It has been a while since the last entry. Not because
nothing of interest happened during that time; because things were topsy-turvy
with the kitchen renovations. Olive wasn’t sure what to make of the boxes of cookware
and other kitchen items crowding up the living room taking up her favorite
napping spots. Even her napping spot in the dining room was unavailable as the
work crew took over the dining room as a staging area and storage area for
building materials. She bore her burden well, doing most of her napping
upstairs and joining me at a makeshift dining area on a table set up in the
living room during meals. I could detect some relief when I was finally able to
start moving items back into the new cabinets.
A few weeks later my friend Mark, an excellent house
painter, came down from Massachusetts to finish off the job (the kitchen
renovation contractor does not do painting). Olive had met Mark several times
and was good as gold for him, staying out of his way while he painted. I had to
comment that Olive behaved better for Mark than she usually does for me!
Below for comparison are photos of the kitchen before any work started, after the old kitchen was gutted, after the renovation work was done but before painting, and after the painting was done and things were finally back to normal.
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| The old kitchen |
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| After demolition |
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| Before painting |
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| After painting |
I am sure that someone will comment “but the new kitchen
looks no different from the old kitchen”. True that there was little that could
be done with the kitchen layout, so that mostly remains the same. The new
counters are made of Corian, a hard plastic that looks just like polished stone
but will absorb some shock should a glass or whatever be dropped on it. The new
floor is made of nylon but resembles stone tiles. The cabinets are a lighter
shade of oak, and the darker tile behind the stove and sink are new. I think I
am going to like cooking with my new gas
stove, though it takes a bit of getting used to. The biggest change may be that
my microwave oven (with a task light and ventilation fan) is now over the
stove, which gives me more storage space in my pantry where my old microwave
oven was.
Olive was a bit apprehensive of the new surfaces and
appliances at first, but seems to have grown accustomed to the new look and
smell. In any case, she seems to be happy to be back to normal.
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Some 25 years ago I bought a Jennifer Convertible sofa bed
for guests. It was about ten years later that someone pointed out to me that a
support bar poked up through the mattress right where a sleeper’s upper back
was. I was flabbergasted that I hadn’t noticed that when I bought the bed, but
soon discovered that virtually all sofa beds are made that way these days. My
parents bought a sofa bed from Sears & Roebuck back around 1968 that fully
supported a thick mattress on springs and was very comfortable. To my dismay,
no one seems to make such beds anymore.
Finally I found a sofa bed at a furniture store near me
that, at least, does not have a bar poking through the mattress. The mattress
is a bit on the firm side, but the bed is well made and reasonably comfortable.
It cost considerably more than I had expected to spend for a new sofa bed,
though I was not about to buy a new one with the same problems as the old one.
The new sofa bed is set to be delivered this coming week. I hope that Olive doesn't mind: she likes to sleep in front of the old sofa bed.
I emailed some of my friends who have complained about the
old one, announcing that I was finally getting a new, more comfortable one. One
friend emailed back
