10 Reflections from the past week: 1. My neighbor isn’t speaking to me. Last week he pounded the posts for the new fence we share. So, as agreed, my responsibility was to put up the woven and barbed wire. 2. Because I crave the approval of others…including my neighbors…I spent hours watching how-to videos and reading articles so that he’d be impressed by our fence. Then my kids and I set to work. And, after a long day of hard labor…the fence turned out…awful. The wire is loose and uneven instead of straight and tight. 3. Katrina came to check it out and her first words were… “Isn’t it backwards? Isn’t it supposed to go on the other side of the posts?” My heart sunk. Indeed, it was…not only does it look bad, but I didn’t even put it up on the correct side of the posts! And that is why my neighbor isn’t speaking to me. 4. In fairness, I think he’s partially to blame. It was his field I burnt down a few years ago. He’s seen me try to back up a trailer and has watched me, more than once, chase our cows in circles around his field. He should have known better than to leave me unattended. 5. I can’t blame my children. They did their best. Brenna and Kyra were actually far and away the biggest help. They recruited two teenage boys who were fabulous workers and unwitting co-conspirators in my incompetence. 6. JoyLynn, on the other hand, was JoyLynn. While everyone else grabbed hammers, nails, clips, wire-cutters, etc. and got to work. JoyLynn set up a stereo and turned up the volume for the entire neighborhood to enjoy. Then, she set up lawn chairs in the middle of the pasture, poured herself an iced-tea and sat and watched everyone else work. 7. Kebrom has recently insisted on referring to himself strictly in the 3rd person. And, always, he calls himself “the professional”. Unfortunately, “the professional” was only getting in the way and was soon sitting in the grass pouting…except when I’d get stuck I would hear him sullenly mutter, “the professional could have done that.” 8. As the day grew longer and hotter the more Geoffrey and I bickered. He questioned every decision I made (and was usually right, but I wouldn’t admit it and would only do it his way when he wasn’t looking) and our tempers flared over my request for him to hold a clip at a difficult angle so I could hammer it. 9. He refused, accusing me of being careless and insisted I would miss the clip and hit his hand. I told him to quit whining and just hold the “stupid clip!” Glaring at me, he eventually bent down and held the clip. And sure enough, my first swing missed the clip and hit his hand. 10. He was FURIOUS! He wouldn’t even accept my apology…though that was probably because try as I might, I couldn’t quit giggling and it came out like this, “Geoffrey (snort) I am so (giggle, snort) sorry (snort)!” Now Geoffrey isn’t speaking to me either.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 14:44:07 +0000
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