This June promises to be a much easier month than the last two Junes. Two years ago, we were in the middle of training Sadie May, our golden retriever puppy. It was a summer of short nights and focused days, learning to spend the time with a constant energetic presence at our sides. When we took Sadie to her first animal clinic visit, the vet said, “I need to talk to you about vitamins—for the owners, not the puppy!” Our first foray into puppy training required stamina, discipline and grit. We made it through without extra vitamins and looked forward to the next summer without the extra agenda.
But the following June found us starting another new project. Jim had retired his luthier business and moved home. The small back room where he installed himself didn’t quite accommodate all of the tools and woods and instruments he had. Over that year, we tried to imagine how he could manage a better workflow in his shop. An idea slowly emerged. We could transform our old corrugated fiberglass shed into a garage that could house both our car (or our homemade teardrop camper) and a shop for Jim.
So last June found us making drawings, sketching ideas, imagining. We spoke to our contractor friend to ask if there would be a slot in his schedule for a garage build. His answer: “I’ve been wanting to replace that old garage of yours forever!” He promised it would be built “before the snow flies.” And when we asked what the price might be, he predicted no more than two or three trips to Europe. With this information in hand, we could see a project taking shape.
Our easy summer turned into a steady stream of red tape first, with trips to the Goshen City building for permits and approvals, and a Planning Commission meeting for a final approval before the project could even start. The summer months that followed involved demolition, a visit by the city forester to determine if our tall pine trees could stay, excavation and cement pours, taking down a fence and gathering materials. There were decisions to be made almost every day along with the hard work of helping to build. There was an 18 inch trench to be dug across the yard in what seemed like stone hard ground. At that moment, when Jim was only halfway through the backbreaking shoveling (with a little help from me), the famous garage project seemed like it would never end. Our yard was torn up and muddy, we were waiting for materials that weren’t coming, the garage door wasn’t expected for another month and every weekend was filled with painting sheet rock.
Somehow though, with our pleasant contractor in charge, the work happened and, sure enough, by the time the first snowflake hit the ground, the garage was finished. I planted a new shade garden, new walkways were installed and, as winter arrived, Jim was working in his new space. It was a dream that turned into an awesome reality. Okay, it might have cost us ten of our trips to Europe, though: we travel pretty simply!
So, this June, as summer truly begins, our backyard is lush with green and new plantings, our garage cum woodshop fulfills its purpose and our dog, Sadie, sits by our side as we enjoy it from our deck. Welcome rest for the weary!
Have you had projects take over your down time or double your work or surprise you with what they require? How did you get through?