One of my spring cleaning projects was to pressure wash the deck. Most of it looked pretty nice, but the railings were clearly beyond cleaning. They were splitting, splintering and obviously in need of replacement. Not a big deal you say? Well, for those who know me, being handy is not my strong suit. However, being up for a challenge, I borrowed a miter saw and headed off to Lowe's to purchase a load of 2x6's. With all materials in place it was time to begin. I measured carefully twice (the old saying goes, "Measure twice, cut once"), but for some reason the mitered joints did not fit together exactly right. They were close, but it was evident the job was done by an amateur and not a true professional carpenter. In the end, the deck rail looks decent enough, but I am no carpenter. I had a good time and feel like I learned a lot. I will not shy away from carpentry projects in the future, but nothing too difficult or complicated.
On a different note, my late father was very handy and a good carpenter. Always the comedian, Dad used to joke about his carpentry skills. He'd complain about his mistakes by saying, "I cut the board again, and it's STILL too short!" I wish Dad had lived longer (47 was just too young!). I'm sure he could have taught me a lot about being handy. Since that's not possible, I'll just have to do the best I can on my own.
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