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Saturday, May 22, 2004

end of an era

Today I decided that with the house clean and our houseguests gone doing touristy stuff for the day, I would finally give in to LT's patient pleading to take down his "shed".

This started out as a playhouse, right before he had a growth spurt and got too tall to stand up in it. So for the past two years or so it's been his storage shed, for all the things he wants to take apart or fiddle with or invent or just keep because they're interesting or who knows what. He (and his sister) have been staying out of it for quite some time because it was creepy and dank and nasty inside, and a leeetle bit teetery on top. And since our Florida trip in February, plans have been in the works to take down the shed and build a fort like the one he enjoyed so much at my friend's house there. So anyway. Today we finally took it down. This is a big job; we're only partway done and my hands are so tired I can barely type (oh, the hardship. but see how I persevere). And halfway through I started feeling bad that I'd not waited for T to be there for this big event -- but better that he come home and find it done than come home and find a mess, so we'd better get back out there soon.

The worst part of this task -- even worse than the Puff-the-Magic-Dragon-ish nostalgic kind of sadness involved, as my mind replayed the video of the first time the smaller, younger version of my great hulking boy had seen the finished house, and how his face had lit up -- was when I found Shelob's evil twin sister lurking along the floorboards. I am not exaggerating when I say that this black widow spider's body was the size of a small walnut, and her legs were long in proportion. I did not know black widows could be this big. At this point all guilt about doing this without T present evaporated, because one look at that monstrous beast and he'd have been on his way to the emergency room. And to think that this demonic being has been living in my child's playhouse -- next thing you know I'll be finding orcs under his bed (ack, no I won't! the nightmares, the nightmares!). Providentially, I had a hammer in my hand and work gloves on, so the evil thing was dispatched quickly, thoroughly, and with much enthusiasm. [shudder].

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