Feedback (Sigh)

Reader number one was quite critical of Defiant Dress. It was terribly discouraging but I believe I’m better for it. She was critical of plot points that concerned me, too, so I’ve one more slog through it before I submit to the Arts Club.

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Elaine brought over a massive slab of fresh-caught salmon and another huge chunk of smoked salmon yesterday. Kenny, who’s helping Darrell, got the same gift. After Elaine left, Paula wanted to chill here until it was time to go. So we sat on chairs on the deck and I felt pretty uncomfortable sitting and watching Kenny and Darrell do their hard and heavy work hard on the courtyard.

They will likely finish the bulk of the work today, except for the driveway. I’m stunned by how quickly it’s all happened. 

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DR and Dianne come next week and after them there are no visitors in the pipeline. Also, Darrell will likely be finishing up. (After the driveway, he’s just the interior of the porch to finish.) I’ve a “facing the void” feeling; the next stage of living here will be about living with all stimulation coming from within.

I’ve lots of tasks to occupy my time: Obsessing on the garden, finishing the fence decoration, painting and “pineconing” the window frames of the shed and studio and repairing the ladies. Plus, I’m looking forward to doing some exploring: To Parksville to visit Jane and Dana, to Victoria to see Jess and Todd and to Saltspring Island to see Barb. They’re all daytrips I feel I can handle in good weather.

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Today is my first session with the physio. I’m on my way to better back health and increased flexibility.

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George Carlin: “The caterpillar does all the work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity.”

Courtyard Progress

The fountain is in and working and the courtyard will be finished in one more day. Then the driveway will be done and Darrell and Kenny will be finished. The sand has to settle for a bit and then I'll start putting moss in between the pavers.

Darrell

The courtyard is really coming along. It’s killing poor Darrell but last night I got good news: He’s found someone to work with him and thank God. As I post this, he’s yet to arrive; that’s so island-y. But I remain hopeful. 

The pavers are two feet square thick concrete and heavy. Working with them has proven hard on his back so when Paula and I came home yesterday, I brought out the beer and he stopped working. Today he’ll be working slower I hope, and he’ll have help to haul the pavers.

I think the fountain will get installed today and at noon, his wife, Elaine, is coming over with some smoked salmon for me. How sweet is my relationship with this man!

Yesterday he told me a story about a job he had replacing some kind of valve thingme that controls flow on giant oil tanks. He was contracted by three different gas companies to change the valves on all their tanks in BC. He got the job, he said, because he has a trailer big enough to transport the new incoming valves to the tanks.

At the end of the job he came back to Vancouver with the sixteen valves removed from the tanks and the companies for whom he was working didn’t want them.

The contained a radioactive component; they were not disposable. So Darrell got on the phone and quickly managed to find a buyer for the valves and he earned himself sixteen thousand dollarsfrom the deal!

I thought that was the end of the story. But no!

He went back to his bosses, discovered what charities they patronized and cut those charities cheques totaling fifteen thousand dollars. And with the thousand dollars left over, he threw a party. That’s Darrell. And I somehow knew that about him immediately. 

I’ve never had an invoice or accounting of anything. Each week, he just says, “This week was eight hundred dollars or a thousand dollars … according to his hours. (I do get an accounting of all the materials bought.) His honesty is palpable.

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I’m taking Paula to Drumbegthis morning and then coming back to meet Elaine for the salmon. Then P. and I will chill before heading to Silva Bay and her flight home.

Sandwell Park

Yes it’s sunny again but that light pales compared to the lightness I feel inside because Defiant Dressis re-written yet again. The version my friends are reading is draft four but I’ve re-written it scores of times. A draft only gets a number when it’s assessed.

If I change it again after these readers, it will remain draft four until the Arts Club reads it. After that, work begins in draft five; I pray that draft five is a collaborative re-write undertaken as part of a workshop.

I’m happy because it’s finished and reallyhappy that I feel it has potential.

I’m also veryhappy with the courtyard. Darrell came back today and continued to work on it and the three cords of sand arrived. Now achieving a flat substrate and placing the pavers a lot easier but he needs an assistant. He’s going to try to find one tonight.

Paula was up early! We chilled, went for a lovely long early morning walk in the trails and then went into the village for breakfast, shopping for dinner supplies and to go to the liquor store. After that, we went to Sandwell Beach Park. Oh my God. It’s the beach closest to me; the photos are below.

When we got back Paula and Darrell had a beer together while I cleaned up inside because James is coming over for dinner with us.

It’s been fun having Paula with me on such a beautiful day. And tomorrow is another one to look forward to.

Zowie!

Darrel surprised me today by starting on the courtyard (above). I thought he’d be doing the screen door next. I had some concerns about part of his plan and was reluctant to say anything because of how much confidence I have in him. But I did and it was good. As a result of the talk we had, I ordered three yards of sand so we can achieve a smoother slope.

He was initially resistant to the idea but came round and, stoked by our talk, I jumped into the car to go to order, pay for and arrange for the delivery of the sand and on the way out I backed into Darrell’s truck and crushed the trunk of my car. Sigh. It’s always something. Nothing happened to his truck and a crushed trunk cover doesn’t affect my comfort or ability to get around… so I don’t really care.

Besides, it’s gloriously sunny today and Paula is coming later. And … I’m stoned on happiness about the pavers. The idea to do this popped into my head just as I thought I was through with renovations — after the porch — and I talked to Darrell and off we went. A week later two hundred 24” square pavers were in my yard.

And now they are starting to look fabulous in my backyard. They're appealing to my eye (as I see them finished, with moss between and the fountain going.I've turned something practical — a driveway — into something more appealing to me. In my mind, it's my Italian garden.

And not only that: I finished Draft Four of Defiant Dressand sent it to two readers. And you know what? I’m proud of it.

It’s an odd thing: I am not confident when I write fiction and dialogue whereas I can be about the tangible things I make (like my dresses). But I actually think it works. I’ll see what the readers say and then, of course, comes the Arts Clubreaction.  (l hope I get an appraisal from them and not just a rejection if I fail to impress.)