Not in the Swing of Things

I should have known better when I looked at the box containing a glider swing and read the large words – Easy Assembly. That may not be an oxymoron but it's close to it.

I should have recalled those days when my sons were growing up and I put together bicycles, Star Wars toys, and other items for Christmas, birthdays, and other occasions. For me, that was probably the worst part of parenthood!

There were several models of the swing on display, and they didn’t look particularly difficult to put together. And I figured that someone at the store had to assemble the swings, so why couldn’t I?

Easier read than done.

After mowing the lawn, my wife suggested we put the swing together on the back deck. It shouldn’t take more than an hour since there weren’t that many parts. And the swing was for Mother’s Day, so I decided it was time to go ahead and finish the mini-project for her.

The box had two sheets of paper containing the instructions. But after perusing them, I realized they basically listed the parts and that was about it. There were two diagrams that didn’t provide step-by-step directions. But I decided to go ahead and try to piece it together. It didn’t help that some of the nuts and bolts didn’t quite fit.

Three hours later it began to sprinkle. We decided to finish the “easy” assembly the next day. But it rained all day.

I decided to go to the place where I purchased the swing, this time with a small digital camera to take several photos of the models. I hope to finish putting it together this week.

I’m sure it will be easy this time. Not!

Until the next time...