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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

There is no hurry in Curry!


This is only the second week of the landscape project, but it feels as though months have passed already. Fortunately for both Hubby and me, we are not new at remodeling/construction projects. We have had plenty of experiences, and can't recall anything in the past that was completed ahead of schedule or under cost.  With the removal of the old septic tank, tasks have had to be postponed and reassigned. With the break-down of machines, delays and extra costs have popped up.


With all the noise and pollution, Newkie the cat huddles by Hubby's desk, right above his computer, a place she had never ventured to before these events, and stays there, alert, as tractor scrapes the driveway or moves rocks and dirt. She  wants to go out of her usual window which happens to face the entire mess. She has tried the back door, but runs into the house as soon as work starts about 8:30 each morning.

 There is a saying in these parts: "There is no hurry in Curry."

Curry County, with few inhabitants, mostly part-timers, and even fewer providers of basic services, seems to be an odd place for people who are used to the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York. It's difficult to get anything done in the time frame most of us anticipate.

Most service people have  the habit of not showing up, not calling, or showing up without calling. We chose well-established contractors. We researched and visited their previous projects in and out of the county, and spoke with clients.  We consulted ahead of time, agreed on a design, on a price, and signed on the dotted line. We know these people well, and we trust them.

Only the weather and breakdowns will inevitably  throw  monkey ranches on the project.

We have two projects going on: The upgrading of the front garden/driveway, and the upgrading of the garden by the lake. By now, I anticipated my vegetables boxes to be in place by the lake behind a deer fence. But the fence posts needed replacing, and when the neighbor saw the work in progress, he informed us that our fence line was incorrect, and proceeded to show the recorded survey of the land. So, the entire side fence needs re-positioning-might as well settle this now and not let this fester any longer-and we can't do that until the lake recedes a yard or two. Now, without a fence one cannot grow anything.

So, everything by the lake has been postponed.

The front garden/driveway is proceeding according to plan, mostly.

Did I mention that the tractor broke, and was fixed, and then broke again, and again?
Did I mention that there are no places nearby to fix these machines, and our contractor/operator spent days working on these repairs?

Hubby reminds me that everyone used to repair their own machines on the farm back in the days when he was a child in Montana. All machines. They built their own whenever necessary. His grandfather strung electric lines, and built  pumps and irrigation channels  to bring electricity and water to his farmhouse.

We have lost these skills now-a-days. Our machines, big or small end up in dumps, or in China, where they are re-purposed.

I'm reminded daily that these views and walks on the beaches are to be enjoyed while the body still moves and the senses are still acute.

Perhaps the saying, there is no hurry in Curry, means  " slow down, enjoy what you have, while you have it, and don't be in a hurry to get to the next stage".








25 comments:

Brian Miller said...

i like the message in not hurrying...it can be frustrating thoguh when you are doing these projects because it just messes up your cycle of life...so enjoy those walks and deep breathes...smiles...

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I like the saying. Poor Newkie!

Meryl Baer said...

I can sympathize. Our electricity was out last week, and the electric company, the city and a private contractor were involved. The city engineer retired last week; the new one is supposed to start this week (maybe). Our electric is back on, but we only have a provisional permit until the engineer inspects...

Catalina Aldridge said...

Can't wait to see the place after the remodeling is done.

Unknown said...

When I first read the title, I thought I might be about to read a recipe of an Indian dish prepared in a slow-cooker!

I hope your project is completed without any more setbacks and delays!

Helga said...

I can sing a long sad song (but I won't) about our remodeling-construction-not showing up-delays-rising costs-sleepless nights experience from long ago that has given me eternal jitters. But in the end, all came to an end, looked great and and was worth the distresses. 'There is no hurry in Curry' made me think mostly of food, of course. And, yes, even curried curry needs its time to stew to bring out the full flavors and the essence of what was intended. Your place will be absolutely gorgeous, Rosaria; in the meantime, breathing in the pure Curry County ocean air may help to unhurry any harried nerves! Take care.

NitWit1 said...

Oh! how I can sympathize.At least we only had one project going at a time. One year it was renovate the entire front yard so as to eliminate much mowing. It lasted all summer long, but proved worth the over budget price this year. All we have to do is reapply mulch each year and do my hanging baskets which can be eliminated if I tire of them.

This year it was interior. What was to take a month extended into nearly 3 and there are stil some details to complete. One part was shipped 3x before the right one ever arrived.

Sorry about the fence. That is a project I dearly want and have survey. But what I want will probably cost the whole store. I am not doing it unless I do it right.

Good luck. Your labor force sounds like Mexico or Morocco. Manana is OK is not necessarily "tomorrow" but some indefinite time in the future.

Maggie May said...

I did wonder what that saying meant until I read that you live in Curry! We don't have the saying over here & I had visions of someone really eating too much curry and having to dash to the bathroom! In which case there would be definitely hurry in curry!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

yaya said...

I've never found any project..big or small to be easy, breezy, lemon peezie...except last week when we had a portion of our roof re-done..it went quick, smooth, loud, but done in less than 8hrs..loved it! Hope yours gets done sooner than later and I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

Cloudia said...

"No worry beef curry!" is a Hawaii saying LOL




Aloha from Waikiki,
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

It's so hard for those of us coming from L.A. (or any major city) to learn to lose the hurry. But so worth it! That said, I hope everything gets up and running soon!

The Broad said...

You have my utmost sympathy, Rosaria. The trouble is that when we spend a lot of time and money on planning just what we want to do we begin to see it as a finished project sometimes even before work has started! So when there is delay after delay and one thing after another it can be very disheartening. But I sure am looking forward to your tour of the finished project -- in the meantime, peace...

the walking man said...

One thing I am proud of some people in Detroit for doing is they have begun a program to teach the lost arts of masonry, wet plaster, carving balustrades and detail architectural work. The city of course has nothing to do with it but it is finally up and slowly running and some of the old needed skills are coming back.

rjerdee said...

yes, no need to hurry...i always enjoy the home improvement projects, on time or not. it provides so many variations to a routine life.

Hilary said...

My thoughts went exactly where Maggie May's did. She said it for me. :)

#1Nana said...

Another good thing about growing older is hiring out for remodeling projects. The spouse and I have always been big Into DIY. Frankly, I enjoy paying someone else to do it.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

"and can't recall anything in the past that was completed ahead of schedule or under cost."

Hahahahahha! Is that why the two week replacement of the decking around my house is now in its 7th month?

Rob-bear said...

Delightful, thoughtful story, Rosaria. On time; under budget. That's a fairy tale, I think, based on all the work we have done. (Now we're in an apartment, so we don't do any of that.)

So sorry to her about your problem with your fence. (I always thought a fence was what you took when people insulted you.) That's the kind of thing to throw anyone off schedule.

I hope you have fun with the physicality of getting the project completed.

SG said...

True.. enjoy it while you can. Good luck with the project, I'm sure it will work out alright.

cheshire wife said...

Nothing ever seems to go to plan these days.

Rosaria Williams said...

This project was created to assist us in aging in place:

1. Concrete pad for cars and possible wheelchair access.

2. Native plants or cultivated in raised pots with drip, automated watering.

3. Well-lit areas to avoid falls and mis-haps.

4. Sitting areas with cement benches to withstand hurricane-force winds and constant rain showers for seven months.

5. Tree removal to gain more sun and less roof and wall beatings from flying branches during storms.

6. Clearing of brush and trimming of bushes sorely needed to reclaim views of the ocean/lake, and for general comfort.

7. Driveway upgrade. Time and weather makes this a priority. We can't have holes to fall in or destroy cars.

Rachel Cotterill said...

Nothing is ever as easy as you hope! But I'm sure it will be worth it when it's finished :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Rosaria .. all best laid plans go astray somewhere .. typical neighbour - just hope that's being resolved amicably ..

And yes now with computers in 4 wheeled machines we're a bit stuck at times ..

So the back is there is no hurry, but the front at least has some spice in it ..

Good luck - you've started! cheers Hilary

Zimbabwe said...

When do things ever go exactly as planned?? Sure all will speed up soon :) Diane

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