WHAT HAPPENED TO JUNE & JULY 2021?
My patio got off to a slow start the beginning of June when serious work began to slow down. Mother Nature wasn’t giving up her tiny spot of land without a fight. She sent torrential rains spaced between days of heat that could melt concrete. And if the weather didn’t keep me housebound, it was fundraising events and a slew of family outings that kept me from spreading sand and leveling paving stones. However, I did manage to spend bad-weather days researching and writing A Paper Key which was due to my editor on September 1st. Not a problem since I had July to catch-up, which is usually dry weather in northeastern Ohio and perfect for creating a patio fit for a fairy tale. I looked forward to finishing the book while sitting with my laptop at the bistro table.
Midway into June, I pushed the new deadline for the patio completion to July 4th. That holiday weekend (starting on Friday) I spent every possible hour spreading and grading sand and leveling the pavers. Shear determination kept me working each day from morning to dusk until my body refused to take another step and I hobbled back to the house exhausted. I celebrated with the knowledge that I would make my goal of laying the last paver as the fireworks went off in the neighborhood.
On Monday, the 4th I quit early, before the last row was finished. I didn’t feel well. It started with chills, sweats and a headache that wouldn’t quit. My whole body ached and I blamed it on my nonstop determination to finish the project. It was a job for a young, strong person––and I ain’t young––or strong! I needed to give myself time off to heal. Probably just a flu bug I picked up along the way. I gave myself a new deadline of July 15th. But Mother Nature had other ideas.