Handyman #3

The latest handyman (#3 since last October, and probably #103 since we've moved here) has turned out to be very well suited for taking care of this property. Handyman #3 comes from a country family... his grandfather has a cattle ranch, his family has owned property outside the city limits (if you can call the minuscule downtown area of our town a 'city') and he's not afraid to get his hands into the dirt. (Pardon me while I cringe, as I think of fire ants, scorpions, worms, snakes, spiders and such.)

This handyman has been working on our flowerbeds, taking out the useless fabric that was under the mulch, pulling up weeds and thinning out palm trees and pruning the crape myrtles.  Old newspapers have been put down on top of the soil and underneath new mulch. Not only is there virtually not a weed left in the flowerbeds that he's worked on, but I would think that the weeds in the as-yet-untouched flowerbeds are thinking of pulling up their own selves and moving out of Dodge.  Handyman #3 has shown no mercy.

As if all of the above were not enough.... handyman #3 can do electrical and plumbing work, and is also a welder.  There is a Country God after all.  With that in mind, we have shown #3 the apartment over the barn. A two-bedroom apartment, furnished, two outside balconies, a car-port, and plenty of storage space in and around the first floor laundry room of the barn.  He loved it... he told his wife about it and said she was very excited.  #3's wife hasn't been out here to see the apartment yet, but we're hoping that will happen soon, we're hoping that she loves it, and we're hoping she will embrace this country life and want to live out here so #3 can continue taking care of the property for us.

#3 has contracted work from two of our neighbors who are anxious to have him also doing work on their properties.  It hasn't been easy getting good help out here, so when good help is found, one is willing to share so the good help will want to continue coming out here to work.  So now we wait... and keep our fingers crossed.... and I'm hoping beyond all country hope that we will soon have a live-in handyman again.  Is that too much to ask of the Country Gods?