Dropping By

The doorbell rang yesterday, startling us all. We don't get a lot of visitors to our house, so the doorbell's peal is a rare and unusual occurrence.

It was Tom, our window contractor and all around handy guy.

"I was in the neighborhood on another job, and I just had to stop by and tell you how great the house looks."

Just dropping by. People still do that? It was such a small act of kindness, but I'm not kidding when I tell you it brought tears to my eyes.

I was so happy to see him that I hugged him.

Tom and I worked a lot of months together to bring this house around. He was my sounding board for everything from window styles to trim size to paint colors. He knows I'm just a few shades shy of crazy, so he took the hug like an old friend.

I brought him inside to show him our stained window trim. I didn't even care that the house was a mess, that's how happy I was to see him.

He got to meet Jemma (turns out Tom has Labs and Goldens, too), and I got to show him how happy we are to have that new sliding glass patio door to let her outside all day.

Just the day before, I decided to clean the front porch and get out a few items for spring. I wiped down the rockers, brought out the cushions and pillows, and just added a little color. It may be too soon, and we could still get a foot of snow next week, but I needed that color now.

Look! Shoots coming out of the ground!

There's no place like gnome.

Tom and I discussed a few future projects. What do you think of an arbor over the gate? And could you make a matching pergola over the garage door? Do you think it's a good idea to paint the picket fence white?

Before he left, he said "The house really does look beautiful. Can I take a picture?"

Sometimes, when you have your head down and you are working in the thick of it day in and day out, you forget to look up from your home renovations and look at how much you've accomplished in a short amount of time. I was so thankful to have Tom drop by to remind me of this.

There's still more to be done...a lot more. Kitchen cabinets, bedrooms and bathrooms. But today, I am thankful for what we've managed to accomplish in nine months. Thankful for someone who took the time out of their day to just drop by.

Thanks for dropping by the cafe today!