Constructing a "new" canvas

Ahhh...the feel of a toasty, warm fire and the taste of soft, warm cookies remind me that once not so long ago, it was not so.

I reflect back to the time when warmth was replaced with cold and darkness and at some times, frigid, frigid cold and darkness. When walls were made of plaster and lath and windows were made of wavy glass that one could only assume had some sort of purpose in keeping the weather out but failed to do so in any real satisfying way during the dark winter months in Nebraska.

Or in the case of our house, just hammer a nail on both sides of the highest edges of the opening and drape a tarp that can stretch from one end to the other--cutting off the outside world from light.

Our dining and living room.

In those early days, I felt some sort of curiosity mixed with plenty of obligation and anticipation for the completion of the next five, ten (and so on) milestones in our reconstruction process that always seemed to be elusive. There was no running water, no heat, no cool air conditioning, no lighting and just enough cords and wire run to power a few work lights.

What there was plenty of work, things to do and learn, and a "fresh" canvas of sorts to start from. That canvas may have been filthy, unsightly and a pile of ruble to many--scaring most into disbelief that it was really worth the time and effort to even think about let alone actually tackle. But for some reason to my then fiance it was an opportunity to provide for myself and a future family in one of the best ways he thought he could.

My trustworthiness and my desire to support his enthusiasm I guess won out as I agreed that somehow this was truly the path to pursue. I may not have selected this path on my own but I was an integral part of its realization nonetheless. I would not have predicted the end result or the lessons along the way of such a journey but we started to blaze this trail to learn what others may have warned as only personal experience can teach.