Home Improvements

Photo of a large mushroom in some green grass. — This is a photo of a mushroom that was growing in our yard because PVC pipe is not especially photogenic.

Someday we will fix our garage roof and have to get a birdbath, but in the meantime that dip at one corner of the roof means that whenever it rains (and for a few days after) the local birds have the perfect puddle for cleaning themselves and staying hydrated. Fixing the garage roof is not on the agenda this week, but so many other things are.

Back in 1987 when we moved into a new house, my dad went to Sears and bought himself a new toolbox and some tools and started calling himself Mr. Handy. Well, I am Mr. Handy’s daughter, which for those not lucky enough to know Mr. Handy personally, means I am not especially handy, but I do have some limited skills, and I’ve put them to work.

For example last week when a shortage of concrete block threatened to derail an in-process project, I bravely saved the day by driving to Home Depot and buying more. Then an hour or so later when a shortage of concrete threatened to stop all progress in its tracks, I donned my superhero cape and made a second trip to the Depot of Home.

Because 10 feet PVC pipe stands no chance of fitting in my CX-5, a few days later I stood in the driveway and waved in the direction of the Home Depot delivery truck that had just driven past our driveway, and then when the truck made it back to us, I got to point out where to deposit the delivery. So clearly I have all sorts of skills.

While Ron did all the difficult work of figuring every part and supply we need for these ongoing projects, I was able to help by filling out all those online checkout forms and pressing the buy buttons at about half a dozen different somewhat obscure online retailers. So all those years of shopping paid off.

When the outside work was all done I got to play Johnny Appleseed’s lesser known sister Jenny Grassseed (Wait, if they’re siblings shouldn’t they have the same last name? Grassseed is her married name, duh!) as I helped to sprinkle grass seed onto the bare dirt and covered it with straw so that the birds don’t eat it all up.

Oh, and speaking of the birds, when we’re taking a break from the endless projects to eat some lunch, we’ve been enjoying some free entertainment as the rooftop puddle is quite the place to be these days. The bluebirds (we’ve had so many here lately) really love getting themselves absolutely drenched in the puddle. They look adorably disheveled after their baths. The finches are more reserved and like to sip and bathe at the same time. The mockingbird is a bit of a bully. I swear, these birds have never shown much interest in the puddle before, but when he saw all the finches and bluebirds hanging out he had to get in on that action. I guess it’s not just songs they copy, but the mockingbirds don’t like to share the puddle, they want it all to themselves sticking out their wings anytime any of the other birds approach the water.

Meanwhile on the deck, a woodpecker pecks at the rotten boards looking for bugs. Hold up there, Woody, replacing the deck isn’t in the budget this year!

—Alissa