My dad called and said he had a break from work so he’d be down the next day to “work on my deck.” Work on the deck meant replacing all the boards and the railing as the original was built 23 years ago and it was getting a little shabby.
I had less than 24 hours to get ready for this project. I quickly Googled deck ideas and came up with a plan. I love working on projects with my parents. They have this “get it done” attitude! (Or as my mom would say, no rest for the wicked.)
I remember pounding nails with my dad when I was barely old enough to hold the hammer. He would give my brother Gary and me a can of nails and an old board. We learned early to keep our fingers away from the head of the hammer. I had a couple of blood blisters in my day. If we cried, Dad would say “Don’t hit your fingers then.” And laugh. (I clearly did not grow up with overprotective parents.)
After we pounded all the nails in Dad would tell us to use the claw end to pull the nails back out. It was an early version of a video game and kept us busy for a few hours.
My parents had started out with a small cabin, no running water and added on to it as they needed. After Gary and I got older, we needed bedrooms of our own. My first memory of actually building with my dad was when we added a couple of bedrooms on the back of our house. He built the frame and laid out the floorboards while we followed along behind him nailing the boards down. I think I was about 5 or 6.
How many kids get to build their own bedroom floor? Dad whistled through the entire project.
Over the years we have built decks, a playhouse for the kiddos, and a sun porch just to name a few. My parents have always been hard workers. My dad shows no signs of slowing down at 78. He can outwork men a quarter his age. I feel it is such a gift to me to spend this time with my mom and dad. We aren’t just building projects; we’re building a lifetime of memories.
“Whatever good things we build
end up building us.”
~ Jim Rohn
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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