Southern Living – Page 3 – southern redeux

Back On Track

February 1, 2016February 1, 2016BGCT2VA3 Comments

It has been some time since I’ve written here. The Holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year have taken their yearly toll. Not so much in the bustle but in the emotional stew they churn up and which takes some quiet time to digest. It is a heartburn from which we all suffer.

But this quiet time was not all for naught. Ecclesiastics (and The Byrds) say, “To everything there is a season”. My mother put it more succinctly – “Are you thinkin’ or stinkin’?” In other words, “Are you actually using your brain or just wasting time”? The quiet season has ended and now is the time to plant.

cowboy

How many of us have seen someone working and wished we could do the same thing? I have done so many times. But, Cowboys, Brain Surgeons, King of All the World and Folks That Can Actually Use a Smart Phone each have skills sets I don’t possess. Fashion modeling, sadly, just isn’t the same as it once was so ixnay on that, too.

Borrowing a page from my friend Cheryl’s “Book of Things You Might Like To Do and Things You Should Avoid”(sometimes referred to as the Meyers/Briggs Test), I did a self-evaluation of what I liked and might be able to do. Maybe something would develop from this process, I figured.

I have always loved history, so much so that I sometimes repeat it. Writing, too, has been something I’ve enjoyed, even though my writing a coherent sentence is often a struggle. But, from deep within my Celtic genes comes a love of storytelling – both as a listener and sometimes the teller. storyteller (2)

Life would be much less colorful and interesting without hearing the tales of gypsies waiting to take naughty children away, Irish fairies and leprechauns (they’re different), gangsters and bad guys with names like The Beaver, GaGa, Itchy and Da’ Phone and The Lump. No history of Cuba would be complete without the story of a naked dwarf being placed in the “foundlings’ gate” of a Havana convent nor would the memory of a certain Connecticut town be as rich without recalling The Ride of Louie the Dog. Storytelling is the life blood of history.

So, what to do?

20141103_2071

Friends and family that have visited us here in Jacksonville have most often taken with us a tour of St. Augustine. Some have toured with the Old Town Trolley, others on the golf cart with Peter Gold of Gold Tours. It has been the tours of the Ancient City with Peter Gold that we have, so far, found to be the most interesting. After each tour I would find myself digging into books for further information or verification of what we had heard from the guides. So, what to do?

Several weeks ago The Redhead and I were down in St. Augustine. We were spending the afternoon just walking around viewing the sites, talking with the several shop owners we have gotten to know and enjoying walking the streets of the oldest city in our nation. Tour guides were everywhere: Carriage Horse Tours, Pedal Cab Tours, Ghost Tours, Wine Tours, Walking Tours and, of course, the trolleys – the orange one and The Red Train. Leaving town later that night we passed by the Red Train depot. One of us muttered, “I’d love to drive one of those”. The Redhead said, “Why don’t you”?

After a week or so of research we again went down to the Red Train. I filled out an application. We then took a ride on one of their trains and later spoke with the owner. A few days later I was filling out more paperwork and getting a physical exam.

Tomorrow, February 2, I begin training as a St. Augustine Tour Guide working for The Red Train.

History, writing, storytelling, tour guide, host to tourists and international visitors, getting to know as much of the “oldest city” – its people and places – past and present as I can absorb…what a job!

train engineer (2)

Hope to see you soon

Call me Killa’

October 12, 2015October 13, 2015BGCT2VA3 Comments

Alice: “I’ll be right back, Killer. And, I call you, Killer, because you slaaay me.
Ralph: “And I’m calling Bellevue because you’re nuts”! Link to TV clip

Last week was my “face your fears time”. It began early one morning with our friend and neighbor, Lydia, knocking on our front door. The Redhead went to the door, as did our two friends visiting from Connecticut, Sue and Mary Ellen. There was a brief conversation, three sentences of which can be recalled: Lydia – “There’s a snake by my backdoor, a bad one. I don’t know what to do”. The Redhead – “I’ll get, Bill”.

Tell me there is a lion in your backyard. No problem. Tell me there is a leak in your faucet. No problem. Tell me there is someone walking down the street, wearing a mask, and carrying your neighbor’s TV. Absolutely, no problemo. But, tell me something is crawling in your backyard and it’s not wearing a diaper. That’s a problem. For me. That this bit of news was delivered by Lydia to The Redhead and Sue and Mary Ellen made this a stomach-churning, knee buckling, cold sweat type of problem. At least for someone still believing in chivalry. And, as Don Quixote found out, chivalry and common sense don’t always go hand in hand. No sir. And timing. Timing is very important. Oh, yeah. Ya’ have to think some things through, very carefully. And, that takes time.

But, on this beautiful sunny morning, time and common sense were two gifts denied me. Thanks in part to dear friend, Sue, blurting out, “I’ll go over”, I needed to DO SOMETHING. Fast! Because, as well intentioned as she was, Sue, from Queens, NY, knows about as much about snakes as Donald Trump knows about hair style and humility.

So, no contemplating a plan. No assembling of an appropriate arsenal of weapons. Just time to grab a shovel, slip on a pair of moccasins (oh, the irony!) and hot foot over to Lydia’s backyard to see, The Bad One.

There he was, curled up just outside her back door. Just a Black Racer napping, I hoped. Now, if someone really hates snakes, as do I, the best hope is for a snake to be (1) a tool used by a plumber, (2) a Black Racer. Both are useful and won’t hurt you. Usually.

So, let me just give this little bugger a nudge and send it on its way somewhere else. What a hero I’ll be – without breaking a sweat! So, tickle, tickle, my little pal. Up goes its head, open goes his mouth, rubbery go my knees. The open white mouth tells the tale: it’s a water moccasin or “cotton mouth”. The books say it all – Avoid, venomous, dangerous, and nasty. Lydia was right, it’s a bad one.

The next five or so minutes must have been like watching the Wallenda Acrobats walking a tight-rope wearing clown shoes. It’s a dangerous act, but it brings out laughter. Lydia has out her camera phone. Sue is saying, “oooh, oooh”! Both are laughing. The snake is not laughing. He looks straight at me as I bring down the sharp edge of my Ames spade shovel. Whack, whack, miss, whack. Another look at the snowy inside of his mouth as he wiggles a little closer. Whacko. This SOB won’t die, I blurt out. More laughing. Oh, ladies, it seems I was born to amuse you. Yikes! This thing is still moving. Whacko, chop. Take that!

At last. Finito! What might have made a fine pair of boots for a midget is now a nearly tri-sected length of nasty. It must be three feet long. Hmm, with a little effort I could stretch this to being an 8 foot menace to humanity. No, we’ll leave well enough alone. A quick catapult into the nearby woods and it’s sayonara for this critter.

Let’s hope the next knock on the door brings with it a friend with a piece of apple pie, maybe a bit of pumpkin bread or a ”I’m just here to visit, put on the coffee”. But, if not, now I’m ready for anything!

After the first step

September 16, 2015September 17, 2015BGCT2VA3 Comments

Nearly two months later than our target date and almost seven months to the date since we first saw our new home, our remodeling work is DONE!

To celebrate the event – and to thank all of our new neighbors for their patience and kindness during our home makeover – we had a Neighborhood Open House party this past Sunday afternoon. Friends we have known for about a year – before moving to this home and friends just recently met came and helped us celebrate and give thanks for all we have been given.

The week before the Neighborhood party we had two big events here: Our house – each and every room and space – was blessed by our parish priest and pastor, Father Jhon Guarnizo (Blessed Trinity Parish ). Our home is and will always be a house of peace and love.

Fr. Jhon and Debbie on Blessing Day. Note batik of St. Luke in background

The following day Sister Swammy (Linda) came with her husband, Dave, for a too brief visit. Linda and Dave met several of our friends at our Labor Day picnic where we gave some of our southern friends a lesson in how to make a “real” hot dog – grill it baby! No boiled or steamed dogs in this house! The Swammy also regaled our friends with the story of her vision of what our new home would look like and when we would find it – months before it happened. She was correct about everything. The Swammy was presented with a special memento of her predictions.

The day after Linda left to visit family further south, our sun room floors were finished with a vinyl planking – perfect for the room since it is very durable and nice looking, too.So, now that our construction work has been completed, what next? When we moved here to Jacksonville from Connecticut we did not expect to become different people. What we did hope for was a chance to have a life which we could build together. We are doing just that. Having completed step#1 of our new life we’ll need to think and pray for our next step to be made known.

Let there be light!

July 31, 2015July 31, 2015BGCT2VALeave a comment

So, there now appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.
After a several-week setback with our sun room addition – due to the unexpected finding of wood damage to the chimney – work has again started. More importantly, each phase of the remaining work has been re-coordinated to ensure everybody involved in the work was on the “same page” with what needed to be done, how it was to be done and in what sequence. Sometimes, getting several independent contractors to work together is like herding cats. But, after getting sometimes conflicting information about how to proceed with our project from each set of workers, I had had enough. I called each contractor and told them: no more texts, no more emails, no more voice mails. They were all to meet with me and each other this past Wednesday at 11:00 A.M. to figure out how to proceed. So, after dropping off The Redhead at JAX airport for her week-long visit to NYC and Connecticut, I met with the roofers, sun room installers and the chimney/stucco contractor. What a party! Up on the roof they went. When they came down 30 minutes later there was a solid plan. Of course, all this would not have been necessary had there been no discovery of the wood damage to the framing and chimney – but there was and it had to be dealt with. The lessons from all this: 1) Coordination is key. It may be inconvenient for everybody involved in a project to meet – face to face. Too bad, it must be done. For me, while I know this is all part of God’s plan for us and that this is “our house – our home” I cannot be too laid back about managing this project. 2) There is truth in the adage, kindness can sometimes be mistaken for weakness. While I will always try to be kind, I must be mindful not to appear passive when it comes to business dealings. 3) There is no substitute for face to face communication!

Counting on all of our sun room construction to be completed by mid-August and hopeful nothing new crops up, we have scheduled our House Blessing to take place on Friday, September 4th. It was hoped we could do it on Sunday afternoon, but our Pastor’s schedule is more than busy that week, especially since it is the beginning of the 450th Anniversary celebrations down in St. Augustine and the Church has many events planned. So, the blessing will be on Friday, the 4th. “Sister Swammy”, Linda, and her husband arrive here Saturday. Our Open House – celebrating the Blessing, our new house, the end of construction and a thank you to all of our new neighbors for their patience will be on Sunday the 6th.

With our move and the remodeling and decorating of our new house now nearly finished, it’s time to focus on the next part of making “here” our home. For me, it is again finding purpose in work and in holding onto the family and friends we have and in making new friends. Ties with my “blood” family are few, the result of fate and, to some extent, choice. But, I have been blessed with “Family of the Heart”. Blood may be thicker than water. But hearts brought together by love are stronger than the power of genes.

The Redhead is up in Connecticut this week visiting some of those that are Family of the Heart. One or two of these folks may not even realize how much they mean to me. We’ll have to do something about that!

But, the work. I want to get back to working on some furniture. But, Lordy, it is hot in that garage! I’ll try adding a fan to cool it off a bit and see what happens. At least the garage is now cleared of all the excess boxes from our move. I’m still trying to figure out where to put my books, but the many cartons of them are stacked in a safe place out of the way. Once the sun room is completed, the wicker furniture can be removed from the garage, too, and be enjoyed again. I might even be able to park my car in the garage someday. Imagine that!

Hope to see you soon,

Bill

Home

June 15, 2015June 15, 2015BGCT2VALeave a comment

Monday, June 8th was the deadline set by our insurance company for us to move into our home – ready or not – or else…no insurance. Never mind that we had been spending at least 8-12 hours everyday at the house, we had to sleep there. Cat-naps didn’t count.

So, on the morning of the 8th, Debbie met the window shutter guy at the house and I coordinated the movers. Thanks to the help and handy pick-up truck of my friend, Bill, nearly everything left the apartment and garage in one trip, including bicycles and plants. Most of what was left behind that day has been brought over bit by bit. Thankfully, we had extended our rental lease for an additional month just so we wouldn’t be too crazed on moving day. Just this morning, Debbie and I remarked how very different this move was from when we left Connecticut: Less stuff to pack; no Sue or Mary Ellen.

For several days we sort of roughed it. No stove, no sinks, except a utility sink in the laundry. We did have a shower and a half-bath. Now, we are all set.

Our cabinets are all in, all appliances are hooked up – and working.

Both baths are fully finished (except for paint in the guest bath). Shall we have a painting party?? We’re still fine-tuning some electric and baseboards are due to go in this coming Wednesday.

The new roof is coming along and should be finished in the next day or two.

The foundation for the new sun room addition has been poured and work on the framing should commence this coming week.

It is a lot of work. But, we wanted to get everything that needed attention, or that we wanted, to be done before or shortly after we moved in. So far, so good. We are very blessed that we could do this and lucky it is going – for the most part – so smoothly.

So, what’s next? Sometime later this month or early July we will have our housed blessed. At that time we’ll have a house-warming party for friends, neighbors and many of the folks that worked so hard to make this all possible for us: tilers and tile suppliers, carpenters, electricians, folks that helped us find our new furniture and those that helped us pick out paint. We are grateful to so many. We hope our dear friends in Connecticut, North Carolina and Rhode Island will be here, too.

After we have settled in and cleared some of our things from the boxes now jammed into our garage and a spare bedroom we will be able to focus on other goals and projects. For me, it will be again restoring and reviving vintage furniture. I’ll figure out a way to cool down the garage during the especially hot season of June – September so I can work with my paints and stains. Not sure where this will wind up taking me, but it’s time for me to again be productive.

Well, that’s it for now. Keep good thoughts and prayers for us. Hope to see you soon.

Ready, Set…

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015BGCT2VALeave a comment

We’ve begun to bring a few of our belongings over to our home: bags and boxes of clothes, some linens, pottery and two pieces of furniture. I just had to hand-carry our Victorian muffin stand (from my old Redeux Furniture shop) and an arts and crafts period clover leaf side table. The pottery pieces, from local artists, were also taken to the house today to ensure their safe passage. If those old pieces of furniture could talk I wonder if they would be saying,”where the heck are we”, or “hey, there’s no dust here”! In any case, they are a long way from their original New England homes. Hope they like their new digs!

Being somewhat gluttons for punishment, we’ll enjoy only a day or two of relative quiet in the house. Sometime between Tuesday and Friday the following is scheduled to happen: The kitchen finished – counter tops installed, drilled for fixtures and all fixtures installed (at least we have the refrigerator); bath vanities completed with counters and fixtures; all remaining electrical hookups completed. Then the fun starts! The foundation for the new sun room has been staked. The city inspector is scheduled for sometime Monday (maybe he will help carry a few boxes!) to give the go-ahead approval. Also, Tuesday is when the dumpster for the new roof is being dropped off. The roof will be started sometime after Tuesday and will take about 2- 3 days, weather permitting. The foundation for the sun room will be poured sometime next week and work will commence on the frame about 3-4 days latter. With luck, everything will be completed by early to mid-July. Of course, we will be living in the house all this time. We leave the apartment entirely by the end of June. But, we expect to be completely out as soon as our appliances are hooked up at the house. Whew!

The kitchen cabinets are turning out to be fantastic. The carpenter installing them is Mr. Wayne Moss.

Wayne has his own woodworking company but is the installer for the kitchen cabinet folks. Lucky us. Wayne is a perfectionist and has an old fashioned ethic about him. As he was making sure everything was just right with the cabinets, the layout man for the counter tops arrived. Watching him measure and cut the patterns for the tops was intriguing. It turns out he used to work for Embraer – American Airlines in Brazil. Life happens and now he uses his skills to be the pattern-maker for one of Jacksonville’s best stone, granite and quartz fabricators.When friends and family visit us they will see the work of several very skilled tradesmen – tilers, carpenters and stone cutters. It is amazing what God has done for us by putting these folks in our lives.

With all of this work going on around us, I am getting the itch to again start working on some furniture. My skill level is nowhere near that of some of the men that has worked on on new home. But, in looking at some of the pieces from my shop that we kept and will put into our new home, I am grateful for the “new-life” I was able to restore into so many pieces.

A real Morris chair. Soon to be restored by Redeux South!

Sometimes, it is interesting to guess where all of those bits of furniture are now and how they are being used. Ours will always be treasured.

In looking around for just the right piece to put under our TV I’ve searched through several antique and cottage furniture shops in Jacksonville and Neptune/Jacksonville Beaches. Today I re-visited one on the beach, Bungalow by the Sea, that is a small beach-type house with several rooms, each for a particular artist or crafts-person. Perhaps I’ll look into putting some things there. But, first, there is this little thing called renovating a house that is keeping my attention. You never know, though.

Debbie's — Debbie’s “pen-shell” entry light!

http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/category/pen-shell/

Hope we see you soon!

Bill

8 Days

May 31, 2015May 31, 2015BGCT2VA2 Comments

Less than three months from when we started the house renovations we will move into our new home and begin our new life.

From first deciding to leave Connecticut and then exploring areas in which to relocate and finally deciding to make Jacksonville our home, it has been an interesting experience. We have met many wonderful people. Some have lived in Jacksonville for all their lives; some have come from other Southern states and a few from “up North”, which can mean anywhere north of North Carolina. We have seen a lot, too.

IMG_2471 (463x394) (463x394) — Finished! glass tile fireplace front

Our renovations have brought us into contact with people we might otherwise not have had the chance to meet: men that work with tile and wood and concrete; men that start work at 6:00 A.M. and often work until 7, 8 and even 9:00 P.M.; men that work 60-70 hours a week and yet still have to weld bumpers onto their cars to keep them going; men that offer a handshake stronger than any written contract. And we have met a few that know the inside of several jails but who wouldn’t steal a slice of bread if they were hungry. There have been some interesting ladies, too. Some are our new neighbors – wives of Navy officers. They raise their families often in the absence of their husbands. Unlike some of the families of corporate executive we knew in Connecticut who commuted to NYC or elsewhere, these women say goodbye to their husbands when they leave for Iraq or Afghanistan or somewhere not to be disclosed. These are some strong ladies. There are other women that we have met that have made this such a comfortable place for us to live. Some are business owners such as Marni of Duval Tile, some are folks we meet in our day-to-day business , some are friends for the Redhead, some friends for us both. New friends, yet not replacing those we love and long to see from “up North”, wherever that may be.

David Brobst tile master — David Brobst, tile master, laying start line

So, we are nearly at the end of our renovation work – at least the interior work. The painting is done; the various floors have been replaced with new tile throughout, new doors have been put in and this weekend the new kitchen is being installed. In just over a week we will move in – ready or not! The sun room is being started next week. But, we can live in the house while that is going on. Hopefully!

During all of this work we have learned and noticed a few things. First, it has been better to deal directly with the folks that are actually doing the work rather than working through a middleman.

A highly skilled carpenter lays out his tools before starting work

The kitchen cabinet project is a good case in point. While it does require the efforts of several trades, communication has sometimes been not as easy as when we have dealt directly with the tradesman doing the work.

Secondly, we have noted that those folks that have communicated primarily by text or email have been the least accessible. I’ve written about this before and it becomes more apparent everyday: nothing can replace direct contact – voice or in person. Sorry, Google, Twitter and Microsoft, etc. – you have your limitations – even if the new internet connections will be through ones pants (http://fusion.net/story/141560/google-and-levis-are-teaming-up-to-make-computerized-pants/ ) Yikes!

Thirdly, shop around. Since we are both frugal (where it counts) and love to poke and pick, this wasn’t too hard for us. It is amazing how very often we found better quality materials for 40-60 % less than that found in “designer” showrooms. Beware, too, we found, of sources often suggested by middlemen such as designers. There are built in markups. If you have the time, as we did, shop around. Don’t be swayed by fancy showrooms and sales reps in la-di-da outfits. The best sources for product knowledge often come from someone that has just buggy-loaded a bunch of tile, paint or hardware.

And, lastly, talk to everybody and double check references. You may meet some wonderful folks and might save yourself some grief, too! But, most of all, trust. If it’s right and good, it will happen. So, we may as well not worry.

See you soon!

Atilla the Hun and The Redhead

May 14, 2015May 14, 2015BGCT2VA1 Comment

June 8. For history buffs, it is remembered as the date on which Attila the Hun invaded Italy (who doesn’t remember that!). For The Redhead and I it is the date we are scheduled to move to our New Home!

The neighbors have promised that we will be more welcome than was Mr. Attila.
It has been an exciting and interesting two months since we closed on the house. We have learned a lot – about the complexities of remodeling a home, how to search for and hire the best tradesmen, about being cautious and about what motivates people –others and ourselves.

If you could see my desk right now (why not?) you might think that disorganization was a characteristic of mine. I don’t think so – at least not always – but the way I often organize is by keeping things needed within sight. Clutter actually drives me crazy so I keep only what I need or think I’ll soon need within sight and reach. Organizing a home remodeling project requires organization of a different sort. You have to organize people according to the hierarchy of their work and how each coordinates with the others. Ripping out things was fairly simple: carpenter rips out cabinets, plumber disconnects water supply, carpenter rips out sinks, etc., electricians turn off electricity to certain areas and re-wire for future needs, tiling people tear up existing floors (ours were a nightmare and a testimonial to modern glues). Then ceilings are re-plastered, painting is done, new floors are put in (all tile) and then new cabinets and vanities are installed. Along the way you realize that future needs should be addressed now because: (1) later you be too tired to continue; (2) you may have to redo something; (3) You may have spent any remaining funds on a psychiatrist. Seriously!
Right now we are at the end of the painting stage.The house looks beautiful and very different from what it did a few weeks ago. This coming Monday the laying of the new tile floors begins and the appliances are delivered and kept in the garage (except the washer/dryer which will be installed). The following week the cabinets, vanities and lights are to be installed as will be the new front and back doors. In early June the construction of the new glass sun room and the new roof begins. But, we can and, hopefully, will be in the house when that takes place. It’s a real ballet – poetry in motion. But, one serious misstep and our goose is cooked!!
But, so far, so good. A few set-backs have happened, yet things kept moving. And here we are: nearly at the end of this chapter. Still smiling. Still talking to one another. Still excited about this new beginning and very grateful for this blessing. Who wouldda’ thunk?

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Forest Through the Trees

May 11, 2015May 11, 2015BGCT2VA2 Comments

You can’t see the forest through the trees.

This was an expression heard countless times as a kid. Its meaning was, surely, lost on a mind concerned exclusively on what was in front of it. Now its meaning has clarity: focus on the bigger picture and not so much on the smaller details. Our remodeling project has put that adage to the test.As the ownership of our house reaches the two-month mark, the anxiety of getting things finished is building up. Trying not to do things out of order (too much) so as not having to re-do something has forced us to postpone some work. The biggest culprit right now are the exterior doors. One set is in and the other two are not expected in until later this month. Now that the old popcorn ceilings have been removed and the fresh,new ceiling is finished, painting prepping the rest of the house is scheduled to begin tomorrow morning. Hopefully we can have the one set of doors (French doors leading to the backyard and, eventually, the sun room) installed before the actual painting commences. In any case, the doors should be installed before the tile floors are lain and, of course, the floors have to be finished before the new kitchen and the updated baths can be installed. Lots of trees to peek through! Our self-imposed 75 day time frame to finish our projects and move in may not happen quite on time, but hope springs eternal. We’ve extended our rental lease for another month, “just in case”.

But, the forest – the big picture – is what we keep trying to focus on. It really is the beginning of our new life here in Florida and of being a part of Southern culture. We have gone from being visitors to explorers to residents and, now, we are settled.Some of our friends that have come by during the renovations have, we’re sure, shaken their heads and wondered if we have lost our minds. Who would blame them? We both have said we wouldn’t do a big remodeling project on whichever house we bought. And, here we are! But, our friends and neighbors can’t see what we see. It’s in our minds and hearts.

We see a home filled with light and love and open to friends and family. And to God and whatever work He puts in front of us. For now we’ll concentrate on some of the details and let the Big Picture reveal itself.

Communication

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015BGCT2VA2 Comments

“What we got here is a failure to communicate”

A memorable line from the classic film, “Cool Hand Luke”, it keeps replaying in my mind as our house makeover proceeds. It seems the more technology enters into our most simple, everyday tasks, the more complicated it becomes. The more we let it replace direct interaction with one another, well, it seems like we end up with just a plain, hot mess. Today was my Waterloo.

Everyone working on our project has been great. From the flooring guys that have tackled a nearly impossible job to the electricians and carpenters, all have proceeded as smoothly as possible while trying to complete a not small project in a specific time frame. It is the coordination that is starting to drive me crazy.

We could have avoided most of this angst by just hiring a “Big Box” store to act as General Contractor. We are buying many of our materials from them. But, the labor costs of them acting as the GC is quadruple what the individual tradespeople charge. So, frugality and sensibility take precedence over ease. Up to now it has been o.k. But, the kitchen project requires the efforts of several tradespeople so the designer/cabinet maker is coordinating, more or less, that part of our project. He says he likes to communicate mostly by email and text and voice mail – as well as some face-to-face, of course. It is here that the bogeyman of technology raises his ugly head. Examples: Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. The Redhead gets an email from the kitchen guy: “Electricians will be at house tomorrow”. Foolish me asks the Redhead, “what time”? She says, “I don’t know. I’ll email him back”. Hmmm.

Thursday, 7:15 a.m. I’m in the shower singing my third rendition of, “I Left my Heart in San Francisco” (I’ll learn the real words, someday). The Redhead yells into the bathroom, “The electricians are at the house and can’t get in ’cause your not there”. No kidding. Who needs to rinse off, anyway? And breakfast? Ha!

And so it went all day. Emails to the Redhead from the kitchen guy’s staff: “Plumber’s coming Friday or Monday. Need toilet and valves”. Message duly given. Foolish me asks, “How can the toilet go in when there is no drain yet”? Or walls? Or floor? Just small details, I suppose.There’s more. But, you get the idea. Technology is fine. To a point. But, can an I Pad really replace a,”My Pad”? All the numbers, names, notes and dates you could possibly want or need – all at a fingers touch!

Bill’s My Pad

Not all is lost or gloomy, though. Far from it. Thanks to the Redhead’s vision, the most beautiful house we could have imagined will soon be our home.

In the meantime, can somebody just pick up a phone!

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