Friday, August 21, 2009
Where I went wrong was…
Is there any time in our lives when we are more optimistic than when we're newly married with a world of possibilities ahead of us. Everything seems an adventure - a shared adventure.
My young wife and I were furnishing our first apartment. Among our new treasures were a counter and two stools. This was to serve until we found a suitable table and chairs.
The counter had a white Formica top supported by hollow black wrought iron legs. The stools had rattan seats, also with wrought iron legs.
As we began to use the stools we found them to be an inch too high for comfortable seating.
In my new role as man of the house I took a hack-saw and carefully measured one inch and cut one leg. I then used the cut one inch piece as a template for the other three legs. I carefully made the cuts and soon had four one inch pieces removed. I then set the stool upright, only to find that I had cut two lengths from one of the legs.
I won't attempt to describe my mortification. Doubtless where I went wrong was to get out of bed that morning.
My wife confiscated the hack-saw. To this day I have never used that cursed tool again. She then cut an inch from the leg I had missed. Next she cut a wooden spoon to fashion a dowel of about two inches and used it to reconnect a one inch piece of wrought iron to the leg which had sustained two cuts. Once fitted, she cemented it in place.
Now, fifty years later, we still use that counter and stools.
This incident was a marriage defining event. My wife and I learned that I was to be entrusted with absolutely nothing concerning household maintenance. Nothing. Nothing!
I recommend this as one of the cornerstones of a long lasting and loving marriage.
My young wife and I were furnishing our first apartment. Among our new treasures were a counter and two stools. This was to serve until we found a suitable table and chairs.
The counter had a white Formica top supported by hollow black wrought iron legs. The stools had rattan seats, also with wrought iron legs.
As we began to use the stools we found them to be an inch too high for comfortable seating.
In my new role as man of the house I took a hack-saw and carefully measured one inch and cut one leg. I then used the cut one inch piece as a template for the other three legs. I carefully made the cuts and soon had four one inch pieces removed. I then set the stool upright, only to find that I had cut two lengths from one of the legs.
I won't attempt to describe my mortification. Doubtless where I went wrong was to get out of bed that morning.
My wife confiscated the hack-saw. To this day I have never used that cursed tool again. She then cut an inch from the leg I had missed. Next she cut a wooden spoon to fashion a dowel of about two inches and used it to reconnect a one inch piece of wrought iron to the leg which had sustained two cuts. Once fitted, she cemented it in place.
Now, fifty years later, we still use that counter and stools.
This incident was a marriage defining event. My wife and I learned that I was to be entrusted with absolutely nothing concerning household maintenance. Nothing. Nothing!
I recommend this as one of the cornerstones of a long lasting and loving marriage.
