Well……I’d be lying if I said the Merry-Go-Round stopped or even slowed for the holiday weekend…..lol
However, I had a FANTSTIC Thanksgiving this year.
I was at Christine’s for the weekend, and we started to build new stairs for the front of her house, which is some 90 years old. So Larry, now Carpenter Boy, says ‘I can build those…(Famous Last Words).
Saturday morning starts with me arriving at Christine’s place where Christine tells me her vision of the stairs. Four stairs down from her poach and then a landing of sorts, about four foot by four foot and then a left turn and down the final two stairs to the driveway. I so glad that I had the SAME vision as her, so I already had a plan of attack in my head. So the layout is confirmed and then I make the list of lumber that we will need IN MY HEAD. Never, did I say NEVER, do this. Write it down and CHECK your sizes and number of boards you will need.
So next we go to the Lumber store and buy $ 300.00 worth of lumber and materials, I thought MAYBE $ 250.00 would do it….We get all the lumber back to the house, and now we have to dig the post holes for the landing. Christine goes and rents one of those power post hole diggers and off we go. It was a RUSH….I think Christine had more fun with that then I did, but then I, yes ME, cuts the PHONE LINE. But we had a utility locate done and the only thing they located was the overhead hydro wires which I COULD SEE MY SELF!!!!
Anyway……
The deck gets started and then next thing you now, it’s dark. But before it got too dark I realized that I measured WRONG, and I’m SHORT about 6 2x6’s and 4 2x6’s AND the lumber store is now CLOSED!!! So we quit for the night and get a movie to watch at her place.
Sunday morning I wake up, and head to the lumber store for 10am when they open, and buy the lumber we are short….Yet another $ 100.00. Christine will have a bird….these stairs are now up to $ 400.00. I get back and start working again for an hour, only to have to stop and get ready to go to my Dad’s in Mississauga for Thanksgiving Dinner, which is about an hour drive from Guelph.
We get to Dad’s and have a GREAT time. Diane’s, my dad’s wife, I guess that’s what to call her as they have been living together for 20 years now, two kids (in their 30’) where supposed to join us but they were sick and didn’t want anyone else to get sick, so they didn’t come. It would have been fun for ALL of us to be there, but the good side was MORE FOOD for us!!! But not really, as Diane made plates up for Jen and Chris so they could also have Thanksgiving Dinner. We had such a good time. Oh yeah….I found a new favourite wine…BLACK OPAL….an Australian Red, therefore Christine drove home!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!!
We get home and Christine’s son, Ben, is now home from his Dad’s. Christine and her ex-husband co-parent, and they have alternate weeks with Ben. We get a movie for us all to watch and we both DIE….It was such a LONG day and I’m sore from building the stairs. Oh yes, did I mention that Christine has her Dad, step-Mother and her sister and husband coming for Thanksgiving Diner on Monday!!!!
I have mentioned the Merry-Go-Round????
Now it’s Monday, and I have to finish the stairs so the ‘company’ can get to the front door. I’m building away outside, Christine is busy inside preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner and dealing with the issues of running a house as a single mother with a son 11 and a daughter 18. Next thing I know its 4:30 and Christine’s sister and husband arrive. Is it THAT time ALREADY I wonder ??? YEAP!!!!
Now it’s panic mode for me……put the last screws in the decking, cleanup all the mess and put the tools away….well that was they plan, but Christine’s Dad and Step-mom arrive as I was putting in the last 4 screws. DAMN, I TRIED TO GET IT FINISHED!!!!
But I think they were impressed!!! So I make the LAST saw cut and clean up just as dinner is on the table.
GREAT bottle of red wine again, this time from Spain, ‘Blood of the Bull’ is the English translation, GREAT dinner, GREAT evening…..(Am I liking Red Wine lately??)
At the end of the night, Christine, her sister and I do the dishes and put everything away, while Jessica, Christine’s eighteen year old daughter and her uncle play on the guitar and Ben plays on his game boy.
After everyone leaves and I’m ready to drive back to Brampton, Christine and I are standing on the stairs; I’m holding Christine in front of me, I’m standing one stair up from her. I lean forward and whisper in my sweetheart’s ear…….Thank you for today, Thank you for this weekend, Thank you for letting me help you with your stairs and Thank you for letting me into your life, I Love You…..
I DO LOVE MY LIFE……Yes, I do miss my girls, Natasha and Cara, but I do love my life.
