69 PR 109 - Here We Go

                

 When we finally closed on our dream house by the lake several weeks ago we were well aware of some obvious repairs, renovations and just some plain ol' scrubbing

that would be necessary before Amber would proclaim it a home. All the flooring would have to be replaced, ceilings and walls repaired and painted, kitchen brought into  the current decade, bathrooms remodeled and refixtured (at least they were indoor), bay windows replacing sliding glass doors, doors moved from one wall to another and a seventy foot long screened in back porch rescreened.

Future bay window.

Every time the tension would mount over all the expense and work ahead of us, we would simply walk over to the huge sliding glass door (soon to be a huge bay window), hold hands and gaze out at the calming presentation of nature's beauty and we knew it was all worth it.

Last weekend we drove from Burleson to Lake Merritt to meet the TV guy between noon and four o'clock. (Yes  you can still have TV and be one with nature!) The plan was to make the leisurely trip, meet with the TV guy, spend our time relaxing and not do much of anything. Well first the TV dude doesn't show up until 7:30 PM and doesn't finish until midnight.  While waiting for him to show I became a little restless and told Amber I was going outside and do a little piddling. Four hours later I had filled an eighteen foot trailer with limbs I had trimmed off an old Live Oak tree. The huge tree had never been trimmed and it's limbs were hanging all the way to the ground.

Amber came out to check on me and there I stood, pruning saw in hand, drenched in sweat and looking like I had been in a fight with a mountain lion. After making sure all my wounds were superficial, Amber proceeded to scold me, grabbing me by the hand and leading we into the house. "I thought we were just going to relax, you look terrible, get in here and I'll clean up those scratches!" She's such a sweet caring sole.

Now, back to the TV guy. After arriving (3 1/2 hours late) he informed us he would have to install all new wiring. He went up the stairs into the attic and stayed about five seconds. As he stumbled back down the stairs he turned towards me with eyes the size of silver dollars and said, "There's wasp nests and no telling what else in your attic! I ain't going back up there and that's a fact!"

Note black cable on bottom of yellow wall.

I told him he had better figure out something because we had driven two and a half hours to meet him, been waiting all day and he was damn sure going to install the necessary wiring before he left and that was a fact. Well, it took him until midnight but he got all the wiring done. The only thing is the wiring is all stapled to the outside walls of the house with holes drilled through the wall into the rooms the TVs would be in. Black cable on yellow walls, do you think anyone will notice?

Amber and I stood outside and watched the TV guy drive off in a cloud of dust. We turned to the trailer loaded with tree limbs, I would have to unload later that morning, and Amber said, "Maybe someone will steal it tonight." We walked to the house, stopped and looked at the black cable stretched around the yellow walls, shook our heads, walked inside the house, holding hands we stopped in front of the glass door, looked out at the lights reflecting off the calm lake waters and all was well.