The McNair Family Yearly Review

  Family portrait drawn by Poppie-Fae Another year in Tulia, another year in paradise. Another year of surviving insane wind and hailstorms. Weeks without cell service at a time. Another year full of home renovations—knee-deep in house paint, cement, and grout. The house is coming along slowly. We snuggle into our nice, cozy bedroom every night. The kitchen and bathroom now have drains and should have plumbing and cabinets by the end of the year. We accidentally cut through a gas pipe under the floor, thinking it was a water pipe. Thankfully the gas was off, so no one died—but now Randy has to figure out how to thread and cap rusty pipe. Just part of the joys of renovating a house with no plans and no one alive who built it left to talk to. Winter in the Panhandle is unpredictable. Some days it’s California; some days it’s North Dakota. You’re never quite sure which, because the barometer doesn’t change much. So you prepare for both and enjoy the ride. We’re doing as much as we ca...