A Good Man is Hard to Find

My carpenter, TC Fogarty, gets frequent mention on this blog, so it's about time you meet him.  A prince among retired dairy farmers, I am about to tell you things that will run the blush from his collar to the tips of his ears, but really, I just can't stop myself.  I spent yesterday with his family, and all I can say in my defense is that he set himself up for this.

T.C. Fogarty with a bench he designed as a garden club project.

First of all, T.C. is as dependable and punctual as the Greenwich clock.  If he says he will do something at a certain time, it will be done.  Probably early.  He so prefers early over late that if he could do it yesterday, he would.  His habit of being extremely early for everything finally forced me to explain to him that I always shower last thing before heading out the door, and I'm always running a few minutes late, so unless he really wants me to answer the door exactly as I am when he rings the bell, he needs to set his clock to normal people's time when working with me.  He is very married, and we're not that kind of friends, so this turned those ears bright red.  He probably still pulls up out front at his usual time, but he has never again rung my doorbell earlier than expected, and he always looks just a wee bit nervous when I answer.  His wife, Carol, thinks he is beyond further training, at his age,  but I think she just needs to try a fresh approach!

As I mentioned, sawdust production isn't T.C.'s first career, just his current one.  He has a fabulous wood shop with heated floors, and all the BIG power tools, of which I would be terribly envious, except that he lets me use it whenever I need to, and he pays the heat bill.  (Feel free to envy me, Dearhearts!)  In this shop, he makes all kinds of lovely things, like shelves and benches, wine bars and coffee tables, and custom kids furniture in the shape of castles and firetrucks, and whatever else clients or grand kids ask for.  He helped me redo the crown moulding featured a few weeks back on this blog ("Details, details, details", Friday, April 1st)

He may not always get my vision at the outset of a project, but he always does exactly what I spec.

But TC isn't just handy with wood.  He is also very handy at helping Carol prepare for the fabulous dinners she loves to serve their friends and family.  He's always game to go to the grocery store for last-minute ingredients (as many times as it takes to return home with the right ingredients), and he's very good,  if somewhat slow, at setting the table.  Don't feel bad, TC, I admit I too would need that cheatsheet to figure out where the crystal knife rests and the fruit bowls go.  This year, though, Mr. Fogarty really outdid himself.  It took him hours to get it right, but at Carol's request, he gamely took on Martha Stewart's bunny folded napkins...

Lookout Martha, T.C. Fogarty may be your next rival!

He regained his manly pride shortly after dinner by starting the family Easter egg hunt with a shotgun blast...




Lookout, Easter Bunny, T.C. isn't usually a gun toting sort of a guy, so watch your tail!




















Actually, two shotgun blasts, as grand's get a three minute lead on their thirty-something parents...yeah, the big kids still get in on the hunt.  Sadly, I did not snap a photo of the down and dirty wrestling match in the gravel pile between the always elegant Kate, and her brother-in-law Jeremy.  Of course, the fact that T.C.'s enough of a softie to continue the whole Easter Bunny thing for his grown children knocks the macho right back out of his reputation.

Lately, T.C., who claims he once promised my visiting father he would keep a fatherly eye on me, has an added worry.  My newly single status has him taking an almost annoying interest in my (non-existent) night life.  He gets great pleasure in fabricating supposed rumors of my wild shenanigans in the taverns around town, and suggesting possible match-ups with the longest standing bachelors in the tri-county area (I'm actually not sure some of them are still standing).  This makes me suspect that it was he and not Carol who put this in my Easter basket:

Who knew they come in a convenient pocket size?!?

So, if you are looking for a good man, I have absolutely no advice for you.  Seems to me, some of the better ones are already perfectly paired with the finest and most patient of women.  However, if you are looking for a reliable woodworker to build you solid country style furniture, or other custom projects, email me for his phone number. dawnmariedelara@gmail.com.

If you want to see a small sampling of T.C.'s work, check out my website, theartofthehome.com, and click on the cabinets and furniture page.