Are you a perfectionist or a good enoughist? “There is never enough time to do it right, but there is always time to do it over.” — Jeff This topic came up for me during a simple repair. Years ago, Jeff installed an exterior garage door LED night-sensing light. Sometimes, on entering the garage and turning on the overhead light we would hit the wrong switch and unknowingly turn it off. The next night the light is not on. To…
Do you have an old tractor? Expect it to become a decorative lawn ornament one day. Mine did. One minute running fine, the next a howling banshee defying any attempt at forward motion. Predictably, it remained stationary despite a stream of invectives and words of encouragement. How thoughtless. Next came thoughts of “free on Craigslist, all yours, just come, pick it up, and take it away.” This tractor had tested my resolve in the past with choking plumes of white…
This week, I did my part to keep the Maytag Repairman lonely. My circa 1990 Maytag dryer started squealing and chattering like a deranged ferret. Not a quiet machine during the best of times, this sock eater reached a new, annoyingly loud level. So, do you call a repairman? Do you buy a new dryer? As my friend, Jeff would say, “It’s just a paperweight now.” A chance to practice the art of handiness with nothing to lose. With Jeff’s…
On a recent (April 2022) work trip to the OBX Thornton Cottage, in preparation for the arrival of Erin, Ryan, Tobin, and Lily for the summer, a repair problem presented itself. The overhead light in the dark, windowless garage was flickering. Over time it stopped working altogether. So, handyman Tom overanalyzed the problem—as usual. Yes, I first tightened and then replaced the light bulb trying several in fact to make sure I had a working one. I then measured the…
In early July 2021, in anticipation of an afternoon ride, I backed my apparently possessed 2001 BMW R1100RT motorcycle from the garage, propped it up on the center stand, turned it on to warm it up, and walked back to the garage for the helmet and protective clothing. When I turned around, I noted that the headlight was not on and a plume of smoke was coming from the dashboard! I knew I had a smokin’ hot BMW but not…
You know you are spending too much time at home when you find small projects interesting. Most mornings I get an email from Family Handyman magazine loaded with articles that have plenty of “I never would have thought of that” in them. One showed how to extend an electrical box outward. I didn’t know you could do that. Why would you want to do this? A tiled kitchen or bathroom comes to mind. In my case, my workbench has a…
There are so many things in life that I have overlooked, never understood, and am completely ignorant about. Capacitors are one of those topics. In the “It’s always something” theme, my son Morgan pointed out that, despite the 90+ temperatures, the attic exhaust fan was not turning on. He said loose plastic had gotten sucked into the fan, a casualty of a disorganized, cluttered attic. Ok, stifle my “it’s broken and I don’t know how to fix it” canned life…
Old things break, especially old plastic things. I came back from a 50-mile ride on my 2001 BMW R1100RT and set about cleaning the windshield, headlights, rearview mirrors, and taillights but the latter wobbled around when I wiped it. The rear brake light assembly was loose. Roseanne Roseannadanna was right, “It’s always something”. Hoping for simple and quick, I looked under the light but no attachment bolts. Phooey. Here is where your life philosophy comes in. My immediate response to…
Finally, I feel that my quest to become handy has some success. While at the Outer Banks, this summer, I learned to lay patio blocks in the sand to create a stable patio. On returning home I used this new skill on a long-standing problem. Many winters ago, I put big-box-bought deicing salt on the walkway connecting the sunroom to the garage. It quickly spalled the concrete creating a mess. Several years ago, in preparation for repaving the driveway, we…
Things just never turn out the way you think they will. I planned a nice 10-day vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina; walking, bike riding, swimming, sitting on the beach, watching movies, and eating seafood with a few friends. But when I arrived at Annabelle’s cottage in Southern Shores and I found this reminder of Hurricane Dorian blocking my way to the back door. I bought a large crowbar at Home Depot and with the help of Milton…