True to his word, on the third, Jim Brown had the girls' car ready and surprised us by personally delivering it. His wife, Julie, followed as his ride home, thus allowing the couple to take us up on our invitation to visit with us. Over coffee and left over Holiday goodies, we told Jim and Julie our whole incredible saga. Needless to say, they were touched, as everyone who heard it seemed to be. They left firmer friends than ever, and became regulars in our home.
The sixth of January was a red letter day for the kids. K.P. and D.J. registered for school. Riekie and I could have done it ourselves, but the whole family presented itself to the principal and staff of the school well before the nine o'clock class start time. THIS was our first public appearance not just with me and my wives, but also with ALL of the children. We created quite a stir in the school. It was quite crowded in the principal's office, and consequently the meeting moved to the staff conference room.
We had little trouble enrolling the twins. Riekie, ever the organized professional, had their immunization records plus all their records from the school in Winnipeg. The principal had some standard tests for the kids to evaluate where they should be placed, and thanks to Riekie's efforts at home schooling, and the excellent school they'd attended in Winnipeg, it was determined they were advanced enough to be placed in grade one with Rhiannon. The three of them were ecstatic they were in the same class. Once he determined which class to place them in, the principal summoned their teacher to take them to class and introduce them to their classmates. The three became inseparable and model students.
The rest of the registration process proceeded without the children. The principal was very interested in our group marriage, and during the meeting asked many questions on the dynamics of such a relationship. I think he may have had more than a professional interest, when we left, he had a faraway look in his eye... Because of this, we had no trouble establishing that all four of us were parents to all the children with full decision-making capabilities in the event of medical or other emergencies, and any one of us could sign permission slips for school activities.
He did recommend we make it formal through legal documentation at our earliest convenience, something we planned doing regardless, as then any one of us could register our kids for school without the others having to be present, simply by producing the appropriate documents. As it would be another two or three years before we had to do it again for Jenny, there wasn't a great deal of urgency, but we wanted our legal arrangements out of the way as soon as possible anyway.
We made an appointment with a lawyer as soon as we got home. This gentleman had been my family's lawyer for several years and we — Mom and Dad and I — viewed him as a friend. He was intrigued by what we proposed, and got very enthusiastic, saying we presented him quite a legal and intellectual challenge. After fifteen minutes with him, we were eminently satisfied and put him on permanent retainer. He specialized in estate law, and brought in a friend who specialized in family law to attend the same meeting. When he heard there were considerable sums of money involved, with more on the way from Riekie's divorce settlement and Ben's will, he also included a lawyer specializing in business contracts and a financial advisor/accountant.
These four formed our legal team, and continue to this day. We have never needed the services of a criminal lawyer, but if we ever do, we will accept their recommendation. Despite all the gags about lawyers, they have been honest and forthright with us from the beginning. It costs a considerable amount to keep them on retainer, but is worth every penny. We became friends with all, and often have them to the house for social events, as they do us.
One side bar to this — these people worked so well together for us they decided to form a partnership offering the full range of services to the public they did us, and the firm is doing extremely well. They refer to us as 'The Alpha Project', because we were their first assignment. Once, when visiting their office I was amused to find their staff do too, to the point where that is the name on our file. With all this professional help, and some research by all parties, by the end of January we had our legal arrangements pretty well sorted out and assumed our role in the community as a family.
Essentially, we made a four-way equal partnership agreement we all signed onto, bringing in whatever we had in money, property, investments, debts — whatever. We didn't want to consider it, but the lawyers insisted for our own protection we include a clause, that in the highly unlikely event, given all the trouble to get back together, one of us wanted to leave the other three, they would get one-fourth of the partnership's assets and liabilities. If three out of the four wanted to 'divorce' the fourth, the same formula would apply.
We caused some consternation to the legal team at first because some of us apparently brought more actual assets to the agreement than others, and were willing to instantly forfeit seventy-five percent ownership. Carol and Riekie both explained they considered us at least a three-way partnership back to those halcyon days of August 1965. With our separation, those community assets just never got utilized and were able to grow, but were still community property.
We put a clause in each contract so it could be re-opened and reworded as unanticipated situations that might otherwise void or weaken the document occurred. We didn't anticipate any difficulty from the original signatories, but we didn't want 'busybodies' to be able to destroy or take from us if they took it upon themselves to try to break our family up. Call us paranoid, but there are those out there that like to meddle in other people's affairs, and are not above trying to use the law to do it and even profit from it.
If all four agreed to add a new partner the contract could be extended to fifths, and so on — unlikely, but we had to keep the option open. After all, Carol and Riekie and I had never originally envisioned going beyond the three of us, and now we had Diane, the disturbing memory of the possibility of Kit, and my own observations of how my wives reacted to and treated Sandra over the Holidays. Not usually one to concern herself with legal details, and showing just how open she'd become, it was Diane's idea to keep our contract open for 'future growth' as she laughingly put it. The legal team heartily agreed.
Originally we weren't sure of Diane's status. As the 'legal wife', could she be party to our formal partnership, or would she have to divorce me and sign back on as an equal partner? Despite Carol and Riekie's qualms about Diane divorcing me, it was something we did have to consider. Our lawyer reminded the girls that our marriage was basically just another form of civil contract, and that Diane would still remain married to us under the Old Ways.
It took time and money, but all deeds and documents of ownership were converted to the four of us, and Diane simply signed a waiver indicating she was in a four-way partnership and relinquished all prior claims to anything of mine. In effect, she 'divorced' me financially, but still retained her legal status as wife. As it turned out, one fourth of what we now had was considerably more than what we had originally, so if Diane ever did decide to leave us, she would be better off than ever.
As for the children, I had joint custody with the mother, with me named on the birth registration as the father, and all the requirements of support that entailed. We drew up an agreement of formal guardianship of the children as well for the 'non-parent' mothers that allowed one of the other mothers to adopt minor children if something were to happen to their birth mother. There were powers of attorney, living wills, wills, and all sorts of other things also included, forming the legal framework for our relationship that supported and protected each and all of us.
Ben's estate settlement and Riekie's divorce settlement both arrived during this process, making weaving these assets into our joint holdings that much easier. We were amazed at how quickly they were settled. Our financial man soon had educational trust funds set up for the four children based on the formula we discussed on our long trip home. The balance was invested in 'safe' vehicles that, while not offering the highest returns, provided a solid income with minimal risk. Riekie's special investment account became the seed for this investment portfolio. This was the high-inflation, high interest rate eighties, so we got a sizable return, at least in the first few years. As an aside, now, years later, we realize our financial adviser was a true wizard. He was able to get us into the very lucrative high tech stocks of the eighties and nineties where he made us a killing. He was so astute, he read the times correctly and got us out with maximum returns just before the dot-com bubble burst. He and his partners did very well too.
Our three and a half million dollars plus from Ben was augmented by another three and a half million dollars when all of Riekie's assets, less her — (Slap!) our chequing account — were tabulated. Riekie was very pleasantly surprised at how much she netted from the divorce, especially when she discovered her lawyer had managed to stiff Rick with the costs. Consequently she sent her lawyer in Winnipeg a very nice thank you card. We weren't out to get richer, just maintain what we had, and grow it against inflation. We arranged it so the income went into a current account we could use, with whatever was left at the end of the taxation year being ploughed back into the principle.
Riekie and Carol's savings were placed in our everyday joint account, such that we had a seven figure working account that paid interest on the minimum balance. My pay from work was deposited automatically to the same account. We rarely used funds from the current account for the interest on our investments, except for major purchases. All this financial endeavor might have meant needing an accountant, but with the services of our legal firm and Carol's skills, we had all the financial and legal help we needed — we didn't need an additional pocket to line.
Carol was a great help — her knowledge of the legal system became invaluable. Ontario law was a little different from Alberta, but not much, and as much of what we discussed came under federal statute, she had a good foundation. She made it much easier for us to deal with the legal team because she knew the questions to ask. She was so good, as a matter of fact, the firm offered her a job. She gracefully turned down full-time employment, but accepted a part-time position on a call-in-as-needed basis. She ended up working an average of 3 or 4 days per month filling in for absentees.
Another side bar — Paul and the aunts hired the same legal team to draw up their contracts. They didn't have some of the issues we did, so their contracts were somewhat simpler. Because of their age, they categorically refused to consider adding to their group, and even hesitated on the opt-out clause until it was pointed out it was for their own protection. Because they were siblings, there was never any question of one of the girls marrying Paul, so the whole marriage was handled by legal contracts and their Wiccan vows. Their paperwork was delayed while the aunts disposed of their home to simplify matters. Paul kept his house, but they decided to stay with Mom and Dad (at their insistence) at least until Jo's baby was born. They handled the issue of children similarly to us, but included us as guardians with adoptive rights because of their age.
The question of Pie and Jo formally adopting Diane and Judy was raised for succession and estate issues, but as they were both consenting adults that was a non-issue, and was simply resolved with carefully worded wills. If the girls chose to voluntarily distance themselves from Shirley, denouncing her as their mother, and refer to Pie and Jo as their mothers, who was to argue?
Sorting out our legal arrangements wasn't all we did during January, although that did occupy a good deal of our time attending meetings and signings, especially when the settlements for Riekie and Ben came through much quicker than anticipated. With the legalities looked after, or being looked after, we had more family meetings and worked out our living arrangements in more detail.
Mid-month, we celebrated Jenny's second birthday with a small party, and like her sisters before her, she made out like a bandit. Jenny had a few small friends, but the majority of her guests were her cousins and sisters. Still, the party was a success and Jenny was a happy little girl.
Amongst other things we got Carol, Riekie, the twins, and the aunts taken on as patients with our family doctor, Dr. (Doc) Hackett, and set up regular prenatal appointments for all the 'preggo's'. Yes, Riekie was a capable physician, but remember the old adage about physicians healing themselves, and there also seems to be some law or something about doctors treating their own family members except in extremis. We also changed them over from the Alberta and Manitoba public health care plans to OHIP. There was no provision in the extended health care plan at work for multiple spouses, so I opted out and we bought a private full-coverage plan that covered us all. Our legal team advised we should probably have it regardless, just to cover potential farm accidents.
Doc Hackett was impressed with Riekie, especially when he learned she had kept up her Ontario accreditation, and asked if she would cover his office whenever he was away. She told him she didn't want to go back into full time practice yet, if ever, but if he needed to be covered on short notice, something could be worked out. As it turned out, she got a couple days a month, enough to cover him, and allow her to 'keep her hand in.'
Every spare minute, I worked on plans for the new house. My hunting partner, Bob, was a pretty fair hand as an amateur architect. He helped me a great deal. When we had our plans roughed out to the best of our abilities, I contacted an actual architect to have proper prints drawn. I paid extra to have the job rushed through, because we wanted to start construction with the first thaw. Thanks to Bob's help, I had enough with the rough plans and the signed architect's commission to hire a contractor and get the appropriate building permits.
Our love life was hugely satisfying. Now that all three were 'up the stump' as Carol put it, and with the knowledge we were together permanently, the urgency, but not the frequency of our sex was greatly reduced. Our lovemaking became just that — love making, and thus, far more emotionally satisfying, especially during our private times.
After Riekie's mid-week one at New Year's, Saturday nights became the girls' individual private times with me. They set up the rotation, and I never interfered with it. Their schedule started around noon Saturday and ended about noon Sunday. The system worked so well we have always considered it one of our 'better ideas'. A very satisfying side benefit was that the two wives thus paired off also got to spend quality time together. At first I thought Diane and Carol would benefit most from this, because of their special bond I've talked about so much, but the other two combinations appeared to benefit even more.
Carol and Diane's love affair was by now well established, and the private time did allow them to get to know each other, but that relationship was already amazingly strong, and didn't need a lot of development, just 'polishing'. What they shared through their letter writing in the beginning turned out to be much more detailed and revealing then even they realized. Still, to have time to just quietly explore their physical relationship was a genuine boon to them.
Diane and Riekie truly needed time together. They had never met prior to Christmas Eve, except through the tenuous connection of their dreams. That they fell in love was never in doubt, and that they felt a strong physical attraction to each other was very apparent from their first meeting, but they still hardly knew each other. They shared a common bond in having been raped by father figures. Diane was able to share her experience with Riekie, and help her with her final bit of adaptation and acceptance it wasn't her fault. The connection these two made through the use of private times was profound, and the bond that developed was every bit as strong as that between Diane and Carol.
Carol and Riekie were able to fully reconnect and return to the way things were 'before'. Neither realized the true strain their relationship as sisters had been under for all those years, even though it was the foundation of what had kept them actually speaking. The private time allowed them to fully evaluate the rift that had separated them and allowed them to come to grips with it. The healing between them was complete, and extremely gratifying to me.
Bottom line — while it proved itself again as an opportunity for me to connect with each of my wives, the true benefit, especially in the first months of that first year, came about in the other room. My Girls (My Girls!) became so fully connected with each other they came to the point of almost true empathy, such that they could sense what the others were feeling, even at a considerable distance. As their relationship budded and bloomed, they became even more like 'one person in three bodies'. Spooky and unnerving at times, when they completed thoughts and sentences, even from separate rooms in the house, it showed just how connected they were. I shit you not.
Many years before, Carol and I had noticed us developing a similar bond we called the 'spooky thing'. Riekie and I also noticed it in our first year together. Carol and I found we still had it in September. At Christmas, we found it extended among all three wives and myself. While my bond with them was not quite as empathic as they had amongst themselves, we still managed to surprise and nonplus friends and relatives with our non verbal communication. What the listeners heard often seemed like incomplete and disjointed fragments of conversations because the rest was communicated at other levels, whether by subtle gesture, or possibly even outright telepathy, even we aren't sure.
One thing I do know — I never shared the full emotional empathy with them that they did with each other. I think it may have been the actual blood connection amongst them that allowed that level of sensitivity. They became so sensitive to each other they could feel each others' physical pain or even pleasure. Often, making love with one caused the other two to orgasm without manual or oral stimulation. It could be freaky to be enjoying a 'quickie' with one of them in one part of the house, and when she came, to hear concurrent screams of release echoing from other rooms. It was like making love to all three at once. It was highly erotic, and most stimulating. Really. No shit.
The twins and Rhiannon were even more empathic, and as she got older, this included Jenny. In subsequent years, all our children had some level of empathic connection, extending across the whole family, even to Paul's child, but never as tight as those four, or the wives. Individual sets of twins after this seemed to be especially bonded, but again, they were never as completely unified as K.P., D.J., Rhiannon, and Jenny. As demonstrated the night Ben passed over, those four could literally transmit and receive images over thousands of miles. I often wondered why they had such a special bond, and have had many discussions with my wives over the years about it. The best that Riekie and I and the other wives could come up with was they were born in and especially for our time of greatest need, and their connectivity may have been the conduit through which the Power worked to bring us all together.
An indication of how strong the empathy was among the four kids came as early as mid-January of that first year. The three oldest were at school. Jenny was home, quietly playing with her toys and Ahab. Suddenly, her head rocked back, and she yelped in pain. A large red welt started to rise on her forehead. We rushed to her sudden cry of pain. At only two, Jenny wasn't very articulate, but did say. "Yannon (Rhiannon) hurt."
A few minutes later we got a call from the school that Rhiannon had taken a blow to the forehead when she ran too close to a moving swing at recess. She wasn't seriously injured, but we did bring her and the twins home for the rest of the day. Witnesses said when Rhiannon got knocked down by the swing, both K.P. and D.J. cried out and fell to the ground. After this incident, we realized even more just how special our little girls were.
As I mentioned earlier, during my private time with Riekie at New Year's, I again discovered she might just be my perfect woman. Once upon a time I had the frightening thought this type of revelation could pose a problem, because from the beginning, I'd felt that way about Carol, and now I felt it about Diane as well. The first time, I was scared my loyalties and love for Carol were diminishing in favour of Riekie. Fortunately, I firmly disabused myself of that notion on Carol's first private time the very next weekend. This time around, aware of those thoughts, I realized that all three were my perfect woman, each fulfilling a need and filling a hole in my psyche. When they acted as 'one person in three bodies' that 'perfect woman' was indeed the three of them combined.
I learned from my wives' private times that I loved them all completely, unreservedly and that all were close to being my ideal woman. They were alike in many ways, but different enough to be true individuals that I truly enjoyed being with at all levels. I worshiped the ground they walked on, and if I had a favourite, it lasted only for the period of their individual private time. Like Dad when he focused on the person he was conversing with, while I was with just one, she was the most important person in the world at that moment.
The girls' sense of fun and off-beat humour has always been a source of delight. Riekie's repertoire of characters was impressive, but the two most common remained the 'little girl', outrageous in her innocence, and the 'temperance lady', bawdy in her uptightness. Carol didn't have these 'multiple personalities', but followed Riekie's lead and was a perfect second banana. Diane showed she had some of these characters hidden away, but preferred, like Carol, to be Riekie's straight man. They all did a wide variety of cartoon characters, favouring the Mel Blanc Warner Brothers voices. All three were a delight when they read to the children at bedtime. Favourite books became one-act plays, with each of the mothers acting out various roles. The kids usually went to sleep giggling.
January rolled into February. Diane and Riekie missed their periods, proving they were indeed pregnant, and by mid-February, both experienced mild morning sickness. Riekie instituted a regimen of Kegel exercises. It turned out what I called her 'isometrics' was Kegel, explaining her fantastic control when we made love. Now she got the other two doing them, and insisted I could benefit from the men's version. As they can be practiced any time anywhere, I gladly joined in.
Diane and the three oldest kept up their studies with Mom, and Joanne became a fixture around our home. Jim and Judy became weekend regulars too, but stayed at Mom's to be near Paul. Our legal and financial arrangements were pretty well finalized. House plans were drawn up and the prints commissioned, with permits and contractor in hand. Paperwork caught up, it was again time to go to work physically. I had to do my winter shift at work yet, but wouldn't start until mid-February, then working through to the end of March.
With Paul still around except for when he and his wives were tied up with their own legal arrangements, and Dad being there all the time, we got the chainsaws out and the three of us started clearing the lot where the new house would be built. The first consideration was to open up a rough laneway into the property so we could get a well driller working. With one cutting and two removing and burning brush, we had that part done in a day.
Even Riekie and Diane donned work clothes and joined in, pulling brush so we were able to get a second saw going. Carol wanted to help, but as she was the most advanced in her pregnancy, we held her to being the 'go-fer', bringing us drinks and snacks between meals. Someone still had to baby sit Jen as well, although the aunts and Mom were immensely helpful there, allowing Carol to spend time on the site, and despite our protestations not to overdo, she actually did do some physical work.
Carol's comment whenever we tried to make her take it easy was a very exasperated, "Hey, I'm pregnant, not handicapped!"
I called our local driller to see when he could sink a well for us. He wasn't busy, given the time of year, and was able to move in by the middle of the month. He looked after all the necessary permits and water quality testing. Unlike many I had known in his trade (I did know a quite a lot about that industry — Dad had been an independent driller before business slumped and he joined the CPS as a guard.), this chap was honest and didn't drill any deeper than needed to ensure good flow, sweet water, and a substantial reservoir.
The location we chose had been 'witched' (also known as 'divined' or 'dowsed') by Dad and his former drilling partner. Both indicated a very strong well of sweet water at a reasonable depth. In our area, you have to be extremely careful not to drill too deep or you will hit sulfur, which has something to do with the limestone flat rock substrate, something the more disreputable drillers did routinely in the attempt to make money off a deep hole.
With our financial status now finalized, and a healthy income from our investments assured, My Wives decided, without consulting me (Wives never do that, do they?), that I no longer needed to work at outside employment, and prevailed upon me to give up my job. They decided they needed me around home, and with the plans to start raising Canadien horses still popular with them, they also felt I needed to be able to devote serious time to that. Strangely enough, their arguments made a lot of sense. Really.
I compromised — yeah, OK, I gave in, but not quite... Rather than quit outright, thinking I might like to return to the job because I actually enjoyed it, I arranged for a one-year leave of absence, starting April first. That still meant I had to work my winter shift this year. The women pouted a bit that I didn't just quit, cut off the nookie for a whole two days (until they got too horny themselves... ), and it was a done deal. I returned to work mid-month, about the same time the driller started the well, and finished out the fiscal year 'gainfully' employed.
The well driller did an excellent job and struck water just where Dad and his old partner said at forty feet. When the flow was tested, we had sufficient according to the charts to supply a medium-sized town. The water itself was as sweet as any I'd ever tasted, and it tested pure with no contaminants. The well-head was installed and it was quickly inspected and passed.
While I put in my time at work, Dad, Paul, and the girls, continued clearing the lot. We could afford to hire it done, I suppose, but true pride of ownership comes from doing as much for yourself as you can. I worked on the lot on weekends with just the girls, with the oldest kids doing what they could despite their tender age, allowing Dad and Paul the time off. Thus, work went on seven days per week, and the lot was soon looking pretty spiffy. I was immensely proud of My Wives and the effort they put in — this was their home that was being erected, and they wanted to share in it. I'm proud to say Diane, Riekie and Carol worked as hard as any man pulling and burning brush. They would have done well a hundred and fifty years before as settlers' wives.
It was a good thing we were already pregnant during that period, else we would have been. The four of us made love every opportunity we got. All three wives were insatiable, and it seemed I was too. As I mentioned earlier, with their new and deepening empathy, making love with one almost became making it with all three simultaneously.
Carol's 37th birthday in mid-March also marked the sixth month of her pregnancy. Carrying twins, she was getting huge. Her birthday was all the more exciting because of the progress on the house. We didn't have a late season snow storm like we did for her 17th, so all our guests were able to attend. I bought her a proper diamond ring to match her new wedding ring. She adored it and moved the one from Ben to her right hand, placing the new one where it belonged. As it was her private time weekend, that night in bed we quietly reaffirmed our wedding vows to each other, similar to what we had done on our very first night together. Her libido remained high all through her pregnancy, and that night she showed her appreciation again and again and again. I got loved almost to the point of 'son ambulance', and figured if I ever got that kind of thank you again, I'd probably be walking bow-legged for a week.
.
By the end of March, when my shift at work ended and the spring thaw was starting to curtail work in the woods anyway, the site was declared clear for building and even eventual landscaping, ready for the contractor to start construction. About the same time, the final prints arrived from the architect. We had several meetings with the architect the last two weeks of March to verify what he produced was what we commissioned, and to make some minor adjustments and changes. The final set of approved prints was ready for the contractor for the first of April.
Easter weekend, was a time of joy around our home. We had a huge Easter egg hunt for the kids, and the weather was nice enough we were able to spend some time outside. Bob and Karen were able to fly down Friday night and stayed over until Monday. They rented a car at Pearson so we didn't have to pick them up. We kept in touch with them on a weekly basis since New Year's, keeping them up-to-date with all our news and other developments.
Bob and Karen had moved back to Vancouver right after New Year's, taking up residence in his house there. The first person they contacted was her grandmother, who was delighted Karen had finally found Her Man, and was even more delighted when they told her she was going to be a great-grandmother. Karen said her grandmother was honoured almost beyond words when Karen presented her with her bridal towel.
Karen's parents were cool to them at first, although they never cut off communication completely. After Bob and Karen quietly married legally as well as under the Old Ways, they thawed a little, and when they were informed they would be grandparents, the rift was closed completely — it's amazing how becoming a prospective grandparent can change one's perspective... Now her parents were awaiting her delivery almost as eagerly as Bob, Karen, and Karen's grandmother Michelle. Karen said her parents were as bad as mine for always buying 'little' things for the baby.
The twins were delighted to see Unca Bob and Auntie Karen again, and they were instant hits with Rhiannon and Jenny. Karen was at first awed by Mom, but soon became another 'Daughter'. Dad was enamoured of the young beauty even though she was showing almost four months expectant. Karen was a natural fit into our family, and she and My Wives spent many happy hours together. The night noises and satisfied screams of the four of them that emanated from our house that weekend will become legendary, I'm sure.
The contractor cost extra. Because we wanted to be in the new house well before Christmas, we made a deal that his best crew be exclusively ours for the duration — none of this hopping between jobs as is so common. We wanted our house, we wanted it yesterday, and we were willing to pay the premium. Any day except weekends there wasn't actual progress on the house, he was penalized, with the exception of 'acts of God', which, until the roof was on and the house enclosed, meant total rainouts. If they could even put in a part day, the terms of the contract were met.
We didn't need a mortgage, but we did transfer funds into a special building account that we could use for 'draws' at specified times according to the building contract. We all had signing authority so there would always be someone available to write a cheque as needed.
The contractor thought I was being unnecessarily tough on him, but he didn't have three pregnant wives nagging him, either. If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's Rule One: 'don't piss off the pregnant lady'. When there's three of them, the effect is exponential. Trust me. Of course, the pot for him was sweetened by the promise of a fat bonus upon early completion.
One thing my wives and I insisted on was quality workmanship, with a policy of 'Zero Defect', a concept I learned with Northern. Basically, it means 'do it right the first time'. With careful planning and execution, a job that initially appears expensive will come in cost-effective, often under budget, because nothing has to be repaired or done over. The local building and other trades inspectors earned their salaries with us, but the job progressed the way we wanted, strictly to code, well within budget, and generally ahead of schedule. Of course, the weather did co-operate just a little...
Construction started as soon as the frost was out of the ground. With the early heavy snow cover this year, the frost hadn't gone in very deep. Most of the snow was gone by the end of March due to an early spring (Spring seems to be getting earlier every year. The global warming people just may be on to something.), and the worst of the frost was gone by mid-April allowing the foundation and basement to be dug.
The day finally arrived for the actual sod-breaking. With a huge Caterpillar Hi-hoe clattering at an idle in the background, the entire family gathered, and my wives and I turned the first symbolic shovel full of earth. Getting four sets of hands on that shovel took a little doing, but seeing as the ladies were experienced in handling a long hard round object in the morning, it didn't take a lot...
Mom and all her apprentices performed a special ceremony blessing the ground and the new house soon to rise there. I know, most private homes don't have sod-breaking ceremonies, but this was a big deal for us, and we wanted to celebrate. It was a school day, but we kept the kids home for it.
We invited all our close friends and family. Jim and Julie, Al and Karen, Bob and Liz, Joanne, the grandparents, Paul and the aunts, all of my aunts and uncles, Jim and Judy, Hank and Celia, and several others all attended. Bob and Karen tried to make it, but Bob couldn't get time off from work. Robbie and Jamie were the same. Roy and Patty couldn't get leave because of the investigation. Al videotaped the whole thing and made copies for those invitees who couldn't be there.
Once the first shovel full of dirt was symbolically turned, the big Cat moved in, and soon a huge hole was growing where just a month before had stood several trees. The family and our guests moved over to the old house for refreshments and visiting. The weather was unseasonably warm for mid-April and we were able to hold an outdoor barbecue for our guests.
We invited the work crew over for the barbecue and became friends with them. The whole crew didn't need to be there while the basement was excavated, but the contractor had finally bought into our mentality, and paid his crew to be on the ground. It was a good move on his part, and cemented the morale of the crew.
All through the job, My Wives kept that crew fed and watered, even in the hottest days of the summer, and treated the workers almost as members of the family. The women were hard taskmasters, but they didn't act independently. If they had concerns, they brought them to me, and I worked them out either with the contractor or the site foreman. When the job was complete, we had made several friends for life. Riekie and I never visited the site without our cameras and got a full photographic record of the house under construction.