Why "The Least Handy Man?"

Welcome to my inaugural blog, "The Least Handy Man." I refer to myself as the Least Handy Man in America because I can design just about anything, but don’t (yet) have the skills to make things, outside of anything ad- or graphic design-related. My dad is incredibly handy. Not only can he build a house, which he has, but he built an aerobatic airplane in the garage when I was in high school and college. Yes, it flies and is quite safe. Dad is a consummate craftsman. It's not that I cannot learn how to make things, or that my dad didn't want to teach me, but I was always off doing my own thing during the years a boy oughta be learning those skills from his dad.

In addition to having a very handy dad, both of my brothers and all five of my brothers-in-law have advanced handyman skills. My brother David built a deck onto his house, and remodeled the kitchen (his wife did help). My brother Steven added a new wing onto his house, and is going to add a deck soon. As for my brothers-in-law, Mike jackhammered the slab in his house to add in a new bathroom as part of a project in which he made two bedrooms, closets and built-in furniture out of a big, open space in his house. Lloyd built a big shed ("Plans? I don't need no steenkin' plans!") in which he does handy stuff. Randall put himself through college as a welder. Steve built a shed (again, who needs plans?), which served him for several years, then tore it down and built a bigger one ("No steenkin' plans!") that also has play space for his many daughters. Steve also used discarded lumber he picked up here and there, keeping the cost down. Karl does it all—he is probably the Handiest Man in America. Those are only a few of the many projects these guys have done.

I think you see what I'm up against. And my poor, patient wife is married to a guy who thinks a Philip's head is the CEO of a multinational conglomerate. Amps, volts, watts—hey, don't speak Martian to me! But all of that needs to change, as I don't have the big bucks to pay contractors to do everything. Like build the shed I've needed for years. Or the deck we so sorely need so that I can buy a grill to put on it to grill out. So, among other posts not necessarily related to making stuff, I will chronicle my efforts and education in handymanism.

Thanks for stopping by, and look for photos soon.