$10 for a Lifetime

 A craft post with a slight departure from the normal, but a ton of meaning.

There's an oversized frame that sits in my dining room. It's by far my favorite thing in the house (besides my kids, the dog, and my husband). The frame is filled with pictures from all my favorite memories so far in this crazy journey to become the family that we are. I want it to be a constant reminder to the boys that life is about the adventures you take and the people you surround yourself with.

Now it may seem silly that a particular frame, not the pictures it holds, would be my most favorite thing, but that frame was an adventure itself.

In May of last year I was on a limited "in-person" work schedule due to the rise of COVID. I was running the veterinary clinic in the local shelter. To conserve medical supplies for human ICUs, all "non-essential" surgeries were halted, which meant my 90% spay/neuter workload was no longer allowed. This meant I had a little more time on my hands, especially since I only had Middle to chase around. 

Early morning coffee and music on the porch

I happened upon an ad on Facebook marketplace for a "large" frame available for only $10! What a steal! I had been looking for something to fill the empty space on the dining room wall in which I could showcase pictures of Big and Middle growing. I set up a meeting time with the seller for the next day and asked Papa R to come with me to help.

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day when we hopped in our SUV the next afternoon. Once we arrived and I finally got the examine it, I realized just how "large" the thing really was. We tried every angle and configuration of seats to load it into the car, nothing worked. We decided to perch it literally on our heads (well, mostly Papa R's head since he's over a foot taller than I), against the front windshield, and out the back so that we could drive a block over to a Dollar General to purchase rope. The plan was simple, tie it to luggage rack on the roof and head home. 

By the time we got to the store, ominous clouds were moving into the area. Papa R purchased the rope and a thin blanket to wrap around the frame. As he was working diligently to get it positioned and tied down, the skies opened up and suddenly we were in the middle of a full downpour. He finished as quickly as he could and hopped back in, soaked from head to toe. We started down the road, but quickly realized with the winds, the cheap rope we'd purchased wasn't quite enough to hold this enormous thing down. We drove to a gas station with a large awning so that Papa R could try to adjust the ties under a cover. 

We started back on the road, but it wasn't long before this behemoth had wiggled loose again and we needed to stop for another readjustment. At this point, we decided we needed something more sturdy to help contain the beast. We rode for a few more miles in the rain, windows down and arms outstretched holding it in place, to get to an AutoZone. Papa R purchased a set of heavy duty tie downs (which have come in handy since) and readjusted the frame one last time. The rest of the drive was a slow, but steady pace while we held our breath. Finally, we pulled up to our house, just in time for the rain to stop.

Papa R unhooked the straps and started to remove the soaked blanket. It was at this point that we realized the cardboard and paper backing of the frame was completely waterlogged and unsalvageable. I told myself it was no big deal, I can easily replace some cardboard. Who was going to see the back of the frame anyways, right? We cleared the mush away and as we were sliding the frame down from the roof, the glass panel came loose, slid out and shattered on the street. After the entire ordeal of transporting this thing, all I had left was just the front wooden frame.

Papa R was understandably annoyed and wanted to just toss it in the nearest dumpster. I was completely deflated. But I convinced him to help me maneuver this monster upstairs to our laundry room for storage until I could regroup and figure out a new plan.  It remained in that room, and eventually took up residence in a nearby closet, for over a year. It was a constant annoyance to Papa R, who threatened on more than one occasion to throw it out. I decided after everything it took to get this miscreation home, I would find a way to use it. I priced new glass and backing, but due to its freakish size, it would need to be custom and expensive. I was sitting in the dining room one early morning sipping coffee and gazing across the room at my small corner board where I display Big and Middle's artwork, cards we receive and other memorable items, when it hit me. I purchased a roll of chicken wire at the hardware store and bribed Papa R to assist me in stapling it to the inside of the frame. Then I sent over 200 of our family photos off via the interwebs to be printed. 

This is the current state of my $10 frame. Both Middle and Little enjoy looking at all the faces. I enjoy remembering all the adventures, especially the one of how this frame came to be.