Slanty Shanty 101

The neighborhood kids have been creatively living on a thought stream when they get together to play in the afternoon. They are determined to build some sort of fort or shelter. They have spent countless hours rummaging through piles, scoping out the pipeline for stray items and sneaking away useless treasures from their homes to add to their material list.  You can see the cogwheels of their brain turning as they try to see their idea to fruition.

I have been a happy observer of this childhood entertainment. I told myself to step back and see what they come up with, this should be amusing at the very least. The first fort was on my back deck using full leaf bags as walls and towels as the roof. It had a couple of rooms and it quickly turned into a 'His' and 'Hers' club.

The leaf bags eventually went away in the trash pick-up and I thought the shelter idea would go away with it, but those kids were determined to build something! This time they stacked round branches we had stored from an old tree in the corner of the yard. It really looked like a fort the Pilgrims may have built. I was impressed to say the least.

Over the next few days the wood pile and towels have taken different forms all over my yard. Some of the wood I have no idea where it came from. When a kid really wants to accomplish a task, magic seems to happen and progress takes place.

One structure made me a little nervous, so I stopped observing and stepped in with a minute lecture on Engineering 101: Stable Structures, OSHA and the statistics of these two ratios creating noggin knots if not executed properly. I think they understood my explanation because they immediately re-engineered the slanty shanty.

The 'Slanty Shanty'
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Their drive and willingness to work as a team has affected me in a curious way. Being an independent person, I like to do it myself, all by myself and take the failure or credit myself. Watching their spirit as they worked in unison toward their goal made me wonder if my independent streak needs a counter measure.

'The Lean To'
Photo By: Chandra Brown

Their passion makes me want to build them a sturdy, permanent fortress that I can use too, namely a shed. Maybe I'll ask the kids if they want to help me and insert myself in their world for a moment. I think they would be a great counter-balance to my independent streak.

My Shed Inspiration:
Leaning Pear, Sugar Shack Bakery-Wimberly, TX
Photo By: Chandra Brown