Today it's warm and raining, a welcome relief to the long summer heat. Peter continues to put trim up on the house and I was out measuring for more pieces and checking on his progress. As I walked past where he was working I simply had to laugh. Out loud too. A flood of memories came back to me and it was good. Peter of course wondered what was so funny and so I told him.
When we were kids we loved to build things. Since my dad was a carpenter we built our wonderful creations with wood. He encouraged us but I vividly remember my dad being very upset when he went looking for his tools and they were not at his workbench. We had inevidably left them out where we were working. My dad would rant a little about the proper use and care of tools but he couldn't be mad long. He was fiercely proud of the abilities were were showing with our work. After retrieving his now rusty tools he would close his tirade with a promise. He said some day my future kids would borrow my tools and leave them out in the rain to rust. That would be justice and suitable payback. Then, perhaps, I would understand.
Today, with a giant grin on my face, I made that same promise to Peter. I can hardly wait.
-grampa dan