What is it about a man and a home improvement store? I love to shop as much as the next person, especially for shoes, but come on, what is the enticement of plumbing parts? Shoes and boots have a stylish appeal that expresses your personality that you can show the world whenever you step outdoors. But hose connectors? Who’s going to see them? When guests come over you would show off the tile or pedestal sinks in a newly remodeled bath, but no one would point out the shiny new hoses for the hot and cold water.
But yet Mitch will stand and gaze over the plumbing aisle forever with a look of sheer awe at the variety of shapes and sizes of hoses and connectors. I even asked if he had measured before we got to Lowes and he said yes he knew exactly what he needed. After ten minutes of watching him stare transfixed at the huge assortment, I said that I was going to go to the tile section to find something that would work for the gap at the top of the shower to the ceiling. He said, “Okay,” in a faraway dreamy voice like a drug addict that had just gotten a fix.
On my way to the tile section I found the kitchen countertop that I fell in love with instantly and took pictures of it with my phone so I would remember it later. I wandered through the tile section and came up with all kinds of solutions to the three inch gap. The guest bathroom is not only small in area but with a very low ceiling, so with the shower on, there would be condensation and back splashing that would cause the sheetrock to get wet. With having to remodel the remodel, Mitch is extra cautious about moisture in the bathroom.
After spending a very productive ten minutes finding our new kitchen countertop (this will be Mitch’s next project, although he doesn’t know it yet) and coming up with a number of solutions for the top of the shower I wandered back to find Mitch still in the plumbing section. He had one two inch section of hose fitting and a tube of sealer in his hand. I asked what else he needed and he said no he had everything he needed. So why was he still standing there? It has to plumbing crack. I looked skyward for guidance.
I dragged him away to show him the new countertop I wanted and my ideas for the top of the shower. We made a decision to use porcelain tile at the top and grabbed a couple of pieces to take home to try out. He then said he needed to get caulk. Oh no, not caulk, anything but caulk. I don’t know how many hundreds of tubes of caulk Mitch has bought over the years, but each time he needs to buy caulk, we go through the same process. He stares at the variety of brands, types and colors for minutes, and then when he finally makes a decision, he stands there and reads the entire back section of the tube. Why? What could he possibly learn that he does not already know about caulk having caulked four bathrooms in the last three years?
God help me if the caulk industry ever does invent a new and improved caulk.
A woman's view of hunting...with men 