Jay Bridge is an engineer by trade, he kind of retired when he moved up to the country, he has a farm with horses and sheep. He works as a handyman for people he likes doing work that he likes to do. He is quiet, he comes and goes with little fanfare, although he is a compulsive whistler, I usually know he is here when I hear the whistling outside.

Last winter, the donkeys were trapped in the barn for days, they began eating it, they did quite a number on the gate leading into the old cow stall, and they chewed a huge hole in the back of the barn. Jay loves carpentry work, he loves working alone.

We have become friends, we go to lunch every now and then and I asked Jay what made engineers different from other people. We don’t talk a lot, he said, and this is true. Jay rarely talks much, but he is quick to smile and laught. We are easy together, I like his company. Like a lot of people who don’t say much, what he says is interesting. Jay does amazing work, and he keeps faithfully to his own schedule.

He goes home to have lunch with his wife Judy, and often takes a tea break. He had open heart surgery also, and was helpful to me when I had mine. He has recovered beautifully, he works in the cold and the heat, on ladders and in dirty basements. We are lucky to know  him, he is often busy but he well worth the wait.

When he takes on a job, he stops and studies it, ponders it, thinks about it. He never complains about the heat, the dirt, the difficulty. He loves the arts, and is a fervent supporter of Hubbard Hall, our opera house and arts center.

We have a system. I ask him if he can fix something, he says yes or not, and that is the last time he discusses it with me, and that is good because I have no desire to talk about it. When I talk to him next, the work will be done beautifully and the price will be honest and low. The perfect handyman for us, really, you can’t do better than having an engineer work on  your house.

I think he saved our barn this week.