A Secret Stash, In The Garage, of the Greatest Generation

Haydn began every manuscript, In nomine Domini, In the name of the Lord.
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I did not know, in my father's garage, I was to read one of his deepest life manuscripts.
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Who knew Garden Design would include the garage?  Who wants to garden, when gathering clippers, 5 gallon pale with handle, tarp, etc. includes a battle in the garage merely at the round-up, and you still have to transport everything from garage to the back left hand corner of your property?
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In addition to the garage, if you have any sort of basement, you must have a secondary 'garage' there too.  Two sets of tools, wheel barrows, etc.  Don't stop there, have short & long handled pruners near your back door, in addition to having another set in the garage, and basement.
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Storage cabinets, for the garage, below, easy to find.  Thrift stores stuffed with unwanted 'Ok Boomer' and 'Greatest Generation' style furniture.


Pic, above, here.
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My dad's 2 car garage, built ca. 1966, was studs and open rafters, with a few shelves.  A NASA engineer, it's obvious he had tools to work on the cars.  Which he did. Dad died, 2012.  His garage untouched until mom died, late 2018.
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Pic, above, here.
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2019, much of dad's garage traveled to Georgia, and was placed into my tiny garden shed, shared with Beloved.  We have no garage at our ca. 1900 home.
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Pic, above, here.
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January, 2020, I had a few minutes to look thru some of dad's tool drawers for the first time.
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Pic, above, here.
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Oddly, a chain dog collar, with rabies tag attached, was in the top drawer, left-hand corner of dad's rolling multi-drawer, red metal, tool chest .  Reading the tag, in my dark shed, Dino.  Our family Afghan hound, I grew up with, and took to be put down while in college.  Dino was a show dog, and his breeder rescued him from his first owner, dropping him at our front door early on a weekend morning.  "Here's your dog !".  Dino's AKC name, Lord Soladine of Xanadu.  Not a name to forget, or dog.
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Who could know, Dino's dog collar exists, 42 years later?

 
Pic, above, here.
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A box on one of dad's shelves had my name, Tara Lee, in his fine architectural/engineering print.  Mom was the last upon this Earth, to call me by my childhood name.  What is it about seeing our parent's handwriting as we age?
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In that box, my first tea set, and my first doll.
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How did I not know dad had saved them?
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Pic, above, here.
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Beside Dino's dog collar were more surprises.  Dad had saved a metal plate off his British Morris Minor, white with red interior, 2 door, stick shift, he rebuilt in the 70's, sourcing everything by phone or letter, and having joined the Morris Minor fan club.
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Nearby was the sun visor off his 1957 MG convertible he bought used in the early 1960's, black with red leather interior, and the first car I remember.
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Pic, above, here.
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Under dad's 1957 convertible MG visor, was a key chain.  Picking it up, another emotional token, this one from his vintage 1970's 2-door Jaguar.

 
Pic, above, here.
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Holding what I'd found, more than a moment passed, before realizing their meaning.  Testament to a man born at the tail end of The Greatest Generation.
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Why would I think dad had emotions?  This deep?
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Tears, standing alone in my shed, knowing my dad a tiny bit more.  Still tears, even now, telling you.
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What should I do with these things?  First thought, ridiculous, bring them inside our house.
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A lot of you already know where all those things are now.  Exactly where my dad put them.
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'Haydn ended his manuscripts with, Lauds Deo, Praise be to God.'
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Garden & Be Well,    XO T
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Dad wouldn't have had it any other way.  Putting his emotions away, into the garage.  Get the job done.  Support a wife, and family.  Would he have wanted it easier?  Can only imagine the poor soul asking him that question.  Dad would want to do more, for God, family, work, community.  Anything less subhuman and total fail.  Greatest Generation, understatement.
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Early 2018, after eating dinner at Luby's cafeteria, I was helping mom to the car.  Mom said, "I have one regret about your daddy."  We both stopped walking, in my family, that was a sentence.  Earth-stops-rotating-on-its-axis sentence.  We stared at each other.  Mom was silent a bit.  "I never told your daddy he was a good provider."  Made my eyes tear, but didn't let mom know.
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Dad would have never thought to want or need that from mom.  Ever.  But if mom had written it into a note, I know where dad would have put it.
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Glad to have the luxury of keeping dad's treasures of the heart, where he had them.  At some point, I will take the dog collar to the pound, and sell the Morris Minor number plate, and the MG visor.  The Jaguar key chain seems original to its model year, will sell it too.  Those little bits of money, then sent to dad's favorite dog/cat pound in Texas, Bay Area Pet Adoptions/SPCA.  Mom/Dad's favorite pet shelter, and a No Kill.

How to Take Charge of Your Garage

I still tease Beloved, he first noticed me seriously after seeing my garage.  Not entirely pretty, it was entirely organized by category & function.  An oversized double bay, with parlour space and a large storage room.   For 30 years I came and went thru my mudroom, into the garage, out the garage door, through the garden, poof, into the world.
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Metal shelves had their zone, so did antique china cabinets, antique tables, tools hung along 20' of wall, lamps, art on the wall, etc.


Pic, above, here.
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Helpful, I didn't realize how greatly my 30 year garage leveraged my life better, at each layer.
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No garage, no barn at our ca. 1900 home, the magic departed.
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My beautiful, neatly organized garage, packed & moved by strong good men, was quickly unpacked into a graveled basement, at the back of our home, by headlights at the end of a day reaching 101F.  Almost midnight, I was there, and merely watched as those dear men, put my entire garage where ever it was convenient, zero regard for proper organizing.  They're still heroes to their job, in my heart.  Working through exhaustion and misery.
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But. My. Garage.

 
Pic, above, here.
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These china cabinets, above/below, are at every thrift store every month.  And, perfect for the garage.  A larger piece of wood can be hammered to the countertop, below, making it a better space for potting house & porch plants or arranging flowers.
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Merely looking at the counter top below, and imaging hammering into it.  Oh my, the pleasure.
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Pic, above, here.
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At my 30 year garage, at the mudroom door, was an antique table, lamps, art on the wall, etc.  Coming/going for my day, I would set things on the table.  If it was going to be a busy day, I would start placing items for the day on that table, and throughout evening as I remembered/realized what more to take.  Working at jobsites, in all weathers, giving lectures, sourcing, eating lunch in my truck, rain gear, layers of sweaters, so much to hunt/gather daily, just to get to jobsites.
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That antique table was my top employee, except after Tess, my tiny little service van. 

 
Pic, above, here.
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That wild hot night, unpacking the 30 year garage, has fumes of existence.  Ironically, an antique china cabinet, formerly holding all my pond supplies, is in our front parlour, displaying antique crystal my mom had, and the ubiquitous Waterford my era acquired in their 20's.   It was too tall to fit in the gravel floored basement.
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Pic, above, here.
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To save space, you may want to put your vintage china cabinets on the wall.  They'll look better if their tops are all at the same height, and they're all painted the same color.  No worries, if not.  This is your private zone, your playground.
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Analyze the feet of any vintage china cabinet, if you plan to hang it.  A board can be hammered to the feet, below, creating a shelf for storing more things.
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Pic, above, here.
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One of my clients created a patio room in one of their garage bays.  Their parking court was perfect for neighborhood pickle ball.  Wine, canapes, dinners were common for them, in the garage.

 
Pic, above, here.
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Now you know what to do with one of these, below.
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Pic, above, here.
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I know this woman, below.  Bought the same 3 ladders.  Who needs a man's help with those ladders, TaWonda.  And a sink.  Getting the cleaning tools, outside, yes, I know this woman.  In spirit.
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Pic, above, here.
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Habitat for Humanity always has kitchen cabinets for sale at their Restore locations.
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Ollies, always has sturdy shelves, good prices.

 
Pic, above, here.
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Wish I had seen these vintage collections, below, with my 30 year garage.  All the vintage tools were interspersed with tools I used.  No drama display.  Darn.

 
Pic, above, here.
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Moth-to-a-flame, below.  Somehow, it seems, hammers appear in my life while I sleep.  Now, I know what to do with them.


Pic, above, here.

 
Pic, above, here.
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At a minimum, below.  Carve out a space for you, from the garage to the door opening into your home.
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Pic, above, here.
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How many pics do you think were taken of my 30 year garage?  How did I not know, fully, what that garage did to make life better, easier, wiser?    The prophet-without-honor, and I did it, not see.
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Our graveled low basement it shaping up.  When Beloved & his brother were clearing their parents house, about 3 years ago, no one wanted the sturdy, huge work table in the garage.  Hmm, work table, 2 men, truck.  Check, check & check.
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Much cussing later, those boys got that work table in our graveled basement.  Styled for my use, with my things, guess who uses it all the time?
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That long wall of tools hanging in the 30 year garage?  Still leaning in a large corner where they were thrust, near midnight, 5 years ago.  Walls are concrete, need to get 2" x 6" boards attached.
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Garden & Be Well,   XO T 
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Gave Beloved a 'useful' Christmas present.  Wanted to make his daily life easier.  It's a winner.  Went to the hardware store, not a big box type, chose a sturdy tool carry all with lots of pockets, walked every aisle, putting targeted items in.  Meant for his truck, he has been using it at jobsites, and in our house.
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His own movable organized garage, in a tote.
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He even went to the basement and shed, gathering other targeted items for his new tool carry all.
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More useful in the house, didn't see that coming.  Wish I had known, Cheshire smile, My Bad.
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Looking forward to getting the functionality of our basement finished, then fine tuning the decor  begins.
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Every garden design I create includes work zones.  Do you?  It's important.
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This is not a sponsored ad.  Just me.  Loving a good 'garage'.