Oops, I did it again

     Oops, I did it again.  You know when we’re injured or sick we tend to do more than we should, like mom’s who feel there’s too much housework to get done or that there’s no way her husband can get the kids off to school “the right way” so she get up and does her normal chores and then feel worse for doing so.  Or the dad who feels it’s his duty to go to work and make the income, yes we’re still out there, even with a temperature, sweats, and more and then at the end of the day he ends up having to take days off work because it turned into bronchitis or worse.  Well this past weekend, I have to admit I was that guy.  Even with my back pain higher than normal already, while trying to sell our home several prospective buyers commented, “The wall in the garage was our major issue.”  We built a wall across the garage turning it into two rooms, a 12’x22′ office, kids play room, was to be turned further into Roberts studio apartment with shower, bathroom, bedroom and a sitting area.  The other room was 9’x22′ and was mostly storage but also my tool shed, work area.  We decided that because this was an issue in selling that we would just take it down and be done with it, which is tough because so much has happened in these areas like selling the house so much has gone on here in the past 17 years that it’s hard to think about moving.   Well this past weekend we did it my brothers offered to come up and help since they were the ones who installed it as a birthday gift many years ago.  Everyone was “Suppose” to show up at 8:30am and if you know my family (Mark) that usually means more like 10:30am-11am.  So when 8:30 rolled around and they were no shows I knew it would be a rush to finish if I didn’t get started and I have to feel like I contributed and not left all the work to them, no matter how my back feels at the end.  Here’s the garage beforehand.

     You can see by the amount of “antique quality goods” we have stored (realistically about 1/2 of a 4 bedroom home) in the garage it’s not going to be an easy task.  By the time the muscle (brothers) arrived it was going on 10:15-10:30 and of course two of us have to run to the home supply store for sheet rock, tape, mud, sheet rock screws, saws all blades, you know stuff that makes a guy feel like well, a guy.  When we return Mark “older brother” has 2/3 of the wall down and politely left 1/3 for us so we could feel all macho, which we did we it fell.  OK, noon and 1/2 of the antiques have been mover out onto the driveway and next to the house, the wall is down, now its time to drywall.  It’s actually pretty easy, you measure, measure again so you know 100% you measured right then cut and screw onto wall, leaving a dimple at each screw so the mud has something to adhere to.  We hung six sheets (4’x8’x5/8″) of drywall, mudded it, which smooth’s over the screw heads and the seams where the sheets come together and then ran tape along the seams for extra strength.  The office area who’s drywall was taken down prior to get it ready for Roberts $1M room, that never happened thank you City of Rancho Cordova, now looks exactly like the garage area which is the way it’s been since we moved in.  All of this was completed (95% completed) in 7 hours, when I say I have an amazing wife and two amazing brothers I’m not joking, but did I help at all?  You darn right I did and the entire time I knew I would be paying for it two to three days after, but I tell you what it was one of the best times I’ve had with my brothers, the joking around, them being OK when I said “I done, I need to go grab a heating pad or ice pack” they were 100% fine with it.  Trish was there the entire time doing every bit what the boys were doing and razing them right back when they would throw out a zinger.  Here is the garage after the wall was removed.

I’m writing this two days after the even and I am only sitting at maybe 60%, I will be taking and extra pain tablet today which I very rarely ever do.  Yesterday Trish was amazing, I could literally do nothing, bent over like a 90 year old man using a can that 7 inches shorter than what he needs.  She insisted that I stay upstairs and rest, stretch and recover, which I did not expecting anything special from her because she is most likely hurting also from all the work.  To my surprise when it came time for dinner I could smell Salmon, then the Herb Rice then I could hear the ripping of lettuce.  Then Trish come upstairs with a basket with Sparkling Water, Coke, napkins, silverware and salad dressing.  WOW, I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy!! In she walks with the plates that look like they could have come from some of the best places we’ve ever eaten in.  I do have an amazing wife, Here’s the basket was I wrong?     

     I give you this piece of advice, if you have a disability of any kind know full well that if you decide to do a project yourself or help with any project and I say “any project” only because the next day, I found muscles I forgot I had and other I didn’t know I had all because with my disability there are motions or movements that I don’t do often or ever because their painful but with the brothers (Mark and Jim) I was taking on tasks that required movements I’m simply not use to and I knew that going into it.  It’s hard for me to sit back and watch someone do the work and not help knowing that I can still do the work I will just pay for it later.  Remember, take on the task but don’t blame anyone other than yourself.  Yea, I feel good about myself for helping no matter how bad I hurt right after the fact so, think before you act. 

P.S. Day 3 Post wall removal and my is still above normal, by quite a bit.   – Richard (Kreisler,) PickYourPain @att.net,, PickYourPain.org