So, true to form, my husband got a new pair of pants, really damned expensive ones (Duluth Trading Fire Hose Work Pants that he asked for and loves, loves, LOVES) and immediately wore them while painting with oil based paint. I nearly killed him. This is, by far, not the first time this sort of thing has happened (his mom ruefully comments on how like his dad he is in this). He routinely wears brand new clothes or shoes while doing something messy. He has no dearth of crappy clothes in which to tackle the messy, clothes tearing projects, but no, he's just got to wear the new stuff. *sigh* On one of his more recent pairs of new Vans, I had to point out that it was raining, and did he really want to wear his brand new, untreated sneakers out in that?
It's not like he means to destroy them, he just gets so excited about new clothes and wants to wear them, because they are comfortable, etc., and he can't always remember to change when he gets home from the hardware store before he dives back into a project. I'm guessing that part of that is that he's so focused on getting the project done, the project that has usually been annoying and stressing him out for weeks, that he can't stop to think about something else or he'll get derailed (SQUIRREL!) Usually this happens on the third or fourth unexpected trip to Home Depot (because stuff it NOT fitting right), and he's like a man trying to get through the desert - just keep moving and it'll be alright.
Part of this, I'm sure is that he hates tackling these projects - they are terrifying at a certain level. The self doubt that can, and does hit him before a lot of these projects can be crippling. I totally get that - I have it for certain projects, but not many. I don't know if this is a mental defect in me, or if it is due to the fact that we did everything ourselves while I was growing up, and I've seen (and participated in) so many projects tackled, that turned out right, that the idea of failing at it bothers me less. I also don't know if this attitude will go away when my dad dies, because he's the font of DIY wisdom. If we run into an issue, dad's knowledge, and near constant shopping, can get us an trustworthy answer way faster than google. If that fails, or if the problem outclasses an inexpensive tool purchase, he probably already has the tools we need to bail us out, and thankfully he's generally willing to bring them down and let us use them if they are portable.
But, back to Matt. I don't say it as often as I should, I think, but he's grown tremendously in this arena. To the point that he surprises me when he takes on a project that I haven't been standing on him about. He's getting really good at replacing GFCI's as they die (because they do. A LOT.), and thinking about whether he can fix the issue that's causing the stupid things to die. He had one last night to do. The project involving the mineral spirits the other day is because of a leak in the kid's bathroom, that we think is due to the tub rusting at the overflow valve, and bad seals there. So, he grabbed his grinder with a wire wheel and got rid of the rust, and applied Rustoleum to the patch, and is installing the new overflow thingy and new seals.
Thankfully nothing got on the pants the other day that wouldn't wash out. But he did have to stand in the kitchen holding the paintbrush while we cleaned out the sink because he didn't warn us that he was going to need to clean a paintbrush. And then he splashed paint and mineral spirits all over the clean dishes, including the Waterford (he gets points for noticing the mess before I did).
It's progress. I'll keep him. :) (Assuming he'll keep me...in the style to which I've become accustomed.) ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment