False Bravado

I closed our local Lowe’s last night as my mystery project is turning out to be a little more difficult than I anticipated.

I got home a bit later as I stopped by a downtown book store where my company was holding a little after-hours gathering. Me+bookstore+trouble so it was a good thing I only had about 30 minutes before I had to hustle out to catch the last bus of the day out of downtown.

I’m not sure then what possessed me to start trying to build the little project last night. Maybe false bravado led me to believe I’d be done in no time. As a result, I spent the evening on the kitchen floor (the only open area big enough to work on it in) listening to To Have and Have Not, a Bogey/Bacall favorite of mine.

Around 8:30, I discovered that I needed some trim pieces to shore up what I was doing. Luckily, I’ve spent enough time in the molding sections of hardware stores to know what my options are. I knew something that seemed just perfect for my needs: a trim piece that is a solid 11/16” square. Just the ticket.

By the time I got shoes and coat on, gathered keys and wallet actually got to Lowe’s it was 8:50. I mistakenly believed they were open ‘til 10. Nope – just 9! This Lowe’s is laid out bass-ackwards to the one at Hardware Heaven that I normally frequent and I’ve still not made that adjustment so it took a minute to get my bearings. And the clock was ticking.

I found my trim pieces and, after a few failed attempts, located the aisle with the selection of wood screws. In my haste, I didn’t think out my plan and grabbed screws that I would later regret.

So, the good news is I actually STARTED a project. The bad news is I’ve yet to finish it! I’ve got to get it in gear though because I am pretty sure that we’re taking a trip up to the restaurant on Sunday. (MMMMmmm – turkey and havarti with homemade sweet potato chips await me. I guess I don’t need more motivation than that to knock this job out!)