My dad grew up on a farm in South Dakota. He learned how to make do with what he had in order to survive. His family learned how to make the things they needed on the farm. The old saying that “all you need is bailing wire and a pair of plyers” was used and practiced frequently.
My grandfather was also a carpenter. Dad learned some of this trade from his dad and his father-in-law. I grew watching my dad and granddad remodeling an old house in South Dakota that we later called home. As a teenager, my mom’s dad and my dad, again, bought an old house and remodeled it on weekends. We never got to live in it but spent almost every weekend working on it.
When we moved to Blackwell, Mom and Dad bought a house, and we spent about three or four years working on it. I spent time in the attic running wires and under the house in the crawl space helping level the house or running some plumbing (what you get for being tall and skinny). We moved walls, lowered ceilings, remodeled bathrooms, reconfigured hallways and took out an archway between the living room and dining room.
I think I learned too well. I have built two houses (one from the concrete slab up) and am currently remodeling a retirement home. We are removing walls, adding rooms, relocating doors, rewiring a couple rooms, and remodeling a couple of bathrooms.
Most recently I had the opportunity (some say privilege but that is a matter of opinion) of putting in a tub surround and new flooring in my youngest daughter’s house. How could I say no since she is the mother to two of my grandkids!
So, one Thursday morning Jill and I made it to Jessica and Andrew’s house to go to work. Well, actually Jill and Jessica took the newborn and the granddaughter (Harper) out while the guys put down the floor. But Jessica and Andrew did have all the carpet and pad pulled and the floor prepped and ready to put down the new wood laminated floor.
We went around the rooms one more time looking for tack strip nails and vacuumed the floor one last time. We put down the first plank in the northeast corner of the living room and began working toward the hallway on the southwest side of the house. Piece by piece the floor snapped together and began taking shape. We cut around the corners, air conditioning vents, and finally made it to the south wall of the living room. It looked marvelous.
We then moved on down the hall to the entry way and to the kitchen doorway. Then to the end of the hall. That was the easy part because the planks were all the same size and only needed to snap together on the sides, no end pieces (it’s the little things that mean so much)!
Finally, we put some base trim down in the living room and started on the hall trim. We quit at 8 p.m. that evening, and we were worn out, but WOW, did the floor look nice. Oh well, back tomorrow to finish.
Friday morning we were back again and decided to put the flooring in Harper’s room. It was a small room, 11’x12’ (roughly speaking). So, we picked up on the pieces we staggered into her room from the hallway the day before, and after a few patience testing pieces we were up and running again. The hardest part was putting flooring in the closet (very confining space and hard to move around). After about three hours the project was complete. Again, absolutely beautiful (if I do say so myself).
Next we put down base trim in the bedroom and finished the hallway. We went to installing a transition board between the kitchen and living room and the hall and master bedroom. Got them in after a few trips to the local Lowe’s but when done….MARVELOUS!
We still have two bedrooms to complete, but I think the kids are done for a while. Moving the furniture out of a room and then putting back, tearing out carpet and padding and then having to pull carpet tack strips and nails followed by sweeping and vacuuming have made them rethink the remodeling process.
When two year old Harper Reese got up to view the floor in its full beauty the next morning her response was, “Momma, I love my new floor,” and she scooted in her socked feet across the floor. Last week she also initiated the floor by throwing up on it. She had an ear infection and managed this feat more than a few times. Jessica’s comment was that it was a whole lot easier to clean up the new floor than that carpet! So I guess, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!”
My point to all this is (and, as always, yes there is a point) that I am so glad I had a dad that grew up on a farm and learned how to do things. Because I watched and worked with him learning and now do the same things. I have become like my dad in some ways by watching and learning.
And, that is how it is with us and our Heavenly Father. After all, we are made in His image. We are made to be like Him. We learn by watching and doing. He gave us the Holy Bible to help us learn to be like Him. We have the example of Jesus to follow as well.
I would like to think if my dad could see some of the things I have done and am doing he might smile and say, “That’s my boy!”
I wonder if God looks at my life and can say the same thing? Something to think about.
Trying to Be Like My Dad, Bro. Tim
