We've lived in our house for some sixteen years or so.
All this time the garage has been rather ordinary.
I've always said to my wonderful wife Linda, "You know,
I'd like to fix up our garage to look extraordinary."

The time finally seemed to be about right
To give our garage a new, resplendent look.
We figured it'd take days working from dawn to late night,
Since neither of us had ever seen the inside of a carpentry book.

Imagine our delight when to our rescue upon a white horse (figuratively speaking)
Rode up dear Uncle Travis, who just happens to be a professional carpenter,
Now retired but with all his knowledge and skill still keeping.
Like Mighty Mouse he swooped in to save the day, as it were.

The agreed upon weekend arrived for accomplishing the renovation.
Beforehand Linda and I bought oak paneling one-quarter-inch thick.
New paint gave the ceiling, doors, and cabinets their rejuvenation.
Now putting up the oak paneling would make the garage look really 'slick'.

Aunt Nellan, Aunt Margie, and Uncle Travis all came over for a stay.
Uncle Travis brought all the needed saws and wood-working tools.
That morning I had to go to work for awhile, but Travis got started anyway.
Had Linda and I tried doing this job alone we would have been such fools.

But Travis knew just what to do, making everything seem so easy.
He measured, figured, re-measured, then cut each panel to precisely fit.
Just watching him zipping along with his power saw made me feel queasy,
But now I know why he only has 3 fingers on each hand !! [Not really! Just joking a bit..]

What with Travis measuring and sawing and me doing such excellent nailing,
The panels fairly flew up on the walls in no time hardly at all.
It was a quite enjoyable male-bonding experience, except for Travis' complaining
"If Jane (one of Linda's aliases) were helping me, our pace wouldn't be such a crawl !"

The ladies all three went shopping and gallivanting around town.
By early afternoon the paneling was up, leaving only the trim.
A few hours more, the job was completed and we were sitting down,
When the ladies returned, just as the daylight was starting to dim.

All the stooping, bending, and sitting on the floor had been hard, and yet
The garage looked so fabulous that I could not imagine how to improve it more.
With Travis' replacement knees and my arthritis, we hobbled off into the sunset.
But it was worth it since I will be forever pleased every time I open the garage door.