The Minnesota Farm Woman

We finally finished the last stage of our remodeling project, and the house is done…for now. If you own your own home, and/or if you have a wife, you know that house projects are never really ever finished. I hate to sound like one of those women on the house-hunting television shows who want to gut everything and start over, but from the minute we bought this house, I’ve hated the kitchen floor. It was white vinyl and showed every crumb and spot. To make matters worse, the week we moved in, we put a big glaring scratch right in the middle of the floor while moving the fridge. After seven years, it was time for it to go. Since we were replacing the laundry room flooring, I wanted the adjoining kitchen to match. My son-in-law did the installation while HE was outside finishing the trim in this seemingly never-ending project that we started early this summer. The final step in completing the floor, which took a couple of trips to Home Depot to find the right supplies, was the installation of matching strips of vinyl for a smooth transition between the new floor and the hardwood floor abutting it. I was the assistant, holding the strip so HE could apply the special adhesive to the back. Not too hard, right? It looked terrific, so I stood there and admired our handiwork for a few minutes. All was right with the world…until I tried to take a step and couldn’t move my foot. Apparently, a drop of adhesive had splashed and I stepped in it. Make that two drops of adhesive, because both of my feet were firmly glued to the floor. Thank goodness for chilly Minnesota weather, because I was wearing my socks, because without them, I would have probably needed a skin graft. Try as I might, I couldn’t get loose, so I had to step out of my socks and cut them off the floor. If you ever come for coffee, look for two little circles of black cloth on my new floor, right by the pantry door. We tried ice, soap, alcohol, and vinegar, but could not get it off. I would not let HIM apply adhesive remover to the floor, lest it cause even more damage. I figure it will wear off eventually. It is a small reminder that we can work together on a big project and complete it without even one argument and only a minimal amount of eye-rolling. Besides, it is really nice to finally be done with everything. Maybe. With that beautiful laundry room and shiny new kitchen floor, the cupboards are looking a little shabby, and the guest bathroom could use a little bit of an update…