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Category: My Garden Story -- from bad to WOW (hopefully) | Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:27 pm

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For the last two years of undergrad and two and a half years of grad school I stayed in an apartment. Thankfully, I had a roommate who I really got along with. After finishing grad school, moving to Colorado, getting a job, and buying my first house, I realized that the lessons weren't stopping simply because I was out of school. Now I'm learning the lessons of home ownership. I know that most of you have gone through this before and can easily (and rightfully) look down on me (and not because I'm a shorty) and say, "Yep, been there, done that." Here's your chance to say it again.

There's been lot's of little things that have come up that have been a part of my lesson in home ownership... snow removal, furnace filter replacement (who knew?), creaky doors, and a host of other little things. And all of them required something I didn't have.

I don't blame my dad for my lack of realization in these matters. He did his best with a teenaged daughter who ran life at a hundred miles an hour. My last two years in high school were taken in an accelerated program where I completed my first two years of college at the same time, all while participating on girl's field hockey and track teams. I never stopped doing something. So when he unplugged a drain trap beneath the sink, stopped a leaking toilet, or installed a dimmer switch for the track lights in his study, I simply wasn't around to watch.

If I had been around to see how Dad did things I would have seen the obvious, or would I? If my friends were here they'd quickly point out my one fault (the only one I'm owning up to for the sake of this blog entry). It is that sometimes I can't see the forest because the trees get in the way. It's a way of saying that V tends to completely miss the obvious. And the "obvious" in this case is that for everything I've had to do around here has required something I didn't have.

I have the desire. I have the intelligence. I have the computer I can use to open up YouTube and watch an instructional video. What didn't I have? A freakin' hammer! And a screwdriver. And a wrench thingy. And a tape measure.... well, you get the idea. You cannot own a house without a tool of some type or another.

Onto my New Year's Eve day project where this lesson comes to full realization...

I bought this house out of foreclosure, which means that it wasn't in the best of shape when I got it. The interior is fine and really only needed a coat of paint and new carpet. The lawn and garden are going to be a different story. In the back yard there's a fence that separates a kennel area from the rest of the yard and garden. I've already accepted that when things thaw I will have a lot of work to do out there. I'm looking forward to it. I love to see a finished project. Not wanting to wait any longer I took advantage of a beautiful day and decided that I was going to replace the gate that separates the lawn from the kennel area. As you can see from the picture below, it was in sad shape.




Gate before ( photo / image / picture from V for short's Garden )



Excited, I went to the local hardware store and bought wood, screws, and a latch. I figured I could reuse the hinges and some old wire fencing stuck behind the shed. I got everything loaded in my truck, brought it home, laid it out on the driveway and ... well, remember what I said about "forest for the trees"? Yep, V's talent for missing the obvious hit like a hail storm on a petunia patch. I didn't have a single tool for actually building the gate. Well God bless good neighbors. Larry saw me staring at my stack of materials, asked what I was doing, and chuckled (at me or in general amusement I'm not sure). Through the loan of a few of his tools, some patient guidance, and the offer of a spare 2x4 (since I measured once and cut once... oops), I got my gate done.

Is it an elegant gate worthy of a picture in a gardening magazine? Good Lord, no! But it's sturdy, functional, and better yet, made with my own hands.




After... ( photo / image / picture from V for short's Garden )


After it was all said and done I did something that I needed to do four months ago. I went back to the hardware store and bought a freakin' hammer, a screwdriver, a wrench thingy, a tape measure....



Last edited: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:48 pm

This blog entry has been viewed 200 times

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Donna S wrote on Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:04 pm:

Great job V. I think you learned more from your dad then you realize.

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V for short wrote on Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:21 pm:

Thank you, Donna. Please don't think that I don't see what my dad did teach me. He taught me my greatest life lessons. He took my to my first opera when I was 8 and I fell in love with it. He taught me that brains and beauty can coexist, a fender bender at 16 years old isn't the end of the world, the love of health and nutrition, sometimes it's okay to swear when you stub your toe, and when a boy breaks your heart you can live and love again. All that I am today is because of him.

It's just that when it came to fixing things I was the neglectful one who didn't see the need. Another lesson learned.

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Netty wrote on Wed Jan 01, 2014 3:29 pm:

I think your gate turned out great! A very wise move was buying some tools ... now there will be no stopping you!

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Sjoerd wrote on Wed Jan 01, 2014 3:47 pm:

Lookin' good, V!

It was a delightful account of the "gate project". Your posting was entertaining, it showed your talents and of course your lack of experience.

However, as you say, you have a good brain and the wisdom of your father as back-up...not to mention a good neighbour. --We say here, "A good neighbour is better than a distant friend".

Do not be disturbed that I also chuckled at your inexperience...it was not meant in a bad way at all....more of a déjà-vu, really. I have been there.

At any rate, you saw a project, thought up a solution and then made it a reality. Chapeau meid!

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eileen wrote on Wed Jan 01, 2014 4:34 pm:

Well V I think you're marvellous. You got through school, found a job, saved, bought and moved into your first real home. That's what I call achieving great things in your life. So what if you are a little inexperienced when it comes to DIY projects - you're learning as you go along and that's what matters.
The gate looks good and you should be proud of yourself. Now it'll be onto the next project with those new tools.

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cherylad wrote on Wed Jan 01, 2014 4:40 pm:

I was stuck to my dad's side when I was little. I wanted to be a carpenter just like him. I even got to go to some jobs with him as his helper. So I know my way around tools and can tackle some DIY projects. But I don't know if I could have made a gate that looks as good as your's. Great job! I bet we'll see lots more projects from you. Oh yeah... you'll be buying many more tools :-)

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Jewell wrote on Thu Jan 02, 2014 5:23 am:

Awesome job! Can't wait to see how you transform your yard. Keep an eye out for yard sales. A great place for tools of all types at great prices.

Don't worry about not knowing how to do stuff. We are all still learning as life presents new and unexpected challenges. Thank goodness for the internet.

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Jerry Sullivan wrote on Sat Jan 04, 2014 6:05 am:

With every job, no matter what it is, you learn something. That knowledge provides you with a foundation to tackle more complex jobs. Along the way you will find knowledgeable people that you can ask some of the tougher questions. Before long, your abilities allow you to say "I can do it" with errorless confidence.

Good Luck on your next project, but something tells me it would be rare that you would need it.

Jerry

P.S. Nice gate by the way.

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