God is not my co-pilot

“The Artist At Work,” c.1887, by Charles Courtney Curran. As soon as I get this house sorted out, that’s me again.

“The Artist At Work,” c. 1887, by Charles Courtney Curran. As soon as I get this house sorted out, that will be me again, although I’m not likely to sit on a rock in January.

Actually, God’s been the pilot the last four months and I’ve just been along for the ride. If it had been the other way around, I’d have lost my mind.

Mostly, my responsibility has been to show up every day and to do the work in front of me. Rehabbing a house is a cooperative venture. It requires connections. I don’t have them, so it’s a good thing that God put the people I needed in front of me when I needed them.

Our big yellow truck, photo by my son following in a car.

Our big yellow truck, photo by my son following in a car.

It’s also a good thing this morning is cloaked in heavy fog, or I’d be scraping my palette out and heading out to find some rocks. It would be so unfair to leave my husband and kids to unpack this truck, though. And frankly, lounging just a little this morning feels right.

After leaving Rochester at 4 PM on Monday, we pulled into Rockport almost exactly 24 hours later. I’m accustomed to this drive taking one long day, even during tourist season. A heavily-laden truck in convoy with an aging Civic moves much more slowly.

I do believe this means my team has now driven coast-to-coast this year: first, from Rochester to Anchorage, then from Rochester to Rockport. Same players using the same strategy: keep switching seats so the conversation doesn’t flag.

My elderly Jack Russell terrier checking out the view from my studio windows. He's never been here before.

The elderly Jack Russell terrier checking out the view from my studio windows. He’s never been here before.

After arriving here I had just enough time to run to the Post Office where, miraculously, I found all my Christmas shopping done. I suppose I should find some tape and Christmas paper, but it will be easier to run to Reny’s than dig them out of these hundreds of boxes.

The Rochester house is not ready, but all the parts that I was doing are finished. There are a plumber and tiler working this week, and a painter is finishing the last room. After Christmas the floors will be refinished. The hausfrau in me wants to be certain the floors and windows sparkle, the chandeliers glow gently, and the paintwork has no fingerprints. But I’ve trusted God this far. Now is no time to change strategies.

Meanwhile, I sat with my husband and a friend talking about the living room in our Rockport house. It would function better if the radiators were replaced with hydronic baseboard, so I’m researching that. If I do that, the wallpaper is coming down and I’m painting this room…

Carol Douglas

About Carol Douglas

Carol L. Douglas is a painter who lives, works and teaches in Rockport, ME. Her annual workshop will again be held on the Schoodic Peninsula in beautiful Acadia National Park, from August 6-11, 2017. Visit www.watch-me-paint.com/ for more information.