already four of them, and actually eat it. It is fascinating to see this other side from her.

Independence Day

Another holiday! The 4th of July is Independence day in the USA. Parades and fireworks erupt nationwide to commemorate American Independence, which was declared to the public on this day in 1776. There are American flags everywhere, people even plant red/white/blue flowers in their gardens. It's also a day for family and friends to spend together: in the morning you go to the parades, then home for barbeque and in the evening to the fireworks. We went to the firework show in Vernon Hills and it was definitely worth it.

On the beach

After our Chinese food experience it was time for some exercise so we decided to go to for a walk on one of the 33 Chicago beaches. Despite the fact that it was not so sunny, it was still quite busy with volleyballer, swimmers, sun worshippers, skaters, bikers, old men playing chess and complete families picnicking. You look one way and you see nothing but the waters of Lake Michigan, you look the other way and there are Chicago's skyscrapers. It's really a funny idea that you are IN the city on the beach, one block away from the shopper's paradise on North Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile and one block from the Lincoln Park Zoo (free entrance!).

Chinatown Chicago

It was one of those sticky, humid and cloudy days last Sunday. So, what to do best: go for nice food in a restaurant with airco. Staszek took me to Chicago's Chinatown. The area is not so big, but you'll know that you have arrived in the Chinese neighborhood. All signs are in Chinese, streets are sometimes doublenamed, or named in honor of some well-known Chinese person, shops with 1000 sorts of ginseng, dried seahorses and tea, furniture, toys, small real turtles seemed to be in fashion too. And of course the smell of food and that is what we came for. We were not disappointed: great Chinese food in huge American portions. Next time we can order one third of what we ordered this time and still have trouble finishing it!

Jip the hunter

Last Monday, Jip came running into the house with a gift for me: a chip munk, which is like a small squirrel. He proudly presented his catch by dropping it onto the carpet in the living room. The chip munk, still alive, thought luck was on his side and tried to escape, but he might have been better off just staying put there on the carpet because now the hunting game was on. Every time the chip munk moved, Jip went after him, tried to hit him or catch him. Driving the chip munk into a corner was the best. I felt sorry for the small squirrel, but was not sure what to do: they have sharp little teeth, too! Anyway, the game ended quite fast, by Jip dropping the chip munk in a plastic container for me and me taking the present to the burial grounds at the far end of the garden. And off the cats went outside. Literally 20 minutes later, Jip came back with a new, fresh one, again! Pictures say more than a 1000 words, so please see for yourself. FYI, this one ended up in the same corner of the garden as the first one.