RESTORATION INCOMPLETE!

Restoration is such an interesting word!  The restoration of my house was not particularly interesting!  I lacked motivation at the times when I had time to be motivated, and gained it in abundance when I was not here!  Exclamation marks are really quite apt in this paragraph!

I had lost a box of knickknacks.  It was not really important, more irritating, as the 'restoration' appeared to be taking too long, and whilst part of me wanted to put everything back, another part wanted to continue to store things.  Another part (oh there were many parts; I was the proverbial donut graph!  Another apt exclamation mark!,) was wanting to throw things away, and another part just could not be bothered.  There were more sections but I have a Thanksgiving Dinner to prepare at the end of November, and I am not sure I would be finished deliberating by then!  I had lost a box of knickknacks!  When I say 'lost', I think that the word 'mislaid' would be more appropriate, as I knew they were in my house, but could not think where I had put them.  It was the realisation that I could not remember that led me to 'part three' of the donut, to wit, did I need them at all!  The exclamation mark is there because it is, obviously, rhetorical!  Did I need them?  That should be rhetorical, as well!

Whether I could find my box of accessories or not was a moot point.  I knew they would turn up, sometime, somewhere!  It also meant there would be less to dust this week and next.  I could go hunting another day.

The storm that came in on Tuesday night was rather fierce.  However, I did not hear it!  It was only when I saw the lightening through the (new) windows that I knew we were in the middle of a tempest.  The thunder could be heard, however, and there was a crack directly overhead, but the windows kept out the wind and there was no rattling.  I knew that the old windows were insecure, but had not realised quite how fragile they were.  It was only when I opened the sliding door, and heard the howling that would have been heard through the old set, did I understand quite how vulnerable we had been!

"How do you like your new windows?" said my neighbour, a newish neighbour, who was sitting by the pool with a friend.  "Are you going swimming?" she asked before waiting for a response.  I decided to answer one question at a time.  However, before the response was forming on my tongue, her friend asked if I knew the history of our complex.  The question "Are you going swimming?" may have to have a new answer, because by the time I finished answering question one and three, it would be sundown!  Or perhaps they would say they had to go and prepare Thanksgiving Dinner at the end of November, depending on quite how detailed I decided to be!  The answer to question number three was quite elaborate and, to the best of my knowledge, I filled them in on what I knew.  In response to my windows, I announced that I had been living in a tent for eighteen years, and the previous night was the first time that there was no rattling or howling!  The friend looked quite shocked.  "Really!  It was that bad?"  Why, yes!  It was!  After the history lesson, I asked if my neighbour had settled in and if she enjoyed living in our little community.  I was going to say 'Peyton Place' but that may have been an insult as I am unaware of her age.  I am unsure of a current American soap opera where everyone knows everyone else's business, so I decided to stick with 'community'.  She responded that she had nearly got everything in place, and she was confident it would all be perfect in a couple of weeks.  I told her that I didn't have confidence that I would ever get everything perfect!  I did not mention the lost box of knickknacks.  I admitted that I am a hoarder.  "A collector!" her friend corrected me.  I thanked him for the vote of confidence. Commenting that most things were merely of memory value, and even if I did not have them, my memories would still be there, I wondered if it was even worth looking for the lost box.

Was I going swimming?  I had my wetsuit on and was not going to waste the water time!  As the temperatures were getting colder overnight, the pool was cooling off quite rapidly.  It had lost nine degrees in a week, and although it would take longer to drop another nine, I was not sure how long I would want to go out in the cold mornings wearing the protective covering.  

I did manage to swim.  Each morning, and now afternoon, has called for the wetsuit!  Thankfully, I now have two!  The one my step-daughter gave me is of a much higher quality than my original purchase.  However, it takes twice as long to put on, and despite my best efforts, I struggle with the upper body section.  I nearly gave up the first morning, but persevered.  I looked like a penguin, with my arms outstretched.  There was no 'give'.  I splashed about like a beached whale, and could not get into a rhythm.  The second day, I took a lesson from the films, where the divers effortlessly glide one arm in, then the other.  It worked.  It worked for one arm.  The second was more difficult and I looked like a penguin with a broken fin, the broken fin hanging by my side.  This time I had to struggle from going around in circles.  I still have not mastered it, but there is some advancement, but I think the season will be over before I get it right!

Back to the restoration of the house!  I wondered if everyone's cupboards were just full of junk, and they hid all their 'bits and pieces' when others come to call!  Surely I cannot be the only person with a memory!  

By the weekend, I was still deciding on whether I wanted to throw, hide or display!  It was a dilemma!  I trotted down in the wetsuit, arms akimbo, and splashed around for a bit.  I did restore my lighting in the sunroom, however, stringing up the lights that had fallen due to the rope disintegrating in the height of summer.  As Saturday was not particularly sunny the solar panels did not collect as much as they could, and only a few shone after dark.  I was pleased with my efforts, though, and felt as if something had been accomplished.  

Unfortunately, I found my box of knickknacks.  I use the word 'unfortunately' as it causes me another problem.  Do I place my bits and pieces back from whence they were removed, or not.  Why did I look in that cupboard?  

Restoration is far from complete! There is always something to be done.  Although part of me is saying 'never again' to the mess, another part is saying "Why don't we?" and another donut appears.  By the time I have put in all the pros and cons, I will be able to create a donut shop that will rival 'Dunkin'!  Of course, it may be another eighteen years before the next project is actually done, or it may be that I decide I need an excuse not to cook Thanksgiving Dinner!  Perhaps I will just put up a sign outside my house which reads, "Please excuse our mess.  We are under restoration!" and keep it there permanently.  I really do not have enough foot traffic to warrant the sign, but it might make me feel better.  I will feel as if I am accomplishing something even when I am not!  I shall have to give the matter some thought, before writing ...... another story!