The house that “Jack” built

This is the house that Jack built.

This is the roof that covers the house that Jack built.

These are the leaves that clutter the roof that covers the house that Jack built.

This is the ladder that Jack climbed up to blow off the leaves that clutter the roof that covers the house that Jack built….

Well, truth to tell, Jack didn’t exactly build the house, but has expanded it so much he might as well have. Sort of the way he adds friends to his family.

So as not to discomfit him, let’s just continue to call him “Jack.” He is one of the strongest, most stubborn, capable and decent men I know, a devoted husband, father of two, grandpa of three, and loved by all who know him.

That’s why, on that awful morning when he tried to reach just a little bit higher with the leaf blower, the ensuing fall brought out the best in his friends.

X-rays showed bones broken in 18 places in his hip and he had a gash over one eye that signaled a possible concussion. Bleeding in the brain, also revealed by X-rays, put him in the ICU and canceled plans for quick surgery.

Did I mention that he is impatient? Independent? He had to be sedated to wait out the days it took for him to be stable enough for surgery. He does not handle waiting well. Hearing words like “two surgeries,” “physical therapy,” “prior medical history,” he wanted no part of them.

Jack’s wife – let’s call her “Martha Ann” – is for the most part unflappable, but this almost did her in. Jack had been transferred to Atlanta Medical Center, and it was a long drive, but she and their daughter, “Gina,” had to spend nights helping to keep him in bed, festooned with tubes and wires.

The thing is, when Jack took his dive, Martha was getting ready for a farewell party for friends who are moving out of town. The house was clean and well stocked when Jack turned kamikaze pilot. The party, of course, was called off, leaving a wealth of food for friends who showed up to help in any way they could.

One of Jack’s friends, an organizer if there ever was one, became spokesperson for the family, relaying info by e-mail to a veritable army of friends, neighbors, fellow church members. Be patient with “Russ,” as we’ll call him. He thinks he is funny, and oddly enough, his friends do too.

“Jack is doing well,” he e-mailed a group of friends. “Yesterday the staff started Jack in rehab. Today he began learning how to put his pants and socks on. He’s not too thrilled with that. I told him I would poll you folks to see if any of you are aware of any clothing-optional rehab centers. I know of one in Forest Lake, Minnesota….

“Jack is sounding better when he talks about rehab – initially he was under the impression that it would be a long, drawn out affair; maybe six months to a year. Now he is hearing and seeing things that lead him to believe it will be a lot less. He seems to be mentally moving from discouraged to encouraged. Perhaps his outlook is being influenced by pills and assorted painkillers. In any case, it is good to see our Jack coming back.

“Martha is also sounding more rested. I wonder when she is going to feel like baking some more brownies.”

Martha Ann, it should be noted, is the consummate hostess. She loves cooking and hosting parties. No doubt the entire send-off party is stored in one of several refrigerators that live in her garage. Food, however, was on nobody’s mind. Except Russ’s.

So. As soon as it appeared that Jack would get home sooner rather than later, the next question was how to make a few adaptations to his house to accommodate either a wheelchair or a walker. Getting him up the steps from garage floor to kitchen was an immediate priority.

Russ writes: “Jack has yet to rebel against the physical training. He was tired after all the activity today and Martha said he wasn't eating as he should. Let's see: Jack is used to Martha Ann's cooking and they whip a tray containing a blob of hospital food in front of him. Do you suppose that explains why Jack isn't interested in eating?”

Russ rallied friends, mostly retired, with the needed skills and tools to draw and build a 20-foot ramp up which a wheelchair could be coaxed. Once begun, the project was completed in five hours which included brownie breaks and lunch from Partner’s II.

Russ: “Jack’s ramp is complete. Amazing. ‘Roy Good-Enough-Never-Is’ and ‘Russ Instant-Gratification-Takes-Too-Long’ were able to actually work together long enough to complete it. Nine people showed up to do the work – it was hard to keep everyone awake and involved.”

It turns out that the participant least likely to know anything about design actually produced the layout. To spare him embarrassment, we’ll call him “John.” Russ says John was the father of this particular ramp design, but adds urgently, “Everyone remember that, should it somehow prove unworthy.”

He continued: “As we all know, John's execution never equals his strategy, so it was necessary to assign ‘Dave’ and ‘Jim’ the responsibility of keeping tools and material out of John’s hands.

“Throughout the construction period there was a constant din of ‘John, stop that!’ or ‘Put that down right now, John,’ interspersed with an occasional scream of ‘Oh, no, someone stop him!’

“Both Dave and Jim became involved in the building process and were more than an arm's length from John when suddenly John said, ‘My turn to saw!’ Fortunately for all, ‘Tom’ was nearby and disaster was averted.

“Speaking of Tom, since he is a certified officer of the court, I asked him to bring handcuffs. I instructed him to watch ‘Paul’ and if Paul shouts something like, ‘Ventilate the roof,’ Tom was to immediately cuff him. Paul’s a firefighter, you see, and sure enough, it happened. My plan paid off, as Paul was still productive when it came to nailing the decking to the lower portion of the ramp.

“We were able to introduce ‘Rod’ to some tools he had not used before. I think he liked the pneumatic framing nailer. They were invented long after he got out of the home-building business. He was amazed by two other tools that have been around for much longer but he had never seen before: a level and a framing square.

“‘Ted’ enjoyed the work so much that his mind started drifting. That is the only explanation I can come up with when one arrives with a 12volt gray Porter Cable cordless drill and leaves with an 18volt blue Ryobi cordless drill….”

In his last dispatch, Russ turns serious. He says, of his childhood in a Kansas farm community, “If misfortune struck – fire, illness, injury – neighbors rallied to help. There were no big business farms, no crop loss insurance, no big government help. There was only church, community and the Golden Rule….

“Some of my favorite memories are of those times. Bucking hay bales for a penny a bale or $1 an hour was very hard work. Bucking hay for free because someone needed help wasn't.

“Yesterday I had a chance to relive that experience for a few hours – work, fun, free food (especially brownies), great fellowship. Thanks guys, thanks for the opportunity to work with you. Jack and Martha Ann have been there for us for the past 30 years. We were given the opportunity to return some of their love and caring.

“We are blessed to be a blessing.”

And blessed are they that built the ramp that lets Jack go home to family and friends and hire someone else to climb the ladder to blow off the leaves that clutter the roof that covers the house that Jack built…