It was one of those weekends. I said something and it put the my husband’s back up so he retreated to the man cave for two days. The garage that is. I became the cleaning Nazi. We are such a normal couple.
The kids made themselves scarce sensing something might blow and stayed at friends’ places.
It is a known fact that many men love their caves, I mean garages. Full of storage stuff, junk, projects started but not finished, broken bits that he says ‘can be fixed’ and car pieces that just don’t have a use anymore. But Jason loves it. I told him on Friday he had way too much junk in the double garage that we can’t put two cars and one motorbike in there anymore. Of course it is my car that had to sit outside. So I suggested, ok, I told him clean it out. If he hadn’t used it in the last two years, or it was broken or something not finished get it out. The council is picking up household rubbish this week.
Out went the kids clamshell wading pool, two broken kids scooters, old car bits, Makeyla’s broken dolls house, broken fishing rods and the recently collected box of different type wood off-cuts. Jason had planned to make picture frames with them. Which surprised me that it was being thrown. He was only talking about giving picture framing a go after I priced up some frames for a few prints we received as gifts for Christmas. Out of the cave it went, it was all gone, gone and gone.
All the clambering in the garage going on I happened to see a black mark on the wall in the hall. I looked closer at the wall the mark was huge. Must have been a school shoe. I cleaned it off then noticed more marks started appearing further along the wall, then around the corner then in another room and another room. I was sure they were not there half an hour before. It was strange because the kids weren’t at home. How could these marks suddenly appear? I wondered if the house had a poltergeist playing tricks on me. I’d clean one wall only for the ghost to attack the facing wall. These dirty walls could not have always been there could they?
I put away the linen at one stage and noticed in the cupboard boxes of old glass bottles I had collected over the years. Thin, fat, coloured, wonky and all shapes and sizes. I had been meaning to do something with them. Perhaps make a wind chime with wire but never got the time. Even the idea of making a wind chime now seemed naff.
I cleaned up the plastic cupboard and did a stocktake on what had lids or didn’t. I took heaps of stuff out to the massive council clean up pile on the edge of the road. I can’t believe by the way, how many trucks vulture tour the streets around council clean up time. So true that old saying what is someone’s trash is someone’s treasure. Anyway, I looked at the pile of our trash and thought I had two more boxes to add. I brought out those boxes of bottles. If Jason was cleaning up un-done projects, so must I. I could leave them out for recycling but I wanted someone to take them and love them into some fancy display or even a wind chime.
By dusk I happened to notice the boxes were gone. I was happy that someone liked them to take them but also sad that they were now not mine. Dinner was quiet with Jason I don’t think because he was cross at me saying his stuff in the garage was rubbish we were both just tried from our busy day.
So cleaning Nazi me was back at it Sunday taking the curtains down for a wash and cleaning the bedroom light fittings. In and amongst loads of washing and the usual jobs. My concentration on cleaning the pantry was interrupted by hammering and sawing noises from the cave. I smiled, Jason was making something. Perhaps he took retrieved those wood off cuts he left out on the lawn and was making picture frames.
I ducked out to pick up groceries just before lunch and to grab something nice for our lunch. Jason was very talkative at lunch when I asked him what was he building in this cave…erm garage. He said he would show me when it was finished but he needed to pick up a few things from Bunnings. So no snooping he said. I promised. I didn’t snoop but it was so hard hold myself back.
Jamie came home and was called upon to help his dad. I heard a lot of grunts and groans & the odd swear word. I realised it could not have been picture frames Jason was making. The pictures were still in the spare room.
A little while later when Makela was home the grand unveiling happened. I was called to come into the garage. Wow the space in the garage took me back. We could fit my car in here again. The push bikes were up on bike racks. The junk was out. I could see the floor. Something new was the husband made a wooden storage display cabinet that Jason was holding his hand out to. “Here is an early Mother’s Day gift, love.” A week early. I walked closer to inspect his handiwork. He had distressed the wood and the effect was great. It was the off cut wood Jason had collected was recycled and used to store my bottle collection. Then he had tiered the bottles in size and colour on different shelves with a small wooden strip so they wouldn’t fall off. I was overwhelmed. It brought tears to my eyes, it was beautiful.
My cave dweller had emerged with gold.
How have you been pleasantly surprised with home made gift? Or Mother’s Day gift for that matter?
There was silence as we ate when one of my cousins mentioned she was sad that Grandma’s famous dessert was not here. Grandmas made this very sweet coconut cherry slice. It was full of sugar and condensed milk. There was lots of talking over each other before one of my cousin’s kids piped up saying she never liked the dessert because it was too sweet. Instant silence, a pin could have dropped and it would have sounded like breaking glass. The kid went bright red in panic and tried to hide behind her mum for fear of the wrath of disgust by everyone. Then everyone burst out laughing and exclaiming how they too didn’t like the dessert. I must admit that dessert was too sweet for me as well. Poor Grandma, I wonder if she knew everyone ate it to please her.
