top of page
Search
Writer's pictureClarke Wallace

JACK OF ALL TRADES

I have a good friend who’s always on top of things. Be it fixing a leaky valve, a broken water pipe. A toilet gone amuck. He has a knack for handling anything without breaking into a sweat.


Brent has finished building a good-sized office desk from wood picked up at a yard sale. It was from an old bowling alley floor cut in seven-foot lengths, four feet wide, two-inch tongue and groove.


The desk he made from it is the same size. Seven feet by four feet. (2.1 m. x 1.2m.). Sanded for hours, painted and polished to look better than new.


Last week his neighbor had a lawn sale complete with a sign. With lots of passersby stopping to see what was what, Brent put out things on his own lawn. Not that the neighbor minded. My friend told me he was sorry he didn’t have more to sell, asking if I had any unwanted stuff and he’d make me a pocketful of change. I had nothing to think of, on such short notice.


Brent sold everything. Mind, he has a gift for buying something cheaper than the offered price, and selling it for a profit. Like a second-hand bright red late model pickup in good shape. He had no intention of selling it, until someone suggested a price he couldn’t resist.


He has a touch many of us would die for. Mind, he has that easy shrug, a grin that lets you know he’s who he is: genuine and trusted.


What’s next? He’s making little Santas out of used plywood (see below) to fill up his lawn closer to Christmas. Last year he made dandy little reindeer out of small branches from a tree on his back lawn. He sold them all, turning the profit over to a local worthy cause.


Author’s comment: How does he do it? He’s affable, low key, openly friendly; always ready for a good laugh. A good time. When deciding to tackle a BIG task around the house, he goes right at it.


This past summer he gave his entire living room a fresh coat of paint. Same with the dining room, among other things. The biggest job? Ripping out the front door and replacing it with a new one which he tells me, was no easy job.


16 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

CHRISTMAS ALREADY?

I wish everyone (everywhere) a (generic) very Merry Christmas. from Clarke (Wallace)

A CERTAIN SADNESS.

It’s that wonderful time of the year, the Christmas season, when the joy on meeting friends who hold a special place in your heart are...

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

I lived in France some years ago and it brings back memories I will never forget. That small plaque at the base of Eiffel Tower reminds...

Kommentit


bottom of page