We’ve been pecking away at building a shed we should have built 30 years ago. I’m not much help to The Deer Hunter other than holding this or carrying this or that when he needs it.
I am enjoying the process though. Being a carpenter’s helper reminds me of all the times I helped Pap as a girl.
I’d hold a piece of board as Pap cut it or run back to his tools to bring him what he needed. I never realized it at the time, but as Pap showed me what he was doing and talked to me he was shaping the person I am today.
It’s been a while since The Deer Hunter last built something as large as the shed. As he works he remembers things from the days he and Pap worked together building houses.
There are two stories about old timers in our area that I’ve really enjoyed.
I love the stories because the men were good friends to Pap and part of my childhood world. I also love the colorful use of language in both stories.
The first one was about a gentleman that lived over in Martins Creek. Actually now that I think about it both men lived in Martins Creek.
The first man was tired of working places that didn’t pay much but had strict requirements about everything you did.
One day they ran into him and he started telling Pap that he really wanted to be a pulp wood cutter.
Pap’s family had real experience with cutting pulp wood. That was my Papaw’s main occupation and all his sons and some of his grandsons were pulp wood cutters at one time or another.
Pap said “Why in the world would you want to do that? It’s awful hard work, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and you don’t make nothing.”
The man’s reply is what I like: “Because I want to lay on my belly and drink creek water.”
If you’ve never laid on your belly and drank from a beautiful stream of clear mountain water I can assure you it’s a wonderful feeling. But quenching his thirst wasn’t really what he was yearning for.
What he desired was to be his own boss out away from folks. Where if he wanted to lay down on his belly and drink from the creek why that’s exactly what he’d do.
A colorful way to say you crave self-sufficiency and independence.
The other story is full of plain talk in a colorful manner.
Pap’s friend was doing some work for a wealthy lady in the community. Fixing things on her rundown house. The only problem was she didn’t want to pay him regular.
He finally took enough and told her what for.
He said “I know you’ve got the money. You ain’t a gonna take it with you when you die. Why I helped carry your husband to the graveyard and he wasn’t a bit heavier cause he didn’t take no money with him. Mark my word they’ll be a singing on the hill for you too one day so you might as well pay me!”
The plain talk worked and she paid him all she owed.
Last night’s video: West Virginia Cornpone & Potato Soup Supper.
Tipper
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I was going to mention how my brother and I built a shed using peeled poplar poles and recycled lumber, but then I remembered I had already written a lengthy guest post. I searched for it and found it was May 21, 2015.
You can read Ed’s post about the shed here: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/the-shed/ 🙂
Tipper, is the fire anywhere close to you all??
I love listening to Paul and your Mother sing!
Tell Matt he is doing a fine job on his shed!
prayers are with your whole family!
Sheila-thank you!! The fire isn’t close to us. I’m so sorry for the folks who are near it. I pray they get the fires put out.
In reading the story about being your own boss, this quote came to mind-Once you carry your own water you will learn the value of every drop!
Norman, so glad your A1C level is low and you’re feeling better.
I don’t see my first comment, I just wrote about drinking water out of a creek with our cupped hands when I was a kid running around with my Grandaddy Kirby, I also wrote about working on a project over the last two days with my son and showing him a trick my Daddy taught me, it was use your hammer to dull the sharp ends of a nail with your hammer, this helps but does not always keep the thinner boards from splitting when nailing close to the end.
Tipper, I have got a confession to make to you. I know one of the Ten Commandments is not to covet, well you and Matt make me break this commandment. When I see and read about y’all doing every day things together, I covet or envy you. Some of the happiest days of my life was doing everyday things of life together with my wife. As much as you don’t want to think about it, the time will come when one of you has passed on and there will be nothing but memories left for the one left behind. The one left behind will remember working on this shed together. I know you can’t write memories on a check and pay a bill, but at the same time these memories such as this are priceless and worth more than any amount of money. Anytime the one left behind looks at this shed, they will remember the other one.
My father-in-law and I built a four-pole tractor shed; a one-room camp house, complete with a door, two windows, and a front porch; and a lean-to wood shed, all from stacks of old lumber and tin roofing a neighbor lady gave us just for hauling it away. Eddie, in his ‘eighties, was the semi-skilled carpenter; I, in my ‘sixties, was his helper. It was a fun time for both of us. Later, as dementia was gaining on him, we built a burning pit, of concrete blocks. He, who had been a master plumber, welder, and steamfitter; who had helped build the Kennedy Space Center, Disney World, and nuclear power plants in several states, struggled with correct block placement to finish the simplest of construction projects.
The shed is coming along nicely. I think it’s wonderful that Pap and Matt had such a good relationship. It reminds me of my husband and my daddy. They always got along great and had mutual respect for each other. My husband still talks about him. If he had a day off and if daddy needed any help with anything, he was always willing. Daddy was the same way with us. Always wanting to lend a hand if he could. When I was young, I use to love to help daddy. Some of my greatest life lessons came from him. Worked hard all of his life and one good man. Loved the stories also today. It’s a fact, you sure can’t take it with you. I had a friend ask an undertaker one time when we had a well-off old man pass in our neighborhood if he’d ever buried anyone with hundred-dollar bills inside the casket. The man laughed and said,” no.” Mama would always say, ” you come into the world with nothing, and you leave with nothing.” Have a great day everyone!!
Just like with Matt and Pap, my father in law was one of my best friends, we did many day to day things (fishing, hunting, helping each other with work) together. In no way am I downplaying the happy memories of my Daddy or my family members. I enjoyed my wife’s family (including my mother in law!) just as much as my own family.
Good morning Tipper. Isn’t it precious when we do something today that takes us back to the ‘when’ of childhood and times with our parents – or even as with these two stories you shared. My daddy was a good, honest and very hardworking man too – worked for himself – often with mama as his helper and occasionally me if she was busy elsewhere. I was the ‘go-fer’ = go fetch this or that. 🙂 Back when a man’s word was his bond and a handshake could make a ‘deal’ that was kept – no contracts required.
The shed looks like it is coming along really well, love the picture; what a great feeling of accomplishment to be able to build that for yourself! Love the memories with your dad too and the stories. It brought to my mind the memory of when my dad made a sink cabinet to put in our garage with some salvaged materials. I was his “helper”, at maybe 6 or 7 yo, when he was cutting a board for the back of the cabinet. When he drilled the hole to go over the water pipe coming out of the wall, he realized he had the board turned the wrong way so the hole was in the wrong place. I can see that scene in my mind & hear his exclamation like it was yesterday, “Rebecca!!” Why’d you let me cut that hole in the wrong place??!! It scared me, I thought OH NO what’d I do? “ME?? I didn’t know”. He was being facetious & laughed that mischievous that he had. He got a lot of mileage out of that funny (to him) memory in the years after that : ) I did not really appreciate it at the time, but now, all of the different times he had me be his gopher and “helper” are precious to me and probably why I enjoy projects or watch people when they are working on something to see how they are doing it and ask questions – probably to their annoyance- but it comes from “helping” my dad as a child and being interested in how to do things.
Great stories and memories. I remember several stories my dad told me of his work experiences. One I can repeat was of a man who didn’t like to wait and waste
time. One day he and Daddy had to go somewhere but Daddy wasn’t ready to leave because there was something else he had to do before leaving. So the man said he would go ahead and leave (walking in those days) so they didn’t waste time. Daddy said the man wasn’t the smartest man he ever worked with.
I can just imagine if you had waited a couple years more to build the shed you would have had a lot of help from the grandsons. After hearing Matt’s stories of the mischief he got in with a hammer and nail, just imagine the additional stories you would have! You can always remember how old the shed is by remembering the grandsons’ ages. Be sure and both sign and date a post somewhere on the shed. And have one of the girls take a picture of you and Matt working on it if you haven’t already. I’m sure you have been a big help to him, Tipper, and you have learned a lot along the way. If not carpentry skills, you’ve learned a lot of stories. You are so fortunate to have a husband who can do so many things.
I had to laugh. Such a colorful way to say ‘I want to be my own boss.’ My Dad was like that. He worked a lot of what he called ‘public work’ jobs but he also did a lot of independent work, including logging, pulp wood cutting and dozer work. Looking back now, here near the end, I would have been happier with a 5-10 acre farm stead myself but as Dad would say, “That’s water under the bridge.” I will just add that a man’s self I respect is a thing to prize and guard. No man really knows its value until he loses it, or rather has it taken. Good men know that and instill it in their children and grandchildren. Matt will get many returns from that shed by the renewed sense of accomplishment he’ll get every time he looks at it. Money can’t buy that and the same job done for hire can’t give it.
Lol! I loved “they’ll be singing for you on a hill one day” I’ll remember that phase the next time someone is giving me grief!
Shed is looking good and really enjoyed the stories.
Just was thinking about how much you would enjoy my view this morning. It is snowing giant flakes which shocked me since the weather man didn’t get much warning the Lord was sending this our way.
What a beautiful, beautiful sight it is here in south central Pennsylvania.
Deatra, I would love to see the snow 🙂
I enjoyed these stories. My son helped me with a project we did the last two days. I was more of the helper, so many things I once could lift or do I can no longer longer do. It brought back memories of doing carpentry things with my Daddy. I showed him a trick my Daddy taught me to help keep the nails from splitting the thin boards, dull the point of the nail with your hammer. I helped a man cut pulpwood in the past when it was cut in 5ft sticks and often hand loaded across the frame behind the cab of a beat up pulpwood truck. After a day of doing this, you don’t need to go by a gym to exercise. I have wrote before about my Grandaddy Kirby. As a child,I tried to spend every minute I could with him. Many times we would be together in the woods near the creek on our property and would cup our hands and drink water from the creek and not worry about it making us sick. I know in many ways, things were a lot harder back in those days but I also think many things were also a lot better. I often find myself thinking of these past times and wishing I could go back.
Tipper, have you ever heard of or do you know how to make lime pickles? thank you
Joe-I’ve heard of them and seems like I tried it once, but I don’t remember for sure. Hopefully someone who knows more will chime in 🙂
praise God you had a great relationship with your father, my test results are in for my lipid panels, the way I see it everything is good, praise God my A1C is down from 6.1 to 5.6, type 2 diabetes can be reversed, praise God, I recently quit drinking milk, milk is loaded with sugar, an unbelievable amount, God bless you friends I love you
Norman-answered prayers! So glad you are improving!!
Great news on the health front!!! We have had success with cutting out sugar and carbs as well.
Norman, have you tried buttermilk? It has only 2-4 grams in a 5 ounce cup. The sugar in milk is lactose which doesn’t cause the rises and falls in your blood sugar like sucrose (table sugar) does plus a great deal of that lactose is eaten up by the bacteria that makes buttermilk what it is.
Hi Tipper, as they used to say” our Dad’s”was cut out of the same cloth”. both God loving hard working honest Men.
What great memories of the stories Pap told you as you worked together. The picture shows y’all have really been a workin! That shed will be up in no time.
You hit the proverbial nail on the head when you said the man craved independence and self sufficiency. Most of us do actually crave those two things and there comes a point in each life where we stand up for ourselves no matter the outcome. Maybe there is word play going on here-you WERE KING now you’re a WORKING stiff and you are WEAKENED by working during the WEEKEND. That’s just a few that come to mind. Words are used to “cast” outcomes, spells and hold power. The shed got me thinking on all the building I’ve heard and seen since last Sept. 28…Please don’t take little Ira or Woodrow out to the shed should they ever need a spanking some awful day… promise me that… lol Actually I think it’s great to fix up and add to your beautiful home! I know the shed will look terrific and be used! Have a good day all.
Could you explain to the folks here what pulp wood is? Or have you already written about it and I have forgotten about it?
Ed-great idea! I will try to do that in tomorrow’s post 🙂
In the old days of the past, pulpwood in my neck of the woods was 5ft sticks of pine trees from a 3 inch diameter up to a certain diameter, maybe 12-14 inches, I don’t remember, sometimes we would fudge on the larger diameter. The larger pine trees were used for sawtimber-lumber. Without really knowing I guess pulpwood may have been ground up into pulp and used for making paper. Again in my neck of the woods, pulpwood was most often cut with a bow bar chainsaw. These saws were not only a “back saver” but allowed you to cut all the way through a tree laying on the ground without having to turn or roll it over. A bow bar is a circular bar and unlike the straight blades, you only used the front of the bar for cutting, anywhere else and the saw would jump up in your face and take your nose off. Many people think of these chainsaws as being dangerous, I never did as long as it was used for it’s intended purpose. A straight blade screwdriver can be dangerous if you try to use it for a chisel. As I have already said, cut and then hand load on the back of the truck 3-5 cords of this a day and you will get a quick education about manual labor.
Could you explain what you mean by the front of the bar? I hope you mean the part nearest the user. The part where the dogs are if it has them. I call that the back of the bar. The end furthest away from the user I call the tip. To me that’s the dangerous part. Even the most experienced user can get hurt badly “tip cutting”.
Daddy used a bowsaw for most of his life. Not the kind you describe though. His was strictly manual. But, in pine he could out cut any chainsawyer I’ve ever see. His bowsaw was easy to start, he didn’t have to refuel it or keep up with a gas can and chain oil. He could scamper around the mountainside with his saw shouldered up like an archer with a longbow.
Ed to me, the front of the bar is the end farthest away from the user, a bow chain saw has dogs at bottom on the curve, you put these against the log you are sawing as you begin your cut, and using the handle of the saw begin to raise the saw up feeding more of the circular section into the log, always keeping the dogs against the log. You can stand straight up without having to bend over like with a straight blade and also cut all the way through and not half way and then have to roll or turn the log over to the bottom side. If you don’t put the dogs against the log when you start your cut, the saw is coming up in you face also if something touches the top of the bar. Since you do not cut with the top straight section of the bar, I made a guard for my saw and would always stand to the side and not right behind my saw. You can get by cutting on the end of a straight bar saw but any saw, straight blade or bow blade can and will jump up when sawing with the tip of the front end. Google bow blade chainsaw and look at a picture, maybe you can understand what I am trying to say better.
Great stories. Sometimes a little plain talk goes a long way.
You described my dad, a Pulpwood cutter. Worked hard all his life. A good honest man.