Blog 3536 – 07.10.2025

Home Repair Project

Over the years I have completed more than a few home repairs projects. Like most men I usually put them off as long as possible hoping to avoid them entirely. One of the longest procrastinated project that I hoped I could avoid altogether came crashing down into my lap a few days ago (almost literally.)

About thirty years ago, my brother-in-law (at the time) was working on our heating and air conditioning system in the attic over the living room and accidentally step off the ceiling joists and almost came crashing through. Fortunately, he was not hurt but the ceiling was bowed down considerably near the first ceiling fan from the back wall.

We spackled the cracks and decided to forgo repairing it right away. Fast forward thirty years and a few days ago my wife noticed the ceiling cracks had opened up and said we needed to spackle or caulk the cracks again. The last several years my excuse has been that since our property has become far more valuable than the house that we are sure anyone buying it will tear the house down and build one of those two-story mini-mansions in its place. They have been going up all around us for years.

Well, I attempted to patch over the cracks again with some left over floor tile adhesive that I had tried to use unsuccessfully on a previous home repair project and I thought that I had it looking much better when later that same day I heard a loud crash and came into the living room to find a big hole in the ceiling and a mess of broken sheet rock and insulation all over the floor. The wetness of the compound I used had further weakened the sagging ceiling and it let loose in a big way.

A favorite quote from Eric Sevareid, long time CBS journalist and author, came to mind:

“Most of our problems are caused by our solutions.”

At any rate I could not procrastinate any longer and after cleaning up the mess two days ago, my wife helping, and with both of us having to wear dust masks, I started planing to begin the the demo and rework today, but instead got a jump on it yesterday doing most of the demo and making trips to both Home Depot and Lowe’s to buy all that I would need to complete the job. Some of the necessary tools I already have. I spent about two hundred dollars and may have to buy at least a gallon of paint to complete the job after everything dries.

I am sure it would cost a lot more to have this done, but it would take a lot longer and be a bigger inconvenience and interruption for my wife so I am trying to handle it and minimize the cost and interruption to our daily lives. Except for my weekly drive to our Bon Wier property and back, a half day adventure at most, my daily life in retirement consists mainly of some yard work, a little house work, watching a lot of TV, writing this daily blog reading the news on my phone and checking Facebook, and eating probably more often and in larger quantities than I should.

Back to my home repair project, once I start a project I usually get into because I really enjoy working with my hands and figuring out how things go together. My son and his wife bought a house on a one and one third acre lot last year and cutting all that grass is a much more time consuming weekly project for at least ten months out of the year. Jay enjoys doing it himself, but is getting a new, bigger, and better zero degree turn riding lawn to save time doing that task. I volunteered to do it for him quoting the line from the movie Forest Gump where he is talking to his beloved deceased wife Jenny and says that the city fathers of Greenbow, Alabama got together and offered him a fine job cutting grass at the high school that he enjoyed so much that he cut that grass for free. Jay did not take me up on the offer, but after he gets to enjoy his new mower a few times I hope that he will. Hey, I would honestly not mind at all another break from my daily retirement routine and say any chance to be closer to my granddaughter would be a welcome benefit as well.

I had better wrap this up so I can gathered my tools, supplies, put on a dust mask, gloves, and hat, and get back to work. That ceiling is not going to fix itself. A line from my daily mantra says:

“Whatsoever my hands find to do this day, I shall do with my whole heart, finding purpose in even the most menial and repetitive of tasks.”

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White