So Nice So Wrong

How can something so nice..

go so wrong?

We have for 3 years wanted

to replace our old window in

the living room.

It is an old window. And I

hate washing it, as it is so

tall and so wide, I have visions

of myself falling thru it as I

stand on a chair to reach the

top. With snarls of glass

impairing me.

We want a window that slides,

so we can get a cross ventilation.

So this year is the year. We

measure last year... we measured

this year.

And last month we ordered it.

It is a special order as it is an

unusual size. Remember this

part.

The window showed up last

week. We are thrilled. We,

especially me, are chomping

at the bite to get it in. We have

two people who will help and

even a third one will travel, if

needed.

So in our plan to make this work

as easy as possible. The King

and I took off the storm window.

So all they would have to do is,

take out the old and put in the new.

Sounds like a plan, right? Only

about 3 hours work. Oh, good,

just one morning and bing, it is in.

How can things go so wrong. We

were cleaning up the sill in the space

that was between the storm and

regular glass. The King goes to

see exactly how wide the new window

is, so he knows how much framing he

has to remove to put in the new one.

As the new one has its own framing.

The old glass was placed, sealed,

and framed.

The King came back and measured

the old window. Then back to the new

one, and then back to the old one.

His face didn't look good. He looked

at me and said those famous words

that husbands always use... "How could

you mess up on the size? How did

you mess up on the measuring? "

Now I was the one with the beginning

of the tape, not the end with the numbers.

I had the paper and pen... I wrote down

what I heard him say. So I gave him

the typical wife look. You know the

glare.

The thing is with the King and I. We

face disappointment hard like any

one else. But in the almost 20 years,

we stay there only a few minutes, and

then we try to figure out how are we

going to get things to work. How to

make lemonade of the lemon. And

find the humor in it.

Remember above, I told you to

remember the odd size. Well,

odd size, special windows are

NON RETURNABLE.

So we will be pulling 6 inches

from each side of the window

wall. Just increasing the 3 hour

job to a possible, depending on

cussing and how smoothly this

goes, to a two day job.

My daughter and I have already

thought of things we could do

for a day at least, while this job

is in progress. This is one job

I don't want to be around to see.

Only the results.