I am not mechanically gifted. I would describe my ability to perform mechanical tasks as a ‘work in progress’ at best.
So, you can understand why I admired, with great pride, the fully assembled, extended and mounted ‘batpole’ at the edge of our woods (with the new bathouse firmly ensconsced near the top). I have no idea whether or not our bat friends will find this house – and choose to make it their new home – when the wildlife experts complete the ‘exclusion’ exercise at the end of the month. What I DO know is that I/we did our best to locate and install a reasonable alternative.
What made it great fun is that Lisa and I worked so closely together to make it happen – from digging the hole to mixing/pouring the concrete to planting and securing the lowest section of the pole (and waiting for it ‘to set’ overnight). After a 24-hour wait, we inserted the final three sections (with the house at the top) and then we stood back to admire our handy-work.
For a ‘pro,’ this would’ve probably been no great feat; for a couple amateurs, it was a big deal.
In fact, we were so empowered by our bat-pole achievement that we moved on to an indoor repair project – as the rain began to cascade upon us yesterday. Months ago, the interior section (the metal supports) of our sofa was broken. (We think some pre-teen boy may have plopped down on it a BIT too forcefully).
Late yesterday, we tried a fairly complicated repair. The idea was Lisa’s; I just provided the muscle for this one.
Tonight we flipped the couch back over and, well, so far/so good (Dare I sayL soFA/so good!).
I have no idea if this will be a long-term fix nor do I have any prediction as to whether or not our bat friends will inhabit the new bat-house. What I can report is that a couple non-technical P.R. professional/writer types continue to make strides in our effort to bolster our mechanical prowess. I doubt I’d ever come close to being able/willing to attempt some of the complicated repair jobs that my dad has done over the years (for example, I don’t anticipate we will take apart and re-assemble any car engines in the near future).
But, it does feel good to attempt something out of the comfort zone and to accomplish it. That’s a good life lesson for anyone.
And now, having logged this achievement in the record books, a bit of confidence comes with it. I’m not sure what project we’ll try next – the summer docket includes a bunch of non-technical cleanup/organizing projects (the guest room, the bonus room, etc.). But, when we do attempt ‘the next big thing,’ we’ll be armed with the knowledge that we have done these projects – the sofa, the batpole – and that we achieved success.
JG
Originally posted 6/11/2012
No comments:
Post a Comment