Isles and isles full of everything a house can ever need... and more. Usually people go to the hardware store because they are fixing or improving or even building something at home. Initially, I always think of going to the hardware store as an errand - to get the paint or the tool or the plumbing stuff or the sand paper or the stain or the new bucket.
But once I enter that door I am always amazed and all the stuff - all the gadgets all the NEEDED things I can literally use around my house. Not to mention all the other stuff - mason jars for canning preserves, hurricane candles, flower seeds and pots, etc. And I'm not talking about those gigantic warehouses - those behemoths of the hardware world with 100 foot ceilings that are stacked to the hilt with crates of building material like Home Depot (and don't get caught in there during a earthquake). I'm talking your local neighborhood hardware store - friendly and down right personable.
Also appropriately enough - hardware stores always remind me of my Dad... he was and still tries (in spite of his failing eye sight) to be handy around the house. So this sometimes meant trips to the hardware store on Saturdays. It seemed like the store was filled with nothing but dads (with kids in tow) looking to buy whatever they needed to get their homes in working order. I was always amazed and the bins and bins of tools and nails and screws and duct tape and electrical stuff - and frankly, I still am.
The first time I knew I was my father's daughter and loved hardware stores, or maybe it's partly because being single sort of forged the way - I managed my first home improvement project. I mean, I try to be as handy as I can in my own little bungalow apartment - tighten this, hammer that, etc. But in a moment of zen on deciding whether or not to take a job offer - I built, painted and harnessed to the wall the 7-foot book shelves in my living room. My dad was proud - though I'm sure he could've done better job. Still, I really felt a small sense of accomplishment and liked the process (although it was not as nearly as easy as I imagined) - of building something. I was focused, concentrated, determined and totally exhausted afterward. (and I took the job, by the way)
3 comments:
what a great story - i know your Dad was so proud!
i remember many trips to the hardware store and the auto parts place with my dad. there was always so much to see... what a nice memory on Father's Day - thanks!
Auto parts stores! YES!
That's a whole other post :) lol
Isn't it great to look at your handiwork? I love doing diy as DC is not at all practical. My mother was and I learned a lot from her.
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