A beautiful 70 degree Saturday in Denver offered a test drive for our support group. We are single women homeowners who are independent, spirited and have a can do attitude. We had agreed that if any of us had a repair problem, particularly those just required an extra set of hands; we’d be there for each other.

While the afternoon was balmy, the forecast called for a snowstorm that evening, to continue on into Sunday. Hard to believe, but that’s the mercurial nature of nature in Colorado. That wouldn’t ordinarily be a concern, but today I had a problem. My sliding glass door was jammed and wouldn’t close completely. Not conducive to comfort or conservation of energy with a major storm rapidly approaching.

What’s a woman to do , especially on a Saturday. I fiddled with the door and tried to locate the source of the problem for quite a while. It was futile, the door wouldn’t budge. It appeared the door would have to be removed for further diagnosis and I certainly couldn’t manage that task solo. So, I called Charlotte.

A Southern belle who exudes charm and confidence, Charlotte arrived a short time later with her tool belt fashionably slung around her tiny waist. We had a good laugh at the contradiction and went to work. Literally minutes later, Charlotte assessed the situation. A pin had come out of its slot and was jamming the path of the door. Charlotte whipped out her crow bar and jimmied the door a bit so I could push the wayward pin back in its proper place. Of course we sat and talked awhile, decided we’d worked up an appetite, and went out for dinner. Mission accomplished, plus we enjoyed an impromptu glass of wine and dinner!

So suggest to your single women clients and friends that they establish this valuable network for themselves. It doesn’t take much time and provides peace of mind and security that there will be help when you need it.

I know I’m heading to the store for a tool belt, just as soon as I finish shoveling the eight inches of snow off the deck!