Case Studies

Apr 13 2009 7:05AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |
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By Bruce Case

Olivia and I make a habit of going into the basement every couple of weeks to create some magic.

As she would proudly tell you, she is 5 3/4 years old and has a HUGE black and yellow Stanley tool box (I let her pick it off the shelf at our local hardware store which was a lot of fun at the time but as she bangs it all around the house I question that decision) outfitted with an assortment of tools...Not just the plastic children's toys you might expect - but real tools that have been worked hard for many years.  A plane, a hand drill, a tape measure, three of every type of nail (you'll have to ask her why three instead of two or four) and pliers.

As we walk down the steps to our basement, we talk about what magic she'd like to create that day.  It could be a cow, a cat or some other wonderful creature.  That day it was a parrot.  I get what a bird looks like but I couldn't picture a parrot that morning; not to mention that it's important the parrot meets her expectations.  After sharpening up the carpenter's pencil and giving her a scrap of wood, the parrot came alive.

With picture in hand, we were ready to make magic.  Wire for the head, beak and eye.  Jigsaw on some birch plywood for the body.  Two dowels for legs.  The masterpiece was complete and within reason looked (kind of, sort of) like a parrot.  But something was missing - we both knew it.  Leave it up to Olivia to figure it out....we didn't have the tail.  Out came more wire for a long tail that would also help hold it up.

The parrot is now painted all colors of the rainbow and watches us intently from its' perch in our kitchen.

What does all of this have to do with remodeling?  Nothing.  It has to do with what life is about.

Enjoy life!