Comfort Zone

We all have a favorite chair or sofa that we allow ourselves to sink deeply into. We may nap there. We may be perfectly at peace there, holed up with a good book. Or maybe there’s a sacred pair of sweats. Put those on and the rest of the world rolls off of you.

Well that, folks, is the way I feel about the nearest and dearest of my friends. It doesn’t matter if it’s been five days, five months or five years since last I saw them. (The only thing that ever seems to change is the size of the kids.) So there I was last night, nestled ever so deeply into that emotional armchair, clad in my virtual sweat pants.

Life is complicated and sometimes gets downright difficult. But this? This is the very definition of easy. Simplicity personified.

A little over three and a half hours never passed so quickly. It might as well have been 10 minutes. The calendar may have read 2009, but there we were, channeling 1979, 1983, 1990. We made time stop in its tracks, even if only for a little while. All these years later, I'm still awestruck by the connections that one stupid building (that the mother forced me to go to for four years) has made in my life. How? Some people go their whole lives without these bonds.

I pity them.

The rain, which never seems to end lately, hammered Pearl as I headed home from CD’s last night, but I didn’t care. My mind was energized. My heart revived. Give me your damndest, Mother Nature. Go ahead.

I’ve got friends.

My Friends Dig Me

Or, more accurately, my friends dig for me. CD met me at Lowe's as planned early this morning and we proceeded to load up her SUV with gravel and some boards for a future project.

The day got off to an awesome start. We were just talking about Home Depot vs. Lowe's and I was telling CD about how much more generous Lowe's is. Almost as if they heard me, I was handed a $10 off coupon as soon as we walked through the door! Then getting to chat over a brief breakfast with one of my nearest and dearest was a treat.

Unloading was fun. (A half-ton of gravel in total.) CD got to see the infamous cart and appreciate its infinite value. She came to love it even more when, after we unloaded, she was determined to pitch in on the mudpit. "I'm ready to work," she said. And work she did. We toted some of the dirt out back to fill in where the newly departed tree once stood. The rest was dump-bound. CD's plans before picking up her young'ns had included a trip to the Y. After hanging out with me, she didn't need it.

Following her efforts at helping me clear the second third of the mudpit, the ever adventurous CD asked: "So where's the dump?" We loaded up her SUV and headed across town. (That gave us another chance to visit, too. How is it that when friends come to my house, we inevitably end up at the dump?!)

If anyone had ever told me I'd live long enough to see CD dig dirt, much less head to a dump, I'd have said they were nuts. But hey, she's a DIYer in her own right. She's been busy at home with her own projects. I've even witnessed her using a drill -- but on a pumpkin. I've got the picture to prove it, too.

By the time Chris left, a massive debris pile was gone and the second third of the mudpit was nearly cleared! I shaved the edges to finish them out, added my landscape forms and began filling with gravel. I was nearly done filling it with gravel when the sky got really cloudy. So, we started putting things away, cleaning up, and covered the gravel pit. Done by 3:30, so it wasn't nearly as long of a day. But it was a very productive one. And one I can't thank CD enough for all the help with. You really did help move things along.

Surveying today's progress left me feeling pretty good.

I then got cleaned up and attempted to get the car headlight fixed. But that's for another post.

Right now, I'm a little sore. Yesterday and today's hefting are catching up with me. So, I'm going to do what any self-respecting DIYer would do: take a nap.

Walking Along

My horoscope has had a grain of truth to it for the past few days. From today’s email: The opportunity to travel, perhaps with friends or with a group you belong to, could come your way today NV. Discussions with others could lead to the confirming of plans and practical arrangements.
Last month, Mr. and Mrs. MonkeyGirl came to my aid, removing the shrubs from hell. This month, my highlighted helper friend is CD. An avid supporter, regular reader, and occasional commenter, CD is another of my group of eight from high school.
CD called me Tuesday morning and asked if I needed any help. With both boys in school now, she’s able and willing to contribute to a This D*mn House cause. Since it’s not too far out of her way, she living relatively close to Hardware Heaven, I’m going to meet her there very soon. She’s going to help me haul gravel in her SUV! And it’s just in time, too. I used everything I bought already since I got this far on the walkway yesterday.
I almost got the first third finished! (Where you see the plastic in the front of the photo is the start of the second third.) I’m afraid to get too excited but it’s very cool. Even if I’d had more gravel though, I don’t think I could have gotten much farther yesterday because as it was, I was watering it all down at dusk. (That’s the chief reason why there was no photo last night. I also was outside ‘til there was no light left as I got the front yard mowed and all of the filthiest of the bricks washed off.)
You’re reading the ramblings of a very grateful person. First, I can’t believe that we’ve had this amazing weather for so many days now. It’s just been perfect. The sunsets have been nothing short of incredible. In my ideal existence, it would be this way year-round. I’m afraid it’s coming to end though as rain is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
Second, I’m grateful that my employer let me juggle a few things to get this time off, even if I did work a good chunk of yesterday. I had to jump while the weather was on my side.
And finally, I’m humbled to have such incredible friends who continually offer – and provide – assistance, love, humor, and support. To my high school circle, you guys are nothing short of awesome. To those of you in cyberworld who have regularly voiced concern and encouragement, it has helped more than I can express.