Daris Howard

I have been busy building us a new house that will be good for our retirement years.

With the struggle to get materials during COVID, it has taken me a lot longer than expected. Meanwhile, I have been trying to maintain the yards on both properties. Since I only have one lawn mower, and I try mostly to keep yards mowed at the house we are trying to sell, sometimes the grass gets quite high at our new place.

Our new land was a hayfield, and the grass-hay mix grows fast. One day I had taken my mower there and was trying to knock some of it down when a sweet little old lady with a strong foreign accent stopped by. “I see you got much grass you don’t want,” she said.

I nodded. “It grows faster than I can keep it cut. Between building and trying to maintain the yards, I am having difficulty getting it all done.”

“Well, I have goats I not want, and you have grass you not want; it sounds like perfect match,” she replied. “Why do you have goats you don’t want?” I asked.

“Because I have son who think he like goats,” she replied. “But he often go to other places to work. He right now working in Mexico, and he tell me to take care of his goats. But food for goats cost much, and he not pay for it.”

“I would love to have your goats eat the grass,” I said.

“But the problem is, I have lots of new fruit trees, and the goats would eat them, too. Maybe when I get some time, I can make a movable pen that we can put the goats in. That would keep them safe from dogs and let them eat the grass, too.”

She nodded. “That would be good.” She paused a moment, then spoke again. “Since we talk, can I ask question?”

“Sure,” I replied. “Well, my father live with me, and he and I have been disagree on what this place is. He say it looks like you building shop to repair cars, and there must be a whole crew working on it as fast as it built. I tell him I think it is house, and I only see one man build, and though he build almost every day, it take long time. So, can you tell me which is right?”

I laughed. “You both are, but mostly you. It is really a house and a shop. It is an apartment over a shop. I hope to use it to work on things when I retire, but I don’t necessarily plan to work on cars. And as far as building it, I am doing most of it myself. Sometimes when I have a big cement pour or something, I have to bring in a crew to help, but I am doing all I can to afford to build it.”

“Okay,” she replied. “I go home and tell my father he little bit right, but mostly he wrong.”

“Would you like to see inside?” I asked.

She nodded excitedly, so I showed her around.

When I finished, she said, “Me much like it. But me not want to do all this work.”

“I will be glad when it is done,” I replied.

“Then you build movable pen for goats I not want?” she asked.

I laughed. “Yes, then I will build the movable pen for the goats.”

She smiled. “Me hope you finish building soon.”

After she left, I thought, it is always interesting meeting new neighbors.