Looking Back 2011

The time has come to begin blogging again. For better or for worse, it is time to come out and write authentically to save my own spirit. So here is my life last year in verse.

‘Twas a Year of Remodel and Right Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a carpenter was stirring, not even my spouse.
The stockings were hung over our new woodstove with care,
And everyone was thankful it was finally there.

The children were nestled all snug in their new beds,
Without drywall dust dancing in the air or their heads.
Papa not sneezing in his handkerchief, as I drank my nightcap,
We had just settled our brains that this was our LAST remodeling trap.

When out on the un-seeded lawn there arose such a clatter,
I threw down my drink to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Trying not to trip over our moving box trash.

The moon was so bright on the new fallen snow,
Hiding the muddy mess from past workers and landscapers below.
When, what to my tired and blurry eyes should appear,
But two sweet little does and their mama, a deer.

Without the sound of compressors, hammers and nails,
The wildlife has come back to our home without fail.
More rapid than eagles- life is back into balance,
And it seems so surreal to notice the absence…

…Of Painters! Of Plumbers! Of Siders and Roofers!
No Electricians! No Carpenters! No Permit Inspectors!
From the top of the new porch, to the new shingled wall!
They’ve gone away! Gone away! Gone away all!

Now that our house is strong enough for a hurricane, I
No longer need to travel to Home Depot to buy.
In our sweet bungalow, by the fire I remember,
While 3 cords of construction wood-waste burns bright into embers.

I started to drink, when they delayed on the roof
Their lies and excuses just increased my proof.
The morning I was drinking Irish coffee and feeling housebound,
Down the painter came off the scaffold with a bound!

He was covered in paint, from his head to his shoe,
And my garden was all tarnished with #1647, Silvery Blue.
Their bundles of mistakes were a pain in my back,
And I looked like a mad-woman just trying to keep track.

Yet now the house twinkles! The shingles, how merry!
We added some roses and four trees, one a cherry!
For now every alteration, once drew up on paper,
Is something we love, though our dollars are vapor.

The music room lives large and has room for the teens,
And the expanded kitchen is perfect for the finest cuisines.
Adding a bathroom for guests made our home seem complete,
We now have a private bath and a romantic master suite.

Yes, it was crazy and stressful and put our lives on the shelf.
And we laughed watching nightly “Gags,” just to keep our good health.
In a blink of a black eye this year’s at an end,
Life soon will be normal, only the garden and children to tend.

We will share what we learned, then go back to our work,
And we will count all our blessings, without letting one lurk.
Remember to TRUST yourself, each other and the world,
It’s what will keep you moving forward, with your hearts open, unfurled.

Spring back to your life! To your friends and family, give a whistle,
For each and every moment is precious and special.
And hear us exclaim, ‘ere we end this long letter,
“Never Remodel Again And It Can Only Get Better!”