That's right.
I am on vacation. I took two days last week and two days next week and this is the middle of my vacation.
I was so excited to have time off I spent Wednesday night at the salon getting my nails done. =)
Then Thursday went to spend time with my Dad… visiting the doctor and guiding him through the many choices he will have to make regarding his choices to treat prostate cancer.
Part of what he needs help with is physical labor. Since he can no longer manage the efforts necessary at an old house he owns.
This house, the uninhabited black hole, not-so-fondly called: the house of doom … well that's what my siblings and I call it (however, some siblings use terms not appropriate for blog content). I can't honestly say that I believe in possession of an inanimate object or a house being haunted, but I have a theory and seriously believe from the evidence gathered that a house can be "cursed".
In my opinion this house has been cursed !!!
Yes, cursed with …
procrastination indecision chaos plumbing leaks void of squareness destructive attacks of ... hatred disgust frustration pain bruises confusion infestation of insects undesirable animal nests and feces
AND So much more that I can barely contain the emotion regarding the place.
Yet, this doesn't stop me from showing up in work clothes and an attitude void of sarcasm, as my dad needs help and this is what needs to get done!!!
Day 1 – At the job site I am instructed that my job was to load truck for the dump, which includes: cleaning the rooms where the ceiling and insulation was pulled down; vacuuming/bagging such materal and re-loading the truck for the dump; and then continuing to the front porch which was previously covered with plumbing and demolition materials (that would challenge any strong male) still needed to be loaded on the seriously lifted Ford 250 which I can barely see over the back bed – which means, my materials contribution needs to be lifted overhead in order to drop them into the bed… uhhh, yes, I skipped my trip to the gym for a shoulder/bicept workout and my core workout was taken care of while shoveling roofing materials from the ground to the wheelbarrow and then loading such debris onto the truck.
I have never been quite so happy for the sunset on a day of "vacation"… the invitation to eat, shower and hot tub at my brother's house was more than welcome. After relaxing, I spent the evening talking to Dad about his "treatment options" – stayed up too late and was thrilled to find the pillow.
Day 2 – I awoke at 6am. Showed up at my brother's house excited that I would at least be "driving" the BIG truck!! Yeehaw!
Then… Dad wasn't well (went back to bed at 8am); my nephew was sick; and the helpful bro-in-law said he needed a day off. Dang – didn't need to take the big truck after all.
But blessings and a surprise visit from my Tony is a God-send!!!
Still – I had to be one of the "guys" who unloaded the materials I sent to the truck the day before. Ugggh!! Yes, gloves on again, I dutifully went to the dump and unloaded; to the house to re-load and then unload that darn truck (skipped the gym – workout #2). Back at the house I cleared the site of nails so the drywall could be installed; then cleaned the site so others could function reasonably well around the areas (somehow I'm certain that tools found in the dirt, between open studs in framing, on stairs around the corner, and overhead on the closet shelf would be better utilized on the tool table)… a long day of running tools from one end of the house to the other, cleaning the worksite, renting a lift - finding grace to deal with the frustration of a cursed house? In the midst of chaos/remodel for sale … and the hatred thereof (whether the tasks, the house, or the work)… it's draining nonetheless as I once again am grateful for the food/shower/hot-tub and invitation for conversation with my favorite sis-in-law. Arriving at my parents' home I stayed up way too late with Mom, sorting clothing and talking about life … dragging my butt to bed and head to the pillow at 1am.
Day 3 – the alarm went off at 6, my butt moved off the bed at 7am. We had extra hands to help so the morning starts off with a bang – Dad feels better and is able to make an appearance. Mom shows up to move the boxes from the attic. Brother-in-law stays home, but my Tony shows up for a second day of effort and big brother is the trouper – sporting his Vicodin bottle – he is faithful to the task.
Emotions are high and voices raise over the boards going down on the kitchen floor; but peace is found again, the day moves on (slowly) the work seems monotonous and unproductive; but Dad asks for help finding materials in storage – I volunteer to go; upon arrival he apologizes for lack of a ladder – yeah, "no problem, Dad, that's why I work out" and like an experienced climber, I scaled the two levels of shelving 5' and 10' up . . . hmmm, found the venting but no gutters and looking down it appears quite clear that "getting down" is far more of a challenge than "going up" … ugh! Not to worry, I closed my eyes as I hung from my manicured fingertips swung down to the next level and jumped to the floor (workout #3, skipped the gym again).
Later back at the house we all anxiously waited and watched as the water was turned on ... holding our breath, we watched for leaks in plumbing (ughh, too many to fix, better start over) ... did I mention the house was cursed? Plans were made to revisit the bathroom and plumbing on Monday -- I am so glad I don't own a home right now.
It was three long days … and while I know vacation isn't normally spelled "e-x-h-a-u-s-t-i-o-n" I feel better to have participated in forward progression of work for selling the 'cursed' house. =|
Well, it's a theory -- and yet, my nails are still nicely manicured (thank God for gloves).
