The wind break was planted and weed control was in full force. The well drillers had struck an abundant source of water. Farmer Carl had seeded the tillable acreage into alfalfa. It was time to get serious about building our country home.
Actually, the house design was a spiritual experience for me. Inspiration hit me on a Sunday morning when I was preparing to be the lector at Mass.
The choir was singing and I was sitting in a chair on the altar preparing to do the readings. I was having trouble concentrating as the house plans were uppermost on my mind.
During the late 70’s we suffered an energy crisis. Gasoline became very expensive and hard to obtain. Long lines waited at gas stations to purchase gasoline.
All forms of heating became very expensive also.
With the reminder of that past energy crisis, I got an idea. Inspired by the altar prayers no doubt.
Face the house we plan on building straight south. If energy prices continue to rise allow the passive solar energy to warm the house’s interior.
Consequently, that resulted in eleven windows on the south side of the house! Let the passive solar energy begin.
The windows were very successful. We moved into the house in 1980 and that first fall we were excited to see how the large windows would work.
I came home after the first day of school and greeted my wife who had spent the whole day at home.
She was flushed in the face, sweaty and wearing a bikini!!
That was the moment we put an air conditioner on our wish list.
Knowing when to build our house was a problem.
We had a house in town that we hoped we could sell first.
The for-sale sign went up, and we showed the house to several interested parties and then the drought began.
Weeks went by without an interested house shopper stopping by to check things out.
The bank had given us notice that we would be signing papers for the new house. As that date approached and no interested parties were forth coming, we were getting very nervous.
What to do, what to do?
As evening approached the day before the scheduled signing depression filled our house.
And then came a glimmer of hope.
Looking out the window, we see an older couple studying our for-sale sign.
“Oh, please come in!” I whispered.
It was like they heard me, as they climbed our front steps and rang the doorbell.
Opening the door, we greeted our mystery guests.
They were very friendly and very positive about our house.
They were imagining how their furniture would fit in various rooms. Also, was the stairway to the second floor passable?
I began to think they were going to buy the house any minute!
Depression was gone!
As we visited, I asked them where they came from?
The gentleman replied, “Africa”.
At first, I thought he was teasing us. But he explained he was a minister working with the African people.
He was retired and they were looking for a house to live in the USA.
I was in awe that visitors from Africa were standing in our living room.
My anxieties and depression were melting away as I thought about those prayers I spoke at Mass that Sunday.
The African minister and his wife were messengers from God.
I figured if God could send me a couple from Africa, I could sign those bank papers in the morning filled with confidence.
The papers were signed the next day, and the house was completed during the fall of 1980.
In 1985 a garage was added. My neighbor Al encouraged me to build the garage myself. He would come over every night and give me directions on what to do the next day.
I learned how to lay block, build a root cellar, build rafters, put up walls, fasten roof boards and shingle the roof.
Now I am back to building bird houses as it has been 46 years since I built the garage. I’ve forgotten how to build garages. 🙂
Until next time.
