I'm no Bob Villa.

Mark, thanks for the gentle prodding to post something after a long absence! I suppose you can call this a pre-Father’s Day post.

I’d like to think I picked up some pretty valuable characteristics from my father, like my strong work ethic and dedication to family. I certainly did not, however, pick up Dad’s Fix-It gene; I’ve never really been a super-handy kinda guy. My father, on the other hand, can do just about anything around the house, including plumbing, electrical and woodwork. He even built two beautiful, heirloom-quality cradles for Gabriel and Gracyn when they were born. Me? Not so much. I helped him out with the occasional project, like building my parents’ screened patio over a decade ago, but that’s about where my handyman skills ended. Oh, and I put in a dimmer switch in Gabriel’s bedroom two years ago and only shocked myself once! doing it.

So, I was pretty stoked last weekend when I felt some initial stirrings, rumblings, if you will, of handyman capabilities. Sunday afternoon I replaced the float, valve and handle on our downstairs toilet. Then I immediately followed it up by sanding off and re-gluing our kitchen/family room threshold. I also scraped up my hands in the process, which only adds to my handyman street cred. I went to bed thinking Bob Villa and I could be best buds.

And then tonight happened.

Over the weekend the knob to our guest tub/shower stopped working, and we decided to call on our home warranty company to fix it. (Quick diversion – If you ever buy a house, I highly recommend getting a home warranty. It pays for itself every year.) About 20 minutes ago, Jason and George from our local Rescue Rooter stopped by to take a look.

2 minutes, $55 and one screw-tightening later our shower was repaired.

The next time my father sees me he will dig through my purse, take away my Guy Card and then hit me over the head with a pair of pliers.