As the list gets shorter, the tasks get harder.

Turns out my mom isn’t coming back until Tuesday. The kitchen still won’t be finished by then so I’m not sure what difference it really makes.

We had this awful shelving unit with aluminum rails and supports and pressboard shelves that I’ve decided isn’t going back into the kitchen. That also means that we need a table for the telephone. I’m not a big furniture shopper and it’s been a bit of a headache. I started last night on Google and went to three antique stores, Portland Furnishings, Hip, Dania, and finally the Joinery. All I wanted was a narrow table and I finally found what I need is called a “console” or “entry table”. I found NOTHING on Google, Ikea’s web site, Dania’s web site, or Crate and Barrel’s web site. I found nothing at the antique stores. The last three places had something that would be almost OK.

The one at Hip was a perfect size, but had a glass top. GLASS TOP. I’m going to put something through a glass top, I’m sure. Plus, it’s too modern for me.

There was an interesting leaning desk at Dania, but it didn’t mount to the wall at all. I’m sure it would come tumbling down at some point.

So finally I went to the Joinery. I haven’t been there for ten years, I think, because everything there is BEAUTIFUL, hand made, and EXPENSIVE. The first three tables they showed me were almost perfect, but cost $1800 – $2200. The one I finally bought was a Shaker table made of cherry and is going to make the rest of the kitchen look like absolute crap.

They had a nice bed frame I wanted for $3000, and a nice dresser I wanted for $5000. I think the custom kitchen table will be about $3000 and the chairs are about $700 each. Now I see why I either need to a raise and a promotion or to change my tastes back to Ikea’s pressboard furniture.

I’ve got a list of demands

Today was a friend’s 50th birthday and he usually keeps that sort of thing quiet. I call him on his birthday every year, though. Who else is going to do it? I’ll buy him breakfast tomorrow (today).

I had what I thought was a huge list of errands today and I didn’t finish them. I never do, really. But I did finish most of them, even with my poor start. I usually mop the gym floor but when new mop heads can leave a lot of lint on the rough rubber surface. Instead of mopping, I vacuumed. It can take me 45 minutes to mop the floor if there’s a lot of equipment out of place, but vacuuming took me an hour and a half. I almost missed one of the time-constrained things on my list: buying more cardboard boxes, but I made it with half-an-hour to spare.

I got lunch and when I got home my next door neighbor needed help with his garage door. Fortunately I had the wire strippers, crimps, crimp tools, and staple gun necessary to fix it all. After that, it was list time. I should have been like my brother-in-law and put “eat lunch” and “shower” on the list so I could cross them off.

The big item on the list was the only non-house-maintenance chore that my mom wanted me to do while she was gone: washing her car. She parks it in the driveway where it gets little winter sun, and it grows algae in the winter. The algae dies and turns black. I went to the “Washman” carwash and got the $49 package with extra external cleaning. It takes an hour, but my neighbor was there doing the same thing so we sat and chatted and the time passed pretty quickly.

Then it was time for easier items like “laundry”. My sister added “buy a new kitchen table” to the list. I’m spending a lot more than I’m making lately. Stupid renovations. Well, that goes on tomorrow’s list which, by this time, is today’s list. I better hit the hay.