Clara's Coffee Shoppe (Part 4)

Lefty called me and told me that Ariel had called him, insisting that he and Wright meet her at Clara's Coffee Shoppe, Immediately! Being good employees, Lefty had called to check with me. I agree to meet Wright and Lefty at Clara's. When I arrived the Phist Bros. were busy taking down the "Clara's Coffee Shoppe, Coming Soon" sign, while Ariel supervised.

I quizzed Ariel about what was going on, and by what authority she felt she could have the sign taken down.

"It's quite simple my dear Mr. Pender, I have Trademarked several words with the FAE Government. I have exclusive usage of these Trademarked words in the Tree House. Coffee, Shoppe (and all variations there of), and Clara's, are now owned by me! Any use without my written approval is a misdemeanor, punishable by severe fines and anything else I can come up with! Please continue with the sign removal."

Ariel had several legal looking documents to prove her point. Rumor had it that Ariel was very upset about not being able to force Clara into a business arrangement! I had no idea Miss Ixie would go this far. Who Trademarks an individuals name?

We had no choice but to take the sign down. Lefty and Wright were amazed when Ariel proceeded to stomp on the sign, as it lay on the ground.

Grinding her tiny little foot into it.

Once Ariel had departed, I tried to call Miss Clara. There was no answer, hope she is okay.

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When I arrived home, there was a message on my answering machine from Taelyn. He asked if I could come by and advice him about a construction project he was involved in.

Taelyn acquired a kit for a Light House and has been trying to assemble it on his own. Never a good idea! We moved the kit to my work area and are checking to see what can be done .

"It doesn't look like the picture on the box" complained Taelyn. A door-to-door lighthouse salesman had come by Taelyn's and talked him into purchasing the kit.

"Should I sue the salesman, for selling me a defective kit" asked Taelyn? After I checked the kit over, I told Taelyn that the kit looked like it was repairable. I've told Taelyn that the Phist boys and myself will be over tomorrow to help him build his new home.

The lighthouse will keep us busy while we are waiting to hear from Clara.

Clara's Coffee Shoppe (Part 3)

The Phist Bros and I have had a pretty good week. The counters have been built and are in place.

We built a special case for displaying Clara's doughnuts. We have also added two ceiling fans with lights.



There is also a smaller counter for the cash register, and another for cream and sugar dispensers.



All in all, I am quite pleased with the way this job is turning out. Clara said that she would be by soon and had some news for me, which she felt was better delivered in person.

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Miss Pamplemouse has come and gone. Our meeting was not what I had expected! According to Clara, Ariel is trying to take over the Coffee Shoppe. To keep Clara from getting the necessary capital to continue the project, Ariel has caused Clara to lose all of her cleaning jobs. Without any income, Clara has told me to stop working and lock the place up. She has no way of paying for any more work.

I really feel sorry for Miss Clara, if I could afford to continue without her financing, I would. It was really depressing to hear Miss C. talk about how she visualized the way the shoppe would have looked.

She had been looking forward to the time when the "Sorry We're Closed" sign would have been changed to "Yes We're Open".



Fresh doughnuts and bagels in the show case. The coffee urns lined up on the counter behind. Coffee cups stacked neatly beside the urns.



Spoons, stir sticks, cream and sugar already on their own counter.



I've sent Lefty and Wright home. There is nothing to do but make sure our tools are picked up and lock the place up. It is very sad when a dream comes to this sort of an end!

Clara's Coffee Shoppe (Part 2)

Work on the Coffee Shoppe has been somewhat sporadic. The problem is with the financing. Miss Clara makes her living by doing housekeeping for various residents of the "Tree House".
While she is very industrious, there is not an unlimited demand for her cleaning skills. She is putting every penny she can into the construction of her "dream".

Ariel stopped by a couple of days ago, and was impressed with the Coffee Shoppe. She mentioned stopping by and presenting a proposition to Clara, that might help with her finanical problems. She also had some suggestions, almost as if she had some control over this project. She seems very interested in the "Clara's Coffee Shoppe, Coming Soon" banner.

We have been making headway, never-the-less. There is a parquet floor in the dining area and tile part-way up the walls.

The food prep area is tiled. We have had to build some counters to "fit", and there a several more to build.Clara sent over a box of her home made doughnuts and coffee, with a note. The note said: "Do Not Take Any Instructions From Ariel. Miranda and I will be by to see you soon.Thank you, Clara Pamplemouse". If these were an example of her epicurean talent, she'll have a "GREAT" coffee shoppe business.

Clara's Coffee Shoppe (Part 1)

The Phist Bros. have been pretty busy on the Coffee Shoppe project. The exterior walls are up and painted. Some work has been completed on the interior walls.

When we were ready to do the floor and add tile to the walls, I of course sent for Tarin.

When he arrived, we noticed a slight problem. All the other structures erected by Pixielated Builders had at least one open wall. The doorway was a bit tight for Tarin

Once he was inside, we discovered that there was not a lot of room for him to maneuver.

When Tarin took a look out the window, he broke out in a sweat and experienced a shortness of breath. Who would have guessed? Seems that Tarin suffers from Arachno-Claustrophobia. The dictionary defines Arachno-Claustrophobia as ( a spiders fear of being confined in a small space).

It took far less time for Tarin to exit ,then it had to enter the Coffee Shoppe. Once he had caught his breath and regained his composure, we talked.

" I originally came to this country to do scientific research" said Tarin. "The job did not pay much, mostly room and board, but I did live in a nice all glass apartment. My work was mostly being poked and prodded and observed. The only drawback was I was not allowed to wander around. When I looked out the window of the coffee shoppe, I had a flashback to my days in the glass cage. I'm sorry that I panicked, but in the future, it might be better if I worked in the open, doing shingling, siding and brick laying."

Tarin is a great worker, and I'll have to be more selective in the tasks I assign him.

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Just an up-date on our friend Edgar Bickley. It seems that his cabin was completely destroyed, and he has lost just about everything. It appears that he will be doing okay. We all admire his fortitude. Best of Luck Edgar!

The End of 102407-007 and the Begining of 032708-008

THE END of Building Permit 102407-007

The moving crew is back at my shop. So is the Maplewood. Alonzo and crew got Ariel's House part way to the "Tree House", when the Highway Patrol forced them to turn around. Mr. Pamplmouse had forgotten to get the necessary permits and etc, for moving the house on the highway. We will be moving the house to the "T. H.", very soon. Using a more conventional approach this time.

Here are some photos of the finished project.

The front. A second floor window was replaced with a french door.

The left side. The four windows are an add on.

The rear view. Original design was for 12 rooms, we removed several on the interior walls and relocated others..

The right side. The two small windows were also an add on.


A NEW BEGINNING of permit 032708-008

Clara Pamplemouse (Alonzo's sister) wants to have a small general store converted into a small coffee shoppe. This is her picture.

The "Crew" is looking forward to working on a smaller project, again. Clara has asked for several modifications to the existing plans, which will make it an interesting job. The crew started by temporarily putting up the exterior walls.





We added a doorway in the rear of the building.

We were able to find a use for some of the interior equipment, although Clara will need to show us how she wants the interior finished. I'll keep you informed about the progress of this project.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

Taelyn called me and said that there was a Prairie Fire in Illinois. A picture of a cabin that was on fire looked a lot like Edgar Bickley's place. http://edgarbickleyscript.blogspot.com/ We are trying to find out if our friend Edgar is okay. Hopefully we will hear soon.

Auntie Devika's Boarding House (Part 7) Moving

The place: C.Pender's shop.
Time : The crack of dawn (which comes later now, due to Daylight Savings).
Five individuals gathered around a map.

Today is the day chosen by Alonzo Pamplemouse for the re-location of the "Boarding House" to the Tree House. Tarin, Roboscan, Lefty, and Wright were studying the route that "Lon" had laid out on the map. In an commanding voice, Alonzo said "it is 0630, gentlemen, let's get started".

The first step, assigned to the Phist Bros., was the installation of wheels. They used the fork lift to raise the house high enough for this project. Task completed at 0827AM.

The plan was to have Tarin pull, the Phist bros. push, and Roboscan block traffic. Alonzo would ride on the roof and supervise. of course!

0900AM
The procession headed for the door of C. Penders shop. (Devika had stowed away and was watching from the first floor window).



1025AM
Getting thru the shop door was a little tricky. In the future it will be taken under advisement to make sure any future structures are smaller the the door.



1230PM
The house arrived at the front door of the C. Pender residence.



0100PM
Auntie Devika's Boarding House departed the front door. Please, be alert for a blue house moving very sloooooowly down the highway, heading in the direction of the "Tree House". At the rate the crew was moving, it may take a month or two to complete the delivery.

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Once Tarin and the Phist Bros. get back, they will be helping me build a coffee shoppe for Alonzo's sister Clara. Rumor has it that Alonzo will be staying around the Boarding House as a "handy man". Devika feels that he should be on site to keep her house in "good working order" , and Ariel has agreed.

Auntie Devika's Boarding House (Part 6)

Alonzo had Tarin putting on shingles when I stopped by today.





He is really "Quick".


The mirror and make-up light has been installed in the bathroom. Devika used it to smooth her hair. She usually isn't vain, but does seem to really care about her appearance when she is around Mr. Pamplemouse.

As I was leaving, both Dee and Alonzo waved at me from the balcony.

I almost forgot about the Phist Bros. They spent the bonus money Ariel gave them on getting a "make over".

Here's their before picture, (usually their backs are to you in all the pictures I have of them). That's Wright on the left and Lefty on the right.

This is their picture after the "make over". Maybe I'm wrong, but I think their new appearance has given them "swelled" heads.


A few more finishing touches and the Maplewood with be moving to the " Tree House".