an amusing surprise....

I am a person who advertises that I do not like surprises. The Unexpected is Not for Me. So I was not expecting to find a box by my front door, left there by the USPS, when I got home on Friday afternoon. I guess in truth, I can't say that what was in the box came as a surprise, because as soon as I read the return address, and knew who it came from, I knew what was in the box. But a delight to receive.  As well as so thoroughly amusing, as I smile while typing.

When I went to VA in April to visit family members, it was so early in the spring there that things already past blooming were in their full glory. I enjoyed seeing plants in the landscape, as well as native things growing in unexpected places. Did I tell you that I have figured out the difference between weeds and wildflowers? It's the same as what the realtors tell you about where to buy: location, location, location. If the plants are deliberately placed, carefully cultivated and conscientiously nurtured - they are a beauty-filled garden of earthly delights. But when they spread voraciously, untended, unwelcome, uninvited, invading in unwanted places, then they are weeds.

So - a couple of days when I was up in the mid-Atlantic states, I took off on little rambles through the neighborhood, just looking around, observing the flora, some planted, some natives, but lots of colorful blooms. And noticed one house in a new development that had bluebird boxes, oddly mounted on: vertical lengths of PVC pipe. The thought of using PVC piping as a post had never crossed my mind though I know that many uses other than moving liquids from place to place occur. Like all that pool/lawn furniture that is made of PVC. And utility/work trucks that have large diameter lengths mounted on the body/bed, with both ends capped, to transport whatever tools, rolls of material/paper that will fit inside. And the time I got a long piece, about two inches in diameter, had it sliced into twelve inch lengths and used it to help kids roll out clay when teaching a hand-building ceramics class.

So this homeowner, whose lot I casually walked past, had used long, really long screws, to attach wooden bird nesting boxes to vertical pieces of plastic pipe. Which was pretty ingenious, especially if you happen to have post-hole diggers to put the pipe upright. I was so impressed with out-of-the-box thinking I sort of strolled up in the yard to closely investigate. And reported my discovery to my brother, whereupon we discussed at length the mounting process.  And how to attach the box to the plastic pipe, then where in my yard the invitees might best be happy enough to set up housekeeping and raise a family.

So there was a bluebird nesting box waiting for me from VA on Thursday afternoon. With a two page letter of instructions for mounting.  Complete with the kind of detailed diagrams that you would expect an engineer to provide. So very amusing. And so like the engineer:  he being the guy who was raised by a man who felt very strongly 'if you are going to do it, do it Right the first time'.

I clearly remember looking at my dad, in his latter years, sitting in a chair, wondering 'what is going on?' And having him respond that he was thinking. It was so evident that he was pondering some daily conundrum, working out a solution in his brain before putting his feet and hands into motion.  And hearing my mom say that he was happiest when 'something was broke and needed fixing'.