Wednesday, April 01, 2009

I love measuring tapes (and my step-dad)

I love measuring tapes. I mean really, they are one of my very favorite things! Oh, to hold one in my hands and feel the calming sense of order one is always so ready to impart. The joy of wielding steel tape and dreams while envisioning my latest design! Darren groans when he walks in the door and sees a measuring tape lying about, because he knows that, invariably, a new project must be near at hand!

I had a big, bulky yellow one not too long ago, and while it was functional, it just wasn't very pretty. It got the job done well enough, though, until it mysteriously disappeared! It's replacement was a sleek silver little thing--so small and sweet!--that slipped easily into my pocket. That one was nice, too, until it met it's unfortunate end at the hands of too curious children who managed to pull the tape completely out! (And I'll admit that my heart broke a bit at the sight of all that crumpled yellow ribbon. Sniff!)

Feeling sufficiently sad for his poor devastated wife, Darren brought an extra one home from work but it's got this wonky tip that doesn't allow it to extend quite properly for the first two inches or so, thus making it difficult to achieve an accurate measurement and rendering it nearly impossible to retract from it's casing if reeled all the way in. Although I did greatly appreciate the gesture, the sullen child in me couldn't help pouting just a little at this perceived deficiency.

So, much to my sheer delight, I was rummaging out in the garage for some string a little while ago and found, in one of the drawers of the large tool chest my step-dad gave us from his own garage the last time he was here, the perfect measuring tape. Now, I might be wrong (it's been known to happen a time or two), but I'm pretty sure I heard a choir of angels sing when I opened that drawer and saw this:


Isn't it cute?! And blue! I love it! It's perfect. Thanks, Pops. What a nice surprise! :)

1 comment:

Charlotte (WaltzingM) said...

I have an uncle who never goes any where without his measuring tape. He wears it on his belt like a cell phone. To him, the measuring tape is more important!