If I were to tell you about all the missteps we’ve had in our very simple renovation/remodel, this would be a very long post. Something seems to go wrong at every step of the way, whether it’s a mistake we make or one that a contractor makes. But we’re soldiering on. Today we finally get a working kitchen, as the (seemingly very competent) plumber is hooking up the faucet, garbage disposal and dishwasher. The countertops came in on Monday, and even though they didn’t give us as much
clearance as we expected for the stove Jim managed to get it in without doing any damage to them. It still needs to be leveled, a process which the recalcitrant front feet haven’t helped, but once that’s done I’ll have all working appliances. I’ll actually be able to walk in and make a cup of coffee tomorrow morning. Maybe even make dinner in there tonight. This morning I was kept from getting in there and putting stuff away by my failure to corral one of the cats, who managed to get out of the patio door, sneak over into the neighbor’s back yard, and hide under the bushes.Jim and I spent probably 45 minutes (so an hour and a half in man-hours–and woman-hours) getting her back. By that time the plumber was here, so I couldn’t get into the kitchen then. As I write this it’s almost 11:00, with no discernible progress having been made with the one job that I’m determined to do today. But hey, it’s still early–right?
In the midst of all this appliance angst, though, I was treated to an example yesterday of pure competence, which is always a joy. Jan goes to a hair stylist in the little town of Sedalia, which is about half an hour’s drive from here. Her hair looks fabulous, so I had told her I’d like to come along the next time she went, which happened to be yesterday. Progress wasn’t progressing very much on the home front, though, and I was reluctant to go. But I needed a haircut, and we’d made the appointment for the two of us, and I’d said I’d drive, so we went. Wow. Here’s this little place, a bit on the dumpy side, on a side street. Hand-lettered signs said “haircuts.” Hmmm. We met Windy (not Wendy). I sat down and she riffled through my hair, which has been a complete and total disaster of late. It has seemed thin and unmanageable, and I’d kind of resigned myself to it. “See these little hairs all around your face?” she said. “You’ve had some hair loss because of stress. Did something happen in your life several months ago?” “Well yes,” I responded.”We sold our house and moved back in May.” “That’ll do it,” she said. “You have these little short hairs all over your scalp. They’re growing back, though. You should see a real difference in your hair as they get longer, but right now they’re just all going their own way.” I was astonished. She knew absolutely nothing about me except that I was Jan’s daughter-in-law, and in about 30 seconds she’d nailed not only my hair but my state of mind. I didn’t know I was so stressed, but my scalp sure did.
So I told her in general terms how I liked to have my hair cut but left the specifics up to her, and I have to say that it looks a lot better now. She did some different stuff to my bangs and put in some layers. It even looked good wet. I got up when she was done and said, “I feel ten years younger.”
It’s so, so nice to find someone who takes pride in her work and is completely and utterly confident that she knows what she’s doing. She told me that she started cutting hair when she was 15, got her cosmetology license when she was 18, and has been doing this ever since. She’s now 45, so that’s 30 years of experience. Apparently people come from all over the place to get her to cut their hair, and she only charges $25. Believe me, I’ll be back. I hope she doesn’t decide to go to greener pastures than Sedalia!
Finding good workmanship, whether for your hair or your car or your carpet, is always pleasurable. And that pleasure seems to be getting rarer all the time. The satisfaction of a job well done–whether you’re the one doing it or the one benefiting from it–is priceless.
Do you have good workmen in your life? Do you appreciate them as you should?