They Haven't Learned (And Neither Have I!)

Crowds have gathered across the street at the annual festival put on the by church and school. Every year, I go over and enjoy my annual plate of nachos. Not this, year, though! I'd like to say it's because I'm won't eat junk food, but the truth is, I'm sick of spending money.

Earlier this week, I went to the dentist for a night guard. Grinding my teeth a little at night is normal for me, but my car trouble ($1,800 worth) stressed me to the point that eating fermented foods became painful. While I was at the dentist's office, three healthy-looking young patients were in the waiting room wearing masks. These patients were about to walk 10 feet and take their masks off at a place where people come and go all day and sit with their mouths wide open. Even if you think masks do any good, what's the point if you're going to take them off in a minute? When does this end? COVID isn't going away any more than H1N1, hantavirus or the bubonic plague. Yes--those deadly diseases are all still lurking about. I don't remember any previous recommendation for the general public to wear masks (except when cleaning up after the mice that spread hantavirus).

So I've been agonizing. Not over masks or COVID, but what kind of faux finish to put on my basement wall. It's cooler down there and I want it to look nicer. Whatever I do, it'll look better than the bright yellow that clashes with the exposed cinder blocks, pipes, ducts and floor joists.

No problem, I thought, forgetting that nothing about a 90-year-old house is no problem. Particularly when the previous owners weren't handy. I went to remove the vent from the wall to find out it was held up with nails since the screw holes were stripped. I went to take down the shelves by the washer and dryer and found them screwed to the makeshift supports that held them up in the middle. A few more tracks and brackets would have been so much easier and nicer than the jerry-rigging; a little epoxy would have fixed the screw holes for the vent. Thanks to the bowing, the holes and the screw I can't get out of one of the shelves, they're getting tossed.

They'll have to sit in the basement for a while: heavy trash day, a day every month when the county picks up large items, is suspended indefinitely for lack of help. Even if they hired more help tomorrow, fixing potholes and mowing grass are probably higher priorities for them. I could hire someone to haul off the junk: I may be tired of spending money, but I have ataxophobia, too.

These projects look so easy on YouTube--but nothing ever goes like it does on YouTube, does it? It's like real life is full of pesky execution details.

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