My Grandfather's Workshop Radio

In the corner of my grandfather's woodworking shop, there's a radio that's been tuned to the same classic country station since 1974. It's covered in sawdust. Its antenna is held on with tape.

When I was a kid, I'd sit on a stool and sand little blocks of wood while he built furniture, both of us singing along to Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. He'd stop sometimes, mid-cut, to tell me a story about the song.

This year, at eighty-eight, he decided to retire and gave me his tools. And the radio.

I set them up in my own garage. The first time I turned on the radio, it was playing "Crazy." I called my grandfather and held the phone to the speaker. He was quiet for a minute, then said, "That's a good sign." I've built two bookshelves since. The radio is still tuned to the same station.