We all had a good laugh, and Harry admitted he would probably get a lot of use out of this particular gift.
When I texted Harry last night, I reread a message from him back in January, in which he told me about doing demolition in his basement. (He was still having professionals come in and do the reconstruction, so the Yellow Pages, albeit in the form of the Google, would still come in handy.)
I'd been thinking about this recently while pondering the hole in our dining room ceiling. For some months, cracks had formed, and it was just a matter of time before chunks of plaster began descending. Fortunately, none of them landed on us (or the cat).
When we first purchased our home, Mr. Ginley did a lot of painting, some plastering, and even repainted and stippled the living room ceiling. But that was many years ago, and before he began battling vertigo.
Which is why our first inclination was to leave the ceiling alone and let nature take its course.
"It's a conversation piece," asserted Mr. Ginley. "If we just paint the lathe white, it will barely be noticeable."
Normally, I would agree that this could simply go on our list of things that we can't afford to fix right now. But my sister intervened and offered the services of her husband.
And so it was that last Saturday, Tim arrived on our doorstep with a whole host of tools and whatnot. Our son very graciously offered to help -- it seemed like a good idea, given he's been thinking about buying a home of his own down the road.
A few hours later, the original hole was patched, and a second spot in the ceiling, which in all likelihood would have needed attention in the next few months, was also patched. Tim gave Joe instructions on the next steps, which included a sand/plaster routine that would require three additional visits.
After all this is over, I wonder if my son will still want to buy a house.
And if he does, will a toolbox with the Yellow Pages inside be the perfect gift?
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