Few things are more invigorating than a project, and I've landed myself a new one, remodeling my bathroom.
I started by calling Kate to find out who she's hiring to refinish her antique bathtub. Mine's not an antique, just a standard cast iron one of the Fifties, original to this house, but it needs refinishing and painting every few years.
The first time I had it painted, I asked Hudson--my then-neighbor and handyman--if I could just buy a new tub.
"No," he said. "Nobody can get that big cast iron tub out the door. And you can't change the tiles either. The back of the tub is the wall of your living room. If you take out that tub, it will ruin the whole wall."
At that time, twenty or so years ago, I knew next to nothing about walls and tiles and pipes, but his words stuck in my mind. I never again considered it. (What men mean when they say "it can't be done" is often "I don't know how to do it"--but I didn't know that at the time.)
Kate sent me Carlos, her long-time handyman.
"Will he wear a mask?" I asked.
"Sure he will. He's a Democrat!" she said.
Carlos is not only a Democrat and a mask wearer, he blew right past the Hudson obstacle. "Sure, we can change the tub and the tile, no problem."
So I proceeded to make plans: new vanity, new floor, new tiles, and I was up til 4 in the morning planning and online shopping. While nobody but me is likely to see it for a long time, I'm going to enjoy the process and the fresh new bathroom.
The lesson of the day is: Always get a second opinion.
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