MY HOUSE IS FULL OF MEN! by Rolynn Anderson

Our home renovation has reminded me how much I miss having a house full of men.  I grew up with three younger brothers and a sister, so activity and noise was a staple in the Shellum home.  When I married Steve and we determined, together, not to have children, an upside and a downside was a fairly quiet home life.

Enter a major renovation: tearing down a kitchen wall, gutting a bathroom, hardwood floors in all but two bedrooms, a new island/bar, refaced kitchen cupboards...the list goes on.  For the last two months, our house has been alive with men: carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tilers, painters.  And they show up early, so instead of writing, I have to shower quickly, get dressed, open the garage door, turn on lights and clear my stuff out of their working area...because it's show time!  I know all the men's names and a good deal about their families and I'm acquainted enough with them to share jokes as well as engage in design discussions.  By 4:30 p.m. when they've rolled up the cloths that protect the floor, I have to gear myself for the quietude.  And, yes, it's a nice contrast, but I have to admit I look forward to their entrances the next day.  Part of this pleasure comes from the brilliant work they're doing on our house and the eagerness with which they seek our opinions.  These are skilled men who are extremely proud of their work...and interested in testing those skills with challenging approaches to our reno.  The result is truly eye-popping...and we aren't done yet, though we may be bankrupt by next month :-)  Best we not talk about the expense of this endeavor.

Yes, there are hassles with this reno as well as the mind-numbing moving of things from here to there and back again. But I've enjoyed having all these men in my house and when the project is done, I'm going to miss them!  Do any of you share this experience?

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Two murders, decades apart, embroil an Alaska fishing town.  He’s a Treasury agent, savvy at tracking criminals by computer; new to street investigation.  She’s struggling to save her family salmon business and solve an old cold case that haunts the town.