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- Joined
- May 14, 2011
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- 18,756
- Reaction score
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- Location
- On the Ridge, TN
So...Ed story time!
The front porch steps were cobbled together some 20 years ago with whatever scraps we could
come up with at the time. I'd managed to patch them up and keep them in service since then...
But then recently, I hear my wife come home as usual and as she hits the steps, I hear that sickening sound of one of
the treads cracking/giving way.
It's been one of those "gonna get to that someday" things that never got addressed - but I reckon it wasn't going to wait
any longer as visions of being sued by the UPS lady danced in my head...
Off to the Lowe's we travel this morning, nice and early so's we can stop in at Waffle House for breakfast (of course!).
The usual loud, busy atmosphere for a Saturday morning was endured as we had the expected wonderful breakfast and I
cut up with the waitress and the cook and such (like I do).
Great start to the day - scattered, smothered and chunked for me, please.
At the Lowe's later on, sticker shock set in at the pressure treated lumber pricing - but then, that was expected in these
Brandon days, eh? I took the chance that they were still making pre-cut stringers the same way as 20 years ago and we
loaded it all up ($40 for a bucket of deck screws? Really?) and headed for home.
Sure enough, the stringers matched the original end ones we were going to retain close enough for me to be able to
make slight mods to them to work on my radial arm saw.
Further, the setup took to using 2x8 treads this time vs. the old 1x6 double treads from the past, too. Bonus!
A simple enough chore, to be sure - but what happened during the performance of it was sort of neat, least to me:
Wife is watching me labor on the demo and then the customizing of the new stuff and she's actually into it somewhat.
I notice this and after a bit, I feigned fatigue and asked for her help.
She lit up like a Christmas tree that I was actually asking and readily jumped into it, so I showed her how to hold the
impact driver and how to measure to locate things. She tore into it and actually did a good job.
Made me so dang proud...
It then occurred to me that in some sort of odd way I had passed on a couple minor skills to her, much like fathers
usually do with their sons - might even be helpful ones for that day when I have to leave her for the last time.
A huge wave of melancoly ran all over me - but then, it turned into a really good thing when she finally looked at
me and said "you weren't really tired at all, were you?"
Ah, can't get much past her. No sir-ee.
It might not look like much, but it's as much hers as mine now - and that was the point.
The front porch steps were cobbled together some 20 years ago with whatever scraps we could
come up with at the time. I'd managed to patch them up and keep them in service since then...
But then recently, I hear my wife come home as usual and as she hits the steps, I hear that sickening sound of one of
the treads cracking/giving way.
It's been one of those "gonna get to that someday" things that never got addressed - but I reckon it wasn't going to wait
any longer as visions of being sued by the UPS lady danced in my head...
Off to the Lowe's we travel this morning, nice and early so's we can stop in at Waffle House for breakfast (of course!).
The usual loud, busy atmosphere for a Saturday morning was endured as we had the expected wonderful breakfast and I
cut up with the waitress and the cook and such (like I do).
Great start to the day - scattered, smothered and chunked for me, please.
At the Lowe's later on, sticker shock set in at the pressure treated lumber pricing - but then, that was expected in these
Brandon days, eh? I took the chance that they were still making pre-cut stringers the same way as 20 years ago and we
loaded it all up ($40 for a bucket of deck screws? Really?) and headed for home.
Sure enough, the stringers matched the original end ones we were going to retain close enough for me to be able to
make slight mods to them to work on my radial arm saw.
Further, the setup took to using 2x8 treads this time vs. the old 1x6 double treads from the past, too. Bonus!
A simple enough chore, to be sure - but what happened during the performance of it was sort of neat, least to me:
Wife is watching me labor on the demo and then the customizing of the new stuff and she's actually into it somewhat.
I notice this and after a bit, I feigned fatigue and asked for her help.
She lit up like a Christmas tree that I was actually asking and readily jumped into it, so I showed her how to hold the
impact driver and how to measure to locate things. She tore into it and actually did a good job.
Made me so dang proud...
It then occurred to me that in some sort of odd way I had passed on a couple minor skills to her, much like fathers
usually do with their sons - might even be helpful ones for that day when I have to leave her for the last time.
A huge wave of melancoly ran all over me - but then, it turned into a really good thing when she finally looked at
me and said "you weren't really tired at all, were you?"
Ah, can't get much past her. No sir-ee.
It might not look like much, but it's as much hers as mine now - and that was the point.
