~and now that life has changed~

~and now that life has changed~

In the early spring of 2018, Mike lost his job as the manager of the hardware store in Burkburnett, Texas.  For 3 years it had been his "home away from home" and oh how he loved to be there and of service to the people of that fine community along the Red River in northern Texas.  When the store had to close due to a slow economy locally, it was a tough blow to all the people who worked there.  It was a time to regroup for us as Mike set about finding a new job as quickly as he could.  The new opportunity would arrive about 7 weeks later when he was able to find a position in Wichita Falls with a local business there.

Mike dearly loved his job as the manager of Hayes Hardware in Burkburnett.

That interim of 7 weeks with no paycheck was one that might have been filled with desperation, depression, and a general lack of a good attitude.  It was a humbling experience for both of us.  Mike could have simply pulled the covers up over his head and given up, yet he chose not to.  Instead, he poured himself into the recreation of the backyard of our former home in Burkburnett.  Every day after he had filled out the required job applications in his search, Mike headed out back to his new shop and decided what to do first from his list of "ways to make the backyard look nicer".  The list of things on his personal "to do" list was pretty extensive, one that tired me out just to look at.

He designed a new backyard patio area and laid out all the pavers for it.

He thought of a way to build a system of raised beds out of old salvaged lumber and tin.

A group of 3 beds provided us the needed area to grow our own vegetables.

He installed a new rainwater collection system to save money on our water bill as we took care of the garden beds that summer.  

He figured out how to make smaller versions of a raised garden bed and we ended up selling several of those to people who had need of them.

And the list of things he did in the span of less than two months went on and on and on.

The springtime of 2020 has provided a feeling of deja vu as Mike has been at home since we all left for spring break.  His current position, one that he loves with all of his heart, is that of the daytime custodian for Lincoln Elementary in Ponca City.  Because all Oklahoma schools are closed for the time being, all he can do is wait for the call that it is safe to return to work.  He would MUCH rather be at school and answering the call for "Mr. Mike" to help, but since he cannot, he has been staying extremely busy here at home.

Up went the pergola in extremely short order.

A new drainage area on the west side of our house was built with mostly reclaimed materials.

Mike was able to use some leftover limestone that would have been destined for the refuse pile to make a new flowerbed in the front yard.

He has even found time to make 3 new raised garden bed areas.  

And his current list of "things to do while I wait" grows longer and longer each day.

The current state of affairs in the world we now live in can be extremely depressing if we allow it to be.  Oh how easy we might find it to just pull those covers over our heads and never get out of bed each day.  How appealing it would be to do nothing but sit on the couch, snack, and watch tv.  But you know, that kind of behavior and thinking does little good to change the situation we find ourselves in now.  I believe that the key to either surviving and thriving or the other much less preferable alternative will be found in the condition of our attitudes.  

Good or bad~

It's all up to you.

We are in this thing called "life" together.

So glad we had the chance to enjoy an evening out before things changed.