Laughter

I’m not sure where I heard it, but it is thought by some that a man shouldn’t laugh at his own jokes. I’m not sure I concur with that sentiment. Sometimes the things that come out of my mouth crack me up.  Last night, I thought to myself: “Now that is downright funny.”

The General invited Andrea and Kevin, our daughter and son-in-law, to stop by the house and look at the selections we’ve made for the new house.  Even I was impressed with her organizational skills and the care she has taken to have everything we’ve selected carefully identified.

When it comes to making selections, the General seems to know exactly what she wants or even perhaps what I want. When I first mentioned that we might want to change our minds regarding the color of trim for the inside of the house, she responded that I was overthinking it. I hate it when she takes that stance with me.  She said we should just go with the color we initially selected.

While in my “over-thinking” mode, I drove by the paint store to pick up different shades of gray. Since the fireplace will be the same rock on the outside of the house, I thought gray might be a better choice than the Morris Gray we previously selected.

There was a break in the rain yesterday afternoon, so we drove over to the construction site to put paint samples next to the rock.  It continues to be on crates strategically placed around the house.  Narrowing our selection down was difficult. None of the grays I selected for us to consider seemed to go well with the stone with the exception of the Morris gray we initially selected. It seemed to go well because it provided a contrast.

While we were there, the builder stopped by.  I asked his opinion.  He said of the Morris Gray paint color: “It is like a chameleon. Depending on what is in the room, it can appear brown or it can appear gray. Our builder builds a lot of craftsman homes and he favors that color.  We are fashioning the inside of our home as a craftsman, while the outside looks like a modern farmhouse. Since we like both, why not merge the two together?

Our builder (who is not the building superintendent) walked inside the house and the first thing he noticed was the wiring for one of the thermostats. It was visibly noticeable on the wall in the living area across from the front door.  The General had already called that to my attention. I responded that the electricians knew what they were doing, and it would be okay.

Obviously, the General and the builder are like-minded. The thermostat is now going to be relocated to a much less obvious location. So why didn’t I think of that?

Yesterday, some of the hardware for the kitchen cabinets arrived. The General has already ordered it. Like I said, “She knows what she wants and she doesn’t even look at the price when making a selection.”

I mentioned to the kids last night that the General is a lot like Lady Astor.    She was not intimidated by the likes of Winston Churchill.  Lady Astor once insulted Churchill by claiming: “If you were my husband, I’d poison your tea.” Without skipping a beat, Churchill reportedly replied: “Madam, if you were my wife, I’d drink it.”

The General and I are not always on the same page. You’d think we were building our last home with the care and precision with which she is making choices. She knows what she wants and if she wants it, she considers the decision made.

So last night, I told Andrea and Kevin, that the General is a lot like Lady Astor.  You can Astor anything and she has an answer. Now I’m afraid to drink any tea she might serve me.

All My Best!

Don