One of the helpful books I read a few months after Bill’s death was Widow to Widow by Genevieve Davis Ginsburg. It is filled with practical advice including the importance of finding a trust worthy handyman. A year ago I hired a man to repair the fences around the horse pasture, but he was helping me out more as a favor and this year said he had no free time. Meanwhile my list of repairs was growing longer and longer; I try to do as much as I can but I am not a carpenter. I had been collecting the names of handymen from friends; one came out, looked at the work to be done, and never contacted me. Finally a friend suggested Ken who is a builder and home remodeler, but also does home repairs when he has time. I know and like Ken who is a member of my church. For the last three weeks he has been here, working on my repair jobs. The photo is the east side of my horse barn; the corner had rotted away from water and termite damage. Even the studs had rotted. Ken rebuilt the entire corner plus part of the gable. Yesterday despite temperatures in the mid-90s I applied the primer to the rough-sawn cedar siding, a very messy and tough job. I asked Ken to paint the gable. There is a point at which being gutsy and tough becomes stupid; getting to the top of the siding was high enough ladder work for me! If you don’t have a good handyman, keep asking your friends and keep looking. Tomorrow: lessons in termites.