This Old House

   I'll never learn!
   My wife talked me into going shopping
again. But this was different.
   I'm actually kind of getting use to the
grocery, cleaning, and assorted things
shopping trips. Sort of.
   But this was "Big time!"
   This time our target was Home Depot!
   The calender still showed September.
   But the Christmas displays grabbed
my attention as soon as we went in.
   Trees, Snowmen, and other colorful
holiday items were all set out with
their lights flashing...ready to welcome
the season. Or, at least, the seasonal
shoppers. And this place wasn't wasting
any time, They skipped right over
Columbus Day, Halloween and
Thanksgiving and are heading right
for Christmas!
   But we didn't come for Christmas!
   My wife had another, more pressing,
project in mind.
   Years ago she designed, built, and
painted frames to cover our screened
porch with plastic sheets to enclose
it for the winter.
   They've worked well for years. But
those same years have also taken a toll
and they've got to be redone.
    My wife is great at projects like that.
    If they did a newspaper article on
the work my name would appear as....
"also attending."
    Anyhow, there I was. I came along
to help (actually I thought I was just
driving her there.)
    First I had to get a cart. But remember,
this was a "Do-it-yourself" home supply
outlet as opposed to your neighborhood
grocery store.
    So now I'm pushing a cart about the
size of a "Smart Car"  through aisles
filled with tools and materials....most of
which I don't recognize and can't pronounce!
    And the first thing we buy is some sort of
bracket that comes in a package about 2 inches
by 2 inches. We didn't put it in the cart.
    It did come in handy for the tall pieces
of wood we bought. In fact they were too
tall. They had to be cut. So, my wife found
a 'station' with a brace and several saws.
    The idea was to measure then cut the
wood ourselves.
     I wondered if that wasn't a bit like
going to a meat department then slicing
your own ham.
    My wife assured me it was not and
proceeded to pull a tape measure out of
her purse. She marked the wood,
grabbed a saw and went to work.
    I took a couple of turns too and, in no
time, we had a stack of wood cut just too
the sizes we....make that 'she', needs. At
least I think they're the right size.
    We'll know when phase two of the
project,including assembly, hanging,
and painting of the new frames gets
started. I'm told I'll be "helping."
    Where is Bob Vila when you need
him!?
    Hope your chores are all done and
that all your NEWS is good!