Mag ik aan jullie presenteren: manlief's verhaal over het maken van onze eigengemaakte rustieke houten ladder...
May I present to you: my dear husband's story about our DIY project...
A Friday not too long ago, my dear wife made inquiry as to our plans for the weekend. Her suggestion was to invest in time together by taking a walk in the park. As family time is a cause I’m always for, I welcomed the idea. As we put on coats and shoes, my sweetheart suggested we gather a few long sticks, and also some shorter ones, during our perambulations through the park. My eyebrows rose.
As my wife generally prefers walking unencumbered, I thought her request rather odd. Upon questioning, I learned that “family time” was not a mere walk arm in arm through the park, listening to the chirping of birds and babbling of brooks. Rather, this walk through the park was to be a search for six sticks, of appropriate height, diameter, and form that could be tied together into an old-fashioned ladder. It did not matter that no one a hundred years ago would have used such a ladder, and it would have been foolish for me to make such a comment. So, I said, “Aha.” There are many things I want to accomplish or experience in life, but constructing a ladder with 6 sticks and some string somehow had not made its way onto my list.
Nonetheless, our little family set out on our trek through the woods. The sun shone, the birds chirped, and the brooks babbled. As we searched under the chilly shadows of the trees, we found a number of wet, mold covered specimens of wood that we thought would be deserving of a place in our living room. Mission accomplished, we headed home and I congratulated myself for being such a good sport in my wife’s project.
But unbeknownst to me, family time had just begun. These sticks would have to be bathed in hot water, scrubbed clean, removed of all their bark, and then dried. (Surprisingly, they would not be painted white.) And last—but certainly not least—these six sticks would be tied together into a ladder.
So that this entry can make it past the editor, I will not describe the tying of the sticks in great detail. Suffice it to say that after my first attempt, and two failed attempts by another party to improve on the first attempt, I found the sticks and twine back in my hands. The fourth attempt passed muster. To celebrate the accomplishment, three famished souls consumed their lunch.
Family time had been much more than any member of the family had anticipated, yet we had spent a morning working alongside one another and at the end of the day we had something to show for it. An antique-style ladder, though hazardous to climb, yet a very rustic support to the candles and hearts which would hang from it. And most importantly, when we sit on the sofa and watch the candlelight dancing on the wall between those six sticks, we have a memory of time together, as a family.
-Rapp Crook
Fijne dag allemaal.
Geniet van je dierbaren en familie ;)
Have a wonderful day.
Enjoy your loved-ones and family ;)
Liefs, Liesbeth
