She-Shed, He-Shed
- Michael Jay Tucker's explosive-cargo
- Mar 15
- 4 min read
So, last time, we had just gotten the completed Casita in our backyard. I had plans for it. I figured it would be Martha’s. I had it all figured out. The Casita was cute and pretty and new and I figured she’d love it. And I planned on giving her additional space in the house. She’d have the guest room. And half the office we used to share. That way she’d have space for All Her Stuff. Yay, Team. Go go go.
Except...
Except...
She figured it the other way around. She wanted *me* to have the Casita for *my* office.
“But,” I said, “it’s so New. And Cute. And Roomy.”
“Which is why it will fit you just fine,” she answered.
“But it’s so comfortable,” I countered.
“Which means you’ll love it,” she countered my counter.
“But don’t you want to be in the cool, new, shiny Casita where you’ll get lots done and have a great time doing it” I countered her counter of my counter.
“Nope.”
“Phooey.” I said, at last, knowing I’d been bested.
Actually, she did have several good points. First, there’s the bathroom. There isn’t one in the Casita, obviously, and so when nature calls, you have to trot (perhaps hurriedly!) through the yard and to the house. And that brings up another issue. The yard is, well, a yard. That means it isn’t flat in all places. So, if one is dashing along, particularly at night, one could rather easily take a spill. That’s not something we want happening with her.
And besides, as she said when she summed up her case, “You’ve been needing this for five years. Just Do It!”
I sighed, knowing that resistance was futile.
Anyway, once that was decided, I moved my office into the Casita. There were a couple of other developments. We had a party and invited our kids, grandkids, and several of the neighbors over for a sort of Casita-warming party. That went very well. Everyone had fun--particularly the g’kids who, I think, were planning on moving in. Their very own house, just their size.
Come to think of it...who knows? In a decade or so, when they’re teens...? Well, something to look forward to.
And, for a brief period, we were the envy of the neighborhood. I had a couple of chaps who lived across the street say to me, “You do know that little Casita of yours is now the best looking house on the block?” Which, honestly, at that particular moment, was true.
I spent the next few days moving into the Casita. The desk was the hardest thing to move, but I got it done with the help of my trusty dolly. Then we bought a couple of bookcases at IKEA and had them assembled on site. (Thank you TaskRabbit.). And then I moved my computer and my printer and all of the rest of it. Amazingly enough, everything worked after I got it transferred. I figured sure there’d be much gnashing of teeth and wailing in the outer darkness and my calling Hello Tech and/or Geek Squad, but, no, I plugged it in and, Pow!, everything was fine.
And that’s pretty much the end of the story. I’m sitting in the Casita right now as I write this.
Oh, there were two small, additional incidents. In the first, I discovered I was no longer living in the twentieth century (Oh. Phooey.)
And in the second...I learned a bit more about myself. (Double Phooey.)
So stay tuned. More to come.
About the photos: First, an interior shot of the Casita before I moved in. This is what it looked like *then.* Second, an interior shot of the Casita *now* that I am moved in. Yes, I’m a slob. But, I am planning on getting it clean. Really I am. Promise. You just see if I don’t. Third, an exterior shot of the Casita at sunset a month ago. Outside, at least, it is still beautiful. Third, a photo of Martha outside Judy’s house in Winfield. She had this exact same expression when she told me that I was going to get the Casita.
And, finally, a video which shows exactly, no kidding, precisely how the neighbors reacted to my new Casita. Honestly. Would I lie to you? Don’t answer that.
Copyright©2026 Michael Jay Tucker
Care to help out?
I provide these blog postings for free. That’s fine and I’m happy to do so. But, long ago and far away, I was told that if you give away your material, that means you don’t really think it has any value.
So, to get beyond that, I’ve decided to make it possible for you to leave me a “tip” for my posts.
If you like what I write or the videos I produce, and feel you could make a small contribution to support my efforts, please go here:
That will take you to a Gumroad page where you’ll have the option of leaving me a few pence by way of encouragement.
Again, I don’t mind if you don’t. I just want to provide you with the option so that I won’t feel quite so much like I’m just tossing my works into the wind.
Either way, thanks hugely for dropping by the blog :-)
~mjt
Comments