From a Distance

It’s still surreal to see that car in the driveway. From across the street (where I catch my bus) it looks quite nice. It truly looks as if it belongs there, that car that I now almost know enough about to drive safely. I still don’t know exactly how to run the climate control system but I think I have the wipers down pat now.

Trying to teach all this to the mother –who has trouble with the cable remote control – has been hilarious. But she’s been an eager student. In fact, she has been every bit as excited, if not a little more, than I about it. And for me, that’s a bonus. The mother just doesn’t get that excited about too many things. So, between the car and the refrigerator, she’s floating. We find out about the insurance today and I have a feeling that’s going to ground both of us!

I had to almost wrestle the driver’s seat back from her Saturday, even though she had refused to drive it at the dealership and she insisted that I drive it home. After a few short trips and several visits out to it after consulting the manual, the mother seems inifintely more comfortable with it. And that’s a really good thing, because I didn’t want to buy anything she wouldn’t be comfortable in.

But the weekend wasn’t all about the car.


We now have a tentative plan and a very clear focus on our house plans. The room of the moment is the kitchen. The refrigerator comes in six weeks or maybe it’s seven. At any rate, late June. The goal is to have everything ready in the kitchen to just appliances into place. The current appliances, instead of being hauled away, will go to my late great-uncle’s house since they’re newer and nicer and will ideally help it show better and help our cousin to sell that house.
So there’s lots to do between now and then.


First, we have to decide about the cabinets. Stain them more of a cherry (currently a pecan) or pain them white? I initially was leaning toward the cherry, but now I’m leaning more toward the white. (The room is SO small. And I’ve since seen several kitchens with white cabinets and stainless appliances and liked them. I think the brighter color will make it look bigger.)

From there, we’ll have to pick a countertop and floor. And that means I need to call my buddy Lawrence. (We’ll need a new subfloor in the kitchen for me to tile on.) I’m a little skeptical about this time frame, but always up for the challenge.