Handy Woman- 101

• Over the 27 1/2 years of marriage, Hubby and I did many a task around the house requiring drills, hammers, drywall anchors... he was a good teacher and I learned much. Yet, one thing I never helped him with was the installation of door knobs and smoke detectors and curved shower rods. But I'm thinking, not a problem, right? Wrong! Having an older home, you have things like quirky shaped bathrooms with odd places windows, olders doors, doors that are not up to current standards.
• Last night I set out to hang the shower rod. I was home alone as Autumn was spending the weekend with friends. Hanging a curved shower rod really takes another set of hands I found. My bathroom is narrow with a small tub. The edge of the window extends a bit over the edge of the tub. Because of that a regular tension rod has to go on the inside of the window from which makes it be at an angle. Weird. It also makes the shower curtian cling to you as you shower because it is so close to you. Really annoying, which is why I purchased a curved rod to give more space while showering. I had to drill holes for the bracket, one side went well, the window side, good grief, not so well. I had to find shorter screws and smaller wall anchors. I put the two parts of the rod together and procceded to put it in the brackets. Here's a tip: when working over a bath tub drain using small objects like screws and little allen wrenches, cover the drain. If perchance you happen to drop, say the allen wrench down the drain, try to recover with a pair of tweezers. It worked for me.
• The rod got hung, and as long as small children or monkeys down hang on it, it should stay put.

And now for today. I promised Autumn I would get the door knob put into her knobless door while she was gone this weekend. So, after church I changed clothes and gathered all my tools. The door knob didn't fit. The hole wasn't big enough for the knob to fit flush and the metal plate on the door jam stuck out to far. To make a long story short, it was a fiasco and after total frustation that I couldn't get a stupid door knob put together, I threw it all in a pile in the hall and walked away in tears.

I then made another unsuccessful attempt at putting up smoke detector. The instructions looked easy enough. I got the first one up. When I tested it, it didn't beep. I put a different battery in it, it didn't work either. I then attempted to take it down, which didn't happen easily. I threw it all in a bag and walked away, again in tears. UGH!

I threw myself on the couch and just cried. I cried hard. I told the Lord it wasn't fair. I was trying to do what needed to be done, to take care of Autumn and I, and wasn't able to accomplish it. I was so frustated, I felt very alone at that moment. Then the emotions ran away with me. I started to beat myself up, making myself feel guilty and miserable. I needed my husband. He wasn't there. I needed someone. There was no one there, just me and the radio. I had had the christian station playing all afternoon. A song came on that I had never heard before. It spoke of grace and mercy, the two things needed, only needed. Door knobs, and smoke detectors, they got the best of me, big time. After I refocused my heart and mind, remembering that His grace is enough, I blew my nose, wiped my tears and went into my craft room to put it together. That was very successful, and very satisfying.

Later, I sat at the piano, of which I play very ill, and sang a song that has become a favorite. It is called Be Still, by Keith and Kristen Getty. I told the Lord I was sorry for the melt down and felt relief and cleansing. It was good. I know there will be other times when performing the 'honey-do-list' things that I will really miss Dale, but I know that each time God will give what is needed to get the task done. I am glad that my SIL, Superman has already offered to come again this coming weekend to do, 'tasks'. God is so good.

(Oops, don't know what I did, sorry for the format on this one)