The Grill

Well, my first day of watching Trenton this past Monday was shared duty. His Aunt Sandy, who lives with us, took Trenton out shopping in the morning. This gave me time to head for Home Depot, where I planned to buy the Barbecue grill I have been saving up for. I had a stainless steel grill set up on the top deck railing of "Halcyon" for all the years we lived on Her. I am a grill nut. I confess!

At the house we just moved from, there was a great grill out on the back deck, which I used almost nightly. It was a permanent installation, though, and ran off of a natural gas line from the Gas Company. It had to stay there when we moved. I insisted that we hold out for an all stainless steel grill when we moved in here, and I am glad I held my ground.

Anyway, there I was in Home Depot, standing in front of the bare spot where the fully assembled grill of my dreams had stood just days earlier. They had two left… in boxes. Just my luck! I tried lifting a similar grill that was on display and realized I would never be able to get it off my truck when I got home. That meant taking one in a box and unloading it off my pickup one piece at a time. This was do-able and required no additional assistance, so that was the route I chose. Two very strong young men loaded the box onto my truck for me and away I went!

I had just gotten all the pieces off the truck and into the garage when Trenton and Aunt Sandy drove up, so the rest of the afternoon Trenton and I played and watched a movie. As soon as he left, Grandpa Sam headed for the garage and the dreaded task of assembling my new grill.

 

Here is the box the grill came in.

This is the empty packaging.

Paulette arrives. I am half-way through the installation. She wants to go for our daily walk that Jae got us started on. I beg for some time. Time granted.

Now, I am in the last stages of finishing this grill when Paulette comes out and says "Let’s’ go, Buddy!" By this time I have wrenched my back working in some weird angles to get all the little pieces together. I am in pain and I want to finish this grill!

I decline the invitation to walk. My wife starts down the driveway muttering about the route she will take. This is so I can direct the ambulance her way when she collapses alone on her walk. It has only been a week to the day since her trip to the emergency room when this little scene is played out.

She walks while a terrible cloud of guilt settles down on me. Okay, I should have gone with her. Meanwhile, I finish the grill; Paulette returns unscathed and forgives me. A quick admiring look at the grill and she turns and says "Come on in, dinner is almost ready." I am stunned. I want to grill. I remind myself I am a grownup and follow her in to eat.

The next evening the grill is fired up and I am off to the races with a few burgers on for the first test run. Yummy…

Oh, is that an adult beverage the chef has at his side? <wink> Yep!

The trial run was a success. I am now off to Pixiedustnme’s journal to steal all the grilling secrets she coaxed out of us a couple of weeks ago. http://journals.aol.com/pixiedustnme/Inmyopinion/#Entry1116 

Happy grilling folks! It’s summer and if you want to find me, I’m out by my new grill! Oh! I almost forgot. My Grandson Trenton calls me "The Tool Master." How cools is that!