Hargrove Family Web Site

Adventures in Remodeling (cont.)

Charles and Amy joined the family adventuring with a very successful remodeling of their kitchen in El Cerrito. The project required removing a lemon tree noted for producing a plethora of fruit — enough to always have lemonade on hand — but the sacrifice proved worthwhile.

The kitchen is a marvel of careful planning that seems much larger than it actually is, and the downstairs area created when a previous owner enclosed the garage is now a comfortable TV room with a sofa-bed to accomodate visiting parents. That together with an extra half bath helped during Jim and Linda's many house-hunting expeditions.

Not to be outdone, Claire and Ron added a deck to Purple Haze, the place near Philo, perfect for a hot tub.

What's with this Other Jim Hargrove nonsense?

It started when my brother Bill complained that he had a hard time separating e-mail messages from my father and me. I started signing my e-mail as The Other Jim Hargrove. Now, though I could possibly claim to be the real Jim Hargrove, I find I like the idea of being the other one. As I usually tell people, "There are lots of Jim Hargroves around, but only one who claims to be the other one. "

All About K-Days

History:

The tradition of celebrating KDays, multiples of 1000 days of your life, began in the Hargrove family in 1999, when Jim achieved his 20,000 day milestone . Charles is responsible for pointing out that this was about to come up, and Jim seized on the excuse for a party.

Why Celebrate KDays instead of birthdays?

1. There are fewer KDays than birthdays, something that looms larger as the years increase.
2. The date of a KDay moves around, so you don’t have the boring repetition year after year. As Jim’s birthday falls around Thanksgiving each year, he appreciated this feature immensely. People whose birthdays fall on Christmas, or New Year’s Eve, will appreciate it even more.
3. You can still celebrate your birthday.

What traditions are associated with KDays?

• Giving of presents are definitely not part of KDay.
• A card, especially an electronic greeting card, is de rigueur.
• Although parties are appropriate, none is required. A day of quiet contemplation is perfectly acceptable, unless the KDay is a noteworthy one, such as 20,000. Then you should have a major blow-out.

Isn’t it hard to figure out when a KDay is coming up?

Do greeting card companies know about this?

Not yet. Spread the word!