I Swear It’s True

I recently announced to my co-workers that next year will be my last year as the director of the ESSDACK Learning Centers.  I made the news public well in advance because I think that reduces angst and facilitates the transition for the new person.  I have found such an awesome replacement that my main concern now is the short amount of time that will elapse before the staff is saying, “Terri who?”  As a result of my announcement, I have had numerous e-mails and phone calls wishing me well and expressing surprise and displeasure regarding my early retirement.  To those who were caught off guard by my decision, I simply reminded them of all John’s exploits that indicate he shouldn’t be home, or really anywhere, unsupervised.

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John’s lack of handyman skills coupled with a strong tendency toward procrastination result in many small chores going undone for long periods of time (Getting Around to It).  Occasionally he will fix something in a relatively short amount of time which is what happened last week when the handle on the screen door broke.  In less than a week, he had made his repairs, but with John in charge, a speedy repair doesn’t necessarily mean he achieved the desired result.  In fact, you never know what to expect when you live with a Hillbilly Handyman.

John’s ability to create unique solutions to a variety of problems is well-known among family and friends.  He wanted a portable fire pit we could move to different locations, but he deemed the commercial chimineas he found over-priced and/or poorly constructed.  The Hillbilly Handyman solution was to cut the end off a discarded propane tank and weld legs to it that he made from abandoned oilfield pipes.  It is very functional if not entirely aesthetically pleasing, and we have used it quite a bit since he made it three years ago.

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