When life gives you lemons, . . . (and you were expecting oranges) throw the darned things away.

 Well, life has been a bowl off cheeries so far and I've been delighted with all the progress we've made with the land, and the planting boxes, and the discovery of acres and acres of good red dirt.  But today sadness came when I saw the work the blacksmith (Mexican term for welder) had done on the house for the porch awning.  When you've had a vision of something in your mind for as long as I have, and then someone shows you something vastly different, it is disheartening.  The building manager sent me the photos below to show me the progress and I was literally sick at my stomach.  I want to be finished so much that I almost just swallowed up my disappointment, but after an hour I called him and told him to tell the blacksmith to come back and take it all do and do it over again.   For comparison, look at the actual frame and house on the left, and my vision on the right.  Can you see the difference?

If you're not seeing it, the roof is supposed to be steeper and come down lower on the house to a point just above the door and windows.   As the blacksmith did it, the roof edge is almost 1.5 meters above that line.  To me, this angle looks like a patio for a Taco Bell.  When I told the construction manager to take it down and do over again, he was fine and apologetic.  I asked why the blacksmith did it the way he did, in spite of the fact that I'd supplied a photo of the house on the right, the manager said the blacksmith thought it would be less money to do it his way.   I told him the blacksmith did not have the authority to be making those decision and to get him back.

And unless you the reader think I'm too picky, there is also a weather reason for my way.  By having the edge come down lower as the photo on the right, the direct sun will not hit the front porch or windows until about 5 or 5:30 in the afternoon.   The way the blacksmith did it, the sun would start to shine on the porch by 2:00 in the heat of the day.   But that's neither here nor there.  I've got something in my mind and that's just the way I want it.  

 

 

The roof now is finished.    A few weeks ago, the surface was poured in concrete.  Then they put the lip around the entire edge so that the water will all go to a drain at the back.  They call the drain a gargoyle.  It keeps it from falling off the edges of the roof on the walls and the gargoyle takes the water out and away from the roof.   In years, past they also used the gargoyles to collect the water and fill a cistern for use later.