My handyman hero repairs the dryer.
We
hear about military heroes, community heroes, and some people are
fascinated with fictional superheroes. So this Labor Day I want to
tell you about my hero who is a real handyman. He has no formal
training as a mechanic, carpenter, electrician, exterminator,
plumber, nor as a techno geek. None the less he functions equally
well in all those roles. He is more of a “figure it out as you go
along” kind of handyman. He does read car manuals, ask
professionals for advice, investigate things online and watch videos.
Picnic table Paul made for the restaurant.
This
is someone who can fix a squeaky door, electric car windows and a
truck fan (essential equipment in the tropics), a clothes dryer,
bread machine and leaky toilets, showers, faucets and radiators. And
you should see the furniture he makes! Beginning with a photo or
someone’s idea he has made picnic tables, beds, shelves, dining
room tables, and a curved corner bench with a matching round table.
He also trouble shoots my technical problems with cell phone service,
computer viruses, internet connection, and other stuff that seems
like magic to me. (I grew up when telephones worked through wires on
the street.) Then there are the home improvement projects like
extending a roof, building walls, making a door or doorway, keying a
lock, fixing a sagging porch, and adding electrical outlets and
lights. And I don’t take running water or a hot shower for granted
because I know the countless hours he has spent improving the
Emmanuel Center’s water system. Sometimes he has to hike to the
spring and clean the tank or repair a broken hose, clean filters,
replace a pressure gage, or clean or repair a water heater. Since we
live in a jungle, he also keeps pests at bay, so I mainly sweep up
dead bugs. But when the occasional snake or mouse get inside, he is
the one who takes them out. He also investigates those stinky smells
coming from the river and cleans the animal carcasses off the rocky
shore so I can go swimming.
Cleaning the leaves out of the water tank.
The
other thing I appreciate is his preparedness and ingenuity. Maybe
that came from being a boy scout or growing up with a single mom.
When he replaces the guts of a toilet, he squirrels away all the
functioning parts for future use. That is reasonable since it is an
hour’s drive to the local hardware store and three hours to
something like a Home Depot. When he plans a project, like putting up
the wall between our bedroom and office, he buys or has delivered all
the parts and pieces ahead of time. Other repairs he has to use what
he has in his shop to make something function, like the hose he used
to repair the truck fan. In Costa Rica they call that kind of
ingenuity “McGivering". Other
people benefit from Paul’s abilities, too. He and our neighbors
joined forces to put new panels in the bridge near us.
Our dog, Kira, testing the new bridge panels.
To
show my appreciation I make banana bread, chocolate cake in a mug or
no bake cookies for my handyman hero, Paul. I am so glad the Lord
gave me a husband with so many abilities.
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