Thus far, I cannot think of a more fitting end of the year image than this. This one picture shows everything accomplished. A moment snapped because I was tired of look at the cardboard stuck to the walls. Blue tape was less obnoxious but it was not offering the visuals needed to “see” how I wanted bottom cabinets to look. Looks more than sizes are important. Sizes are never what is needed when needed. Looks because they are seen are everyday all day long and the incorrect sized drawer only bothers when the drawer is used. Looks that don’t speak on a personal level will be bothersome and offset the harmony of the room’s feeling.

Butterfly Effect. Not sure if I follow with the butterfly effect, however, upon reflection I can see the thought process. If I followed, then our entire year was set in motion because BIF had Thanksgiving dinner with the Pontificator in January. Our entire year was set in motion because winter was arriving pushing the butterflies away and bringing in the rain. Whatever the reason, BIF moved out of the Rainstream and into the Dwelling by the middle of January.

February brought a whole new “temporary” kitchen. Included was counter and shelving for cookware/microwave/mixer/hand towels, a oven rack, the Harvey reject fridge, the hospital cabinet as the food pantry, the plastic card table with real chairs, and full size trashcan made from a recycled water heater box. Unlike the temporary kitchen, the bathroom had been fully completed with the installation of the countertop. Weather outside has already warmed up enough plants were blooming and dry enough the Planner could work on rust remediation without concern for rain.

March meant the Kid had a fully functioning Kid Box with shower, sink, toilet. Almost fully functioning as AC wouldn’t be installed until later. By March, the Kid had started making headway into how he wanted his room to lay out. He decided against rehanging the kayak and paddle board from the ceiling instead used the space to above the doors to hang paddles, poles, and flies (over bathroom door). By March’s end, BIF movement forward would come to a drag all because of weather induced drama. Nothing is a sad as seeing a sailboat being pulled behind a motorboat on a cold, cloudy, and windy day. Once again, just as when the drama occurred days before, the Planner is behind me on a broken boat and I was relegated to the safety boat. Broken boat, broken spirits.

Spring winds turned to summer winds and the weather was clearing out by the end of April. Too bad my funk didn’t go with the weather. The weather started the funk problem in March and carried over until April. Since the ever so fabulous, once in a lifetime experience Solar Eclipse 2017, I have been counting down the days for the next solar eclipse. In fact, I came home and downloaded an app that reports every eclipse any where in the world nor matter the level. Last year in October, I was let down by the weather on the annual solar eclipse and I was determined to drive anywhere with 24 hours to see this years full solar eclipse. But I shouldn’t have had to because it was going straight over our head. Directly over our head with the best viewing times and the entire world was cast in cloud cover. Come on, seriously! Angered beyond words. I took lasts months bad weather experience and this months bad weather experience and let the anger consume me. Consumed while I watched the boys take advantage of great weather days.

May finally brought out the splinters. The first splinter was a removal of the metaphorical broken boat splinter in my soul. The next came from a ship, too. A shiplap splinter. Splinters can be tricky. Sometimes they enter with pain and are easily removed. Sometimes they enter with no pain and result in a pussy mess. Sailboat splinter was pussy but the 1/4″ long splinter received under the thumb nail bed hurt like a ________. Both splinters were not worth the pain but the shiplap splinter was more enjoyable than the broken ship splinter. Hours of debate went into deciding how to install shiplap, how to best match trim, and where to start the shiplap. Decisions required drawings, calculations, and visual samples. Several splinters later and having fully encased the Dwelling in shiplap, BIF took a physical and mental break to New York.

Funny enough, just like the last major road trip in 2017, I travelled 2000+ miles and what do I see? SEAGULLS! Gosh, how I love them. Unlike the last traveling seagull sighting there was no hurricanes at the end of the trip. Yeah. Like last time, the weather was vastly different. Weather at home was hot and humid. Weather in New York was wet and cold. Made coming back difficult. Even for hot weather lover me.

Speaking of hurricanes, not two weeks after returning home was there a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico dropping buckets and buckets of water. Water in the water collection tanks and water in the front door. Umm…. Water for so long after the storm faded there were new residents in the front yard. Yikes! Almost killed myself trying not to step on this fists out, fighting water dweller. We have always known our property was located in a once prolific marsh but this is ridiculous.

Halfway through the year and the only major project completed was the walls two months ago. No, they are not even completed as not all the portions of wall are not painted as window trim is not done. July is the time of the year when things start to get hot. Hot weather, hot waters in the bays, hot tempers. Hot tempers can lead to crazy notions. Like having a water fight in the middle of the day? And I mean fight until the water finally turned cool from the tanks and both boys simmered down. Jesh. Fortunately by the end of the month, both boys had AC installed in their separate rooms giving them space to chill and I had my very first wall mounted piece of furniture. Ever. When the Planner and I lived in our city house before the Kid was born the only item mounted on the walls was a series of three cup saucers the previous resident hand painted and hung in the kitchen. No diplomas, wedding pictures, child art. Not even a TV as this sat in a cabinet. Boring walls in a boring life. BIF will not have boring walls. There will be pictures (frames have been in storage since gifted as a wedding present 20+ years ago), shelves full of memories, and this coat rack the Pontificator gifted to me because I once said in passing the day she purchased it 25+ years ago that I love it and would take it when she decided on something new.

August, the dog days of summer. Nothing else needs to be said. August, needless to say was testy. The heat was stifling, the humidity off the charts, the lack of forward motion on the Dwelling tense full, and the Kid insufferable in his requests to practice driving. Living in a small town has one giant disadvantage. No drivers ed, not even at the school. Learning to drive falls upon the parents to teach the children. Say what! The course work can be taken online but the experience must be done with a parent. Good grief, is that even safe? Learning to drive is very new for the Kid. Seen it done, yes. Done it, no. Seeing and doing are two different things. He didn’t want to drive the tractor, or the forklift, or the Doubter’s side by side. Driving is a learned skill based upon experiences constantly being tested. Those tests build more skills. Like sailing. Nobody would state the Kid lacked the skills to sail in August’s Around the Island race. Seen it done, yes. Done it, no. Unlike driving, the Kid had developed the skills through lots and lots of experience to pass the test. Good job, Kid. Use those deductive skills when driving. Calm, cool, collective.

September and October finally brought cooler weather and cooler tempers. Progress had come to a complete halt as work was very busy. Work for the paying kind and work that will accompany the paying kind. Needing a stand for a new tool for work, the Planner spent several weeks designing and building this concrete base. It was a smaller mobile (mobile-ish if one owns a forklift and pallet jack) version on the concrete pad. Forms boards, rebar, concrete to correct thickness.

Paint away November and December in the warm wonderful non winter weather. All of November and December was spent sanding, priming, sanding, and painting. Bedroom trimmed and painted. Check. Pantry cabinet painted and installed. Check. Ten doors, eighteen drawers, twelve shelves. Both cabinets are functionable but neither are complete, per the normal around here. Bedroom needs shelves, doors, and door knobs. Pantry needs knobs, countertop, and trim installed.

Interesting, the year started off with a bang when I dropped the statement about moving out over dinner, dragged on and on in the middle with broken spirits slowing progress, and ended with a bust as the toilet seat broke and the bedroom doors didn’t close. All in all it was a good year.

Holy crap, how have I forgotten to mention one of the best days ever? On June 29, a dreary cloud covered stifling windless day the sun broke through and shined its rays of glory as the Rainstream drove away behind a Porsche Cheyenne headed to California, its sun, and the Pacific Ocean. Good riddance. On that note, Happy New Year!