A request from a faithful reader for more commentary prompts the following gloss on the past several weeks.

The kitchen is close to finished and Roger is planning to move into the house the last weekend of June.  The gas appliances (range, water heater and clothes dryer) have all been hooked up (taking a special person from the gas -- propane -- company to do so).  Electrical connections still needed for the dishwasher, garbage disposal, trash compactor (taking a special person for that, too -- Roger).  Final equipment installation is the range hood, which must follow the installation of the back splash tile (40 of 50 sheets having arrived).  I'm coming down to visit for the 4th of July holiday and taking a couple of days extra to get used to the new place (which I've only seen once, back in April before Roger closed on the house).  


So, as with almost all renovations, we've had to make some "in process" changes to the original plans.  The trash compactor was a last minute addition as the correctly sized cabinet for that space wasn't ordered (our mistake), but it's a nice plus.  Also, the previously posted image of the back splash tile ended up costing almost $14 per square foot sheet, and we needed 45 sq. feet -- so we "adjusted" the design to an equally beautiful but much less expensive glass tile pattern.  Ditto on the quartz counter tops, as the pattern we had originally chosen was no longer available.  


Roger reports that putting the cabinets together was a real pain in the ... neck.  But, mercifully, that is now finished.  As he said, "they ain't coming apart...ever!" 


As for me, my contribution has been my exquisite taste, sense of proportion ("no, you can do that...I'll just comment from afar") and, of course, my always optimistic, bubbling and cheerful view of all things new and/or expensive.


(That last was a joke, for those who may have forgotten my usual take on life and its vast conspiracy to thwart my noble and benign intentions.)

Though both of us *swore* after selling the Knoxville house that we would never, ever buy another house, I have to confess that, even from a distance, the idea of owning a home again is rather exciting.  It's also nice to know that I'll have a permanent place to retire to (though that is still some years away).  Of course, when we moved into the house on Luttrell street I told Roger that I was *never* moving again and that he could bury me under the weeping cherry tree.

See what I mean about the vast conspiracy against my noble and benign intentions??!!

Counters are in!  (NB:  actual color is not really so white,  more earth tone).

Ugly ceiling fan gone -- new light installed!

New kitchen lights! (Not to worry....the ugly ceiling fan is going).

The refrigerator in place.