Big Plans - Average results.

Went out early today with a load of deck wood on the trailer. Met the electrician and his TWO assistances pullling in.  Mike was already there with an attitude.  Jumped by everyone the moment i got out of the car I had to deal with everyone;s issues at once.

I assigned John and Nathan back on the fence and ultimately they finished the project although they apparently took an hour break as soon as i left to buy more materials.''

Susan wanted my time to discuss the things she wanted, talking a curiously deferential way and asking for the things she wanted.  Stayed glued by my side for the next hour or two like a Class 3 Clinger.  Before arriving i was set to close the door on her and her visits after finding out she is no longer removing personal items but taking whatever material of value to see at her Kearney home garage sale.

Mike was in a foul mood, angry and frustrated and kept walking away from me as I tried talking with him about how the morning events influenced everything.  He shamed me a bit in front of Andrew and the three electiricians.

Jason I set up to pull debris from the back of the house, fill and man the burn barrels and to clean out the garage.  He of course forgot the first one immediately and I promised him the next time I would write the tasks on his arm with a sharpie. ( I think he thinks i am kidding - I am not)

Andrew was his usual agreeable, unflappable self.  Hard working and an critical factor in what we are attempting now that I am weaker and sick...

Mike:

Upset that he couldn't reach me by phone prior to going out to the lake house, he saiid it was my problem and wouldn't talk at all.  Sulking for much of the day, he did work hard and helped to strip off all the old deck wood down to the beams.   He left around 2pm to get ready to go to work and took the younger boys with him

Nathan: 

Completed the task given to hm without as much whining.  Did screw around for a while when I was gone but was in a much better mood overall and felt pride at accoumplishing his tasks.  

John still has difficulty staying with any task for more than a few minutses despite many stern instructions to stay on a job uuntil it's done.  He comes to me every few minutes asking irrelevant questions just to leave his task and to be where most of the others are.  He's only nine years old and allowances and care must me made.

Jason

Still not getting his task of filling and manning the work barrels.   I say stuff them, light them and man them.  He throus in a couple of boards and watch them burn down then throw a few more in.  I patiently and repeatedly illustrate what is needed - fill the barrels completely with wood, let them burn a little and then fill again - the goal being to burn as much debris as possible in the short time we are there.  I can't seem to overcome this mental block of his.

Deb was absent, off somewhere else looking pretty I am sure.  She sure was missed.

Dale the electrician showed up unexpectedly with two assistance and with all six cars on the driveways, I was glad we went ahead with all the gravel spread for just htis purpose.  Dale and his crew were decisive, surprisingly competent and got a lot done.  His efforts convinced me to commission them to rewire the entire house, including ceiling fans on the side deck, 220 service for the stove and GFCI circuits for the bathrooms and kitchen.  He will be back tomorrow to finish up.  Mental note i need cheap light fixtures, new joists supports and a post hole digger.  We need water out there.  Also need a cirucit tester.

Susan

Susan clinging to me was causeing me stress,  The boys began acting out to get my attention and once again I had to threaten them with hanging by thier heals from the deck until the crows pecked out their eyes.  John pointed out there are no crows down there and  I had to make do with raccoons.  His response? "COOL! That would be so neat!.  

Her manner was completely deferential - sometihing i didn't expect.  I told deb before I went out there that I am done iwth her and she will not get in tothe house, that no one is going to help her get stuff out of the rafters or help load her truck - we need all our labor for our own tasks.   Well hell, she completely disarmed me by helping out with the electirical and kitchen layouts,  describing the septic field and giving information about wiring and yard items.  She offered to sell us a whold house widow condiioner for $50 and 330 sq feet of marble tile for $3 a square (this time was originally part of the sale.)

So I crumpled like a deflated aluminum birthday balloon, let her in and even assigned Jason to help her pull down her stuff.  All covered with raccoon byproducts.  And once again she left a huge crap pile in te middle of our recently cleaned and swept out garge.  But we did make it clear this is her last visit and she graciously gave us our own hardwood flooring.

Dale

After a couple of hours he wanted to talk.  He asked for $20 an hour and a two day minimum.  I was impressed by his hard and fast work and willingness to tak on anything i asked, I agreed to the price increase.  I think wa are still getting a great deal.

He removed 2 of the 3 fuse boxes and is wiring up the newest box in the add on room.  He had pulled the meter out at the post and so we didn't have power most of the day. He rewired lights in nearly every room and the work looks competenet.  I think our $240 for labor will be a very decent expense.  He pointed out that we could strip down all the old wire being pulled and sell the copper.  I told him he could have it all as we didnt' have time to deal with it.  I am pretty sure he will get $100 or so out of that.

Andrew

W\hat can I say about his kid?  Always thinking, always ready to work, confident enough to offer comments and suggestion and mature enough to do his best when he doesn't agree with the chosen approach.   I wish I had four more like him.  Never complains. alway does his best, always has perfedct hair.  Makes me want to attach him with scizzors.

Notable moments:

Nathan, standing amid flowering plants, pouring a can of cold orange soda over his head to deal with the sweltering heat.   Drying quickly it was so sticky that when the bugs came for him, he looked like a walking fly strip.

John, coming up to me for the third time to ask meaningless questions asks one more - something like, "Dave, can I go pee"?  I look around at the forest surrounding the house and say "sure john, go anywhere you like  He zipps open his pants and pees on my shoes.

Johm, coming up for the n'th time to ask a question causes me to lose my remaining cool. "John, what did i tell you about coming to me and asking questions when your are supposed to be working? "  "Not to do it: he says:".  "Then why are you here asking another question""   "I forgot" he replies.   Exaperated to the brink of total cosmic disintigration say "John, you only  have a 30 second memory, you are just like a gold fish.  Try harder will you?  He nods seriously and I start to walk away when I have a thought.  I turn back to John and ask, "John, exactly what did i just say to you?".  He looks down at the ground for a good ten seconds, looks up, and says, "I don't remember".  I almost stroked out right there and then.




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