Almost there

Despite all the delays, the castle is almost ready for Joe and his family to move on in. The unseasonably warm weather has not only prevented the pipes from freezing while the boiler is on order, but has allowed us to continue working to get the place ready for move in.

The roofers finished up today. I was surprised to find myself a bit wistful as I watched them drive off. I'll miss young Mike's (they're both Mikes) cheerful good mornings, their frequent forays through the house looking to borrow this or that tool. I've learned to like and respect the two of them. Turns out, when we hired them, we hired a couple of artists disguised as tile roofers. They did beautiful work - the house hasn't been so spiffy looking in decades.

I've finished replacing broken window panes (seventeen windows in all), and have put the windows back where they belong. Joe's worked hard over the past few weeks to refinish the worst of the upstairs floors. The main hallway is almost ready to paint, which just leaves the kitchen to be made workable.

I don't want to jinx anything, but I think this unlikely venture might actually turn out well. Hard to believe.

As I've been working the last couple of days, my mind has started to wander to what's next. The sun comes out later and later each morning; it is almost done with its journey to the south. Its light is long and slanted. Winter is around the corner. 

While the darkest days are still to come, there is already a glimmer on the horizon heralding the new season to come. The latest news on the vaccines in development is excellent, and rumor has it they will be widely available by summer-ish. So, I need to lay low for a while longer, but it will not last forever.

I'm a bit concerned about where my mood will head once everyone leaves and I've lost my place to go and get something done each day. I'm not going to see much of anyone after they move out, and travel is out of the question until the virus settles down again. So, as a depression preventative, I've asked them if I can keep the cats through the winter, and they've agreed.

I figure it'll be good to have some companionship to help me through the dark winter days. Curling up on the sofa under a blanket turns into less of a pity party and more of a meditative experience when I have a cat to purr at me - and, historically, the cats have been more than willing to perform that role.

It feels good to have taken a positive step to take care of myself.

The virus has gotten around to infecting people I know and love. So far, they're all doing OK, but it's scary nonetheless. You all stay safe out there, hear????