Two Questions

I've got two questions turning around in my head tonight. Number one: Why does anyone hang wallpaper? Especially in a room like the bathroom where it is almost impossible to get it off behind the commode and the sink? And number two: What made me think that this, the week dear Nik is in China, would be the best time to tackle that downstairs bathroom? I'm not sure I know the answer to the first. Maybe it has something to do with eternal optimism. I like this pattern now so I'll probably like it even more 10 years from now. Or, by then I'll have sold this place and moved on up to something better. I'm also still scratching my head about the why now part. Maybe it is because Nik hates it when I start projects so by waiting for him to be out of town I won't have to gently put my hand under his chin when he comes home one evening and his jaw drops when he sees what I've done. But maybe it also has to do with not wanting to spend too much time without moving hands while he is away. Moving hands are a good remedy for a roaming mind, I've found. Consequently there are a lot of projects half-started in this house. Consequently my dear husband hates it when I start projects.

But it really hasn't been as hard as I thought. The managing part anyway. Teeth still get brushed, bodies bathed and fed, morning muffins made and we've even been to Lowe's three times for various home improvement tools and every paint chip booklet they have.

And the children are doing well enough, too. They are putting up with an occassionally grumpy mother and are all too happy to move the little blue, red and yellow card table in front of the tv for yet another meal. And forgive me, but just how many times can I serve my children pizza, pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches before child protective services comes?

Oh, and we got some really celebratory news the very same night Nik left. Oliver has officially graduated to RDI stage two: referencing. The next afternoon we celebrated all together, my two boys and I, with a bottle of our finest sparkling apple cider served in the fancy wine glasses with the beaded stems. Then we listened to my new favorite CD and danced a jig. Literally.

When I was little kid people used to tell us that any hole we were digging, if we kept at it long enough, would take us "all the way to China." I haven't really thought of that in years but today I noticed that there is a still a pretty big hole in our back yard from where we dug out the clothes line pole that had been anchored by a big hunk of cement. It had probably been useful back in the days before the maple tree beside it got so large that hanging anything on the line became amusing to all the birds in the neighborhood. Anyway, that hole out in the back yard isn't much of a start, but if Nik were planning to be gone longer than ten days I might seriously start looking around for the shovel.

In the meantime, anyone have any good ideas for removing wallpaper?