Decrepit

Is decrepit the word I want? R and I are still recovering from our hard-working weekend and I think we're decrepit. If that means old, achy, decomposing, fatigued, it's the right word.

His back is twingy and my shoulder is up to its old tricks. It had been feeling great, not bothering me at all, and now it's back to constant pain and knots. I guess maybe I shouldn't be lifting 6 x 8 foot panels of fencing any longer. Man I hate to admit that.

Truth is, I barely lifted them. R had to do 90% of the work. I just steadied them and pushed while he pulled, helping to raise them from and lower them to the ground. But I should point out it took two burly men to lift them onto our truck at the home improvement store, and they were struggling under the weight.

Still, we're glad we did it and proud of the job we did.

Years ago, R told me that he was getting off the home improvement treadmill around here when he turned 50. He was probably barely past 40 at the time he said that, so it sounded ages and ages away. I told him he was basically telling me that I could not let him rest on weekends any longer so we could finish the enormous amount of projects we planned. We both laughed. It sounded funny, like how could we possibly NOT finish everything in 10 years?

Well let me tell you. Home improvement does not just encompass big remodeling projects, it also includes home repairs, updates, upgrades, and landscaping. We've done all of these, but still have more to do. I guess that's what you get when you buy a 70+ year old house that requires work on literally every square inch. Where families have lived with varying degrees of concern for the structure. We've lived her 14 years now, and have accomplished a lot. I think we'd be astonished if we looked at old pictures. But we still would like to gut and remodel the downstairs bathroom, finish painting and reorganizing the shelving in closets, repair rotting window sills (that will take professional help) and give the basement a complete overhaul with paint and possibly new windows. Oh and a new pair of windows in the living room to replace the picture window I hate, hate, hate. And the outside is needing paint again. Sigh....

He'll be 50 in August. I don't think we're going to make it. I guess we'll have to punt.