Cleansing the Palate

In this new house, we are still in the drudgery of the “pesky little jobs list.” These are things that we have to do to make the house functional. It has nothing to do with decorating or adding my own flavor to every room. It is pure drudgery and we have to keep on keepin’ on, or like the Nike slogan says, “Just Do It!”

None of the things on this list are worth blogging about, but they do have the potential to save my marriage. Every time my husband rolls up a rug because the basement door catches on it, or when the towels pile up on the bathroom floor because there are not enough places to hang them, I swear under my breath at him. This “pesky little jobs list” is oh so important.

It includes things like trimming the solid wood doors a tiny bit shorter so they will open over a runner, installing handrails on the stairs so my mother-in-law will not plummet to her death, hanging blinds for privacy, organizing the tools in the basement, and bleeding the radiators so they work, all the way upstairs. I kid you not, this list grows at what seems like an exponential rate.

Sometimes I think this is just because we bought an old house. And then, when all I have to do is close the door to the baby’s room when she sleeps, I am thankful for that old solid wood door. I love the radiator heat as it does not dry out my skin in the cold winter months like forced air does. Believe it or not, when carrying a baby up and down the stairs, it is useful to have a handrail all the way up.

I was considering adding the chore of painting to the “pesky little jobs list,” but then I changed my mind. Right now it seems overwhelming because I still have at least six rooms left to paint in this house.

But paint is like a palate cleanser. It is the fig between the cheeses and the sorbet between the courses of your gourmet meal. Paint is what allows me to start thinking creatively, with a clean slate, and then move on to the fun part of decorating. Paint is the fresh air in a room.

Sometimes I think it is like the Golden Gate Bridge around here. Once I get finished painting, I will just have to start over again. But this is also an opportunity for new ideas. With a new paint color, you can change the look of a whole room.

The good news is, paint is cheap. And while my “pesky little jobs list” continues to grow, I will not add paint to it. It deserves more of a place of honor. Perhaps I will add it to the “pesky BIG jobs list” instead.

© copyright Mariam d’Eustachio 2013.