... are we there yet?

Beginning a new job always carries a lot of excitement for me. I relish the thought of everything being new and shiny and in front of me like some anticipated vacation to a tropical island. However, once the 'honeymoon ' is over the work looms large and 'the thrill of the hunt' sensation subsides. This is where I find myself... things 'looming'.
I had greatly anticipated that the first stage of the new building would have been done by now and we could be digging post holes and pier holes. That way we would be ready for the first load of material to arrive; but it was not to be.
The first tractor man did a horrible job on the pad surface so I located and hired a second one the following week. His comments lead me to believe that he was qualified and I made a deal for him to do a 'turn key' job and he agreed. That too was a fiasco. He was there for over 8 hours on what he described as an easy 4 hour job and he still didn't finish the work. Needless to say, I was fried by days end and ready to shoot something or someone. The hole in the ground was enormous and well below grade not to mention the 7 foot pile of dirt sitting next to the pad site; a good 10 yards if not more.
Now don't get me wrong, I like a good challenge but this was bordering on the ridiculous!
Finally, I rented a skid and put all of the dirt back where it had been and got very close to finishing in just over 3 hours. Not bad for a novice if I do say so. Had I done that in the first place I would be digging post holes by now. Hindsight, as they say, is always 20/20, right?
I am once again on my way over to the jobsite to inspect what the mornings rain did to settle the ground and to inspect my handiwork as to it's relative closeness to finish. When I left there at dark last night there were several dips in the top layers at various places that will invariably have to be filled. I pray that the rain helped me out to some extent because the soil is so sandy. A good rain was just what I needed to evaluate the previous day efforts. The thought comes to mind of the old scenario about the long trip involving parents and children.
The inevitable question somehow always presents itself..."are we there yet?"

....I guess that's not so bad ... is it?

The rain was like a welcome friend coming to the door this morning.
I shut off the alarm and went right back to sleep. I can't remember the last time I did that.
What makes the rain so comforting? Is it the inviting coolness after long, hot summer days or the wetness that soothes the skin and melts away the 'crust' of the day? Both come to mind.
I have been busy with the tasks of life these past two weeks and forgetting to blog everyone and stay in touch. Please forgive me.
It seems as though I have made a good turn in life recently. The woes of the old job are far behind in my memory and the issues of the day press in, captivating my thoughts.
I have been blessed with several new songs of late as well. It is as though they are waiting there for me to discover them as I sleep or as I read. The words jump off the page and into my mind creating a melody, setting a rhythmic tempo and I'm off and running in search of pen and paper.

The addition of a new guitar has done wonders for my mental atmosphere. I can actually keep it in tune and play more than one song before it goes out of tune like before. "Little Brownie" has served me well but his time is past now and I'm really enjoying "Glory"; the new one.
I can't remember the last new guitar I owned. It has to have been forty years or more.

My new job is exciting. I contracted to do a small building for the first time. It will be quite a learning experience, I'm sure. The ins and outs of what goes where and when are going to keep me on my toes for at least a couple of months. I am rather enjoying the challenge though. I have to keep a pace of sorts and not get ahead of myself or fall too far behind with the components. Everything has to come together in the right order or it will be much harder to complete.
But isn't that a description of life? Everything has to be done in order or life gets out of control and we suffer losses and setbacks.
I find reading the daily Proverb essential to starting the day now. I missed one morning this week and the whole day was terrible.
I apologize for the rambling on so much but I haven't said anything in awhile and it is just 'coming out'.
I guess that's not so bad.... is it?