DIYing It on a Rainy Day

Well, work and weather have been against me getting the labyrinth finished this week. No problem! I let loose my inner handyman instead and managed to solve two small problems that needed dealing with.


First, I fixed my rusty shower rod. This was an easy fix. I purchased a $3.49 plastic doo-hicky that snapped over the rusty rod, effectively improving the aesthetics, if not eliminating the oxidation process. I got to use my tape measure and employed the measure-twice-cut-once rule of DIYing. The result was a pleasing no-rust rod. Probably increase the re-sell value of the place by... at least $10.00!




No more rusty rod!



At some point, someone wanted the ability to hang clothes to dry in the laundry room. They took a couple of chunks of wood and nailed them to the ceiling. Pre-drilled holes in the two chunks that were installed perpendicular to the ceiling held the rod on which the clothes were hung. The problem was that while they used enormous nails to tack small chunks to the ceiling, they used finishing nails to tack the larger perpendicular chunks to the chunks tacked to the ceiling. (should have taken before photos!) Anyway, the result of that was that the finishing nails barely cleared the depth of the wood and over time they came loose. The structure was useless when I moved into the house, so I knocked it down with my handy-dandy hammer and installed two closet brackets to hold the rod. Voila! A functioning clothes hanger! (Of course, now I need to paint the ceiling!)



A functioning clothes hanger - and a great excuse to use my new drill.



And I got to use my brand new B&D (I know, it’s not a Makita!) 18V 3/8 cordless drill. I own a drill! How bizarre is that? I own a power tool! (Two if you count the Mouse sander that I got for my birthday a few years ago.)


These two minor repairs represent a major esteem boost for me. This whole relying on myself to get things done is becoming something of an addiction. It feels so good when I accomplish even a minor repair on my own. I like it.


My next project is to put up book shelves down stairs in the rec room. There is a built-in terrarium down there that just makes me shake my head every time I look at it. A friend suggested using it as a book shelf. What a great idea. Wish I’d thought of it myself. (I’ll be sure to take before and after photos this time.)


Well, all this DIYing has made me hungry. Time for some lunch, I think. And look the skies are lifting. Might even get to do some yard work this afternoon.