Building a Little Library with My Dad

My dad is a retired carpenter. This spring, I asked him to help me build a little free library for my front yard. He was more excited than I was.

We spent four weekends in his garage. He made me measure everything three times. He taught me to use a router, which terrified me. We argued about the roof: he wanted a simple slant, I wanted a little tiny cupola. We compromised: slant, with a tiny cupola.

We painted it blue with white trim, like his house. He carved my kids' initials into the door frame. When we installed it in my front yard, he stood back and looked at it for a long time.

Now, every time I walk by it, I see his hands in every joint and nail. And every time a kid stops to take a book, I think: my dad helped make that happen.