I’m always amazed at how opposite men and women think. Seriously, it’s like trying to communicate with an alien sometimes! Around here, our latest conflict involved Sukkot, specifically about building a Sukkah.

Never, in my entire life, have I had my own Sukkah and I’ve always thought it would be a fun family project. Since fully-made kits are available online that snap together in mere minutes, it wouldn’t even be that difficult. When I ran this idea by Hungry Bear, he was not only enthusiastic, he wanted to kick it up a notch: buying wood and supplies at Home Depot and building it from scratch.

Having known him for many years, I’m familiar with how handy he is and I know his motivation level when it comes to starting projects around the house. (Ask me about the 10 others that still aren’t done.) I’d define his skills as average. He, however, would insist he’s a pro—based upon the amount of tools he’s bought at Sears, owning a Black & Decker repair manual, and having watched endless hours of Home Improvement reruns.

Deep in my heart, I just knew it would be a disaster…

On Labor Day, he actually bought everything, stacked it neatly in the garage and said he’d start building the weekend before Sukkot. Fair enough, right? So I said nothing and the time went by until it became last minute. The day before the holiday started, he hadn’t hammered even one nail!

My snap together kit, which he claimed “lacked imagination” could’ve been assembled quickly; his custom job would’ve taken hours—hours he wasn’t willing to put in and I certainly can’t build anything on my own.

The vision I had in my mind, of a pretty structure I could string lights on, and decorate with fruit and flowers, was dashed. The nice foods we could eat inside a Sukkah wouldn’t be possible. The warm family memories we would’ve created were not to be.

The end result? NOTHING, except harsh words and tears. I guess you can call it “The Sukkah that wasn’t…”