What a job!

Yesterday was quite a day for me. I was asked by my brother if I would like to help him with the reconstruction of my mom's patio. Because the invitations never seem to come to do anything at my mom's just to help her out I jumped at the chance. It started out a little hairy simply because of the three people asked to help out...two other brothers and myself, I was the only one who could make it....Pat wasn't available either due to work obligations and then some much needed yard work that needed to get done around here. By the time he finished up with his work work.....it was past 1:30 and he thought I would be home around 5 or so.....hahaha.....too funny.

So, up at 8:15 am, ready by 8:35...but had to wait for my daughter. I was impatient because my brother said he would be getting there around 8.......**foot tapping**. Finally at about 8:55 she was ready to go. What's most frustrating about things like this is a person is never really on the road to their destination until at least 1/2 an hour later than when they walk out the door. Stops along the way......needed work gloves, needed some breakfast, needed some gas....argh. By 9:24 though we were on our way. An hour later than I wanted to head out. It takes an hour and 15 minutes for me to get to my mom's house because I take the back-roads......anxiety on the highways has thrown a wrench into what was once a lead-foot connected to my leg. So, in reality, I arrived at my moms at 10:40 or so....

Lets just say that I was not all that prepared for what was ahead of me. I expected some digging, I expected some carrying of large patio squares, I fully expected to be working my tail off and that in and of itself turns out to be an understatement.

It rained off and on for nearly the entire 10 hours that I was there to help out. Not only were we dealing with massive amounts of roots from trees that once stood near where the new patio was being built but the dirt and sand weighed what seemed like a hundred pounds a shovelful! And walking in it??? I had on platforms an inch tall.....of course the bottom of those platforms was MUD! It was nice to be a little taller for brief moments throughout the day.

My poor brother....he was the only man there for most of the day so the responsibility of chopping those roots out of the ground rested purely on his shoulders. Talk about feeling helpless! It was one day where I wished I was a man just so I had the brawn! Ugh. It was painful just sitting there watching him chop at nearly 8 inch-around roots with an axe that I'm sure was extremely dull......and there wasn't just one root...there were way too many to count and I just hated telling him there was another.

This went on for much of the day.....and the rain would come and go and we would have to stop work in progress and when the rain would finish.....oh what a soupy mess. I can only say that today, I am tired and every part of my body is feeling some pain. It felt great to work so hard. And the patio......well, my nephew showed up, THANK GOD, when it was time to lay the bricks. My back was singing 'Hallelujah'! I needed the break because it seems I pulled something in one of my arms and my back was just screaming with every shovel full of mud....it was all those stops we had to make throughout the process...resting it was probably the worst thing for my back....

--anyway

The men did a mighty fine job working around the problems that were caused by the darn rain. We all kept mentioning that it was probably our father making things difficult for us......and at one point in the day while we ate a scrumptious meal my mom made, we discussed how when that last brick was laid down, the sky would open up and the sun would shine......guess what.....that last brick was laid and the sky opened up and the sun shined down. What a cruel joke! LOL But there were 8 of us there to witness this.....

The patio? Well, it's finished and it looks spectacular. The garden swing was set upon it and the bricks rinsed off....mighty fine job and I must pat my brother on the back for being so organized and having all the plans ready for action! It was a lot of fun working with him and everyone else and btw girls...I will never ever forget the drainpipe thing for as long as I live. While some may have thought we were just being nimrods....I would like to say that it really felt great to laugh so hard and so real! Perhaps I was uber tired or perhaps it was a way to relieve some of the stress I was feeling throughout the day but no matter what....that was great fun! Thanks to you two and to my brother for all of yesterday! That day is officially chalked up as one hell of a memory for me....love you all and great job!