Big Jim the Handyman

I can proudly say I am a very handy girl to have around. Being the last of 5 kids, and a full 7 years after the rest of them (I was an afterthought) my dad took full advantage of having me around. I was no replacement for a son, but I built a sauna with him, mowed the lawn (not without a little bitching mind you) and worked in the garden. As I got older, I would call home and ask my mom if I could speak to the plumber, electrician, carpenter or butcher, depending on what sort of dilemma I was in. Sirloin or toilet flapper, he could answer just about any question. His favorite answer is "jiggle the jiggler", I guess my toilets run a lot. When I was in college and I sheared off the thermostat in my apartment carrying furniture down the hall, he and my brother-in-law talked me through putting in a new one. A thermostat! That's a big project for a college girl! So now life is a little crazier, I still call my consultant for help, especially in the meat case, but when I have a big project to do around here now, I call Big Jim. Who, by the way, is not big at all, he is skinny, and feeding him gives me great satisfaction.

Now he doesn't do anything that I can do myself. No dimmer switches or light fixtures, no painting or minor repairs. Big Jim puts in gas lines, moves cabinets, does plumbing and guts and retiles my shower. He is the most meticulous person I have ever met, and that is a good thing. My tiles are perfectly plumbed, my gas line was dropped in with precision, and there isn't a drip or leak anywhere. I think he kinda likes my family. When my son told him about a death threat he received by a very sketch employee where he worked, Big Jim was a little riled about it. He would help us out in a crisis no doubt.


So we are in the middle of the master bath remodel. I won't get into details, but let's just say I am very ready to have a shower in my own bathroom. Big Jim has a lot going on right now, and everyone thinks their job is more important than the other. (Who? Me?) So last week was his birthday. He has walked past hundreds of sugar cookies on my dining room table in the past months. I have given him a reject or two and I made a few Easter cookies for him. But for Big Jim's belated birthday, he got cookies only a handyman could appreciate. Or earn! So happy birthday Big Jim and thanks for the great job you do for us!