Filling In the Details

Dearest Rachel –

Look, I warned you that I would be using the ‘detail’ pun for most of these early iterations regarding the kitchen and laundry room remodelings. I may stop by April or May, when the contractors are here day in and day out, but for now, the occasional nature what’s being done allows me to season the titles with the joke – and allows the casual reader to spot the stories having to do with the remodeling plans as they slowly come together.

Although in fairness, it isn’t all that slow when we buckle down to it. It barely takes me an hour, fortified with input from both Jan (to give a particularly feminine perspective) and my parents (as dad in particular is quite the subject matter expert kitchens and cabinetry), to come up with specifics as far as what I want in the way of accessories and surfaces. With regard to the kitchen, this includes items like the backsplash, the countertop and the flooring:

Lisa has recommended a different flooring for the laundry room, but by and large, I have decided to stick with similar cabinetry for both rooms.

It makes everything fairly simple and straightforward, even if the cabinets aren’t going to be available – and therefore construction can’t begin – until April of next year. Hey, I can wait.

I will have to admit, I don’t know if you would have agreed with some of my choices – and if you were still around, I’m sure I would’ve deferred to you in any of those differences, since you would spend more time in either the kitchen or the laundry room and I – but I’m afraid your taste is somewhat moot at this point. Meanwhile, I actually didn’t think I had a particular taste in decor, but today kind of proved that there are things I do and do not like, especially when I have a choice, with regards to what I expect to live with for the rest of my life.

I was slightly amused to receive a phone call from dad late in the afternoon, with observations both on how well Lisa had prepared herself and certain specific options for our arrival and review, and that I worked well with her to come up with a certain ‘look’ for the two rooms. Well, I’d certainly like to think that he raised me right when it came to dealing with professionals of any service. Besides, I’ve read enough episodes of ‘Not Always Right’ to know just how not to be that guy. Although, I do have to agree that she was indeed ready and prepared with some interesting combinations to lead me to a final ensemble.

Honestly, it may not have been your first choice. It is, however, a darn sight better than the veneer and pink steel interior that we’ve been dealing with for these past twenty -five years. Whatever the result, I’d like to think that come April or May, you would at least agree that the results will be a vast improvement, compared to what we have been shrugging and putting up with for all this time.

But that’ll be a long time to come, and much will need to happen between now and then. Until then, well, I’ll be talking to you.