The View from Here

I came out of teaching an online lesson to see this evidence of foul play on the back decks of Chez Gainey:

Normally this would be a common occurrence, as Dan, aka, ‘Mr. MacKenzie’ (his home repair alter ego), is always working on projects around our century-old home. However, this ladder was not a welcome sight, as Dan has only been home from his eight days in the hospital for complications from an appendectomy and a COVID-19 diagnosis long enough to finish his bedroom quarantine with a few days to spare. He passed through quarantine with flying colors and I had high hopes that he would continue to rest and follow his doctor’s orders not to lift anything heavier than ten pounds for a month. Obviously my dreams were crushed.

My husband is and always has been a workaholic. This is one of the reasons he was named Employee of the Year at UAB out of nineteen thousand employees when we were first together and nicknamed ‘Dan the Can-Do Man’ (Never give a no without a yes!). When he retired from UAB and helped to open a brand new state-of-the-art theater at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, he spent six years bringing that same level of work ethic and quality, always giving his best no matter what. Now that he’s been retired for three years, he has focused that energy and dedication to upgrading and caring for our home, running his AirBnB, and teaching his beloved yoga classes.

But I digress…let’s get back to the infractions of one ‘Mr. MacKenzie’. The first day out of bedroom quarantine he did a good job of resting, with just one walk outside to check on the state of his beautiful gardens. His doctor does want him to move, getting light exercise to build his strength and endurance. The next day he scheduled someone to replace my garage door opener, which, of course, he had to oversee and…assist. I found out later that he had helped to carry our tallest ladder so that the technician could use it. I saw evidence of other chores being done, albeit light ones. I began to worry, as I could see the momentum building and the familiar determination returning to his sweet brown eyes. Oh, Lord.

I do have to say that I have seen much worse than the current ladder incident (in which he promised that he’d only gone up to the fourth rung to check on his hanging plants). What follows is past photographic evidence of why I am prematurely gray:

Now don’t get me wrong; I am proud of my hardworking man and grateful for all he does to make our home beautiful and comfortable. I just want him to wait until, oh, maybe his wounds heal from abdominal surgery before he attempts anymore death-defying high-wire acts that could lead to yet another trip to the Gainey Wing of UAB Highlands. Thus my frustration…Mr. MacKenzie is one stubborn man, but he sure is cute. Wish me luck.