Is a Very Very Very Fine House

THE HOUSE
My contractor was hot. Hot as in "Aren't you cute let me bounce you on my knee and perhaps we'll gad about after a bit of extremly dirty sordid sex and feel free to leave your workboots in plain site but I doubt I'll call you". Not hot as in "my, it's temperate" But you knew that. My husband and I discussed it. I I think he was just pleased I was showing an interest in sex.

THE HOUSE - REALLY
Ehhhh. It came out ok. No, it came out really nice. really nice actually.
We went from having a porch repaired to having it resided, 2 porches in process of being rebuilt and the driveway is getting ripped up and laid back by July 15. There are things that I did that were random and careless. Like picking a screen door in under 15 minutes, or not bothering to identify a doorbell. All this money spent and I didn't consider the finer details. Nor do I care still. Well, I care - but not enough to change it now. Which is why my home will never be beautiful. I still have tags on the blinds, and the shades from the prior owners. If I could hang a sheet over the window ala frat house curtains circa Vietnam draft, and not mind, likely I would. So I think someone else would have cared more thus their place would be gorgeous versus nice. But - meh as the kids say - I guess that's how the apathy rolls.

THE HOUSE - WHO ARE THE PEOPLE
My contractor came by daily by his workers - who he subcontracted to - were the people I got to know best. Jay and Brian. Brian was the brains and the bullshit of the operation, Jay the harder worker. Between the two I found out which had kids (neither) who drank (one sober for 3 years, one occasionally and socially only), who was married (neither) and who was divorced (one) I found out that one had an ex girl that tried to steal cash from his wallet a week ago, and the other a current girl only 1 year sober who he had high hopes for a loving, lasting lifetime with. One golfed, traveled, stayed fit; the other worked, worked more and lost a leg at the age of eight.

I adored - and I mean ADORED - these guys. They could have rebuilt the place and lived in the guest room for all I cared. I was their second favorite client ever. Beaten out by a woman in Billerica who baked brownies daily.
The Hussy.

So it wasn't a stretch to write them a thank you, and mean it.
I also enclosed a tip with my heartfelt words.
The next day one of them told me it almost brought "te'ahs to his eyes". Followed by "Then I hit the truck in front of me, ya know. I was drivin in traffic."

THE HOUSE - WAS IT WORTH IT?
I'm not sure. It's going to be pretty for sure. It's prettier actually - even if we did go with the same color. But in the end it was a shitload of money and it wasn't like two extra rooms popped up in the attic or anything.

UPSIDE?
We fueled the economy, the contractors were nice, it'll resell well and I learned to, next time, have them put tarps over the gravel.