Smoke Gets In My Eyes

The bathroom is on the back burner again. I was right, though, he did re-think his trim and is now doing it my way. It is more labor intensive on the router, but will be so much easier to install. The medicine cabinet is in the way. I told him to simply reverse his thinking on the trim that will top the bead board and have only one inch above it, instead of three, making it fit neatly under the obstacle. He has routed a three inch lip that would sit upon the bead board since the boards are level at the top (well, now they are, after a little wife induced re-do). He put it all up and then tried to cut out the area to fit under the medicine cabinet. The results were ...... I really can't find the words to describe it. If you are sitting there reading this and wondering why we don't just move the cabinet up three inches.....

Well, it is already there and inset into the wall. It looked like a bigger project than simply changing the trim. I already have one big opening in the adjacent wall for some shelves that have yet to be installed. He made one set, then he used them to draw the lines to cut out wall. He cut the hole and then decided he did not like the way his shelf unit looked. He then made another that I agree looks nicer and is sturdier. But ........... (you knew there had to be a "but"), he did not allow for the width of the boards when he cut them and it will have to be rebuilt to fit. Actually, he wants to just cut the opening bigger ...... It sits all lonely and dusty next to his side of the bed. I put it there hoping that seeing it everytime he was bedside. Instead, like all men, he no longer sees it, This is why I didn't want to move the medicine cabinet. I can at least have some toiletries like deodorant in its proper place for the duration of the re-do.

Speaking of deodorant. I have been forgetting to apply it. My routine of personal hygiene is out of kilter. Bad enough that I have to take all the necessities of showering out to the bathhouse. I try to stream-line it as much as possible and have finally just been leaving body wash, shampoo and pouf in the ladies shower room. I even took some rugs out there. We are using the same shower, so I have all of his stuff in there, too. Only problem is that I have to go gather it all up if I have a camper come through. But, back to applying my Secret anti-persperant. I leave everything I can in the house. After showering and remembering a towel, I put clothes on. You can see the problem, can't you? When I re-enter my house with my clothes on, I forget to apply my Secret, because I am dressed and that is just backwards. Given the roaring fires that he, who plays with fire, likes to build in the wood stove and pushing the temp up to 80 .......... my lack of Secret is no secret.

The fires in the wood stove are fueled with the wood from downed trees here in the kampground. This makes for some economical heating if you don't mind the smell of wood smoke. Most of the wood is hickory and oak, so it always smells like we are big BBQ fans. The smell gets in your clothes and hair and in your dogs fur. After awhile you no longer notice it until your children tell you that they found you by following the smell of wood smoke, but that is another story.

I had trouble getting the fire started yesterday morning and mentioned it to he, who plays with fire. He pushed his woman aside and grabbed his trusty propane torch and proceeded to light my fire. Literally. I complained that it was extra smoky in here. He mumbled something about having to hold the door open to apply the torch to the logs and the smoke escaping. Since this is his usual method of firestarting, his explanation did not ring true, but I was off to my sewing lair and didn't care.

After I had sucked all the creativity I could out of my cold footed self I meandered back to the living quarters (my sewing room is on the far side of the office/store. I have a small electric heater in there, but the temperature seemed to be dropping rapidly. It seemed too smokey to me and my throat was raw. I am blessed with a sensitive nose and at some point in the night when the temperature dropped to single digits, I awoke he, who plays with fire, and told him that it was too smokey in here and that I had dreamt that the chimney pipe was clogged with a birds nest. He dutifully, if reluctantly, got up to check it out. He said it was just fine and added more logs. Yes, you read that right. So, it just got smokier. He slept on. I lay there remembering the time our house burned years ago.

No, the house has not burned. What a great tragedy that would be, he would never have to finish the bathroom. I wonder if the addition of those logs was a sub-conscious act of defiance about the bathroom? Anyway, the flue is indeed clogged with something. He, who plays with fire, went into town to the local builders supply to get a pipe cleaning brush to remedy the situation. They were too proud to part with the one they had, it being $80. He is now on his way to Lowes to buy the same model for $20.

I just hope he gets back before Smokey the Bear shows looking to see what is smoldering in our house.