I’ll be the first (or last) to admit it, but there’s an unknown mystique and a magic to it. Of all the poems I’ve written since the early 1970s, and that could easily be a few thousand, I’ve only written maybe these 16 songs and all but one or two are up on Youtube.com. They […]
The A Cappella Handyman: YouTube Watcher
I watch a lot of Youtube, performances and interviews. The other night on the Kennedy Center Honors, Paul McCartney was being honored. Steven Tyler was one of the performers. He was terrific! He did a medley of Lennon-McCartney songs, these are the lyrics from those songs: “She came in through the bathroom window Protected by […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Lost Loves– Trying to find my ’32 Ford
It was during Las Lomas High School, Walnut Creek, California, 1957 – 1960. I built it from the ground up: reinforced Model A frame, ’40 Ford rear-end and transmission, Model A dropped front axle, reversed front spring eyes, Model A rear spring, loaded early Ford flathead engine, Mercury crank, racing pistons, ported and relieved engine, […]
The A Cappella Handyman: A kind of DNA analysis…
1. Adolf Viggo Larsen (“Farr”) picked me up at the back door steps at 98 Castro Street, San Leandro in his 1936 LaSalle, 4-door family sedan everyday after work and we’d drive the remaining 50 feet or so to the barn-garage, beneath his homing pigeon loft above. What a thrill for a toddler, riding with […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Our physical plant, Part 1
Call it our plant or factory or complex organism where life is received, nurtured, healed, fed, rested, and alerts go out saying that we’re getting old and weary… YESTERDAY after work, I’m sitting on our front porch, texting somebody or something and a black, noodley object is flashing across my keyboard, left to right and […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Two-County Tinker
I used to be a three-county tinker, but I gave up Alameda County. It was just too far to go. I also gave up those under-the-counter jobs where your head and back are in the cabinet looking up at 30- or 40-year old fixtures and drains or garbage disposals in leaking and desperate need of […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Sprinkler Leaks
Sprinkler Leaks Oh, Lordy, the customer calls, her sprinkler heads are not working up to par, several are fine, but some are just dribbling, can I schedule a look in the next few days? Yes, we agree on a time that suits both of us, and I arrive. She heads for the garage to turn […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Networking 2.0
Some from the 1980s called it “networking,” others call it “word of mouth advertising,” marketing, etc. Some case(s) in point: 1. 1970, Sanitary Engineering Research Lab, Richmond Field Station, UC Berkeley. 4-5 other UC labs were at the Field Station also, so to safeguard for empty spaces in my timecard and workload, I “networked” my […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Special projects
Oh, the Joys of Handymanning, sometimes it’s a riot of creativity. Four recent and not-so-recent projects come to mind: 1. Cat House 2. Ramp for a Senior Dog 3. Lazy Susan 4. Backyard Art Museum 1. Cat House A long-time customer had remarried and his new wife had a cat who was accustomed to the […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Honey-Do Handymanning
Honey-Do Handymanning In this my 15th year of riding in this Handyman saddle, it’s time to move on to the Honey-Do Phase. Just as busy as always, but a tad lighter in tasks than previously. What does that mean “Honey-Do?” That’s the phrase where the wife or spouse or significant other says, “Honey I […]