Helping Tom (Tampa, FL)

The rain has finally stopped. It’s been coming down for three days without any hesitation. I’ve been pulling trucks out of the mud, stuck on flat ground, with our 4×4. Even the birds around here look a bit water-logged.

Temps dropped into the high 40’s last night but I’m not complaining. Talked to my brother in Arlington and snow there. In fact, he had to cancel his farrier work in upstate Maryland today due to the dumping of snow.  Tom and Deana called their boys back in Rapid City and the high today was not getting out of the single digits. As a result of the rain, we’ve been shopping, eating, and putting on the miles walking around Lazy Daze RV Sales. Tom and Deana have been looking at trading their fifth wheeler. While they did, we looked and after talking economics with the salespeople, it looks as if we’ll be keeping our unit for some time. Tom bought some new bicycles the other day but he needed a bar across the bow of Deana’s so he could attach it to the rack when traveling.

I watched him improvise, cutting a piece of conduit, heating and shaping it, and then drilling holes to fabricate it’s perfect fit on her bike. A light bulb went off in my head.

I’m going to need to do some work in my new trailer with storage, organization and shelving. So I asked for assistance in what I needed to purchase and Tom gave me the answers I needed. As well, he has been helping me to get that task done by getting some shelving up in the trailer. I take that back. Tom carries a mobile hardware store with him. I watched him get his drill, his sawzall, bit, and screws out and begin like a man on a mission. The man carries a virtual hardware store with him. He measured and sawed, rigged and clamped while I assisted without becoming a burden. So, Tom, essentially has put shelving in my tow trailer

while I brought up the rear with a great deal of observation and positive reinforcement. I have a knack for that–seducing friends to take the lead when I need some odd jobs completed. I guess I was just cut out for managerial material and taking second fiddle to the doers. Feeling a bit guilty, I wanted to repay all the work done for me. I made a pork tenderloin and Robin prepared all the fixings for Tom and Deana and we all enjoyed a festive dinner.