3 Stories

Bandits

Our morning routine while working on Pa’s grandma’s old house is to get up early, have a cup of tea with toast and head out to the nearby grassy field to let Beau go for a run and go potty . Then , time allowing we continue our walk through the neighborhoods where Pa grew up and knows so well . Of course , we always have our masks with us , though not on as we seldom meet others . But if we do , we don’t approach them and /or we give people space . So today, we were walking down the sidewalk when we saw in the near distance an older man approaching . On our right was a narrow walkway/alley Pa pulled us over to , but as we were managing to get our masks on – another group at the other end of the alley appeared and waved at us – apparently it was probably their private walk . Not knowing for sure what to do, masks on – we stealthily hustled out of there – just as the older man was right in front of us . I have never felt more like a bandit .

Rhodies

Almost every home in the old neighborhoods of Corvallis is blessed with a beautiful tree and there are many examples of lush landscape designs , often featuring a big rhododendron . We are planning to redo the front of Grandma’s yard , reviving what is there and bringing new plants eventually . I am not sure if it was Pa’s thriftiness that made him suggest we could just go up in the forest and dig up a big rhody and if he really thought that was a good idea , but I told him “that has got to be illegal” . He’s still the guy I fell in love with who lived in a hidden treehouse. I think I am more sensible, and thriftier, and will just dig up some plants from our own overgrown yard in Entiat .

Scrappiness

This fixing up the old family home has been both rewarding and challenging . The yard was a jungle of blackberry brambles, overgrown laurel trees, and neglected lilacs, ferns, hydrangeas and unknown shrubs and is now a fairly blank canvas . The basement and garage were rat and possum habitats, and are now neatly ( for the time being ) arranged shops with old tools and treasures from the generations of mechanics who have lived here . The house itself is around 100 years old , built with long grain wood floors , high ceilings , plastered walls and interesting woodwork – all in need of care and love. Painting the exterior has been our primary goal , and after a pro painter hemmed and hawed about how much the tedium of hand scraping the peeling surfaces would cost, Pa decided we would paint the house ourselves . The color scheme was chosen and with the help of our three sons , work began . 3 weeks later, we were nearly finished . One flaw remained . There is a little back entryway outcropping built of flimsy wood that had a gaping hole made by who know what – an angry boot? A hungry rodent? An errant ball? On one of our trips to Home Depot , I was done with my shopping , waiting at the checkout area when Pa came along with a few items in the cart and a large sheet of what I assumed was plywood for patching . But when the checker was ready to scan it , he told her he had come across it in the aisle and that it was packing material – and on better inspection – it was a very flimsy sheet just barely a grade higher than cardboard – but hey – thriftiness wins again !