Lawrence, We Have a Problem
Dec 7th, 2007 by Marilyn
Planning a move-in date is about reliable as a shuttle launch. With recent snow and freezing rain, what would the weather hold? All these contractor delays – would we still be sitting around at controls? Were we ever in control?
The second move-in date was a frozen bust. Here is the house:
And wow! Except for those sawhorses and a few drywall buckets, it looks like someone’s living there and enjoying a steaming cup of coffee right now.
But inside there is this.
my future life partner, stripped down for engine check, inching toward the kitchen
And there is this…
A whole pile of not-quite-done-yet: a wine cooler waiting, and enameled stair spindles
…and this…
vanity-sideboard is ready for the spotlight, but walls and the plumbing come first.
We could have moved in as planned, but opted to wait through next week, so that everything that can get done will get done. This is a painful but sensible thing to do, I guess. A few days more in the name of quality won’t hurt us, unless I snap and blind myself with icicles in front of the house.
We know that in the world of home building, a few months’ extra wait isn’t a big deal. Still, once you get your eyes on the prize…
…and the prize is just outside your window…well, it’s a tough wait.
I’ve always wondered about the crowds that travel to Florida for shuttle launches. They stand there at dawn, cheering and waving, cameras watching, and then a big NASA voice tells everyone to go home. Where do they go? Do they just take off to get loaded on peel-n-eat shrimp, margaritas and Dippin’ Dots?
Sadly, we have no shrimp shacks here. So this is what we’ll do:
I’ll bet I haven’t seen this treat since, oh, 1979 , when it was a babysitter’s dream – but I spied it today in Target’s dollar aisle, bright and begging and as cool as ever.
We don’t have a microwave in the apartment, and Josie’s never seen the wonders of stovetop popcorn, so this humble dollar’s worth of pop might be just the lift we need. And thanks, kind friends, with your offers of moving-day support, latkes and coffee cakes and extra pairs of hands, thanks – but stand by. Next week will be here in a Jiffy.
