The Kitchen Chronicles: Installment 582 (at least)

March 31, 2014 – The Kitchen Chronicles: Installment 582 (at least)

The ongoing saga of the Thompson Kitchen Remodeling Project continues, with major progress to report:  First, of all, on a date at Home Depot, Elliott and I chose floor tile.  Secondly, we finalized the cabinet order and the granite order.  And last, but not least, Elliott contacted a dozen or so contractors.  Two have already come to the house and two more are scheduled to visit us early in the week to see what work has to be done.  By the end of this week, we may actually have bids to consider.  So, bravo, Elliott!

My main contribution?  Not interfering as Elliott works his way through the process.  He seems to be terrified that I will make the “wrong” comment to one of the potential contractors.  Therefore, I have learned to keep my mouth shut and let him ask and answer all the questions.  It’s difficult, but I have to keep reminding myself that during the remodeling phase, Elliott is the boss.  Once the project is complete, I’ll be the kitchen boss again. 

As you can imagine, it’s been a little tense around the house.  To keep my frustration under control, I’ve made an effort to stay occupied without outside activities, which is why I found myself schlepping through the streets of DC on a very soggy Saturday.  In fact, I was glad for the solitude and the chance to move at my own pace.  I stopped at a fun place for lunch, Bub and Pop’s on M Street, which was crowded with rain-soaked marathon runners (one of the cherry blossom festival events that wasn’t cancelled) and then saw a very moving and provocative play at Theater J, part of their Changing Voices of the Middle East series – more about that in a different post.  On Sunday, while the snow and sleet were swirling, I was working on a new fused glass piece at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton.  After a brief stop at home for dinner, Elliott and I slogged through the rain to GMU’s Center for the Arts where we enjoyed a piano recital that included some of my favorite Chopin pieces. 

The glass in the kiln, ready for firing

 Elliott has had the usual aches and pains, but he is in excellent spirits.  He finished all the tax returns and is completely focused the kitchen project.  We don’t have a date for the demolition and construction yet, but he can’t wait to start packing boxes, moving furniture, and giving more directions.