Friday, September 21, 2007

Ability and Lacking

A day or two ago, while my Mom was out working in her front garden, a lady from a ways down the street stopped to say hello and ask how we all were doing. My Mom proceeded to fill her in on our activities including my recent "job" of installing Pergo flooring in her den and hallway. The neighbor looked at my Mom incredulously and rhetorically questioned, "Is there anything that Deb *can't* do?"

Well, there obviously is a lot that I can't do. Especially little things like...

Oh....

Flying a jet, walking in space, underwater welding, climbing Everest, bronco riding, and bull fighting come to mind.

Yeah, weird list.

So, here are some pictures of the Pergo job at my Mom's house. At the end of the hallway there is a door that joins to my house. And here is a view looking towards the deck where Squirt visits. He still comes a few days each week and several times those days to get peanuts. One more shot of the back wall of the den, next to the hallway and opposite the deck side.

Comments like the one the neighbor, Mrs. F., made and comments from Mary have prompted me to sit down and write my Ten Can't List. Aside from the biggies and the outlandish here are some things I just can't do or having to do keeps me awake at night and sickish.

Public speaking
Playing the piano for an audience (of one or more)
Highway driving in extreme weather conditions or in anticipation thereof
Driving into or through Boston (guess that could be any major city...Tampa doesn't bother me, though)
Heights (I'm good for about one story, then it's iffy. But I love ferris wheels)
Taking tests

and

Copper plumbing (my soldering would need loads of practice)
Major electrical (I can do minor things like new plugs and lamp wiring)
Automotive work (add to that lawn mowers, they're yucky and greasy and gasoline can go boom)
Operating a chainsaw

No need to remind me of the multitude of other can'ts.

Some of these things I really wish I could do. All right, most I wish I could do. I have decided that I shall not learn or unnecessarily force any of the above upon myself.

I'll add that in order to do the Pergo job for my Mom, I had to use a table saw. This is one of my least favorite power tools but I can make myself use one.

P.S. See that little oak bench used as a coffee table in front of the sofa? I made that, too! My Mom asked for one for Christmas a few years ago.

********************************
Just had to include this for the fun of it. Credit to D. Fandrich for the photo.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gotta hide this post, Deb. 'Twill only remind B of just how bloody useless I am. I always tell people that my one great wish is to discover something that I'm good at! Anything will do.

deb said...

I don't believe a bit of that.

When my Mom and Dad were first married, my Mom asked my Dad to help her weed the garden. He didn't know the difference between a good plant and a weed so he just pulled everything out. My Mom never asked for garden help again! Smart man.

Claire said...

Heights I understand, but ferris wheels??? They seem high up and a bit lacking in a good solid connection with the ground.

The London Eye is probably my worst combination of those, high up, wheel-shaped, transparent pods and right next to water. Ulp, not for me!

The flooring looks really impressive, by the way!

deb said...

I think ferris wheels don't bother me because I'm sitting down and I have that bar in front of me to hold on to! I can look off in the distance or down to the ground - that doesn't bother me. If I look up when I'm "off the ground" I get vertigo. The enclosed bit works for ski gondolas and the like, too.

Gee, thanks Claire, I'd never thought about the ground attachment. Another worry. Maybe I'll strike ferris wheels from my OK list!

Thanks for the compliment on the flooring. I have to admit that once you've got the knack of snapping together the stuff, it's not difficult to install.

Claire said...

Don't think about the ground attachment - it might not be the same for you anyway. Or...you could always find a ferris wheel to test it out!

Heaven knows where these fears start, my thing about being high up over water is ridiculous, though it doesn't stop me doing things.

I even remember getting out of the car when I was about 5 and walking over a bridge that was the width of a single car, with no barriers or sides, because I was scared of the car driving over into the river. I know it was a crap road somewhere in the African bush, but my mum was a great driver and would never have risked the car and us kids if it wasn't safe.

And I can (or could) swim, so no apparent logic to it at all... weird. The human mind is a strange and complex thing!

deb said...

Guaranteed that I will think about the attachment. It won't stop me though.

Bridges and fears, hmmm. I don't mind driving over the little ones, it's the monstrously high ones that get my nerves. I'm ok if there is a breakdown lane, so I guess my bridge fear has more to do with being run off over the edge by an incompetent driver.

Or tunnels - same thing. Run into the wall.

Anonymous said...

For Pete's sake stoppit! At this rate, I shall never go out again!
I do remember once chasing a burglar over some rooftops in Berwick Street, Soho. I lost him and only then did I think of just where I was. 30' from the ruddy ground. How embarrassing. One of my mates fortunately appeared, and I tried to casually follow him down!

Little Wing said...

deb, thank you for the comment on my blog, welcome and please come back!
In fact I will add you to my blog roll, any friend of dickiebo's is a friend of mine!

deb said...

dickiebo, leaving the house is probably the most dangerous thing you can do.

We are all so brave!

LW, thanks for the welcome. I'm glad that you've decided to move past the inevitable problems of a public identity. Actually the good of it is that being "public" you are aware of what's going on. People do the same type of stuff elsewhere online and the "victim" (hate that word) doesn't find out until a lot of damage has been done.

Anonymous said...

Was the floor level before you started? Living in our 1868 house, I don't think we could "just" lay a new floor over the old floor as it wouldn't be flat... That kind of complication would scare me out of the job before I started! Your finished product is gorgeous! My other thought is, assuming this piano isn't in YOUR yard, notice the chain on the piano? Setting the feet in concrete wasn't enough?

deb said...

This house isn't that old but it still isn't quite level. Not like the wide plank floors that I think you must have. Fortunately the subflooring is level enough to install Pergo over it. Some minor imperfections where the slightest bit of unevenness catches up with things and compromises are forced upon you. Learned the ways of it when I installed parquet flooring over concrete slab flooring.

(grin) Glad you noticed the chain. There was commnentary on that on that on the piano list where the picture was posted. The piano was a piece of junk and the owner said they were protective of the plants. This makes no sense to me.