Fathers Day 2012

My daddy would have been proud...I built, or rebuilt, a fence this weekend. Used a hammer, hand axe, crowbar, wood chisel, hole punch, nail punch, circular saw, hand saw, keyhole saw, tree saw, pruning shears, shovel, ratchet wrench, crescent wrench, screwdriver, hand level, string level, electric drill...all of which he taught me to use.

I also remembered lessons learned (some not so well, some forgotten) on jobs and projects we worked on when I was younger, and he was still around to teach me.  Jobs usually take longer than you plan: I expected to switch out two panels of wood fence in an afternoon, but it took two days (my neighbor whipped out his section of the fence in half a day...he rebuilt his section the old way, two rails and individual slats...he was sipping ice tea on the porch long before dusk...I was still working when the mosquitoes came out).  Measure twice, cut once (I should have measured three times).  Things constructed 30 years ago may have been put together by craftsmen, but not necessarily with a uniform plan (don't presume that 8 foot panels from Home Depot can easily be fitted to posts that may be 7.5 feet apart, or 9.5 feet). Modern materials or units may not warrant the exact same assembly (preconstructed fence panels have 3 rails, not 2...I had to buy additional hardware...which, because of variance in style, could not be used with the old hardware).  Smashed thumbs are inevitable.  Maintain or replace your tools before you start a job (I don't know if there are still little old men who spend their days sharpening handsaws, as in my daddy's day...mine has been dulled by 30 years of use and abuse).  Old construction does not remain square or level (shifting foundations and runoff from heavy rains, alternating with drought, has apparently resulted in a 4-6 inch slope that didn't exist when the original fence was built...had to do some shoveling, leveling, and creative graduated construction to accommodate).  A project cannot be exactly defined before hand (had to cut away tree limbs and prune shrubs to get to the fence).  Some variances must be accepted (10 feet of "my" back fence are really my neighbor's back fence...different height, style...and the posts are on his side).  "Some things you have to leave for the painters to cover up" (that's a direct quote).  Clean-up is a pain...which is why it is a good idea to take your son along on jobs and projects, to help pick up the debris...(but the skills and lessons otherwise learned still make the time working at your daddy's side worthwhile...and retrospectively appreciated).