The Work Party

This post is only partially illustrated. Pictured are the south side of the house awaiting a porch and siding, brother-in-law Elmer, and our friend, Chuck. Check back later to see the rest of the images and the "after" photo of the house.

The day was a great success. Almost all the framing for the wrap-around L-shaped porch got done. THANKS, Guys! And Dad showed up with his Bobcat and chainsaw. He took care of some trees that blew over in the yard during the last storm. Thanks, Dad!

In the week since, Clancy has finished up the rafter framing and now is laying the plywood for the roof. Hopefully we'll be shingling next week. (The boys are a great roofing crew-They roofed my lambing shed!-so they are looking forward to that.)

We ate way too much food. But honestly, we intended to. (That might have been the best part.)

Our friend, Chuck, (Huge THANK YOU, Chuck!) had to get back to his lovely family at a decent hour. But my family stayed until quite late. Mom and Selena worked their magic in the kitchen. Every dish was washed and all the left overs packaged up nicely in the fridge. Thanks Mom!

I helped. I did whatever Selena told me to do. There is even a photo of me drying silverware. I also was the butt of all the housekeeping jokes and I took the fall about the small mixup about snack vs. actual lunch time. (The corn on the cob had to wait in warm water for hours over that one. I don't really think it was my fault but one does not argue with the Kitchen Nazi while she is weilding a pair of hot tongs.) So you see, I helped.

Because the guys insisted on actually working instead of eating all day long, the Kitchen Nazi got bored. (I always say "what's the point of being over-prepared?") So she zipped over to Mom's and brought back all the stamping supplies. We set up the card table and made some cards for upcoming birthdays. We were still stamping at 10pm. Elmer and Clancy were discussing house-building. Our sons were euphoric with the idea that bed-time might never come.

As the adults wained, the kids increased their exploits. Apple pie bars were disappearing, and the sofa was taking a beating from four Jedi lightsabers. The dogs moved in pack-like formation behind the kids, focusing on the large chunks of food falling out of their fists and mouths as they ate while battling The Dark Side.

Time for Bed! When naughty boys turn into cave men, it's time to blow the whistle. We were all tired anyway. It had been a good, fun, productive day. Thanks to everyone that helped make it possible. :)