Spring? It's not today.

I am very thankful for the nice comments you all have left for me.

Those of you that have been reading a while probably know (since I mention it about once a week) I am a mechanical moron, I am not a tool guy. Between the Internet for instructions, Wanda for encouragement, and a sincere desire not to spend more money than necessary I have learned a few things. I (and this means we) built a bed frame, speaker stands, and recently installed a new garbage disposal.

The old garbage disposal, by the way, got us $3.60 at the recycle place yesterday. Three years ago we started picking up cans and plastic bottles on our early morning walk. Now, I only do step aerobics on a Wii. Wanda does both, aerobics workdays and walks off time, still gathering recycles. The majority of what we take in is found since we don't drink beer or soda. Since we started keeping records in September 2008 we've received eight hundred forty seven dollars and change. Great, now I have to worry about the IRS. Whatever, that's a lot of cans and bottles.

I was thinking that my writing is doing a service, you know, breaking news. Arnold and Maria splitting up after twenty five years. The other day I wondered what could be so terrible? What could they possibly want after all this time? What Maria didn't want, was a step-child. Our illustrious ex-governor admitted to fathering a child with a member of his household staff. The woman in question worked for the family twenty years and recently "retired." What happened to giving a gold watch?

They march to a different drummer, don't they? "Hello, I would like to introduce you to my staff," he said. "This is Silva, she manages the kitchen, this is Maxine, she manages the main house." "This is Florence, she sleeps with me Tuesday, Thursday, and every other Saturday." So many of them, they just can't keep it in their pants. I will never understand why so many men in power risk their family life for sex. Just add him to the ever longer, ever growing list of assholes. You think it's Vaigra?

So, where did spring go? We  have had a few days in the low 80's and now it's winter again. It's 54 cloudy and gray and looks like December. And, we did not wash the car over the week end.

The first paragraph today alluded to my learning some tool skills over the years. I grew up in apartments, duplexes and flats. The common denominator was rent. My folks didn't own a home so fix-it skills were not needed. Something breaks, call the owner or the super. We had a hammer and a screwdriver in the "junk" drawer. Both used to break chicken bones, don't ask.

In 1975 I moved into my first house. I purchased a modest three bedroom two bathroom new build. Thirty six years ago you could count on the weather. It was going to rain from November to the middle of April with maybe a scattered day or two. Usually when it was done raining, it was done for the season.

I had a visitor from Michigan the first June I was in the house. Each of the first six mornings his greeting was,  "Boy, it's beautiful today." My reply, "Yes, it sure is." After a week of, it's beautiful" he added, "You don't care, do you?" Well, I did and I didn't. I knew it would be sunny and dry until November. Now, I care, I appreciate days when the sun is out, the sky is clear, it's 70 degrees and the birds are singing.

One of the first things I needed for the new house was a fence. In Michigan if you lived in the city chain link marked your property line. Out in the "country" people had land, tall hedges or trees divided yours from the neighbors. Now I needed to construct a six foot high redwood fence instrumental for keeping mine in, and theirs out. Dogs and kids for sure but more important, eyes. Houses this close together needed privacy.

I got together with the new neighbors to discuss fence styles and financial arrangements. All the people around, save one, were newly marrieds, around the same age. Thrifty purchases and dwindling bank accounts were chief among things we had in common. We quickly decided on the particulars and placed our orders.

As promised, early on Friday the material was delivered and stacked in the driveway. Eight foot railings, eight foot posts, and lots and lots of six foot high fence boards. We also had nails, bags of cement, and a special tool for digging holes in the hard clay dirt. I was very pleased everything was going so well. I went in the house for a cup of coffee, glanced out of the kitchen window and noticed the sky color. Quickly it changed from blue to a dark green. With little warning, it began to rain and hail. It was almost May the first, this should not be happening.

I quickly ran outside. The bags of cement were dry in the garage, the boxes of nails too but he lumber was getting soaked. With a rush of adrenaline that comes from panic, I started gathering the wood. I carried, dragged, pushed and pulled, six, seven, ten boards at a time. All I could think of was getting the lumber protected. It continued to rain, I continued to work. After forty five minutes everything was in the garage. I was wet, I was tired, I was dirty, and I was stupid.

I didn't need to drag all that lumber in to the garage.

All of this wood, was WOOD. It was redwood lumber. It would get wet when it rained and when the lawn was watered. The dogs would probably pee on it. The sun would shine on it, the wind would try to blow it down. All this abuse, but if constructed properly it would last a long time, the marriage that necessitated it's construction would not.

Occasionally I think about that day. How silly it was of me, how I over reacted to the situation. Like the saying; "don't sweat the small stuff", these days I leave more and more lumber "out in the rain" and things are just fine.