For those of you that follow along on the “great adventure” also known as cohabiting with Ol’ Dutch, you know we have had some experience with “the great tribulation”. Which is also related to living without heat and hot water.
You will be happy to know we did get a new furnace installed and warm as toast, but the hot water heater is testing me and my New Year’s resolution to give up swearing. It's been a real trial of my Faith.
Miss Trixie, to her credit got us a new one ordered and it appears they sent the wrong one so another week without a solid shower is gonna be the norm around here at least.
But I have gotten darned good at showering with a jug of heated water and pretending I am back in the pioneer days as I am doing it. And although it's not as easy as turning on the spigot, it's far better than sharing a tub of water with the entire family like they all used to do. That last kid in to use that same water in a family of 10 had to stink like a skunk.
So, it's onward and upward and our new house is coming along in construction and tomorrow it looks like the roof will finally go up. It's gonna be a tall one so it will be interesting to see how the contractor does it.
He is a young man from Oklahoma and amazing to watch build. It's like a one-man band but in construction. I don't know how many nails he has but I think he plans on using them all framing the house. He can shoot that nail gun faster than Wyatt Earp drawing his pistols on old Ike Clanton.
Watching him work is a real pleasure but it kind of makes me sad in a way as I see just how much ability I have lost with age as I used to do all that too when much younger. I guess we all face that sooner or later and there isn't much we can do about it.
The Roman Gladiator Marcus Aurelius said it best when he said, “Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back.” And ain't it the truth. Not a thing we can do about it in the end and so we must all learn to live well in the time we are given.
After the framing contractor is finished then we start the next phase where Ol’ Dutch will be doing all the work himself also known as “hell on earth.” Well not that bad but when you are doing all the tasks by yourself it does take a long time to get done. Looking ahead I wonder if I will ever complete this house.
And with all the “end times" talk going around in the church world, I am beginning to wonder if Jesus returning to Earth will be my only deliverance from such a big job. He did promise that upon His return there would be no more pain and suffering and so maybe that will be my relief. At the least that will relieve Miss Trixie of her travails with Ol’ Dutch and that pain and suffering she experiences on a daily basis. To which she shouted, “amen”.
I guess in spite of our difficulties in life we all need to learn to live well and love long most of all. For only in those two things can we hope to have a meaningful and happy life regardless of the circumstance we find ourselves in.
So, go take a shower for me and be thankful because you never know when you may be without hot water and be required to keep your distance from friends and family due to your aromatic aura.
Kevin Kirkpatrick and his Yorkie, Cooper, fish, hunt, ATV or hike daily. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com.
