Progress, play, graduation

Yesterday evening, with Cori’s help, I was able to get quite a bit done considering I only worked for about two hours. The wind was blowing hard and steady but it had warmed up from the morning lows and was very comfortable – I was already in long sleeves. I am starting to see the signs of progress. The progress is past some of the construction items that I have been avoiding but now have to get done. The devil, it is said, is in the details.


Mama and Grandpa are going to get the metal today. Last night Grandpa had the trailer hooked to the truck so they could get out pretty early today. It will be nice to have all the metal available to get the sides covered. That, too, will provide some challenges but I think we can work through them. We have to. The problem is that it has been a very long time since I have built anything new, so I have to relearn some of the tricks of construction as I go. That has required reworking something I got wrong on several occasions.

By the time it is all done, no one will be able to tell where I messed up or made the necessary corrections. That is the good part of building. Most of your mistakes you can correct and cover, such is the case in this apartment. It will serve as good practice for the house we are planning to build. I am not so worried about the barns we are planning for the property. I just do not want the house to look like a barn when we are done.

Grandpa’s specialty is sheds, and I do not think Mama would like to live in a shed. My specialty is remodeling, so starting with nothing and putting together a new building is a little out of norm for me. I think the finished product will be functional but I am hoping it will also be well designed and attractive. We are planning on being in the apartment for a couple years or more, so it needs to be nice enough Mama will not dread having people visit; family included.

I continued working past the time Cori and Mama went to Wal-Mart to do some shopping and to pick up Victoria. Both of the boys were out with me. They played with sticks, threw dirt clods, pretended to fight off bad guys while protecting the trailer they were on, etc. Dodger was right there with them every phase of the battle. He had no idea what was going on, but he was a willing participant.

Several times through the evening Grandma asked where Dodger was and if he was outside, she called him in. Finally I asked why. She explained that Dodger was fighting with the big dogs. He always “fights” with them in his constant desire to be the head dog on the farm. It is usually just a quick growl and snap if he thinks he is not being given first place in our attention.

Grandma explained that when she was a child she saw two dogs fighting like they were going to kill each other and it terrified her. She does not want the grandchildren to have the same experience so she is trying to keep Dodger inside and away from Sam and Sasha. It is a good thought, but very impractical plan. In the long run it will cause more stress than letting the dogs continue to be dogs.

Aaron’s graduation is this morning. Maggie said he called her and told her that he was as nervous about the graduation as he was at their wedding. His dad is there with him. I can imagine it to be a proud moment for both of them. Aaron will fly home this evening. That is the part Maggie focused in on as we talked this morning. They will be on their way to Alaska (with stops in Texas and California) sometime early next week. The departure depends on how quickly the movers can pack their things.

We are looking forward to visiting with them as they trek north.