Really, I don't know why I am on a Mother Teresa kick, only that, everything I have read from her seems so downright full of goodness, it's hard not to want to read more. I guess the ultimate hope is to apply her teachings to our own lives instead of sitting here, nodding in agreement, feeling inspired but remaining unchanged.
At any rate, this week was a truly crazy week.....let me rephrase that, this week was like most other weeks. It was full and rich and teetering a wee too close to the chaotic side. In the midst of the craziness however, I was wholly reminded of how truly fortunate we are to have good friends. I had written an email to our dear friend Marv this last week, asking if he might be willing to help me with a project I was undertaking: making a sandbox for the kids. I had the plan figured out: 8 feet by 8 feet and 12 inches deep. It would be a perfect fit right under our deck so that in the heat of summer, the kids could still play while remaining out of the dangerous sun rays. The kids and I had already been to the hardware store, put the lumber together to look at the size and had bought some of the smaller materials to show our commitment that the rest of the box would get done this year. (I had hoped to do this last year but it never quite materialized.)
Anyway, Marv graciously obliged and on Monday morning we met at the hardware store to buy supplies. He helped pick out good pieces of treated lumber, made sure we bought the right screws (outdoor, deck screws), approved the landscape fabric I had picked out and agreed to come back for whatever else we might find we needed. He then put it all in his minivan and off we went, back to the house where Marv pulled out all his own tools and then kindly let me help him get the sides screwed together before finishing the entire project on his own! What a gift!
He spent the morning trekking back to the store for the correct size screws, some wood stain and brushes, and the correct staples we needed to attach the landscape fabric before putting the braces in the corners, staining the sides and then putting the fabric on the bottom. I think I helped cut the fabric and a piece or two of duct tape, but Marv gets all the credit here. He came back a couple days later to add the corner seats, which he had already cut and sanded at home. After filling the holes with wood putty, he put the final staining on them and now we have the perfect box, ready and waiting....
Now, if we just had 4300 pounds of sand sitting around.....yes, you read that correctly. 4300 POUNDS of sand and that will only give us 8 inches! I was thinking of maybe just taking the kids to the nearby lakes and letting them bring home a bucket at a time from the beaches.....that would only keep them busy for let's say, the next 20 years or so.....
Actually, today will be the big day. Since my FLORIDIAN parents refused to ship that much beach sand our way (ha, ha, I am just teasing), we'll head to Home Depot (some three or four or five times) to buy 88 fifty-pound bags of sand and dump them into the box one at a time (who needs a gym?!) Hopefully my role will include cutting open the bags and taking pictures while making smart alec comments about how it doesn't seem nearly as hard as I thought it would be (while the kids and I watch Kurt do the tough part of course)....
But I do have to offer a wholehearted thanks to Marv for offering up his time and talents to "help" me with the sand box (and by help, I mean completely doing it himself so that it actually got done this year!). We definitely are feeling loved! And we truly appreciate him! The kids are so excited and this will be the terrific weekend for the unveiling of our sand box. And who knows, maybe Kurt and I will actually be able to construct the covering ourselves, maybe.
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
when I was a child we had a sandbox in our back yard, under a big tree. We found endless hours of amusement there.
ReplyDeleteJust remember to "measure twice, buy once" on those bags of sand. And don't break your car's suspension. Have fun in the sand!