Kitchens and glitches

Getting some fresh air and exercise

CONRAD: Oh, Jerry are you okay with this hinge?
JERRY: Yeah.

CONRAD: I can get you any kind you want, you know. Four holes, three holes, two holes, bronze, no hinge at all.

JERRY: You know, why don’t we just go with the one in your hand?

CONRAD: Oh, these are different.

JERRY: Drop one. . . . left!

~ From episode 152 of Seinfeld, “The Nap”

Yellowing

There is an episode of Seinfeld (the television show) in which Jerry is having new kitchen cabinets installed and the contractor, Conrad, appears to be an indecisive type of guy who consults Jerry on every single detail, right down to the smallest of things.  “Indecisive” was not the best word because I suspect Conrad is a contractor who wishes to please his client and as such, is a perfectionist who makes sure that his client is happy with every little thing.

Very berry

I did not always or often sympathize with the main characters on Seinfeld (they were not written to be the type of people you would sympathize with), but this is one instance in which I can relate to Jerry’s frustration.  You see, the kitchen cabinet installers were here yesterday.  All.  Day.  Long.  From sunup until past sundown.  And they were filled with questions.

The Installer In Charge and his Able Assistant are nice guys, and are adept at their job.  However.  There are a bazillion little details in a kitchen, details that require a decision, and because I happened to be home all day, I had to answer the bazillion questions.  “On which side do you want this hinge?”  Or the same question in a different way:  “Which way do you want the door to open?  From the left?  Or from the right?”  “Where do you want the knobs situated?”  “The support struts won’t fit where they are located in the plan.  Should I relocate them here?  Or here?”  (It should be noted that during our last two kitchen remodels, I was working outside of the home, and very often the contractors had to make executive decisions about the small details or wait until either M or I came home to check with them.)

Still colors to be found

By mid-afternoon, my head was pounding.  Yeah, I know.  First World problems.  I wouldn’t sympathize with me, either.  So let me say now that I am deeply appreciative and grateful not only for the opportunity to spend time with people who know their job well, but also for the fact that we have a house, a kitchen, and the means to renovate the kitchen.  I practiced a lot of patience and gratitude throughout the day yesterday.

There were glitches, of course.  There are always glitches.  A cabinet was missing and did not get delivered on Monday.  The case of the missing cabinet was finally solved, but it won’t get here until tomorrow.  That means the cabinet installers could not finish some of the work  (including hanging the missing cabinet, putting up the crown molding, and putting the knobs on the drawers and cabinets)  and will have to come back in a couple of weeks.  They are booked pretty solid so we won’t see them again until maybe the week of December 2.  Maybe.

Near the graveyard

Our designer messed up the order on one of the corner cabinets.  Thankfully the installer could fix the situation by a quick switch with another cabinet and moving the hinges on the doors around.  Another corner cabinet, the first one you’ll see when you walk in the kitchen, was gouged with a box cutter when it was packed.  At least that’s the way it looks.  I am fairly certain the cabinet installers didn’t do it based on the evidence.  The installers took pictures, called the kitchen designer, sent her the pictures, and failed to tell me anything about the gouge.  The designer called me late in the day, nattering on about how they were going to try to repair the cabinet, and I hadn’t a clue as to what she was talking about.

Early on in this process I made the decision that I would not settle for repaired cabinets this time around.  I did that last time, and the repairs were poorly done and I regretted not having them either fix them again or reorder the cabinets.  The cost of a new kitchen is horribly expensive and, well, we are paying for new cabinets.  Not damaged and repaired cabinets.  So, I told Designer Girl that they could give the repair a try, and if I could still see the gouge or the repair, she’d have to order a new cabinet.  I honestly hope they can repair it because I’ve seen enough waste on this property.

Entrance

There’s more, but you don’t really want to hear about all that, do you?  And I bet you don’t want to see more pictures from my walk this morning, either.  You probably want to see this:

First shot of the new kitchen

And this:

Second shot

It’s coming along nicely, don’t you think?  I am loving it already.  It’s coming together the way I visualized it, and I know it’s going to suit me and this house nicely.

The counter top guys are coming by sometime today to do the template.  You can see our cardboard template in the second shot.  We want the counter to curve in a way that’s similar to the curve in the track lighting above it so we spent some time last night deciding on where the curves should be.  That should make it easier today.  I bet the counter top guys will have tons of questions anyhow, but at least that major decision has been made.

Eastern Bluebird in the Sumac

Except for the short, early morning walk I took yesterday, I did not get outside.  I think that’s what made me so cranky.  I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors, working around the property and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.  With an afternoon two-hour window on the arrival of the counter top guys today, I was able to get out for a while this morning.  It’s a brisk, chilly day.  Sunny and beautiful.  I feel so much better now that I’ve gotten some exercise and taken lots of deep breaths.

Isn’t he pretty? A little on the stern side, too, from the looks of him.

There is a flock of bluebirds living near our little graveyard.  Usually they’re skittish, but today they didn’t mind me in the least, and went on feasting on the sumac berries while I took a few shots.  There were a couple of woodpeckers and goldfinches there, too, but they kept hiding behind branches or berries or pine needles.

Mine!

I reckon that’s it from the Wabi-Sabi Ranch for today.  Thank you for visiting, and listening to me vent.  I truly am grateful for the opportunities we have here, and I probably shouldn’t whinge about it.

How is your week going?  Anything you want to whinge about?  Feel free to do so in the comments.  We’ll call it Wednesday’s Whinge and get it all out, once and for all.

We have a lot of red and green around here.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

Because

Today’s joys:  Sunshine and blue skies.   The brisk north wind nipping at me.  A long walk this morning.  The beginnings of a lovely new kitchen.  Food I cooked and froze so we could microwave it during this time of flux.  Bluebirds!!