Our Over-sized Dog House -- Work in Progress

6x8 Shed Kit: An answer to prayer right? A finite project. Physical. Concrete. No one's feelings to consider. No bosses! No one else's timetable or expectations. Just me and nails, a pile of lumber and 7 pages of directions probably written by a non-native speaker.

And of course, it's practical--economical even! At least eventually, it will help me consolidate all my piles of things. (What IS in the storage shed exactly? >My stained glass shop & booth with tarp. A bed that is waiting for G's daughter. The return for a small desk. Some scrap lumber & my paper mache lily.)

Unfortunately, on day 4, 75% complete, the weather turned against us. Mid-afternoon the clouds rolled in and the wind kicked up. Gloria and I had a terrible time trying to lash a tarp over our fledgling structure. 25 mile-an-hour gusts kept throwing sand and grit in our eyes, ears, clogging our noses. Every time we got one corner in hand, another one ripped loose. It felt like that nightmare twister scene at the start of the Wizard of Oz. Argh! [Photo below shows how lopsided our herculean efforts were. It sure is ugly, but it HELD!]

When we finally got everything more or less covered and ran for the house, our sense of humor returned. The inside of our little house hasn't felt that welcoming in a long time! We made hot tea and gloried in our snug walls and tight roof. The heater whooshed on, the bulbs in the pole lamps at either end of the couch glowed brightly. Paradise! We took long hot showers, then watched back to back episodes of a vapid but nail-biting sci fi tv show while the cold front stomped around venting its spleen on our poor yard and garden.

Note to self: find the pamphlet on knot-tying and practice. Nothing like fumbling with rope when your eyes are burning and it's about to pour.