I made my way outside to the shed - the forbidding place I never go - because it's a complete disaster and it has not been cleaned in 17 years. It has only been the collection site of all manner of things and the stopping place for the oft used CaCl during the snowy days.
So, in I went looking for usable pots for my posies. I opened the door to an enormous mess. There was glass broken over every square inch of the place. Upon further examination, I discovered that the antique book case (with GLASS doors) that we gathered up from my in-laws' barn before they sold it - uh, yeah, I think 15 years ago, rotted and the top shelf collapsed. Obviously the top front door could not withstand the weight of the wood (I know simple physics right?) and so it appeared to explode outward - like a spray all over the shed. What a mess. I never knew glass could break that small.
First thought...why didn't my husband tell me about this?
Second thought...well, I guess if I want my pots, I am going to have to clean this up.
And so the adventure began.
Out came the usual suspects; hoses, wheelbarrow, lawn mower, rakes...and then I noticed some stuff I had forgotten about - all of my Dad's garden tools - the pickaxes, the hoe, the rake, the spades, the MANUAL sidewalk edger...and I began to remember his garden - the hours he spent spading and turning that garden with these tools...and then the yield of tomatoes, peppers, beans, lettuce, and zucchini we enjoyed for so many years.
So now I am softening to this whole thing and I am thinking, I wonder what else is in here?
I make my way around the shed, sweeping, using the dustpan, and gathering up the filth all over the floor, the debris, the glass, and the dirt of 17 years. As I am sweeping glass and dirt off the shelves, there are a number of tools on them. They look familiar to me - kind of like old friends. Hmmm, there's my Grandpap's pipe wrench. Oh, and there's a wire stripper (Grandpap was a plumber) - and a rubber hammer - the one Dad used to use to put the hubcaps back on the cars...He was so proud of his cars...and he would spend hours, dripping in sweat, hand buffing them with Johnson's paste wax to make them shine. He could change a tire, and a fan belt. Dad could do anything...
We have ALL of Dad's tools.
Nearly two hours in, I reach Dad's tool box. It's covered in glass and I think - oh Jeez, I am going to have to empty this to get all the glass out.
So, I patiently remove every screwdriver, blade, C clamp, and errant wood screw from the top layer of the tool box. As I start to dump the glass into the trash, I am thinking to myself, this is an awful thick drawer. It seems that it should come apart and it feels a bit heavy - but I can't figure out how to make that happen.
So I start to turn it upside down to shake out all the glass when the bottom half of the drawer pops open and reveals hidden treasures - items that I didn't even know Dad had stored inside the toolbox.
The Mechanics Handbook was published in 1956.
Dad had this in his toolbox. I thought a 'gearhead' like my sister, a mechanical engineer, would love this. It is full of formulas and diagrams and speaks a language I have never
learned. I will make sure she gets this.
The slide rule...wow.
My Dad taught me to use THIS slide rule in high school. I carried that slide rule to chemistry class and treated it like it was gold. I know it freaked him out when my sister went to engineering school and he wondered and asked if she would be using a calculator. They looked at him like he had two heads... I can't believe this has been in our shed.
The Surface Roughness Scale.
Then there are these two little tool kits.
I think he must have treasured these since they were carefully hidden in the toolkit. The black one is a leather zippered pouch and the tools were made in Germany. I suspect he acquired these when he was over there on active duty in the early 1950's. The Orange container was probably his first socket set. We also have two other huge tool sets - one socket set and a ratchet set. They would be very expensive by today's standards. I think they might have been my Grandpap's - though I am not sure. The containers are very dated which leads me to think that is the case. The tools are still in excellent shape.
Also in the bottom of the toolkit were these small bars of steel that Dad had wrapped up in paper towels. I don't know why they were wrapped but they were stamped with the type and the manufacturer of the steel. There are several of those. I decided to return them to the toolkit - where Dad put them years ago.
So, three hours later, I now have a clean (relatively speaking) shed and have examined and retrieved some pots for planting. I ended up throwing away more pots than I will ever use, but I also found treasure beyond my imaginings.
I couldn't help but think that I was called to clean that shed today - and to find these things of Dad's.
He sent me there. He wanted me to find them. So, now we have them and can appreciate him one more time.
I almost never go into the shed, and sincerely believe it to be my husband's territory. So 'cleaning' the shed was never on my agenda. But I sure am glad it happened. Oh...and in case you are wondering, my husband didn't know about the broken glass. In fact, he said he hadn't been inside the shed in months. As for my assumption about how the glass got broken, well, it's only an assumption. I think these things happen for a reason and that our steps are definitely ordered.
Satisfied that all was in order, and feeling especially close to my Dad, I planted my flowers - as I had originally intended to do. I know that he appreciates that effort - given all the years he spent outside making our home look nice as I was growing up. And now, having learned from him, I get to pay it forward.
Thanks Dad.
