In 2009, Amy bought the empty house next door on short sale with the plan of renovating it to be a handicap-accessible rental. While some people would classify my position as “On-Site Supervisor”, in reality I was just some guy hanging around taking photographs.
The person who did 97.5 percent of the work was our good friend, Ed. Ed has an amazing construction talent, including finishing projects the way he knows is best, despite our occasionally “unique” suggestions.
“Now there’s an idea,” Ed would say.
It took Amy and me a while to catch on to Ed's subtlety. If the project hadn’t lasted four months, we would have missed it.
“How about turning one of the bedrooms into a basketball court?”
“Now there’s an idea.”
“It’s windy in northern Arizona. Let’s put a windmill on the chimney.”
“Now there’s an idea.”
Today, this two-bedroom, one-bath house does not have a windmill nor a basketball court.
“Now there’s an idea” has become our catch-phrase for those suggestions we blurt out or actions we take without thinking of all the ramifications.
This year, I am my church’s little school’s Chairman of the Board. It’s okay if you don’t call me “Sinatra”. It’s only a pre-school and kindergarten, but the issues and rumors are tremendous.
Some want us to start higher grades. Some want us to stay the way we are. Some want us to stop everything and rebuild into something better. Some think our two teachers and two aides will be fired. Some think all the parents will remove their children. “The children are doing great.” “The children are failing.”
There seems to be something new every couple of days, and since I am Chairman of the Board, it eventually gets around to me, though often second and third hand.
I’m busier now than when I was working every day. This is an itty-bitty, two classroom pre-school and kindergarten in a church building, but the way people are talking, you’d think we’re discussing the future of Harvard.
I wasn’t smart enough to think of Ed when people suggested two years ago that I join the school board .
“You’ll be great on the board. It’s fun!”
“Yeah. Right. Now there’s an idea.”
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