Backbreaking Days

That is not a happy man.

That is the face of a grumpy man who realizes that what he thought was going to be the toughest part of his day was taking out the trash and recycling.

Only to learn that his day turned into living hell when his well meaning, but definitely sadistic wife, decided it would be a great idea to put up an above ground pool so that the grans would have something to do at Casa Claire on the 4th of July.

I’m certain that I am not Jesus, because I would have told Mom to fuck right off when the wine ran out at the wedding at Canaan. I don’t do miracles.

But Lisa was having none of that. So she found the largest, heaviest and most complicated pool in Walmart and had me loose my nuts humping it from store to car to front yard. It had to be a few hundred pounds.

And there was no “Team” to help me lift it.

There were lots of heavy boxes within this heavy box and lots of steel for framing that became quickly and scorching hot to the touch in the bright NoCo sun.

Each step of the way I was cursing the gods and praying for a coronary to end my misery, as I was forced to take the obviously Sisyphean project from this

to this

in the matter of a few back breaking hours. Even the Gnomes were laughing at me.

The dogs

and mules

knew to stay in the shadows while I labored.

For anyone interested, I posted videos of this project on my Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/tom.mccaffrey.233145

Rated PG 13 for the plethora of potty mouth.

When it was all said and done, the dogs checked to make sure I was still breathing.

While Claire and Honey signed off on the inspection.

Then, while I spent a lot of next month’s income on a future water bill filling this monstrosity over night, I got to actually enjoy a few hours of nocturnal fireworks from my back deck, but not before Honey and Claire headed off to the barn to avoid the annoying sounds from the heavens

The nightscape show was simultaneously performed by Mother Nature,

And my adopted town of Berthoud

Again, I posted videos on FB.

And the pyrotechnic display was topped off by a beautiful moon over Casa Claire.

And then I went to bed, exhausted, dreaming of ETs to whisk me away from this life of servitude.

My body is reminding me right at this moment just how foolish I was with every ache of my being.

But there is no rest for the wicked. The Grans are coming, the grans are coming.

There is yet more to do before Lisa is satisfied that this 4th of July BBQ is one to be remembered.

I hope that you fine, five readers are free from such a taskmaster.

But first, I need to do MY chores, not those assigned to me. Like check on the pool advancing water level.

And no matter what else we get up to, let us make our Nation’s Birthday a great one.

Happy 4th of July!