h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Lady Scott,

this just an idea. when my dad died we gave people at funeral a little picture of him. people could then remember him like that. the picture you talk about in posting 236 sound like a nice picture for it. I still have pictures of both my grandmothers.

for Lady Scott - Amy - Shorty

pheloxi

I've seen this done quite often lately, often with collages of them throughout their lives. It's a lovely rememberance.

I'm back home!

Very Bittersweet - laughter and tears at the funeral. Dad was unique, to say the least. He'd made solid walnut flower urns for the church a few years ago, and those were used at both the funeral home and at the church service.

Rather than having a lot of pictures of Dad on display, there was a small one of Mom and Dad together on the stand that held the book people signed, which was taken several years ago. At home, Mom had a photograph album which held pictures of a lot of his woodworking and carpentry projects over the years, including a couple of pictures of the house he built for us when I was very young. (yes everything, including laying the brick for the fireplaces and chimney, and the electrical work) My sister and I realized that there were several items he made for us that were not in those pictures, so we each plan to take pictures of them to be added to Mom's album. He used to make oven rack push-pullers out of scraps of wood, and my brother found quite a few of those in his woodworking shop which we gave to people who visited the house, so many the closer relatives will have a useful remembrance of his handicraft.

Wonder of wonders, it is finally raining steadily here.... My brother says that Dad found the "weather room" up there and has locked himself in there while he "fixes" the drought.

It was great seeing cousins that I know I haven't seen in 20-30 years or more, just wish it had been under happier circumstances.

What a great talent he had, Lady Scott.
One of my grandfathers built the house that
he and my grandmother lived in. Maybe a lot
of people did that sort of thing back then.
Nowadays, most of us hire contractors to
arrange the actual building, because we're
too busy with our "real" careers.

Or, maybe there was a building boom 50 to 100
years ago, and you had to do a lot of things yourself
because professional carpenters were too busy....

Dad built that house - a cape cod style - in order to save money. He had finally convinced his parents to let him buy the farm from them so that he could build his own house for his family, instead of continuing to live in two upstairs rooms in his parent's house, so money was tight. Besides, he thoroughly enjoyed carpentry work and wood working, almost as much as farming. When the house we later moved to was built (this involved selling my grandparents farm and moving to a farm 1-1/2 hours away), he hired a contractor do the job. That house was not built nearly as solidly as the one he had built. Dad spent a lot of time following the construction workers around with a tape measure and a level, making sure they did it right, which meant they had to rip a lot of stuff out and redo it right.

When Mom was telling the preacher about the house the other day in preparation for the funeral service, she said that after he had laid the cinder blocks for the basement a storm came along and the tremendous amount of rain that fell washed down off the hill and knocked down one wall - he rebuilt the entire thing, of course. He was such a determined man.

YAY! You're back!!!

*dances joyfully*


My grandfather was a carpenter all his life. He was so particular about the cabinetry he made, that all the screw slots had to be lined up in the same direction. I suppose I get my streak of perfectionism honestly, anyway.

Honestly? Of course!

Honey, that's not the sort of thing
anyone would want to steal.

Your dad sounds like someone I would have loved to know.



In many ways, I've already met him through knowing you, Lady Scott. He must be a wonderful man.

About that, Paul ... I can't even *give* it away, let alone persuade anyone to steal it.

Lately, I've just said "screw it" to perfectionism!!! My grandfather may have approved, as long as my screws lined up.

Why does that sound mildly dirty?

Maybe because it is?

*scrubs down the thread to remove the last traces of dirtiness*

Oops!

Oops. I believe that was my dirt.



Shame on me ... ooo ... for shame.

*throttles self with wet noodle*

Not you so much...

AW, though..

*tsk, tsk!*

This is what happens when I'm talking to her on IM at the same time I'm trying to post... not only do we inadvertantly come up with very similar posts (unless we actually *discuss* what we're going to post), they end up out of order...

Out of order?
Can that be done without a time machine?
Or even a newsweek machine?