This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more information.
Isn’t life strange
A turn of the page
A book without light
Unless with love we write;
To throw it away
To lose just a day
The quicksand of time
You know it makes me want to cry, cry, cry…
I don’t know. Every time I shake my head at life, I think of these lyrics—”Isn’t life strange?” Most people my age, however, are more apt to conger up these lyrics: “What a long strange trip it’s been.” Anyway, the point of this post isn’t to ruminate on my twisted mind. It’s to ruminate on the strangeness that Mrs. Groovy and I encountered this past week. So let the strangeness begin.
Strangeness at Crooked Creek Park
On most days, Mrs. Groovy and I drive to Crooked Creek Park for our daily constitutional. (This is also where most episodes of Talking Trash have been shot.) And last Thursday, as we neared the entrance to Crooked Creek Park, I noticed an unattended, little white dog in the driveway of a house. I didn’t think much of it, so I didn’t even point it out to Ms. Groovy. The dog was far from the road and seemed to be mentally tethered to that particular house.
Okay, five minutes or so after seeing this dog, Mrs. Groovy and I were in the midst of our first lap around the park, nearing the traffic circle at the entrance. And what do you suppose we saw? The unattended, little white dog, of course. Only this time, it was in the park and doing doggy things perilously close to a traffic circle. Not good. A driver bounding around the circle wouldn’t see this dog until it was too late.
Knowing that “Fluffy” was in harm’s way, we had no choice but to intervene. We approached Fluffy, and rather than run away, he ran over to us and immediately presented his belly. Obligingly, we petted his exposed belly and looked for a dog tag. No luck. I then told Mrs. Groovy that I saw him by one of the houses by the park entrance when we were driving in. “Let’s go knock on the door and see if he got out by accident.” [Mrs. Groovy here. You’re “lets go knock on the door” of course means that I should go knock on the door.]
So I picked up Fluffy and we headed toward the house. But here’s the problem. All the freakin’ houses look the same. I knew I didn’t see him by the house closest to the park entrance. But I wasn’t sure if he was by the second closest or the third closest. Since the second closest had cars parked in front of it, and since Fluffy was starting to squirm, we decided to try that one first. I put Fluffy down and he followed us to the front door.
Now things got weird.
As we were approaching the front porch, a cat on the front porch saw us and quickly ran to the front door and went in. Was there a pet door? No, the front door was slightly ajar. And as we got up to the front door, what do you suppose Fluffy did? He ran right in as well. Mrs. Groovy rang the doorbell and started yelling, “hello…hello.” Nothing. No one came to the door. It sounded like someone was doing some work in the house. Did the homeowners or workers accidentally leave the front door open? Mrs. Groovy rang the bell a few more times. When no one came, she turned to me and asked, “What do we do?”
“Close the door,” I replied.
“But what if this isn’t the dog’s house?”
“Who cares? At least Fluffy won’t get hit by a car. Whoever lives here will sort things out.”
So there you have it. Mrs. Groovy and I returned a wayward dog to its proper home—we think. [Mrs. Groovy here. You told me earlier you want to go back to the house and check on Fluffy. But what will happen if we didn’t return Fluffy to his rightful house? What if we were wrong and Fluffy didn’t belong there? What do we do? I don’t want to get shot! I don’t think June and Ward Cleaver live there.]
Strangeness On the Get-House-Ready-For-Sale Front
Anyone familiar with the Groovy Ranch updates knows we’re getting our Charlotte home ready for sale. So we need some minor plumbing, electrical, and carpentry work done.
Two weeks ago, we had our plumbing issues fixed by a Klingon plumber. That’s right. Our plumber used to be a member of the town council and when he resigned a few years ago, he wrote his resignation letter in Klingon. You can read all about it here.
Okay, two weeks ago we had the Klingon plumber. This past week, we had the hipster electrician.
When I was growing up, trades people weren’t on the cutting edge of fashion. They were—for the lack of a better term—sensible slobs. They chose clothing that was comfortable and cheap. After all, if you had a job that required a lot of bending and dealt with a lot of grease and muck, would you buy expensive work clothes that were difficult to move in?
In the late 1970s, SNL had a skit that personified the sensible-slob attire found in the trades. Check out a still from that skit below. The guy working on the refrigerator is a young Dan Akroyd, and that’s the way a tradesperson should look. A baseball cap, a t-shirt, and some jeans. Our Klingon plumber certainly looked like this—sans the butt crack, thankfully.
Now take a look at the fellow below. This is what our electrician looked like. I kid you not. Our electrician had the skinny jeans, the colorful shirt, the forearm tribal tattoos, the impeccably trimmed beard, and the very fashionable hairstyle of long hair with shaved sides. And believe me, I’m not complaining. He did fine work and his prices were fair. All I’m saying is that his appearance was odd. It contradicted everything I thought I knew about the trades and proper work attire. If you would have shown me a picture of him before I ever met him and asked me what he did, I would have said website designer, movie critic, craft beer brewer—anything but an electrician. [Mrs. Groovy here. I thought he looked like a musician. But you forgot to tell them about the vacation home he’s building in Asheville and the in-ground swimming pool he’s putting in at his house. He looks like he’s half our age but I think he’s doing OK. Let’s just say we weren’t about to talk personal finance with him. I know looks can be deceiving but his temperament wasn’t of a man in debt who was hurting.]
Strangeness On the Design-of-Groovy-Ranch Front
As you’ll see shortly, there’s a screened-in porch off the dining room in our preliminary plans. And our designer, Michael, has decided to use a three-panel sliding glass door in order to take advantage of this porch and bring the “outside in.” I, on the other hand, am intrigued with the idea of bringing the outside in with a garage door. Now, I know that sounds weird, but check out the below picture.
Doesn’t that garage door look pretty cool? Call me nuts, but I think it does, and I think it will work perfectly with our farmhouse/industrial chic decor. The good news is that Mrs. Groovy doesn’t hate the idea and is willing to consider it. But am I willing to push for something so unconventional? Do I have the guts to be so whimsical, so weird? Ah, the plot thickens. [Mrs. Groovy here. I’m concerned with the extra cost involved. And don’t forget, Michael pointed out how the three-panel glass door allows more light in. I don’t know if we can get that same effect with a garage door on a track. The single doors on the three panel can be manipulated separately. A garage door goes up, or down.]
The Fight-O-Meter
We had one fight this week—and I lost. Surprise, surprise.
This fight had to do with the vaulted ceiling in our family room. Check out this snippet from our preliminary plans.
Right now the plans call for a vaulted ceiling in the family room, but 9-foot ceilings in the dining room and kitchen. I want the vaulted ceiling to continue into the dining room and kitchen as well. That would look super cool, especially if we go with a garage door in the dining room. And Mrs. Groovy is totally cool with the vaulted ceiling going all the way through. But here’s where the claws came out. I was under the impression that the family room, dining room, and kitchen all had to be the same width in order for the contiguous vaulted ceiling to be feasible. With that in mind, then, we either had to reduce the width of the family room or increase the width of the dining room and kitchen. If we increased the width of the dining room and kitchen, however, our square footage would go over 1,600, and that’s something we’d rather not do. Mrs. Groovy, on the other hand, didn’t want to reduce the width of the family room. She wanted enough room for a spacious walkway behind the sofa we plan on placing in front of the fireplace.
So, we were at an impasse. And the invectives hurled back and forth for a good twenty minutes. Finally, Mrs. Groovy called for a truce. “What are we fighting for?” she asked. “Let’s just tell Michael that we want a vaulted ceiling throughout that side of the house and see what he says.”
The next day we called Michael and put him on speaker phone. We then brought him up-to-date on our vaulted ceiling dilemma. And, then, before he was able to opine on the situation, I said, “the kitchen and dining room have to be the same width as the family room, right?” And he answered, “No. We can make a contiguous vaulted ceiling with the family room being wider than the dining room and kitchen. The current dimensions aren’t a problem at all.”
Damn the gods of marriage! Mrs. Groovy was right again. [Mrs. Groovy here. You’re missing the whole point of this argument. I was willing to give in on the width of the family room IF that was necessary. You, however, immediately started in with “we’ll move this wall here, and that wall there” and when I looked at you like you were nuts, you got annoyed and began putting me down with “you’re just not visual, you can’t see it”. And I thought you were being an idiot. I told you that if you tell a designer “move this wall here, and that wall there” he’s gonna do it. And that’s exactly what happened on the phone call. Michael said “I can make the family room smaller and make the walls meet one another, if that’s what you want.” And that’s when I interjected and said “Michael, he wants the vaulted ceiling all the way through. How do you make that happen? Does it involve moving walls?” And Michael said, “No, not at all. I know how to make it happen without moving walls or without making the rooms smaller.”]
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. What say you? Was our week indeed strange? Will a garage door in the dining room look cool or ridiculous? And should I rescue any shred of manhood I have left and scrap the Fight-O-Meter? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. Cheers. [Mrs. Groovy here. Just wait until they get a load of my imitation of you slamming down the mouse, trying to explain your wacky measurements to me, and you getting pissy. You’re too visual for your own good.]
I’m not too sure I should comment on a decision that was made and agreed to by both of you, but varied ceiling heights are an excellent way to signal different functions in a house with an open plan. It also gives the space a different feeling (more cozy). Plus I would think it would be more efficient for heating and cooling to have less volume. The book by Susanka called “The Not So Big House” discusses this extensively and explains how ceiling height can effect smaller spaces.
Hey, Sharon. Thanks for your insights. And thanks for the tip on Susanka’s “The Not So Big House.” We’ll definitely have to check it out. Our house is going to be small by today’s standards (under 1,600 sf), and we figured that the vaulted ceilings on the living side of the house would make it feel bigger. But I never considered that ceiling heights could be used to signal different spaces and different functions. Very interesting.
Very strange week, but it has me cracking up! Love that you guys saved Fluffy, even if it might be the wrong house, much better than the alternative. Those people are going to get quite the surprise, I doubt they forget to close the door again haha. Garage door concept looks cool, I like it!
Hey, Matt. Everyone’s rooting for Fluffy! My spidey senses tell me we delivered him to the right home. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Cheers.
I’m still laughing about Fluffy. If Fluffy doesn’t belong in that house, he sounds cute and friendly enough that he may have found himself a new home — win win. Bless that unsuspecting homeowner’s heart if that isn’t the case.
During our recent renovations of the teeny tiny 700 sf condo – I was mostly the decider. Mostly because I have better taste…lol. He was a bachelor in a condo that hadn’t been renovated…like “ever”. Well, almost “ever”.
If we had a fight-o-meter, I’d have been kicking ass, like Mrs. Groovy 🙂 I did lose two fights that I recall. The bigger one was over replacing the windows (they are freakin’ ancient and no doubt have to be a huge power suck) but when it came to the aesthetics. I still get all the kudos from my sweetie because the aesthetic was a huge improvement. I mean, how could it NOT be?
I LOVE the garage door but see that you are coming around to the practicalities, Mr. Groovy and I agree. I think it would be awesome for a loft or city living. You can get the wide open feeling with more traditional fixtures. Like DDD commented above, re-sale always figures into it and the more ordinary will be easier to maintain as well…also to clean.
That hipster electrician thing cracks me up but it’s refreshing that all the millennials aren’t forgoing trade school for $60,000 in student loans. I bet he’s fitting in just great in Asheville with his skinnies.
Hey, BB. You are so right about women having better taste. Why is that? Prior to marrying Mrs. Groovy, my condo was decorated in classic bachelor–passably clean but devoid of any warmth. But Mrs. Groovy changed all that. Flowers, pillows, throws, window treatments, and cats–yes, cats!–make a home a home. And you are so right about our hipster electrician and Asheville. Considering his temperament, he couldn’t have found a better city for a vacation home. Thanks for stopping, BB. Always a pleasure hearing from you.
I can’t help but think that dog destroyed the inside of the random house… 🙂 I don’t think I’d go back to check on Fluffy, the homeowners may give you a bill…!
The garage door idea is awfully creative and it would be great to bring the outdoors in. How often would the climate permit it (I presume weather isn’t significantly different from us here in CLT)? And what about those little lizards running around and getting inside? But I guess you have the screened in porch there and they wouldn’t be able to get indoors.
I think I’m with Mrs. G. Perhaps a little hesitant, like the idea, and think it may grow on me with time.
The Green Swan recently posted…Buying a Business to Accelerate Financial Independence — A Reader Story
Haha! I never considered that we might get a bill by checking in on Fluffy’s welfare. Yeah, will forego that possibility and assume that life is good for Fluffy. And I hear ya about the garage door. It seems like it would be a lot of fun, but it isn’t taking the nation by storm like “shiplap” is. I wonder why? Thanks for stopping by, JW. It’s always great hearing from a fellow Charlottean. Cheers, my friend.
A hipster Klingon plumber. This is why I come to your blog, my mind is blown by things I didn’t know could exist.
Hey, AF. You’re not going to believe this. We ran into another electrical problem. A circuit breaker tripped and won’t go back to the “On” position. The hipster electrician is coming back this Wednesday.
Take pics of him!
Will do. Hope he’s looking his hipster best.
The Fluffy story is hilarious! Now, what if Fluffy was left at the park and he lived in another part of town?
I like the garage door, but how well might it insulate? Or maybe it’s not a problem in NC. 😬
LOL! Never thought about the possibility of Fluffy being accidentally left in the park. If that’s the case, then two parties have an interesting story to tell now. And I totally agree with you about the garage door. Cool, but no insulation, and really not practical. Sigh.
I think the garage door sounds cool … But how would that work with the vaulted ceilings?
Also, it’s not about whether you win or lose … It’s about what you learn from the process and the dogs whose lives you save on the side. Lucky Fluffy!
And besides, the fight-o-meter is of high entertainment value.
Long live the fight-o-meter!
Agreed. It’s not about winning or losing. But, damn, I thought I’d be a little more competitive in this contest.
What about “people are strange” (https://youtu.be/j0Mz_IqpZX8)? That’s what comes to my mind anyhow.
The garage door will be an interesting conversation piece, but I think I’d just go with the traditional sliding doors. I think it might give you more visibility and fewer things are likely to go wrong.
Gary @ Super Saving Tips recently posted…5 Big Money Questions That You Must Answer
“When you’re strange, faces come out in the rain.”
Haha! Good one, Gary. Love the Doors, but for some reason that song doesn’t jump into my “soul kitchen” when I see something weird.
I love the garage door concept. Too bad you’ll be so far from Fluffy, he’d love coming in that big door (wow, you’ve certainly got a unique method of doing dog rescue!). Crazy week, indeed.
Oh, yeah. I can just envision the garage door open and Fluffy laying on the edge of the dining room sunning himself. Life is going to be good for any dog visiting the Groovy Ranch.
Hahahahaha that is going to be one heck of a surprise for the owners if that dog doesn’t live there.
“Hello. How did you get here?”
Haha! That was what we thought the homeowner would say when he or she got home and Fluffy didn’t belong there.
There’s an old joke about my church in summer. You have to lock your car doors in the parking lot or someone will put zucchini in it. Now the homeowners can adapt the joke to say, We have to lock our house doors or someone will put lapdogs in it.
I’ve heard that happens with zucchini here in North Carolina.
It’s amazing how many white, fluffy dogs we’ve seen in the park since our “Fluffy” incident. Luckily these have been on leashes and we haven’t had to look for homes with their doors ajar.
I didn’t think the contiguous vaulted ceiling would be a problem either. The upper unit in our duplex has vaulted ceiling and the width of the rooms aren’t the same dimension. Not a problem.
The other day, I was a 3 panel sliding door advertisement. It’s really cool. You can slide all 3 panels aside so the opening is very large. You’ll need a wall that’s one panel wide, though. Check with your designer. That sounds better than a garage door.
Something like this – http://www.islademargarita.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/three-panel-patio-sliding-door-home-design-3-panel-sliding-glass-patio-doors-front-door-sliding-door-3-panel-vinyl-sliding-patio-doors-826×620.jpg
Feel free to delete the link after you see the image.
You’re a wise man, Joe. Thanks for the link. It’s nice to see that “boring” can still be damn cool.
I love the garage door concept, pretty cool:)
And not sure what I would have done with Fluffy but at least, like you say, he was safer…for a while anyway!
Caroline recently posted…How I Went From Live-in Nanny To Corporate VP
Hey, Caroline. Agreed. I love the garage door concept too. There are probably too many negatives to pull the trigger on it, though. And Fluffy was a really sweet dog. I have a good feeling things worked out for him. Thanks for stopping by, Caroline. Always a pleasure hearing from you.
I’m not sure how I feel about the garage door. I love the concept, but it does look a little clunky. My parents have the glass paneled door that opens up from the living room to the back yard and it is absolutely awesome. My vote goes for that over the garage door.
Mrs.Wow recently posted…Setting Up a Big Boy 401k
Always great to hear from someone with some experience. Right now our designer’s calling for glass-paneled doors to open up the dining room. And that’s more than likely the way we’ll go. I was just kicking around some ideas. Thanks for stopping by, Mrs. WoW. Love the feedback.
“Who cares? At least Fluffy won’t get hit by a car. Whoever lives here will sort things out.”
LOL that’s the spirit! Hahaha you guys did the right thing, honestly it’s a bit odd to have your door ajar and not be home, but eh. If it’s a dog from the neighborhood they’ll figure it out!
As for the vaulted ceilings, glad it all worked out even if Mr G has to put another L to his name 🙂
Dave @ Married with Money recently posted…Our Iced Coffee Investment Strategy
That’s exactly what we were thinking. They probably left the door ajar so Fluffy could do his business. Haven’t seen him since, so we’re assuming he’s okay.
I agree the garage door is a cool look, but just putting this out there: there’s no way you’ll get a lasting tight air seal on that, so it’s going to increase your heating and air conditioning costs (and environmental impact).
Agreed. Cool very rarely means practical. Thanks for stopping by, my friend.
The garage door is cool but I would listen to the professionals. Plus if you want to sell it one day, more common things sell better…so probably not a good idea to put a garage door in.
Excellent point, DDD. Trendsetters pay a price, and unless they’re prepared to pay that price, they best be boring.
We were debating a garage big enough for our RV in our current build plans but decided standard is better.
I hear ya, my friend. Right now we’re going with the default two-car garage. This should give us enough room for a tractor and a little workshop. If it’s feasible, we may make it a little bigger to accommodate a gym and entertainment area. We’ll see.
Friends of ours built a big metal building that serves as their sculpture park headquarters and their home (they are cool people!). They put 3 big glass garage doors in and they are great. In their case, they do not open to a screened porch, so bugs can come in. Since yours will be opening up to that completely screened in area, I think it would really be a great item to have. I think Fluffy would like it too (somehow I’m thinking that we haven’t heard the last of that dog!).
Agreed, Susan. The garage door only works if it’s opening up to a screened in area. I don’t like bugs outside the house. I certainly don’t like them inside the house.
I really like the garage door. I’ve been watching house hunters renovations and I’ve seen that industrial look mixed in to traditional and I think it works. I hope the dog was in the right house! lol! can you imagine coming home and the dog and cat have beat each other up and you’re like, “when did I get a dog?” 🙂
I’m with you, Tonya. That garage door looks really cool. I’m just afraid that a garage door is more NYC and LA chic than rural NC chic. Ah, decisions, decisions.
Mr. G, I think the garage door looks cool, but I would worry about insulation. Maybe not a problem in Charlotte, but it would likely make for a darn cold room during the winter in Chicago.
And, oh by the way. My mother taught me not to do drugs. So, I don’t do crack. And you shouldn’t either!
Tom
Tom @ Dividends Diversify recently posted…So What’s With These Model Portfolios?
LOL! Crack kills! You’re mom is very wise. And you’re absolutely right about the insulation factor. The garage door will equate to one big window, and unless that it comes with double-pane windows, it will turn into a giant heat loss. Not good, my friend.
um, one big window with several seams that will need weather stripping and still leak. That said, I’m all in with the idea from an aesthetic aspect.
Once upon a time a rich dude had his house built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Then he moved in and in the fullness of time discovered the roof leaked. The dude called the famous architect and complained.
He was told, “Yes, but you’re living in a Frank Lloyd Wright house.”
Fashion and aesthetics do not always mesh well with practicality. Expect to plan your trade offs accordingly.
Haha! Excellent point, Steve. I once heard a wit claim there were only two kinds of residential windows: one that leaks now and one that will leak.
I am laughing so hard. The fights Chris and I have had over design are the same. I’m visual, he’s not. We usually don’t understand each other and end up fighting over something that we both agree on, haha.
Good luck – I like the 3 panel door idea!
Ah, the lovely dynamics of marriage. I’m more visual than Mrs. Groovy, but I got to learn to cool my jets. Her instincts are invariably spot on and I got to learn to trust them. Damn it! Why did God make women so smart?
I’m liking the garage door idea. Assuming it has a nice view? I can’t imagine the expression on the homeowner’s faces if Fluffy didn’t belong to them. Hopefully, on your next visit to the park, you’ll get a Fluffy sighting, and confirmation he’s okay.
Brian recently posted…How to Pay Off Debt on a Low Income
Haha! I’m routing for Fluffy too. So far no sightings this week. I think we’re going to have to knock on the door.
Yes, your week was strange indeed. I would’ve done the same thing if Fluffy ran into a house with an open door, and just closed the door. I haven’t met too many dogs that run into unknown houses, so fingers crossed that was the right house. Plus, it could explain why Fluffy (obviously not an outside dog) was wandering around sans dog tag to begin with.
Conceptually, I like both options on your screened in porch idea. We were thinking the same with ours, mainly being able to open it as wide as possible for fresh breezes, light, etc… If you have the garage door on the outer/exterior wall then you would probably have a regular wall with, what maybe French doors separating the screened in porch from the house? That could cut down on light getting in. If you’re talking about swapping the sliding door with the garage door (interior wall) that would be really impractical and could get annoying quickly. Besides looking odd with vaulted ceilings, Mrs. Groovy is right, it’s either up or down, and to go out to the screened in porch, you’d have to raise it and walk through. Then it’s open until you’re done using the porch.
On second thought, if it’s on the exterior wall, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of being screened in, because it would open and then the whole exterior wall would be open and unscreened. I don’t know, they’re great at bars and restaurants to let fresh air in, but maybe too impractical for your current house design.
We went with a dual “slide open from the middle” type of double sliding door. Not as fancy as your triple sliding door, but still able to open 8′ wide which should be plenty for breezes and such.
Mr. SSC recently posted…Stick to the Plan or Chase Adventure?
He’s referring to a garage door as the interior wall that leads out to the screened in porch. I just found an example of one that has a pass-through door within it, so that you can walk out without raising it. But it looks kind of clunky.
In the stock photo here in the post, there’s a regular glass door to the side of the garage doors. The garage doors lead to an open deck, and it looks like the deck has stairs to the yard. Ours will lead to a 12 x 12 screened in porch, with no exit to the yard. I don’t think that would add a lot of aesthetic value.
But I’m also concerned that the three panel door may be expensive, and I wonder about its practicality. Is it easy to move? I don’t want to struggle with folding panels of glass.
Hahaha, oh the conversations you get into while designning a house. We had that exact conversation trying to decide between a wall of “folding glass doors” and the double slider and/or the triple panel version. Our double slider version is like this one http://innardsinterior.com/3606/ideas/nice-double-slider-patio-doors-double-sliding-patio-doors-cost/
where you can open one side, both sides, or just leave them shut. Shouldn’t be more difficult than a regular sliding door. My biggest concern is keeping all that glass clean. Eeeeep!!!
Mr. SSC recently posted…Stick to the Plan or Chase Adventure?
I think you and Mrs. Groovy are right. A garage door doesn’t look to practical. We won’t have room for a garage door and a normal door on that wall, and we’ll have to open the garage door every time we want to go out on the porch. I suppose we could a garage door opener to make it a little more convenient, but that would make the hardware even more clunky and unsightly looking. Sometimes simplicity is the best option. Your double sliding doors with the 8′ opening sound good to me.
I’m in agreement with Amy about the garage door idea. Very cool – but I’d probably go with the other door. I was laughing about the electrician. Reminds me of HGTV and if guys like Jonathan and Drew Scott from Property Brothers are rubbing off on these tradesmen!
Vicki@MakeSmarterDecisions recently posted…Disconnecting to Make Connections
LOL! I forgot all about the Property Brothers. Yep, they definitely fused hipster chic with the trades. And talking about electricians, here’s one for you. Our previous electrician made us do a double-take too. This guy was straight from redneck central. The drawl, the pick-up truck, the affinity for guns–this guy was a classic good ol’ boy. Anyway, he wasn’t able to finish the job on the Friday he started and he asked if he could come back on Saturday for an hour. The only problem was that his wife was working and he would have to bring his two boys, ages 10 and 7. “Sure,” Mrs. Groovy and I said. “We can entertain a couple of boys for an hour.” So the next day arrives and in walks our redneck electrician with two little black boys. Yep, our redneck electrician married a Jamaican girl. Talk about looks being deceiving! Things are definitely changing in the trades. Today’s tradespeople are not your grandfather’s tradespeople. And it’s all good. Thanks for stopping by, Vicki. Always a pleasure hearing from you.
That’s an awesome story! Most of the folks we know back home are in family businesses when it comes to the trades, but in Florida – it’s very different! One of the strangest looking dudes around did some drywall work in our condo – and you would never have known a piece was cut out and replaced. He was an artist in his trade!
I love it, Vicki. As one who has fumbled through some DIY drywall work myself, I really appreciate those who can do it well. Such people are indeed artists.
Strange week indeed!
I think the garage door would look very cool, but I also think the 3-panel door would offer more flexibility…at least in my visual mind it does. 🙂
Haha! Mrs. G and I were just discussing the 3-panel door, and we both agreed that it probably makes the most sense, especially since the dining room will be vaulted. With a vaulted ceiling, the garage door hardware might look too busy.
It’s so exciting to hear that the Groovy Ranch plans are coming together! And I hope Fluffy is safely home 🙂
Mrs. Adventure Rich recently posted…Creating Your Personal Buyback Program
Thanks, Mrs. AR. Yeah, things are coming together on the design phase. I think we’re going to have a very nice farmhouse. And I got my fingers crossed for Fluffy too. He seemed so comfortable going into that house. It had to be his home.