Kitchen Update

At long last, we are starting to feel as if there is light at the end of the tunnel. The tile is down and grouted, and today will be sealed. Yesterday we brought a cabinet in from the garage and removed it from the crate, just to see what we have. It was exciting. We've never had a nice kitchen. I can't help but recall the infamous "Stovesaurus" in Appleton, Wisconsin, sorta like the one pictured here....

That was the same kitchen where I intentionally knocked the accidently super-heated pot off onto the linoleum floor, recreating the "China Syndrome" effect from the Jane Fonda movie.

Then there was the kitchen in Oakland, so small that the refrigerator was down at the end of the hallway. And the Aurora, Colorado kitchen with the ugly, cane-pattern wallpaper that we removed, only to discover an ugly, dark yellow wall beneath.

In Mount Vernon we remodeled all the other rooms, and talked a lot about doing something with the kitchen, but had neither the money nor the clarity of vision to do anything. I remember our grand plan to keep the dogs in the kitchen while we took an all-day trip. Cayenne climbed over the six-foot high barrier and greeted us in the front room we we returned. That kitchen was even too ugly for the dogs.

Thus our excitement as the light appears at the end of this project's tunnel. We have scheduled the countertop template process for September 11th, so we plan to have the base cabinets installed by then. The new range hood will require a hole in the roof, but that's why God created the Sawzall, flashing, and roofing cement. We need a hole in the floor for the copper tubing for the ice maker, but that's not a big deal. I'm uncertain about the old garbage disposal, and the dishwasher that was incorrectly installed before, but those questions will also be resolved in time.

So, step by step we move toward having a sink again, and a stove, the feeling of pride in an attractive room, and a sense of accomplishment at how much we have learned in the process.