MWPC Looks and Listens

I had a visit the other day from MWPC (My Wonderful Perfectionist Carpenter). I'd called as have a ceiling boo boo in my dining room, and I really needed his advise as to what is going to have to be done about it. There is something strange going on around the air register there. My heating unit is in the attic, so my duct work is there. My sheet rock ceiling is old... really old.. and it has cracked a bit around that air thingie. It also looks like there might have been some moisture there. I've learned a long time ago that I don't do that kind of home repair. I call someone who knows what they are doing. That's why I placed the call to MWPC.

The problem with calling MWPC is that he is really good and always has a waiting list. I told him some time ago that I want him to do a few things, and I'm still on the wait list. I accused him of taking a big red marker and putting a huge x through my name. He just laughed.

So, MWPC gazes up at my ceiling thingie and says (of course he does) that the best thing to do would be replace the ceiling. After all, sheet rock becomes more brittle over time (I'd not thought of that), and there are other hairline cracks, and it just needs to be replaced. Lovely. I have so many other things that I want him to do. Now I have to put 'replace dining room ceiling' at the top of the list.

While I had MWPC here, I ushered him around the house and gave him my 'to do ' list. It looked like this:

• Fix dining room ceiling
• Put crown molding in the living room
• Replace vanity top and sink in the bathroom
• Refinish kitchen cabinets
  
• Replace kitchen floor

He just smiled and nodded the whole time I was adding to the list. Oh, I think he will eventually do it. WHEN is the big question.

I finally asked the big question: 'So, when do you think you can do this?' His reply: 'Oh No! Not a PDQ!' 'A PDQ?' I say. 'What the heck is a PDQ?' 'Well', he said.... 'That's a pin down question. I don't really like PDQs', he said. 'Well, we're going there anyway,' I said.

I started offering suggestions as to when he would appear to begin all this work. I think we finally arrived at October. Seriously. I suggested he save all of October and possibly November for my little 'to do' list. He agreed to pencil me in for October, but he wasn't sure which year that would be. Trust me, I told him which year I expected him to arrive.

Now that I have a tentative time for the start of all my MWPC's 'to do' list, I've got to make lots of decisions. I'm sad to say that I do have a 'to do' list of my own. I need to do a little painting. I HATE painting. I whined to MWPC that he had to come so I could get with the painting. For some strange reason I confessed to him that I do a better job of painting if he is around. I guess something of that work perfection must hover in the air. I seem to slow down and try to do it right if he is around.

Yesterday I spent in thought. I thought about the painting I need to do. I thought about changing the dining room wallpaper. I thought about what kind of top I want on my bathroom vanity. I thought about what kind of finish I want on my kitchen cabinets. I thought about how I (or MWPC) could update the kitchen. I thought about what kind of kitchen floor I wanted. All this 'thinking' was a full day's work. I found at the end of the day that I'd thought a lot, and about the only other thing I'd accomplished was breathing in and out.

Well, today is a NEW day. I've accomplished writing something for my blog. It is raining and promises to continue raining. That means I can't paint. Yea! I'm going to have to take myself in hand and do something that will improve my surroundings. Perhaps I should clean a closet with the view of carting things away. Perhaps that BIG question can apply to me as well: 'So, when do you think you can do this? With that, I'll leave you and see if I can't do something that will show by the end of the day. If you have done any guilty squirming while reading this most riveting post, then I suggest you think about it and then do something too.