The Tinkerer
Timothy Gager
The house Dan Dobler grew up in was right down the street from where he lived now. As a good neighbor, he would do things there such as mow the lawn there, and shovel the driveway. The neighbor was grateful but what did she know?
She knew upgrades. She upgraded with new cabinets, a center island, and marble countertops. There was even a library replacing the boyhood bedroom Dobler used to sleep in. Next thing needing to be done was painting the outside shingles as they were peeling, weathered, and 20,000 dollars. About 10 grand short, she instead reached for the next fix, a vacation in Europe.
It made sense that Dobler was asked to watch the house while she was away. He did these things even if it felt as if his skin was covered with an itchy rash. He hated that the outside needed still needed work, and he hated it was green. It had been yellow when his family was there. Dobler went to The Home Depot.
She came back from her trip, and saw the house was freshly painted. She would have preferred it to have stayed green, but it had been done at no cost to her, and it no longer looked battered. At $20,000 it could be whatever color she wanted. With the savings she immediately booked another vacation.
The old removed cabinets were stored in the garage. Dobler told her he needed the area as a central base for the painting. She didn’t want the cabinets, but they couldn’t be put out on trash night because of being a bulk item. The next night trash was due, she noticed the front driveway house was bathed from a bright explosion from a new floodlight.
During her next trip, Dobler re-installed the old, and knocked out the center island in the kitchen. When she returned, she demanded it all be put back. He thought about it, agreed to fix it during the next week when she was back at work. That first day, Dobler moved a twin bed into the library with a few metal models of fighter jets on the shelves--a poster of Carl Yastrzemski on the wall.
At the arraignment his attorney used the term “squatting” which wasn’t exactly correct. In a few days when Dobler returned, violating the order, he was walking around the driveway activating floodlights until the light’s beacon mixed in with the ones, blue and flashing.
Timothy Gager
The house Dan Dobler grew up in was right down the street from where he lived now. As a good neighbor, he would do things there such as mow the lawn there, and shovel the driveway. The neighbor was grateful but what did she know?
She knew upgrades. She upgraded with new cabinets, a center island, and marble countertops. There was even a library replacing the boyhood bedroom Dobler used to sleep in. Next thing needing to be done was painting the outside shingles as they were peeling, weathered, and 20,000 dollars. About 10 grand short, she instead reached for the next fix, a vacation in Europe.
It made sense that Dobler was asked to watch the house while she was away. He did these things even if it felt as if his skin was covered with an itchy rash. He hated that the outside needed still needed work, and he hated it was green. It had been yellow when his family was there. Dobler went to The Home Depot.
She came back from her trip, and saw the house was freshly painted. She would have preferred it to have stayed green, but it had been done at no cost to her, and it no longer looked battered. At $20,000 it could be whatever color she wanted. With the savings she immediately booked another vacation.
The old removed cabinets were stored in the garage. Dobler told her he needed the area as a central base for the painting. She didn’t want the cabinets, but they couldn’t be put out on trash night because of being a bulk item. The next night trash was due, she noticed the front driveway house was bathed from a bright explosion from a new floodlight.
During her next trip, Dobler re-installed the old, and knocked out the center island in the kitchen. When she returned, she demanded it all be put back. He thought about it, agreed to fix it during the next week when she was back at work. That first day, Dobler moved a twin bed into the library with a few metal models of fighter jets on the shelves--a poster of Carl Yastrzemski on the wall.
At the arraignment his attorney used the term “squatting” which wasn’t exactly correct. In a few days when Dobler returned, violating the order, he was walking around the driveway activating floodlights until the light’s beacon mixed in with the ones, blue and flashing.
