The week after

I thought the grand opening meant we were done. I'm not sure how I can still be so naive after everything else we've gone through, but I think that eternal optimism is one of my charms. Of course, that may just be me being optimistic...

I'd forgotten about all the crystal and china that had been packed away and needed to be cleaned, or the 141 new sheets and towels that needed to be washed (85 if you don't count washcloths and pillow cases), or the property management software I was supposed to setup two months ago, or hanging 40-odd paintings, or buying 25 pounds of granola, or setting up Internet access, or moving all of our stuff from the greenhouse to the mansion. Our building inspector also helped out, giving us a list of a dozen items to correct before he would issue the occupancy permit. Needless to say, we were quite busy all week.

Everyone who sees this place tells me we'll never be finished, and I'm not sure if they're trying to steel me to the cold hard facts of life, or they think that will somehow cheer me up, or they're just having a private joke at my expense. In any case, they're right. I've had to abandon my day planner because there's just too much to do every day to fit it on those little pages. It's quite overwhelming.

And yet, for all my activity, I feel quite worthless. In Los Angeles, I had a good job and people respected my skills; out here there isn't much of a call for computer programming. There is a needfor someone to fix the tractor, mow the grass, paint the trim, hang a door, and pour concrete, and I can't do any of that stuff. Even the stuff I can do--install a dimmer switch, assemble furniture, caulk a sink--Dawn forbids me from doing, because she's afraid it will void our warranty.

So I content myself with doing the laundry, sweeping the floors, and cleaning the kitchen. It's not the most glamorous job, but it is what I signed up for six years ago when I suggested opening a B&B and Dawn said I would have to run it. But at least I'm working for myself now.

Oh wait, the property is in Dawn's name.