I Am The Super

Every time I go do manual labor Helaine asks the same question, “Should I dial 9-1 and wait?”

I am not handy. This is a given. I grew up in an apartment. We had a ‘super’ who would allegedly fix things that broke or wore out.

I am handyman challenged! Until recently I couldn’t identify most items in a tool chest by name! I am the wrong guy to be Mr. Fixit.

But you know, if you live in a home you can’t call a tradesman for every little thing… and over time there are always little things.

Every time I go do something with my hands Helaine asks the same question, “Should I dial 9-1 and wait?”

That’s confidence!

Today I replaced smoke detectors. They worked fine but were designed with a very thin and brittle plastic latching system to hold the detector to its mount on the ceiling. Over time the plastic broke and three of them were hanging… not by a thread… by their wiring.

Correct me if I’m wrong. That’s not how it’s done.

We were in Home Depot last night for something else and I decided to get new smoke detectors. Today was install day.

Since these are wired detectors (with battery backup) I had to find the right circuit breaker, cut the power, remove the old wiring and connector then mount and put in the new ones. Any child of ten with fifteen year experience could do it!

I took my time, double checked my work and before long there were three new detectors sitting flush with the ceiling! Even I am surprised. Everything looks good.

This is a job I wouldn’t have undertaken years ago. Now I better understand my capabilities.

As long as the drill/screwdriver was out I headed outside for the second challenge of the day. Sometime this winter the front door of our mailbox loosened then fell off. I’d like to blame it on plowing. It just wore out.

This is the third mailbox since we’ve lived here. When last replaced I got a larger size because of catalogs and magazines. We’re back to the regular size again!