Does building cause divorce?

…and if you were single to start with, then what?

I just came across a question and answer column on the internet that starts with, “Does building a house cause divorce?”  I snickered at how the question was phrased.

“Do toads cause warts?”
“Will your face really get stuck that way?”
“Does a guy owning a massive, super-charged red truck really lack for…” Never mind.

While the inanimate bits of wood, metal and concrete won’t ever MAKE you do anything, the antics created by the people around those things just might. After all, that lump of concrete doesn’t mail me my largest bill every month. Those two-by-fours didn’t force me to be a plumbing-routing crawl space dweller who couldn’t even tell you if it was sunny or raining last weekend. The nails didn’t issue me that electrical inspection review that made me stand by my breaker box, stick out my lower lip and pout just a little.

But the “suff” surrounding the project has sent me to bed some evenings grateful there was no one else under my roof who might tread treacherous ground by inadvertently asking, “So, how was your day?”

I actually really like the building part. I wish it could be just about the wood, concrete and bits of metal. I think that’s what I appreciate about the garden. Just me and the mechanics of working with seeds, dirt and water under sunlight. No fees; no re-inspections; no hassles by anyone claiming any power over what I decide to do with the dirt.

It’s just a simple process.
No one ever ask if growing a garden causes divorce.