Tommy and I decided to enclose our patio and turn it into a sun room and a all year art room for me. I am a person who needs light. This room will provide all the light I need. It's not a huge room 16 x12...give or take a foot, with sloping ceilings, plenty of shelves for plants, and all the other things that will find a home there sooner or later. Tonight we finally finished putting up the paneling. As soon as we get the trim, I will be ready to clean and paint. This is when I get excited. However, a lot of building had to happen between this photo at the beginning and where we are now. The one week we thought we could do this in turned out to being probably a month.
To give a little background, we have doubled the size of our home over the past 34 years. We added a 24x 24 ft garage. However, when we did all this work we had a network of friends to help. There was Rick Ballard, Bobby Ballard, Joe Hazelett, Jody Hook and Harold Dickens and Lisa our oldest daughter who was living with us when we tore the front of the house out to enlarge our den and dining area. Our friends have moved away, or work hard and we hate to ask anything of them since we are retired. So this project was all the Tommy and Vicky show. We are also 15 or 20 years older than when we did our last project.
It was the first time Tommy and I worked together as a team...just the two of us. It will also be the last time we do this!! He did all the hard work of designing it and cutting the wood, often changing his mind and not telling me what he had decided to do. Little things like that. I was the blind dog who learned to 'fetch', duck and dodge.' Just call me 'Rover' and I might even possibly answer.
Tommy knows I am afraid of our ladders. They are as old as I am and in just about the same shape. Nothing on them works right. They are not sturdy, and if by chance you need to climb past the 2nd step, you have just taken your life into your own hands!
When we started paneling the ceiling the first part was easy. I had a T stick, a broom and my ladder. All I had to do was get my end of the 4x8 piece of paneling up against the bottom of the ceiling. It wasn't pretty to watch but I got my end in the right spot and it looks fine. We took a break and Tommy says something to the effect that this next piece would be harder because we had to climb higher up the ladder. The T stick could still be used but it was now 2 feet too short. So he tells me his plan. I am to climb the ladder to the 3rd rung, wedge my T stick into the corner of the creaky, wobbly ladder and hold the paneling on top of my head until he could get his end nailed and then he would run down and help me. I sat there with my mouth open, trying my best to understand how I was going to go up a ladder with my half of a 4x8 piece of plywood on my head.
This is where all hell broke loose. I put the paneling on my head and immediately got a cramp in my neck and shoulders...I wasn't even off the ground yet. Then I slowly take one step up the ladder. The T stick was in my way and without it I could not hold the paneling. So I am stuck on the bottom step. I am also enveloped in a wall of wood. I could not see anything at all, in any direction, but drooping wood.
About this time Tommy yells that I have to move, he can't hold his end forever. No s**t!! I didn't know what to do. So I stood there and tried to get up my nerve to pick up the T stick and go up another rung on the ladder. I made the step but lost the traction of the T stick. Then I forgot which direction the T stick had to go to firm up the ceiling. I was all over the place...any place but the right place. Finally I threw the T stick down and grabbed a huge wooden broom. It was barely within my reach, because I refused to let go of the ladder completely. Tommy couldn't see me under all the paneling and he wants to know what I am doing because I have almost knocked him off his ladder. He actually said, "Why are you making so much noise?? What is going on over there? You need to hurry up".
I told him I grabbed the broom and I was trying to use it to get the paneling off my head. fu$$*&***!!! was his reply. He wanted to know what I was doing with the broom. It was too long of a story to explain.
I had to go up the 3rd step. I just knew I was gonna die, I only hoped I took Tommy with me!!! This was all his fault. I am scared to the point of getting the hysterical tired giggles. That is the point I get where I am laughing uncontrollably and on the verge of busting out crying. At which time I am crying and laughing at the same time. If there had been people around me, they would have freaked out. There is not one thing I can do to stop this roller coaster once it has started to free fall. I am just along for the ride until I can regain control...or get a xanax.
I made the third step and I start loosing the paneling that is now only half way resting on top of my head. Tommy wants to know if I have my 'end in place'. I can't even see my end, much less know where it is. So I push the broom as hard as I could up the ladder. The paneling slides off my head just about the time Tommy hammers in his first nail. I try to catch it and I am screaming. All of a sudden I hear the hammer fly by in my direction. That is when I mentally pushed him off his ladder!!! twice!
He tells me to get down. Now we will have to do it the 'hard way'. Seriously, could it get any worse?? Yes unfortunately it could. We take a break and I find my self all too soon back up the p.o.s ladder.
I get on the hateful 3rd rung and am hanging on for dear life. Tommy drags the paneling over and once again I have it nestled on top of my lumpy head. I am so far from happy, I seriously do not think there is a chart where a frowny face could describe my feelings.
I pushed as hard as I could until I felt the wall we were connecting to. I yelled, "I'm there!" Tommy wants to know if I can see. Of course I can't see, I just ran into the wall that is all I know. He says, "You better be in there." and I mentally push him off the ladder again!!
He starts hammering and I am thrilled. Then he gets to my side and it is off by a country mile. He gives me the 'look' and I know he is really, really mad. That's fine with me because I am too. I tell him not to worry about it the trim will cover it. It will be fine. He is not happy but he settles down.
He starts laughing then. He wanted to know if I knew how crazy I looked with all the paneling on my head?? Oops there he mentally went flying through the sliding glass doors.
Finally, we are done with the paneling. It is really going to be a beautifull room. However, I am putting the Scarlett O'Hara to it when she stood in the empty fields and swore , "She would never be hungry again." Well, I am vowing that" I will never build another room with Tommy Carter again" . I told him this and he feels the same way. It was almost too much for us to do...but we did it...and we lived to tell the tale, but there is no way we will ever do it again!! Quoting Scarlett once again, "as God is my witness!!!!"
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