Happy 4th of July--Handy Man Edition
My handy husband and I at his 60th birthday party last weekend
In WILDFIRE, my memoir about our first year after the fire, I included an essay about my handy husband. Honestly, we’d no longer be in California if he wasn’t so incredibly good at building, designing, making, and working incredibly hard. This last trip to the property, he spent every day hard at work, creating a space that is now officially livable. We have our vacation home and it’s amazing.
We arrived in March and he’d set himself the goal of finishing these major projects by June 28, the date of his 60th birthday party. Before the fire, we’d held an annual party in the Big Trees, complete with band and food. However, we hadn’t pulled one off since the summer of 2019. Given he was turning 60 this year, we thought it would be the perfect time to return to the habit of hosting a musical event with our community. Only, given we had no porches or stairwells with railings, this meant Walt had a ton of work to do to make it safe and presentable.
Queue the handy man spring.
From mid-March until mid-June, my husband completed the following: two porches, a full set of stairs, a parking spot for the guest house, four small gardens, his pong venue (garage), and a fully automated gate. To say I’m proud of him would be an understatement. I’m actually in awe of him.
As I prepared a slideshow to share all the things he made with his hands since the fire, it got me thinking about the American spirit. This concept of homesteading, of building a new world from nothing, is the foundation of our country. I realize that it’s fallen out of vogue in many circles to be proud of America, but given what we’ve been through since 2020, watching my husband tend to this land and lovingly shape it into something beautiful after the devastating fires, I’m compelled to honor the spirit of the West, the spirit of our nation of builders, makers, and dreamers. Americans are diverse, we are united not by blood but by land. A land that is wild and free. A land that includes deserts, mountains, rivers, valleys, prairies, and cities. A land that calls us into relationship with it.
At least, that’s what it’s like to steward the land we call home in California. Always it has been more than I can handle, but never too much for my husband. He was made to work in this way, to participate in recovery in this way. It’s such an honor to be his wife.
Happy Birthday Walter and congratulations on your amazing achievements! I’m blessed to be here by your side.
And Happy 4th to all my fellow Americans. May you find the spirit of our land and make wonderful things!
