How many years?

 Wow! I have been without any money for four long years in this place called Dauphin.

I have had to support myself with the tiny little inheritance that my folks left me.

I will show you, here, some of the work I have done at 225, 5th Avenue.

The picture, above, is what the floor looked like under the ink and  dirt stained indoor/ outdoor carpeting that was full of dog pee... in the bedroom I was supposed to sleep in. The glue all over the 1/8 inch thick hardwood was terrible to get off. 

The photo, of the bedroom we sleep in, now, same bedroom, is a picture after I painted/ stained all the surfaces you can see here... baseboards, casings, walls, ceiling, floors... I did all this while he was at work, getting paid... and, I was not getting paid. 

Shouldn't I get paid?

The first two years, here, Warren seemed 'in control' of himself but, since October of 2024, he has been showing a violent tendency toward 'possible dementia.' 

This photo was taken before he became surly, argumentative, and possibly forgetful to the point of 'dementia?'

He forgets things. He has taken to calling me names. He is not this happy man anymore and I am very worried.

This is the gazebo that we built, together... Warren and Elfrieda. He actually didn't know anything about building or construction but I just started the deck and he happily followed. 

    Now, before I agreed to build this project I asked him, "Are you committed to this project?" 

    He laughed. 

    I said, "Really, are you committed to this project? I know people who 'buck out' on me in the middle of something and I am not sure about your ability to stick to something or complete something or if you even have the character of 'stick- to- it- ive- ness." 

    He looked a bit confused and responded with, "I'll stick to the project until it's completed."

So, I started by digging the first hole for the foundation and then the second and third and fourth. In between buying materials at McMunn's, I would just work at it.

    This little building took six months to complete but only Elfrieda and Warren did the work. I, Elfrieda, had already brought two 'barn door ironmongery' packages from Home Depot with me... when I moved here, so the doors we built are hung from my iron... almost $600. 00 just for those two packages. It was a very costly project. 

     So, here's a photo of the deck, 2x8's for the floor, very solid. The dark brown parts is a 'kit' that we purchased to get a framework for people who don't quite have the time or skill to build everything from scratch. My tea room table, pictured on the front of my novel, is on the deck being used for my painting table and, as you can see, I had already stained the finger- jointed doors that we turned into very sturdy doors for my barn door ironmongery. This is a photo of the project only about halfway to being finished.

These are fences I purchased... the one on the left I brought here... the 'church window' metal garden trellises I purchased in this town... I bought five of them. Two of them are attached to the either side of the sliding doors of my gazebo.

I still have four of these chairs, which I brought here... I purchased these so long ago but I still have the receipt from Eaton's... who keeps things this long? Elfrieda.

Here's a good picture of the sliding doors... we built those awnings... all four of them. I hauled the Barkman patio stones in my truck, before it was crashed. The wood- look Barkman stones is what I picked... I bought all they had at Co-op building supply and McMunn's.

    So, I am quite worn out with all the work I have done at 225 5th Avenue... Whew!