While waiting for the school bus about a week ago, my son lamented the fact that there was no place to sit. We have to be outside waiting between 5 and 25 minutes every day, as the bus is never on time, and there is about a 25 minute window where the bus just might show up. So we wait. My daughter and her friend entertain themselves, but my teenage son's only focus is, "How long will this take, and couldn't I just go back to bed until the bus arrives?"
A place to sit is the next best thing.
So, I took it upon myself to create (Notice I did not say build, as this will become important later) a place to rest one's weary bones, and a back pack or two.
I looked aroud the property and came up with a bunch of soon to be rotting stumps from trees that had been cut to create our new driveway. If I took those stumps and found some old boards (which is easy to find at our place) I could create a couple of benches for us to utilize. I even found an old giant spool (too ricketey to sit on) to use as a place to throw backpacks.
It was an inspiration, and Stumphenge was formed! Not built!
Ok, it's later.
While my kids, and even my daughter's friend, have delighted in Stumphenge, my husband-to be fair, it must be mentioned that he is a woodworker and builder- has had no such delight!
Now he's a busy guy, and does not wait for the bus. He is long gone to build stuff before the waiting begins. He doesn't have time to build bus stop seating, and no one asked him to. Stumphenge evolved from crap laying around the property, and is now apparently the bain of his existance. Stumphenge sits too near the road, where it can be seen, and where someone might think HE built it! Although he has not said this, I have known him too long to not see right through his vailed, unenthusiastic, "That's great".
The moral?
If one would clean the property up, another one might not get so creative!
Kill 'em with kindness? Naw, kill 'em with creativity!
