Parents
I was lying in bed today and, for some reason, started thinking about a trap
my dad made for me when I was a little kid. It was a box trap and was
based on traps my dad had made when he was a kid. It was incredibly
cool.
He built it out of plywood, and I think the top was made of hardware cloth. The front was a door that fit through a slot at the top and slid down to seal the box. When setting the trap, you used a stick to prop open the door. Tied to the base of the stick was a piece of string attached to a little piece of wood. You'd smear some food onto that and place it in the back of the box. The string was short enough that it was pulled taut.
So, you'd place the box by, say, a gopher hole, get it set up, and then check on it regularly. And did it work! It was fun being able to see the animal up close before opening the door and watching it dash away.
We used a tinker-toy to prop open the door--it was just the right length. I remember delicately balancing the thin plywood door on the very edge of the tinker-toy end, making sure a little tug on the bait would trip it, sending the door sliding quickly down. I can still remember the smell of the peanut butter as we spread it on the bait holder.
My dad made lots of things for me and my siblings. So did my mom. Man, were they fun! After watching Indiana Jones, my dad made my brother and me each wooden machetes. They were so cool! My mom, when I asked if she would make me a stuffed animal, made me one out of socks. I named him Sockman, and now Aida plays with him today.
From the coolest race-track for toy cars and an intricate Japanese garden terrarium to wooden dinosaurs and tree houses (and lots of other stuff), they made us so many wonderful things. Many of the projects were collaborative, and I learned a lot that way. They played with us and they let us explore on our own. I'm not sure how they managed what felt to me like the perfect balance, but they did. All those home-made projects, all the playing, and all the time spent together were great meanderings of imagination and love. And for that, I am deeply grateful.
He built it out of plywood, and I think the top was made of hardware cloth. The front was a door that fit through a slot at the top and slid down to seal the box. When setting the trap, you used a stick to prop open the door. Tied to the base of the stick was a piece of string attached to a little piece of wood. You'd smear some food onto that and place it in the back of the box. The string was short enough that it was pulled taut.
So, you'd place the box by, say, a gopher hole, get it set up, and then check on it regularly. And did it work! It was fun being able to see the animal up close before opening the door and watching it dash away.
We used a tinker-toy to prop open the door--it was just the right length. I remember delicately balancing the thin plywood door on the very edge of the tinker-toy end, making sure a little tug on the bait would trip it, sending the door sliding quickly down. I can still remember the smell of the peanut butter as we spread it on the bait holder.
My dad made lots of things for me and my siblings. So did my mom. Man, were they fun! After watching Indiana Jones, my dad made my brother and me each wooden machetes. They were so cool! My mom, when I asked if she would make me a stuffed animal, made me one out of socks. I named him Sockman, and now Aida plays with him today.
From the coolest race-track for toy cars and an intricate Japanese garden terrarium to wooden dinosaurs and tree houses (and lots of other stuff), they made us so many wonderful things. Many of the projects were collaborative, and I learned a lot that way. They played with us and they let us explore on our own. I'm not sure how they managed what felt to me like the perfect balance, but they did. All those home-made projects, all the playing, and all the time spent together were great meanderings of imagination and love. And for that, I am deeply grateful.
posted by matt iv at 11:05 AM
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