High atop our scaffolding, Tyler and I stood with hawks and trowels in hand, applying a scratch coat of plaster to the last section of the last exterior wall. We had about an hour’s worth of work left when two of our favorite people rolled up the driveway: Karina and Ivica! We clambered down the scaffolding and ran to greet them, giving them plastery hugs and welcoming them to our homestead.
Then, we all scurried back up the ridge our house sits on so we could finish plastering. Karina and Ivi stood and offered help, chatting with us from down below, while we plastered as quickly as we could. When the wall was finally finished, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders. All of the straw on the outside of the house was covered up and safe from the elements!
With such an accomplishment under our belts, we were, at long last, free to relax a little. We cheered and set about cleaning our tools with the help of our kind friends, returning to press back and scarify when the wall needed it. And then we were done.
For now, at least. For now, we had ten blessed non-plastering days to look forward to. Sure, we’d have to spray the wall down each morning and evening to slow its curing, but no long, arm-killing day of plastering awaited us tomorrow. Instead, we had free time to be with our friends, light and happy, without the crushing weight of a vulnerable home weighing on us.
Highlights from our time with Karina and Ivi included: gorging ourselves on peanut butter waffles (actually peanut butter wafers from Aldi), going bra shopping (as ya do), getting burgers at Kevin's, heading to the Washington County Fair with friends (cider donuts! Ivi's first rodeo!), and generally just being together without having to do much of anything, much less anything house-related.
It was wonderful. We love you guys!
PS: Karina and I also laughed hysterically at our own cleverness when we decided that the next time Ivica says something snarky to someone (which would be never, because he is so kind and thoughtful), he should get in their face and say, "You just got SERBED!"