Santa's little helper caught redhanded

Works in progress...

No small amount of time has gone into this kitchen update. We don't plan on living here forever, so we didn't gut the place and start from scratch, but instead tried something more in the spirit of restoration, or reimagination. It's been fun - laughing and joking as we surreptitiously snuck out of the house for a couple of hours to look for brushed nickel hinges, trying nonstop to one-up each other with endearing tales of Mr. Man and Little Miss.

We aren't done yet...looks like after the new counter and sink go in I'll need to repaint. This makes me glad I used the lasts-till-Doomsday Behr Premium Plus 12 months ago...very glad....

Where was I? Oh yeah, restoration. The whole house has been like this: an exercise in what's reasonable, what's possible, and finding a great deal of enjoyment - mixed with an uneven assortment of some of my more irrational moments - found in the act of reshaping things. For what it's worth, the image in my mind's eye is slowly coming into focus, and that's rewarding in its own right.

More importantly, the whole process of making this 1950's bungalo intended for a family of three, modified to accomodate four, and now housing five of us - soon to be six! - our home has reminded me how singular a women my wife is. This renovation has been the easiest out of the many projects we've worked on (could it be because I've done the least actual work on it?) and its reminded me that we're still having fun, and she's definitely still the one. It's hard to find a good girl, and even harder to be worthy of one. But it's a good problem to have.

It's a Good Life, if you don't weaken...

So say The Hip, and it is true, but also false, as I realize better each time I wrestle with my anger, impatience and occasionally unforgiving nature. A fan wrote to Kurt Vonnegut and summarized the great man's entire omnibus as an argument for "a little less love and a little more common decency". Vonnegut agreed this ten word telegraph would probably have done just as well as his many books and essays. That's Rabo Karabekian sniffing irritably in dissent.

So here's to common decency, and here's to love as well. Somewhere out there, the sun is waiting to return to this parallel and bring the summer back with him. In the meantime, this photo will have to do (and it does).

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Credit - or blame, depending on your take - goes to Rabia, who led by example in the blog-creation department. Beginnings are probably better left short and optimistic, like an oompaloompa.
So here I go, I guess.