My husband, Timmy, is an avid hunter, fisherman and over the past few weeks he has sharpened his skills as a carpenter.
At the first of December he asked me what I wanted for Christmas. “Nothing.” my usual reply for everything. He dropped the subject until the week before Christmas. I told him that I’d rather have something that he made just for me, than for him to waste money on something that I would never wear (he buys me jewelry). So we sat down and drew out a pantry cabinet.
“Well, what kind of wood do you want me to use?” I chose cedar, since all the furniture in our house seems to be made of it and because its a beautiful type of lumber.
Every night that week he would sneak out to the barn and work for hours or until he got frustrated with it. Never saying if it was coming along good or if he was finished with it. Men.
On Christmas morning he took me out to the barn and said, “Go ahead, move the tarp.” Well, I was shocked right out of my shoes. It was beautiful. Far exceeding my expectations of his handy work. He had taken this rough pile of lumber and created a master piece. “Look at the handles.” he said, “That’s my special touch.” Deer antlers. No, I’m not kidding, the man had taken an old rack of deer antlers and created knobs for the doors. They fit perfect and yes, it is just like Timmy to do something like that.
Right now my cabinet is sitting in our bedroom. I love it when people come over and ask where I got the cedar cabinet. I smile and proudly say, “Timmy built that just for me.”
Our first Christmas as a married couple and he gave me a gift that will last a life time. I already told him what I wanted for my birthday. A new kitchen table. He just laughed and said, “At least I’ve got longer than a week this time.”
*This column was published in the Citizen Voice & Times on Thursday, January 15, 2009
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