First real day of summer. It was warm verging on hot. Larry and I worked on the front deck and Bert and the gang continued on the back extension. We worked til 2:00 when the big beams were finally in place.

“So, what’s next?”

“Well, that’s one major hurdle out of the way and I can’t see starting a run at another now. We are old geezers. We’re gonna fade in an hour or so. I say, ‘let’s fade early!”

“Good call!” And so we packed up and headed home in the sunshine, happy with a major step accomplished. As we were all leaving, tho, there was a trace of guilt lingering in the air. ‘Maybe we should have put in another hour’ was the unspoken thought……………

When that happens, guys tend to say, “Yeah, well, getting off early is good. Gives me time to get home, fall a few trees and buck ém up. Gotta get some more wood in for the winter!”

“Yeah, me too! Gonna move some of those boulders on my road there. Gotta get the surface ready for some new gravel.”

“Yep. Gonna go home and paint the house, myself. Glad for a little extra time.”

Larry’s the youngest of the bunch but he knows BS when he hears it. He leans close to me and says, “They are all going home for a nap, right? I am!”

“Yep. ‘Course they are. Those guys are getting on. They are pretty beat. A nap will do ém good. Like to have one myself but I gotta get the logs up the hill and then attach those rails before this weekend. But a nap sure does sound good!”

I’m lying, of course. I can see the pillow already.

But I walk the walk. And I talk the talk. And I am glad that both ended by 2:00 today.