Exhilarating! (or so I kept telling myself)

That's what most of my date night looked like last night. 

And walking into the kitchen this morning to make coffee was akin to returning to the scene of a crime.

But -- now, under my sink it looks like this:

Look at all those new, clean, sealed, pretty white PVC pipes!  That don't ask water to defy gravity!! The clouds parted and the angels sang -- the second time we turned the water on to test it...

The first time, not so much.  And by "not so much" I mean, a different pipe gushed more than the pipe with the original problem we were fixing.  Me?  I wouldn't even turn the water on to test it -- I was enjoying the briefest moment of ignorance and bliss, admiring Red's work and believing that all was well.  So he was the brave one who turned it on while I watched the pipes.  "Okay...  OH!  Turn it off!" 

That turned into a trip to a 9 p.m. run to Home Depot  Lowe's WalMart, because that is who is open at 9:15 on a week night who sells plumbing parts.  As we headed out the door I pronounced that it was sort of "exciting" to be going to Home Depot so late at night -- an adventure! I said.  Until we realized that both Home Depot and Lowe's were already closed for the night.  That's when we realized we were heading to WalMart.  Three days before Christmas.  Oh boy. 

In true WalMart style, we witnessed a cat fight by two grown women in the electronics department that had garnered an actual audience -- it was as though every shopper heard there was a show in the electronics department and mosied on over.  As far I could tell, nobody was making any effort to shut it down -- I mean these ladies were screaming.   Maybe it boosts sales... I don't know.  I dragged Red away before it escalated to hair pulling.  Which might have been as much fun as he would have all night long.  Sorry.  On the way home at a red light I exclaimed, "This is exhilarating, being out so late!  And Wal Mart!  Before Christmas!"  We both just laughed.  Ah, yes.  Exhilarating indeed.

And so for a grand total of 4 hours of Red's time while I sat on the floor nearby providing critical (I'm sure) moral support and critical (I know) gopher duties, I have a functioning kitchen sink again.  For probably about $50.  I'll say it again, "Thank you, Red!"  I didn't get to dance in the Home Depot aisles (because Red is such a boy scout that he went there and bought parts before he came to my house!) and between the plumbing and the required "wind down" afterwards, we only got about 4 hours of sleep, but I saved a tidy sum of money and I learned a thing or two about plumbing.  But I won't lie:  As he was tightening the fittings that adjoined the 81 year old pipes I couldn't even look.  Couldn't.  Even.  Look.  I tried really hard to keep admonishments such as "be careful!"  "Don't over tighten it -- please" to myself, but I know a few slipped out. 

So now, it's dry under there.  I know my p traps are clean (go ahead, raise your hands if you can say that!  And how many of you have TWO?  I do.)  And I learned that apparently my garbage disposal has enough horse power to qualify as a "beast" -- I'm told it has so much horsepower that I could drop (animal of COURSE, ahem) bones down it.  Perfect for a vegetarian who composts and recycles... ha ha 

Today when I am out and about I'm going to look at some laminate floor tiles or something to put down on the floor in that cabinet.  Something NEW.  Maybe even pretty.  And then I'll put things back unde the sink.  Red off handedly suggested that I pull up those boards, suggesting that I could replace them, or, depending on what is under them, just leave them out.  I just stared at him.  And then I said, "You know that if I rip those out I am going to just keep on going and that whole thing is going to come out, right?  Because I won't be able to stop -- it will be so satisfying to have it all just gone gone gone."  Er, right.  Don't take those boards out.  I'm sure they are fine...

This morning over coffee we day dreamed about casting our own concrete countertops, or industrial/commercial stainless steel tables for counters, and sinks in styles like this:



Or this:



Whatever it ends up being, whenever I get to do demolition, we'll be thinking outside the box.  Kitchen remodel day dreaming could be a zillion posts all on its own, and I can't go there now.  For now, I've vowed that if I get Monday off work that I am going to finish ripping the sheetrock off the wall in my bedroom and at long last get the new door trim that has been patiently waiting on the floor on a beach towel installed.  One project at a time, right?  We just aren't always in charge of the schedule...