March 27, 2007
like a damn Dickens novel
My house is a total wreck today; I can’t even bring myself to take pictures of the disaster. The furniture in the family room is all pushed into a heap, the kitchen and bathroom and linen closet doors are all piled willy-nilly around the house, the painters have tracked mud all through the house, and there is sawdust everywhere. But! Everything is sanded and caulked and prepped, and the men are painting the kitchen cabinets and I think the master bathroom is painted.
If I were doing this myself, we would still be in the Drink Coffee and Bitch About How Much Work There Is To Do stage. Or maybe the Drink Gin and Bitch phase. Hard to tell. Instead, I am languishing on the sofa with my iPod and laptop, ignoring the gigantic mess and the men in my kitchen. I suppose this was what the Victorians did, wasn’t it? But without the iPod, which kind of sucked for them.
I painted the bathroom in the dark the other night, with a table lamp perched on the counter. Wade was hoping I would slop paint on the lamp because it’s part of a set that we bought fifteen years ago and hate now but can’t justify getting rid of because they work just fine. But I didn’t spill a drop.
We’re still getting rid of the lamps, though, as soon as we move. Because after fifteen years, it’s time.
I’m feeling a little lightheaded right now, from the paint fumes, but it’s totally worthwhile because after seven years of staring at the kitchen cabinets and thinking MY GOD THEY ARE SO UGLY I am days away from clean, pristine white cabinets. And I kind of figure that once I really love them, the house will sell right away, because that’s how things go.
The painters are nice; they work and chat and leave me alone. Yesterday, they had this interesting conversation:
Older painter guy: I can’t shake this cough. I’ve been coughing stuff up for days.
Younger painter guy: Think you might have TB?
Older painter guy: What?
Younger painter guy: Tuberculosis. Think you might have that?
Older painter guy: I don’t know.
Younger painter guy: People are getting it again, you know.
Older painter guy: Damn, I hope that’s not what this is.
Posted by Susan @ 10:05 am • Uncategorized
RSS feed for comments on this post.
TrackBack URI
March 27th, 2007 at 11:54 am, Magpie Says:
And for your sake I hope he doesn’t have TB!
March 27th, 2007 at 11:54 am, Susan Says:
So do I, Magpie, SO DO I.
March 27th, 2007 at 11:59 am, The June Cleaver Diaries Says:
ICK!!! Is he at least hacking into a kleenex, and not your cabinets?!?!?!
It’s not TB. Seriously. I worked in acute care for ages, and I only saw one or two cases.
March 27th, 2007 at 12:19 pm, elise Says:
Maybe my husband has TB. He woke up this morning coughing to beat the band (what does that MEAN?) and he didn’t stop until I woke up, looked at him worriedly, and heard him ask for my bottle of water. That was sitting on my nightstand.
He was just going to lie there coughing until I woke up and got him water. Ugh.
On the correct subject, however, white cabinets are so, so pretty. I can’t wait to see the finished product!
March 27th, 2007 at 12:51 pm, susie Says:
We are selling our house right now and it looks so nice now that sometimes I have to remind myself of why I don’t want to live here anymore.
March 28th, 2007 at 7:58 am, cce Says:
I’m so glad you’re moving after painting your cabinets white. Because there is absolutely no way to keep white cabinets clean if you are a) a coffee drinker or b) have children. We got brand new WHITE cabinets last July and they’re now sort of a murky gray, coffee dappled color with fingerprint accents. Move immediately.
March 28th, 2007 at 8:06 am, Susan Says:
I was JUST thinking about that this morning, about how the bathroom cabinets (also a pristine white) will be totally trashed by the boys if we live here much longer.
I may make them wear surgical gloves in the house from now on.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:44 am, Robin Says:
I’m hoping you guys are up to date on all of your shots!?