Where ever I wander where ever I roam

I'll always have this place I call home. (butchered again!)

Sunday the nephew and I worked in the yard and I did some laundry and cleaned the house because I had the cousins coming to do my basement floor on Monday. Bless them, they said they would do it for me to help me out because I was "family", but I made them take part of the cash I had back for it for gas, they are a long way north. It did not begin to cover their costs and I love them for helping me out. The floor is twice as nice as it would have been and the extra material we had they used to fixed the garage with. While I am a fairly independant spirit having a man or men help me over the things I can not do well alone is so appreciated and these men did a fine job. I was so impressed by the way they work together.

I called in early Monday and got the day off, thanks boss! I thawed meat to feed them and the Mom saved me even that investment because she brought pizza down later. The kindness they showed me paid off in that the nephew was pricing for his new home and they have the contract! Now I like that, doing a good deed and getting a bonus right up front for it! That made me really happy. And the nephew saved money, too.

The Boss Man got there about nine and we measured and priced and he made calls for materials. Then we had time to kill. The nephew showed up with his prints and The Boss put in a written estimate for him while we sipped some more coffee down. We loaded up and went to inspect the site and visit the sis. I like the new place but it needs more trees on the west. We hit the sister's and showed off her cabin for her as well as the baby mini horses and yorkies. Time was just about up when the nephew came out to tell The Boss that the other contractor had called to put a correction on his bid that raised it quite a chunk and that meant they would be scheduling with him! Fun and happy time!

We got back to the house to find the other two family men there already working. The Boss joined Fearless Leader and Boss Junior in assembling what was needed. Then I parked them under the trees and Bison brought out iced tea for them. We joked and relaxed until the cement mixer got there, OMG! right on time! They jumped right back to work.

This team was awesome! They have worked together, that was obvious, but they are three generations of men who know HOW to work. I rarely get to see others that work like we were raised to do it, form ranks, cut the chatter and get that wood split and stacked, or whatever the chore was. These guys were smooth! Clean up and reload the trucks later went just as well with everyone double checking everyone else to make sure they got it all.

The nephew helped them by guiding the chute and rinsing tools, Mom and I took turns watching them in respectful silence as they took globs of heavy goop and turned it into beautifully sloped and shaped basement floor for my home and running tea when they needed it.

While they waited for the stuff to set right they ate pizza's and we all talked over old times with Boss Jr. hearing some of the stories for the first time.

I don't regret a single trip I have made north this summer to get reaccquainted with this bunch. It has been healing for me and, I hope, for them, too. But most of all it has been FUN! They work hard and play hard and sleep hard and I felt like I was not so alone anymore. I had still more family to help me and to help out when they need it.

When they left, they still had a long drive home but I fell asleep in my computer chair! I got tired just keeping up with them. I did get a turn to try my hand at raking but I am a big wuss and the stuff is heavy.

Today I went over the bills and the cash and did the math. I put back what I need for the gutters. I have what I need for the rest of the furnace. I am just a tad short on the yard tractor but that money is coming later from another source and I have helped several people out with the rest of it. Life has been good but the number in the money book says the party is over. I have to go back to the budget now, for 90 days and see how it shakes down.

The bike and trucks are paid off and the magic plastic card will be cut more than in half today with the rest zeroed when the bonus money comes in. That was the good news.

There is no buffer, no money to share with the kids and there is no vacation fund, (bummer 2 Tall!). I won't be getting a new amp anytime soon. It's time to get back to reality. I will have to dicker the paint and carpet out as I go to do the inside of the house. I will have to cut the entertainment to more local stuff and I better stop buying bushes for the fence...lol!

But the yard is fenced, the dog is finally contained, it is looking beautiful and I almost have all the flowers where I want them, the basic functions of the house will be working right and more cheaply, I will still have enough to keep a stray human or two around for awhile and I think it's going to work out that I don't have to sell the place unless I choose to.

The mate left me way better off than when he found me, even if I don't have those hundreds of thousands I might have had with a good term life policy. I can take care of me and still help others a little bit. I am sheltered and safe with the means to keep it that way and shelter others. I am still too lonely but, if I can just wait and watch, I will find a friend to help with that, too. I know. There is still love to share and have shared with me somewhere.

So to all of the loving friends and family out there that have helped me through this - it looks like by the end of next week, if the gutters get hung, that I will be set for winter. I could not have done it without you. The words are small but the love behind them is big.

Thank you. I love you all.