Carpentry 101

There is something invigorating and wholesome about building things with your own two hands. Creating something useful as if from thin air. Starting with nothing and finding yourself at the end of a few hours work with a, well, let's say a sandbox.

Now that Emmaline's favorite word is outside, the question arose as to what to actually do in said great outdoors. The backyard is not overly spacious and is bordered on one side by an eight foot drop, fence to be erected shortly but for now something of a death trap.

The front yard, though much larger, is bordered by a relatively busy street. When the snow was piled high around the drive and Em could not rush at breakneck speed toward oncoming traffic this was less of an issue. Recently, though, it has become somewhat of a thorn. It's not that we still can't head her off before she goes too far. She's speedy but she's not that fast. Unfortunately, any intervention is seen as harsh and cruel punishment on her part and is the catalyst for shrieking tears.

I love my daughter. Most of the time.

Now, since I have absolutely no practical skills, the act of building something did come to rely heavily on a kit of pre-cut pieces of wood and a booklet of directions. I'll admit it. I'm proud anyway. Oh, and my husband helped. Well, did most of the work. You get the idea.

It was everything I imagined it would be. The smell of cedar, the grass stains on my jeans. Right until the moment Daryl put the screw driver through my finger and the dog ate half the bolts, it was idyllic.

In the end, Emmaline got to enjoy the product of our ingenuity and then stuck a finger covered with sand right in my eye.

I love my daughter. All the time.