A lot of times in life we get the urge to plant a new shrub or fix a balky appliance or give the car a hand wash and wax. Our initial intention is to take a little time to do a seemingly simple activity. How hard can any of these initiatives be? Let me introduce you to the reality that nothing in life is really simple.
One of my first encounters with the fundamental truth was early in my life when our built-in stovetop and oven stopped working. It was built into a kitchen cupboard and the operating controls were a panel of push buttons on the wall above the stove. We decided that it would be a simple task to replace the old stove with a new modern stove instead.
I removed the cupboard around the stove, as well as the old stove. Our fridge shared a part of the wooden cupboard supporting the stove so it had to be removed as well. After demolition, we found that there was no linoleum under the stove so we were required to purchase new flooring for the whole kitchen. Removing the control panel on the wall led to a large cavity that needed to be filled in, plastered, sanded and painted. Of course, when the new flooring was installed it did not really match the kitchen wallpaper so it had to all be redone. If you buy a new stove, of course, you need a matching new fridge. Like I said, nothing in life is really simple.
I am sure we can all recall numerous occasions when a seemingly small task mushroomed to consume hours of time and piles of extra expense. As a result of these recurring life experiences, I have found that I have become a kind of renovation recluse. If it ain't broke, don't fix it has become my motto. It is just fortunate that I have a couple of good buddies who love to fix things and practise their home handyman skills. Not only do I love them, but my wife is also considering trading me in for one of them, should the opportunity ever present itself!
But then the details of the trade would probably not be simple either!
About 100 years ago I bought a light + dynamo kit. How difficult could it be to put that onto my spanky new bike? That was also the day I learnt that DIY stands for Dumped In Yard. Stoves? Fridges? Lino.? Wallpaper? They all look simple, but no they're not. Good lesson to learn early.
ReplyDeleteYears ago our harvest gold coloured stove gave up the ghost. We replaced it with another in an almond colour which clashed with the still surviving harvest gold fridge. I had the brainiac plan to paint said fridge with the appropriate type of paint but the door stuck shut despite my careful taping. Pried it open but said fridge didn't seem to be keeping as cold as it used to. Next morning, it, too had died, necessitating another trip to the appliance store. Maybe if I'd left well enough alone wouldn't have needed to spend hundreds more on another appliance on top of that darned can of paint! It seemed a simple enough plan to begin with, but y'know...
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