Six days after the tear-out of our twenty-two-year-old ceramic tile kitchen floor, the new kitchen floor was declared ready to walk all-over, as was the family room floor previously covered in wall-to-wall carpeting. This practically maintenance-free porcelain tile has taken some getting used to—not so much in the kitchen but its extension into the family room which sort of reminds me of an old-time dance floor, given the tile’s resemblance to weathered wood planks. Hmm, perhaps an area rug to absorb the sound … no, no, and no! We are not going there. Next thing you know, we’ll be covering the area rug with plastic runners. Not.
One thing’s for sure, this new floor is as durable as it is unforgiving. Lesson One I learned in a most painful way after bumping into a prized bottle of Ligurian wine we brought back from our recent visit to Italy. The dry red had been sitting on the new porcelain floor of our family room closet, apart from the rest of our wine stored one level below. One accidental nudge tipped the bottle over, breaking its neck and sending the aromatic contents mixed with shattered glass in all directions. Quick! Grab the towels—paper, kitchen, old bathroom, whatever. A five-minute clean-up, tops. At least we didn’t have to be concerned about staining the carpet since it was long gone.
Ah-h, but the wine, that was a different story but nevertheless still gone. A special gift from a special cousin, carefully wrapped and stored in a suitcase the airline lost on our return trip, which made that particular wine all the more special after we finally retrieved our suitcase and discovered the bottle still intact. And now this! Hubby D and I had been saving our special wine for a yet-to-be-named special occasion. Lesson Two, do not, I repeat, do not wait too long to savor special moments. On the plus side, the special moment we’ve been denied now requires another trip to the Italian Riviera for another bottle of special wine. If not 2015, then 2016; mustn’t wait too long for special travel moments.
Back in our partially updated kitchen, the new switch-from-electric-to gas range has been installed and I’ve been giving it a steady workout. So far, so good—no eggs scrambled to the consistency of rubbery leather, no Thanksgiving pies underbaked or with crusts charred. Haven’t tried roasting a turkey yet, that’ll have to wait until Christmas when No. One Son M and his Wyoming family descend on our otherwise quiet household. Another special occasion over which we have no control but one we will savor more than any bottle of fine wine.
How about you? Any special moments you’ve savored to the fullest? Or those you’re still waiting to savor?
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