Love in the dust

Love in the dust

What a difference a year makes. March 2009 I was creating healthy variations of Andrew’s favourite junk food in a week-long birthday tribute to my beloved husband.  Spicy Southern Fried Chicken replaced his KFC, homemade ranch dressing knocked the bottled supermarket brand off the shelf and I even made pie.

This year? I’ve no stove, not counters, no kitchen lights and one heck of a rash from plaster dust.  So what am I doing for Andrew’s birthday this year? A nice romantic dinner? No. A night out to the movies? No. Like the considerate wife that I am, I’m leaving him in peace to finish his marking and learning to plaster.

He’s not as enthusiastic as you’d expect.

Sure my “gift” means more dust, paint fumes and yet another rearrangement of an already hazardous collection of boxes so extreme it qualifies us for some interventionist reality TV show. But I’m thinking of him. Really.

While this might not be the most romantic way to show affection, the cracks in the foyer and living room are just getting bigger and more annoying by the day and there’s barely enough time to finish the kitchen let alone fix the issues in the other rooms, so I talked my kind and talented contractor into teaching me how to dig out the cracks, fill them with sheet rock 90, tape up the damage and then make the once broken wall look brand new. It’s not the sort of gift you wrap, but it does say, “I love you.” If you look really, really hard. (Note to grammarians: I figure if I can push through the discomfort of plaster-induced eczema, you can handle a run-on sentence or two.)

When this renovation is over, I’ll get back to cooking. And shorter sentences.

That’s my life in a dust-covered nut shell. What have you been up to?

PS: Happy Birthday Andrew. You’re a good sport.

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13 Comments
  • Lisa MacColl
    Posted at 12:30h, 31 March

    Happy Birthday Andrew!
    I learned how to install hardwood floors at my father in law’s elbow. Never know when knowing how to run a chopsaw will come in handy and my compulsion for detail meant that we returned two boxes of flooring because I wouldn’t let the boys simply lob off a 5ft length for a 24 inch piece when 2 minutes of looking would produce exactly the right piece in the piles that I had organized by height…
    I warned you about the dust…try emu oil.
    Repeat after me:

    It will be worth it. It will be worth it. It will be worth it. It will be worth it.

  • elra
    Posted at 14:57h, 31 March

    Happy birthday to Andrew!!!!

    I also like kfc, but I think no more because I found your recipe to replace it! Thank you!
    .-= elra´s last blog ..Opera Cake =-.

  • Cheryl
    Posted at 00:51h, 01 April

    A sincere happy birthday to you, Andrew. And your wife clearly deserves an unbirthday gift as well. Preferably something involving dust-free fresh air and soothing hand balm.
    .-= Cheryl´s last blog ..Barbizon =-.

  • The Diva on a Diet
    Posted at 16:03h, 01 April

    Belated Happy Birthday to Andrew!! I hope it was a wonderful day, despite the never ending dust and other assorted construction miseries. Hang in there Charmian … the light must be moving closer to the end of the tunnel, no?
    .-= The Diva on a Diet´s last blog ..Thirsty Thursdays: Moonshine Edition, Part Two =-.

  • thepinkpeppercorn
    Posted at 18:52h, 03 April

    Hang in there with the renos!! Can’t wait to see it all!
    .-= thepinkpeppercorn´s last blog ..fri five fave food finds =-.

  • IMP
    Posted at 20:42h, 03 April

    Love in the Dust is a great title for a movie.
    Happy birthday Andrew.
    Ian

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:26h, 07 April

    @Lisa MacColl, emu oil? I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

    And it will be worth it. It will be worth it. It will be worth it…

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:27h, 07 April

    @elra, glad to hear I’ve converted another KFC fan. If you do try the recipe, let me know how you like it!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:28h, 07 April

    @Cheryl, I love the idea of an unbirthday gift. I’m asking for a full-time cleaning lady. What are my chances?

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:29h, 07 April

    @The Diva on a Diet, I’m just praying that light isn’t an oncoming train!

    Could use some of that moonshine you’re making:-)

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:30h, 07 April

    @thepinkpeppercorn, thanks! I’m hanging in there and will post about the final results. Likely to the point of driving all my readers away.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:31h, 07 April

    @IMP, thanks for the birthday wishes for Andrew. And if the reno doesn’t work out, I’ll just turn the whole thing into a feature film. We have the title down…

  • Dana McCauley
    Posted at 09:50h, 10 April

    Cute! And you know, birthdays are over rated after you’re 12.