And to the Patient

Well, no, I am not particularly patient.  I am resigned to the fact that things always will take longer than I'd like, but I don't believe that is the legitimate definition of "patient." And when things aren't moving along quickly enough for me, I tend to find "other things" to do.  So it was that, with the no-shows this weekend, I found myself once again perusing the listings on Craigslist... looking for items we might be able to use here at the old farmhouse.  I found a listing for an old set of deck stairs with landing... the price was right and I figured it was something we could use around here.  I made the inquiry to the seller yesterday morning.

I find there is another "truism" in my life.  As soon as I give up and turn my focus onto something new, the thing I was resigned would never happen, starts to happen.  Sure enough, yesterday, just after the moon took over for the sun, our carpenter dude arrived, ready to start on the semi-trailer side door installation.  He and Joe worked for several hours, and when he left, promising to return tonight to finish the installation, the tarped hole in the side of the semi-trailer gave me a lot better outlook on the week.

Cutting Hole for Door

Hole in Side of Semi Trailer

Tarped View Following Morning

As agreed, we set out just before noon today to make the 80 mile round trip to pick up the deck stairs.  For a few moments we weighed the wisdom of leaving, when guy number two, who'd failed to show last week, was supposed to show up THIS afternoon to complete the chimney cleaning, chimney cap installation and wood stove insert installation in the old farmhouse. But, we reasoned, we were tired of wasting all of OUR time waiting for others to show up.  If he did arrive before we returned, he could start without us.  He knew what was to be accomplished.

The seller of the old deck stairs was very nice, and true to form, we left with MORE than we'd originally bargained for.  Along with the stairs we had a small load of firewood, three marble slabs, and several odd pieces of plywood and boards.  We had an enjoyable time chatting with the seller, and she promised to let us know before she lists stuff on Craigslist, if she thinks we might be interested in it. She refused to take more than the $25 she'd asked for the stairs... said we were doing them a favor taking the other stuff.

On the way back home, Joe pulled into the driveway of a service garage.  He'd seen a row of barrels outside and, always on the hunt for "burn barrels," wanted to see whether the guy had some for sale.  As it turned out, the guy GAVE him the only two he was not using for old oil.  Joe was thrilled and loaded the two barrels and the metal bucket this guy gave him onto the trailer.  Suffice to say, we made another decent haul.

Joe Loading Another Haul

Sure enough, when we pulled up to the old farmhouse, the chimney guy and his helper were there, just setting up.  Within minutes they discovered the chimney cap they'd brought was the wrong size, so, with the afternoon light in distinct jeopardy, I headed off to Home Depot to try to find the right size.  Thankfully, they had ONE available, which I purchased.  An hour after I left the old farmhouse, I was pulling back into the driveway with the chimney cap.  By this time they had cleaned the chimney and had very nearly completed the wood stove insert installation.  With less than 20 minutes of dusk left, they managed to get that chimney cap installed.

Chimney Sweep

Wood Stove Insert Installation -- No Floor in Farmhouse

It was dark by the time they left, and, since the carpenter dude had not yet arrived to complete the semi-trailer door installation, I thought this might be a good time for us to eat our first meal of the day....nearly 6PM.  Of course, just as the food was ready to serve, the crunch of gravel in the driveway announced the arrival of carpenter dude.  Joe helped him get started and then we ate.  Afterward, the two of them worked to successfully complete the installation!  Carpenter dude will return Sunday to complete another landing and set of stairs for the semi-trailer's new side door.

Almost Done

Success!

Finally, finally, we are seeing the results we wanted.  Joe will install the windows in the semi-trailer himself, so soon, we will  have that project completed and the trailer fully functioning as a storage shed.  Then there will be only 999,999 projects left to complete!

As my one-time-mother-in-law Dot used to say, "patience is a virtue.... of which I have NONE!"  Thank goodness there are so  many other things to do, so I don't have to actually LEARN to be patient!