A Good Day's Work

It was VERY hot here in mid-America yesterday, 

getting up to 98 degrees... and steaming humidity. 

Despite that, our work party got a lot done at the old place. 

I admit to you that the four young people FAR outpaced 

Keith and me.  They were amazing! 

For those of you who have not read along the last few years.... we had five dogs as of two years ago. 

3 were pugs, Hannah, Gertie, and Abby, and a German Shepherd, Ranger, 

and our Brittany/Golden cross, Lilly. 

We have only Lilly now. 

However, Gertie came to us completely un-housebroken... and you see here 

before you the condition of the front room floors under the rug and pad. 

Yes, it's a mess. 

Gertie's unhousebroken-ness... begat Abby's, and also, by the time 

we moved from the little farmhouse, Abby had diabetes and was 

unable to hold herself.  

Despite following her around with Nature's Miracle here at the new house, we have to 

replace our carpeting here next spring.  

First things first. 

The once-pale-green walls slowly began to change color... under the expert hands of sons-in-law Nick, in the red, and Jesse, in the yellow.  Jesse grew up in a construction family, and is an expert drywaller and finish carpenter... and we counted on him for all kinds of advice. 

Four years ago, Keith replaced the back door, but he was unable to finish the inside work 

after he got sick.  We lived with this patch job the rest of the time.  There is also a patch in 

the ceiling from a leak that happened before we replaced the roof.  

Jesse pulled off the paneling on the right side of the door in no time... and 

had the drywall going up.  

The floor in the bedroom was beautiful hardwood at one time, but it was screwed down at some subsequent time, and of course, Gertie ruined the finish. 

Little Jace saw us using the tool to scrape the pad and staples from the floor, and told his 

daddy he could help... he DID!  He was able to get the smaller pieces of pad up. 

Daughter Andrea is a little more than 7 months pregnant... here she is in the flower bed, cutting out little trees! 

Unbelieveable!  She told me that she wants to stay active, and she and Nick are 

looking for a house where she can have a nice little garden. 

She also kept little Carson busy. 

It was VERY hot out, but we made do. 

Papaw had just gotten out of the hospital the day before, so he was on errand duty and baby duty. 

We took a break for Jimmy John's at 1.... and notice the clean white wall behind Keith. 

Mom Amber gave our hard-working little boy a boost up to get cooled off. 

Then he and I went out to do some climbing, and.... 

playing with the hose... and yes, we both ended up soaked!

I had started in the garden before the kids got there... this huge pile is mint, and 

cuttings from the two buddleias.  They are BOTH alive, and I was so happy about that! 

There are gaps now, and I am going to dig up the bed, and put some fresh dirt in it, and 

then mulch it.  

We have a lot to haul away this week.  Except for tomorrow's rain forecast, we are to have 

much cooler temperatures. 

After the kids left, Keith and I sat out on the porch to talk for a while about what still has to be done. 

All of the sudden he looked at me and said 

"It's been a long time since we were porch-sittin'"

He was right, it had been.  It felt good. 

But I also realized that it would have been very, very hard on my body to 

do the chores the way I did them this year... carrying cold water multiple times a 

day to the animals, and really seeing to their comfort and care.  

And I told him that despite the nasty floors (that are drying out now so we can paint them with 

Kilz).... I would not have given up having Addie Mae, Gertie, Hannah, Abby, Lilly OR Ranger... that they enriched our lives and provided so much happiness to us.  He agreed. 

Sometimes doors close in your lives, and God asks you to walk through another, and trust that it will be okay.  I think that has happened to us. 

We were so grateful for the kid's help.  Next Saturday, Jesse and Amber will come back, 

and we will fix the two ceilings, hang the front storm door, and do a few more things to ready the house for rental.  Last of all will be carpeting, laid by a contractor. 

We still have the outside work to do, but Keith will start on that this week, and work steadily for a while in the evenings.  I am going to finish the inside painting... I hadn't painted in twenty years, and 

I learned a lot from watching the kids.  I also painted two of the walls, first coat.  

I managed to clean up a little and drag myself to church after the kids left (and I had talked to Keith) when I realized it was 4:30.  

I almost fell asleep... and did, after I got home.   I took this picture on our back deck, though, when the moon rose.  What a beauty!  

More pictures of the progress this week, as we go along.