Valuable Gems Arrive!

After it was discovered that the original gems could not be secured, two other valuable (and just as appreciated) gems arrived by international jet under the watchful eye of trained escorts on Thursday. Giggles can be heard once again on Tanglewood Trail.

But its a good noise

How loud can it get?! I live in one of those infernal neighborhoods that is never quiet. That is kind of a good thing because it means people are improving their houses right? Well, I think it is just that when they do have work done on their house, it is SO LOUD, you can hear it up to 1/2 mile away. Therefore, if the conscientious folks in the next neighborhood are re-roofing, which in Colorado happens frequently, well, you get the idea. We have all heard the distant pounding of the roofers, yes? Okay, now add a saws-all to that. A saws-all. It is one of those contraptions that really does what it says. Mostly used in demolition. There is sort of a twisted humor in hearing the house vibrating under the destruction of the saws-all, the pounding of hammers and/or nail-guns at the same time. They build even as they demolish. Do you see, Gentle Readers, how quickly they are finishing the house? The outside will be ready to paint by the weekend! We are the designated painters thereof, however I think we will be busy with girls. Hum? What's that? No, I'm not going to tell you now. I'm going to build suspense.

I couldn't resist the urge to show you the garden.

Here are the construction photos. The first were done last week. Then up to yesterday.
See my REALLY BIG window?

To quote one of the construction guys, "Yeah, baby!"

Progress!

Well, the girls were supposed to come yesterday but no visas yet. I'm trying to keep my mind off of it by tidying the house, putting things away and cleaning that which could use some attention (understatement).
Digging out some adoption books that have helpful info on what to expect from kids who have spent time in an orphanage. I've read the books before but since that is not the American Way, I didn't read that part. So far, what I'm noticing is over-structure. For example, the kids don't have the luxury of choosing when to eat but must follow the schedule set by the orphanage. This teaches them to deny their own physical cues. They may sit down to a meal and consume as much as they can as quickly as they can because that is all they are going to get till the next time they sit for a meal (breakfast and dinner). Will watch the girls carefully. Constant hunger is a real concern and to have food so available will be overwhelming to them. Contrary to impulse, what an American parent must do (who has almost unlimited access to stupidly large quantities of chow even in their own humble abodes) is provide the kids with baggies of healthy munchies the kids can carry around with them 24/7.

Also keeping my mind occupied is the resuming of construction! The last couple of weeks the builders have put their bums in high gear and are making up for lost time. I think they are a week ahead of schedule (the new one not the old one, if it were the old one they would be done by now!) Ahem. The new hopeful finish date is July 3.
The lower half of the family room walls, the floor of same room, the frame and floor of the kitchen nook are almost done. Destruction today. Yesterday it was 95*F and today as in the classic Colorado style, it is topping 55*F. On this day, they will be removing the east wall of the upstairs bedrooms and the sliding glass door, allowing even more of said Colorado weather and accompanying fauna in the form of bugs almost free access to our living space. Okay, there will be a sheet of plastic between but you get the idea.

Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs (Don McLean)

Suddenly, I am awake.

I am in my sleeping bag, in my camper. I hear the wind slightly moving the pine branches outside. The people in the campsite next to us are moving around. Mountain jays are screeching. A brook at the edge of the campsite is burbling. Now I hear the slow steady breathing of my wife. And in the bed at the other end of the camper, I hear two girls, also breathing slowly. They are still asleep. They should be. Yesterday, we hiked around a lake. They ran all the time. They looked at everything that moved. They wanted to play in the water, but they don't have swim suits yet, and besides, the water is freezing. They picked up rocks and pine cones and put them in their pockets. The hike took several hours. For dinner we cooked hot dogs over a camp fire. The girls had great fun cooking marshmallows and making s'mores. A rare nighttime thunderstorm woke them up, so they had too little sleep. But now, I can hear them, gently snoring.

After we drive back down the mountains, we take the girls to the zoo. They are amazed at the animals. They run from area to area. They love the baby animal nursery. They look with big eyes at the small animals. We try to talk, broken English, broken Russian, minimal Ukrainian.

That evening, I sit on the couch in front of the TV, one girl on each side. They are already comfortable enough that they lean against me as we watch some cartoons on DVD. The language goes by too fast for them to catch, but they laugh anyway at the slapstick humor.

Then I get to put them to bed. For now, bed is a sleeping bag on the floor of the front room, inside a nylon tent. We speak English slowly, trying to communicate. It's difficult, but facial expressions help a lot. They laugh so easily. After I pray with them and leave, I can hear them whispering to each other. I have no idea what they are saying, but they sound happy.

And then I really do wake up. There are no girls. Not yet. Soon, maybe.

Rolan

Life is a Lesson in Patience

The good news is work has begun again on our home. More digging with the backhoe. Rain for a day or so that made me wonder if we really were going to have a moat (what sort of fish go well in a Colorado moat?), some concrete poured by some very strong guys with wheelbarrows. Taller forms put up and inspections by two other guys. Temporary loss of phone connection.

The garden is beautiful today. May subject you to a little gardener's brag.

It being springtime and everything so beautiful is getting me through the frustration of the girls not getting their visas yet. That means all 15-17 kids who are hoping to come to America for the summer are having to wait. Trying to keep busy to keep my mind off of it. The best I can do is continue to learn my 100 words in Russian and tend the garden.

You would think that if I had the patience to plant a garden, I would have the patience to wait for two sweet kids to come!