Anniversary Weekend

This weekend is the anniversary of our settlement date on this farm. Tom had said it would take a full year to turn it around, as usual he was right. The bricks were delivered during the rain on Saturday. As it turns out the driver had to wait so long at the store to load the pallet that he gave up waiting and we got three full pallets, not two and half of another. We can build a bigger patio than planned.

Mid-morning Tom pulled the honeysuckle from the old fence, cut down the little tree that was in there, wired twisted through and around the trunk, and pulled down the pig-wire section. He rolled it up, I pulled the debris to the burn pile. It started to rain.

The delivery driver got pretty wet while unloading the pallets, too, the seat on his three-wheeled fork-lift was soaked, so then were his pants after that. It rained, off and on, all day. Everybody was in. We went over to the old house in the afternoon because we were showing the house to potential renters at 4:30 and 5:00, respectively.

We stopped at a favorite place for lunch and it is now a mattress wholesaler. You turn your back and the place changes. This is why you can't go home again, nothing stays the same and especially you. We ended up at the restaurant closest to our old house. Al Carbon, right across from the METRO station (a favorite for the bus drivers); eating in this unassuming place is its best reward. Real wood-fired grill with a South American slant. Yum!

This part is the roller-coaster of our life: The two potential parties met each other on the sidewalk, coming and going. No pressure, right? Sign up now, it's going fast...And it is raining. The yard is so green...

The first potential renter is actually the sister of the guy from LA, that starts a new job on May 1 and has no place AND has two large dogs. Tick, tock. The second couple consisted of a potential renter that first toured the house on Tuesday, sans the husband. Now he wants to see it. We didn't think he appreciated it, so we immediately discounted them. They left, we locked up the house and headed over to the Post Office and Tom got a call from her. They are at the local Brew Pub and want the house! Tom stopped in to get their information for their credit checks while I went in for donuts at the Fractured Prune. Their specialty is HOT donuts, custom-made to order. Killer. Raining cats and dogs and the meter-maid is giving parking tickets.

We made it home while my favorite radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion," was on. During the broadcast the National Weather service cut in to announce a tornado watch and warning for local counties, including ours. Tom pulled up the weather map and it did look menacing, like the defensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And it was coming our way.

It was getting close to feeding time, I dished out grain, replenished water, hayed everybody and hung out in the barn. The weather front was coming across the bean field, no rain, but a stiff breeze. All of a sudden it got warm, I took off my jacket and rain slicker. Still no rain. The breeze picked up, still warm, but now it was windy. Then the rain came down, horizontally. I was under the over hang in the dry paddock, the Dutch doors were open and KC and Skip were looking out. The rain came down in buckets; the downspouts were flushing water out and the dry paddock was one big pond. It went as fast as it came and the rain subsided to a slight drizzle. It was almost fully dark by then so I went in to fix dinner.

Sunday dawned a beautiful day, albeit with a stiff breeze, most of the puddles were gone. One big pond in the dry paddock, but shrinking. Everybody went out early; KC paused slightly when he saw the old fence was missing and the rolled pig-wire on the ground, but he recovered quickly. Both big boys trotted through the gate and slid on the mud. The grass grew overnight and they both dropped their heads and went to work on the greenery. When Lil Fred went out, he stopped dead in his tracks, then did a beautiful roll-back and scooted out of there. That old fence doesn't look like it used to, so the big chicken was out of there. Sprite nor Skip gave it a second look.

We wasted most of the day going to Lowes', Lowes', and Home Depot. I didn't go into Home Depot because I knew the answer would be the same. It's on the website but we don't stock it. Unobtainium - that element that exists but you can't have. Same old story: you need something that the product requires but can't get it where the product is sold. Like the red cedar siding - it takes aluminum screws because any other will stain the cedar, but you can't get it here. Go somewhere else. These big box stores kill the little stores, then don't carry what the little stores did.

Anyway, Tom will have to go to a specialty hardscape supplier to get the sand mix that the bricks call for, for the installation. In the meantime, he is laying the bricks on the sand base and it looks marvelous!

We stopped for lunch in 'downtown' Lisbon at the Town Grill. A great place in a gas station and convenience store setting. The food is excellent and priced right. Hickory-smoked BBQ and 'real' french fries. Highly recommended.