One of the few times I really felt good about something I accomplished was when I built the playhouse in the backyard. I was reading the paper one day and they had either an ad or an article (I don’t remember which) that showed the playhouse and listed all the materials you would need to build it.
I showed the article to Karen and said “I think I can do that – at least I’d like to try.” Keep in mind that I’m pretty inept when it comes to making things. I’m more of a thinker than a doer, so actually building something was a real stretch. I took the list of materials and went to Menard’s which is a lumber store a few miles away. They are kind of like Home Depot and I believe they are still in Rochester, although the store I went to is no longer there.
I showed the list to the salesman and they got everything. I was driving the Suburban then, so everything went into the back and I took it home. We picked out a place in the backyard where it could go and I started working on it. I don’t know how long it took, but it was really fun building it. It had two levels with a kind of deck on the second level. You got to the second level via a little ladder that was attached to the wall. You climbed the ladder and then went though a little hatch-way that you could close after you were on the second level. This was so you didn’t fall back through the hole.
Anyway, I think the kids loved it. I remember Kristy played on it and I’m not sure about everyone else. It was there until we moved away from Eyota. The next time I visited Eyota after moving west, I drove by the old house and they had rearranged things and the playhouse was gone. It was probably pretty ratty by then anyway.
There are very few things in my life that I can point to and say “I did that”, but the playhouse was one of them. It’s always cool to actually build something with your own two hands.
Dad