The Handyman's Work

No sooner did our handyman finish staining the new deck boards and it rained. But the water beaded up and the wood was protected and all is fine.

He did a great job and, as always with the jobs he does for us, at a very reasonable price. We are fortunate to have found him. He always texts to confirm dates, shows up on time, is collaborative about our designs and needs, and cleans up after.

He's in his mid sixties, so not much younger than we are, but he works like a much younger man. He's spry, he lifts and totes and kneels and climbs ladders that daunt us. He's been up on our roof to check for leaks, and down on the floor to fix plumbing.

And he'll do tiny little jobs like sticking a loose tile back on the wall. He changed our smoke alarm batteries (the ones up high). He has a key to our house.

I fear that he will retire soon, and then where will we be? You can't find a reliable on-call handyman easily. You can't find one at his prices anywhere. 

If and when he does retire we will just have to move to a condo.

       By the way . . .

     . . . . the fresh stain on the deck smells overpowering, smelling up the whole back yard and the neighbor's too. And the viburnum blooming at the corner has never been so flowery and so strongly fragrant. It's a heady, spicy scent, but the delicious aroma in combination with the sharp odor of stain is headache inducing.

The stain odor will go away in time and we can open the windows again, and the viburnum will stop flowering after spring. It's unfortunate they both are so fragrant at the same time.