My Three Sons...

...an influential domestic comedy of 1960 and a BIG lesson for me in 2006.

My son's have been snowmakers a very important job according to Henry, in Nederland Colorado, population 1,394, for over 3 years now. In spite of numerous requests, Henry and I had never been to visit until last week.

I was afraid that if I actually saw the way young bachelor guys in a hippie mountain town lived, my eyeballs might bleed. I pictured burned out couches, moldy refrigerators full of nothing but beer, bathrooms full of pee, toothpaste splatters and hairballs, half eaten burritos and dirty magazines under the bed, covered up by endless laundry, ferret poop, dog hair and bongs. I was afraid to expose Henry's eyeballs too, at their tender age. He idolizes his big brothers and I pictured him coming home hooked on cheese fries with ranch dressing and Top Ramen and beer and a whole new vocabulary to ask for them.

What I found, was enough to make me bust my buttons. My sons live in a darling little duplex, designed and built by a Swiss master craftsman right on the main road leading to the snowboard park. The neighbor, a 65 year old lady, loves them so much she frequently makes big pots of pasta and meatballs and leaves it on the doorsteps to thank them for the various favors they do for her. Last week, they dug a hole and put up a tetherball pole so her grandson can play when he is over. They actually had a GARDEN, with actual FLOWERS in it, that they had actually PLANTED themselves. The refrigerator actually had chicken, rather than beer or mold and a homemade carrot cake intended for us! (OK where is Uncle Charley? I know he's here somewhere)

Everywhere we went, I heard people calling out to them like they were famous or something. The lady that owned the cabin we rented, said they had stopped by, to help her unload a truck of wood - just because she looked like she could use a hand. The landlord said they were the most respectful, wonderful tenants she had ever had. Their boss said they were incredibly responsible, hard workers and that he hoped never to lose them. Seriously!?

This was a huge lesson for me on what happens when your FORMER; smart mouthed, lazy-assed, drop-out, surfer boys, grow up and get a job and a life and THRIVE. They are happy and proud of themselves and I am still high on pride and love. See more pictures here.