Still....

Yes, I still love Washington...

Since renting out my lake home I have never spent more than an hour or so there...going into the garage to get something I have put into my "storage". This summer when stopping by and doing a walk around to inspect it, I found that the kitchen patio fence had rotted and was falling down. This was totally unacceptable to me and having "more time than money"...wanting an easy care solution...and forgetting about the work involved...I decided to continue the rockery that my youngest daughter and I had made 10 years ago or so! I thought I could get it done in 3 days....being 10 years older you would think I had more sense...but no...with all the lifting, wheelbarrowing, arranging, mudding, and "finish"...it took 4 days...(well 3 1/2 days)! Now granted...the first day was arriving late...arranging for the rock delivery later that afternoon...borrowing a neighbors shovel, wheelbarrow, broom, clippers (thank you Richard...I have no idea where mine went from the garage)...Paul driving all the way back to my mom's house (hour and a half one way) because I had left the keys to the garage there...and me...well not one to sit...I tackled (and I use that term literally) some of the much needed yard work...oy vey...I was sore before the rocks even arrived!Paul mixed mud the next day...usually while sitting...and took the role of the supervisor...that helped for a day. I left him at my sister's lake place the following day...and continued to go at it! A summer thunderstorm at 5:00pm stopped me from finishing...plus I was guesstamating I would need two more mortar's. The fourth day with muscles crying "stop" and two more mortar's...by 1:30pm I finished!!! After taking down one Magnolia tree growing too close to my drain field...we headed back to my mom's... So while this patio can now be considered "easy care"...what it took to get it there...well...the good news is I can STILL do it!!! I found that I still really enjoy working hard...accomplishing things...and this morning as I type this all of my muscles are a little less sore. I found that I still really like my lake house...yet, I still have more yard work to accomplish there before our "vacation" is over here in Seattle. I also found....there is a lot to be said for the word "still"... The next time I am there I'll actually take a picture of the lake and share that with you!!