
A Decisive Blow
He is a cheerful young man, our son’s companion's son, and he has been part of the family for a long time. He calls my sister’s husband Uncle, as he should, and he calls me Nana which makes me very happy. He learned cribbage not very long ago. Yesterday afternoon we played one game. He took the lead early on with great hands, and he kept the lead. The lead increased and then, he won! And I was skunked (a technical cribbage word if you must know.) I learned later that the precise same thing happened with Uncle! Skunked as well. If we didn’t love him, and if we weren’t proud of him, and if we didn’t rejoice in his about to go to college halo, we would have been humiliated. But we were both delighted, secretly of course.
Yesterday afternoon a work crew of the old (70 or so, and the young 5 or so) went off to start a project that Merv anticipated would take a week. He is building paths through the woods and one path through a swampy area needed a boardwalk. There were mighty builders in the work crew, tree house builders and cabin builders. The boardwalk was started, it was laid. The boards were cut. The boards were transported. The young crew took over and the last nail was pounded in by my 5 year old grandson! Glory! Not to Papa, not to Dad, not to big cousin, but to the youngest boy!
It was a different crew, different wood, that finished the floors in the cabin bedrooms. Merv and the 2 youngest boys. The wood seemed like an incredible deal. It was just enough for the 3 cabin bedrooms. It was oak. It was solid wood, good pieces. It was narrow. Very narrow. Very good price. The bedrooms looked small. They were small. Till the floor began to be laid. No fancy tool. Just hammers. Young arms, delicate fingers. Saw, position, snap in, hammer in. Again. Board splits. Nail bends. Arm tired. Again. Again. A tiny bedroom floor laid with narrow oak takes a very long time. But they were stubborn, those boys, that Dad. The floors got done. They got finished. They got polished.
Camp PapaNana is nearly over. The littlest ones will be leaving Sunday. The Aunts and Uncles tomorrow. I will be finding little socks, one flip flop of a set, toys for some time. The noise of the cabin will be the birds and maybe Judge. The quiet of the cabin will be the frogs and the wind. I will pick up cribbage with my friend True who is a gentler opponent. Our bed will welcome us as it rests on the sturdy oak floors. The path will take us dry and secure through the swamp on the boardwalk. Pretty grand!