Handy
April 1, 2014, 8:07 pm
In addition to being married to the love of my life, I am also married to Mr. Bricolage. (Bricolage is French for do-it-yourself.)
Mr. Bricolage is the name of a giant chain of home improvement stores headquartered in France. My guy epitomizes that name.
In our house, leaky faucets get fixed, scratched woodwork gets refinished, clogged drains are immediately liberated and faulty wiring gets rewired. It’s as if I live with a crew of expert plumbers, carpenters, electricians and painters. I marvel at my good fortune every time yet another thing goes haywire.
The house I grew up in did not function this way. My father was a wonderful, caring man, but he was not handy; tools defied him. One short story will explain all.
My mother asked my father to put an awning over the back door so we wouldn’t have to stand in the rain or snow when fumbling with the key in the ever sticking lock. My father bought a little assemble-it-yourself aluminum awning, gritted his teeth and managed to get the pieces in place. Next, he measured the space above the door three times to get the awning perfectly centered. He put the screws in place and tightened them to last for eternity.
And then the great moment came when he opened the door. Crunch. He had installed the awning too low, and our back door now opened only 18 inches. Several choice swear words followed.
Here is the most amazing part of the story. The awning was left that way until my mother sold the house over 30 years later. Every time anyone came in the back door, they came in sideways. The groceries were squeezed through that small space as well.
I would have married my guy even if he were not Mr. Bricolage. But what a bonus to be able to walk straight ahead through every door in the house.
6 Comments for this entry
-
Greetings and welcome...
The Suitcase Lady Blog is now in its fifteenth year. I am obviously a believer in these words from E. B. White. "We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry." Thank you for reading the writing that I delight in doing.
Just For Fun
Posts
April 1st, 2014 on 9:55 PM
Mary, that was a gem!!!
April 2nd, 2014 on 9:25 AM
I’m sure you have enough stories written now to produce several books :) You should do it!
April 2nd, 2014 on 9:26 AM
P.S. I will be in town till early July so I hope to see you in there sometime
April 2nd, 2014 on 7:50 PM
I would love to see you! I will come to MKE, but would love to have you up here as well. Why don’t you and Pat take a field trip to our house? I am always happy to make a meal.
I do programs in libraries in summer, but not every day. The last two weeks of June would be perfect for a visit.
Mary
mtooley@artinasuitcase.com
http://www.artinasuitcase.com
Peruse my blog:
http://www.thesuitcaselady.com
April 2nd, 2014 on 8:00 PM
One of your sweetest, loved it!
April 4th, 2014 on 8:27 AM
Mary–Hilarious! Truth is weirder than fiction!
evie