It's easy

 First the good news, I have found a good, decent, reliable handyman to hire do things that I cannot.   That is a relief and although I am learning all the time there is still much that is beyond my capability,  so much that Jerry did always and I cannot.  Often I do not know where to begin but stumble along.  When I am successful I feel very proud of me.  When I am challenged it is frustrating.  

 Lately doors seem to be my challenge.  That old adage, "when one door closes another opens,,,,"  maybe, maybe not.  For me lately I have not found  doors opening so I am waiting.  Mostly it  seems that I stand behind that closed door looking out and wondering, watching, waiting.  

 Months ago  to keep busy during sub zero temps I was polishing all the wooden doors and trims inside the house, a huge effort that I have never done all alone before. 
And being short I had to use the 2Step Stool to reach the tops of the doors and trims.  Kept me busy.  Then I tackled the downstairs where I yanked and pulled a folding dual wooden door off track between the study and TV room.  It began to fold up and come down on me, bigger than me but I got it to the floor.  Trouble was I could not put it back up, Called a friend to the rescue who restored it and had to unbend the bracket I'd twisted.  He and his wife cautioned me that could have been really bad and I was lucky and please be careful.  I try to be,  And yes, what would I have done underneath, wedged into the folding door,on the floor, alone, here?  But  thankfully my tribe of angels guarded me once more.  

Last winter the two end boards at the corner of the deck came loose, the wood had deteriorated.  I patched it  by holding it together with zip ties and shoved it back, wedging it into place to hold through the winter.  It did that. Nothing else came loose and the lattice work 
stayed put too,  I imagined everything would begin to fall apart like a towering jenga stucture  where a balancing piece had been pulled loose, thankfully it turned out to be not so.  So early this year I checked and decided a dose of gorilla glue could work on that wood while I figured out how to get it fixed.  I need to keep it secured and the screen in place to thwart wild life critters, rabbits, squirrels, etc  from taking up residence underneath the deck.  So I couldn't have been happier when Bob , the handyman looked at it and said, "oh that is an easy fix, I'll stop by and get it in no time."  And he did.  It was easy for him.  He replaced the ends with sturdier boards, treated wood that I can paint later when it is warmer or not.  Easy.  

So the back door to the garage is warped and has seen better days. It is original to this house.  Jerry was going to replace it, "one of these days..." and well now here I am.  So I asked Bob who again said, " sure easy.."   He measured it, told me to get a right hand swing, new lock and to go over to Menards and look, pick out what I wanted but advised me to get steel insulated, Mastercraft brand.  In another month or so because he is booked busy for a few weeks.  Well I won't be doing this until after Jerry's committal service May 7 anyway, so that works for me.  

Out of curiosity I looked on line today at Menards and wow!  Who knew a door could be so complicated, sure the dimensions are easy but so many other things, options, so I will need another quick consult before deciding.  These things that are so easy for a man who knows what to do are as challenging as a door closing in my face to me.  

  

Sepia Saturday 203 Doorways and beyond

Every doorway, every intersection has a story. 
Katherine Dunn 

While looking for doorway photos for this week's prompt, I found  two in my  file of mystery  people ... Their identities were likely well known to my relatives who kept the photos, but here in 2013 as the surviving person, I have not a clue.  This first iconic photo taken as so many with someone out the door and very close to the step of the porch.  But another person is  standing in the doorway.  This was with photos from my late Aunt Marge and among hers from 1941-42 in Cleveland, Ohio.  She was better than most at identifying the people in her photos but not here.  It might be in early fall or spring, the woman has a coat over her shoulders and open toe shoes, purse along side, ready to  come or just returning.  A story waiting to be told.  Aunt Marge lived in Cleveland when she was a young single hair dresser before marrying Uncle Carl and some of the time when he was away in the Army during World War II.   

The second photo is from Pennsylvania and while not in the doorway, behind her ,the lady is on the porch. This was in my late Aunt Virginia's collections..It could be my grandmother's sister, Mary who lived across the river from us in a house with a big porch. I've written before about Sunday's with my Great Aunt Mary and the Janosky clan.    The back of the photo has labeling which  identifies it as a "Kodacolor Print, Week Ending May 26, 1956."  Whoever she is, she means business and might be  just leaving  for church;  my grandmother and her sisters usually display that down to business look in their photos.   She has likely just come out the door, dressed in hat and coat, while the photo is fading the hat and coat were a pink shade.  While Aunt Mary might have splurged on a new spring coat, I cannot imagine it would have been any color but a basic serviceable dark, color, navy perhaps, but pink?  

Finally another photo that is more meaningful to me today with both Mom and our son, Steve gone.  Not a doorway, which they have passed through but still posed in front.  Taken in July, 1972 in Pennsylvania at my old home; Steve and I  were there for a visit from California, it was for my 10th high school reunion.  Steve is on the front steps and Mom, grandma, is behind on the edge of the porch. Her hands are on her hips while Steve has hung his thumbs inside his pockets.  It is pre-digital photo ability and not close enough for good detail, that we could get today.  I am also surprised that this was developed in black and white, but it was with Mom's things and likely taken by Barney, her 3rd husband.  They have both just come out the door; we hardly ever used the front door to that house where I grew up, we came in from the side or back doors only.  The front door opened into the living room and we would not have thought of entering there, that was for company.  By the way, relatives also came to the side or back doors, so it had to be someone special to come to the front door.  But after I left home, and would return to visit,  Mom allowed use of the front door.  Still, I would revert to the side door mostly, it's what I was used to, an old habit.  This is one of the few photos I have of the old home which is still standing but is owned by a nephew with whom I have no contact.  He has changed the house color and I know not what else, because after Mom passed in 2004 and Jerry  and I stayed there for the funeral,  I have never again been inside the house. 

From doorways and unknowns to dear departed loved ones, this has been a Sepia Saturday post.  To see what others in our international community are sharing this week, use this link

http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2013/11/sepia-saturday-203-16-november-2013.html