My father always tinkered with things when I was younger. He had projects going on all over the house. The basement and the 2-story garage, formerly a barn, were filled with scraps of things he'd found.
My favorite Dad tinkering story is the time he came down and built our outdoor shower. He used scrap lumber that he'd pulled out of a dumpster on a construction site, an old faucet from my uncle, and a shower nozzle that he'd rescued from the married student dorms he'd lived in. Apparently the college had upgraded the showers and my father saved that nozzle from 1960, before I was born. It was just waiting to be used for 4 decades. The only new things were the flexible pipes. So our shower cost less than $5.
Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face. It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience. The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.
My brother used to take appliances apart when he was younger but he never figured out how to put them back together. But once he found his way into a car engine he never left. He's still in that industry and he rebuilds engines for a hobby. Almost every car he's owned was taken apart and put back together.
I have a sister who takes after my father. She finds remainders at a home store and turns them into something. Her sunroom floor is a collection of mismatched tiles of all shapes and sizes. It looks unique and beautiful.
I'm not good with those kinds of projects but I do tinker with recipes. I was once asked for the recipes to two dishes I brought to a potluck. One was a pork roast and the other was asparagus in phyllo dough. The pork was a combination of parts of 3 different recipes and the asparagus strudel was a total change from the recipe, only the asparagus and phyllo dough were the same.
soberboy went to a robotics program 2 weeks ago and a few pictures of him ended up in the regional newspaper. We had no idea about his debut in the traditional media until his CCD teacher handed him the article. Her mother had seen the article and recognized soberboy from being an alter server.
The program asked kids to use their imaginations by cannibalizing computers and adding other items to make something. soberboy enjoyed the program and brought home some parts to make what he hoped would be a tiny cannon that would fire pellets. He lost some of his enthusiasm when I said I wasn't crazy about that idea. He's ready to go back the next time the program is offered. He has ideas for other projects and needs a little direction.
soberboy taking apart a CD-Rom
photos courtesy The Quincy Patriot Ledger
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It has been a productive week around here. soberboy auditioned for a special part in the upcoming band recital. No news yet on what the verdict is. I managed to clean the truly atrocious and dust ridden office that had become a dumping ground. It took many hours but the dust is gone and the floor is empty. soberdad attended Adoption Day at the county Court and watched some of the kids he'd worked with be welcomed into their new families.
So what is your happy story this week? Or do you have any good tinkering stories to share?