SIX HOURS OF FRUSTRATION

Once upon a time, about 4 or maybe even 7 years ago, on a shopping trip in downtown Edmonds, I bought two, black wrought iron, display units for tea cups and saucers. I have a tea cup and saucer collection courtesy of my Grandma Lucille - may she rest in peace.

It began as a simple plan full of optimism and naivete. And apparently a lack of memory regarding my previous experience with drills and the like.

Here is the tale of how it took 6 hours for me to install this tea cup and saucer display unit.

• Attempt to measure the intended area.
• Darn, the tape measure keeps slipping.
• Start over.
• I'm calm. I am now calmly finding the center of the intended area.
• 20 minutes later, center of intended wall area located.
• Now find the center of that area, remember that there are 2 of these display units.
• Okay, found the center.
• Let's measure again just to be sure since I'm notorious for measuring incorrectly.
• Hmm. The numbers don't match at all.
• Start over. I am calmly starting over.
• It's been over an hour. Wow, is it supposed to take this long?
• Okay, the horizontal location is found and marked.
• Measure vertically from the ceiling. They have to match so it hangs straight.
• Measure again.
• Hmm. The numbers don't match.
• Measure again.
• Wait. Do I really want these in this location?
• Yes. Let's not change the plan.
• Measure again.
• Okay, they finally match and are marked with a pencil.
• Now I have to move to the area near the refrigerator.
• Stand on the counter to measure since I'm still not tall enough on the stool/ladder.
• The same problem with measuring.
• It's been about 3 hours and finally the marks in place for both display units. Time to rest, it's late. I can finish this up tomorrow.

The very next day.

• Tools at the ready. Drill with charged batteries in my apron pocket. Screws and plastic insert in my other apron pocket.
• First you make the hole for the plastic insert that holds the screw. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that these are used when you are NOT going to screw into a stud.
• Feeling a bit proud at the moment, first hole completed.
• Now working on the second hole for the other end of the unit.
• Hmm. Why did the drill make that funny sound? Why won't the drill bit go in any further.
• Heavy sigh. Seems I've hit someting and the drill bit won't move. It could be a stud or something else since this is somewhat above the stove.
• What should I do? Oh God.
• Oh, I could move the whole thing over a few inches. No one would notice at this height.
• Same problem.
• It's been over an hour.
• Take a break. Do I really want these in this location? I make the decision to move them.
• I go through the entire process for another wall only to find the same issues.
• At long last, I decide that I don't need to put them both up on the same wall. Over the window in the kitchen seems like a nice place to put one of them.
• Okay, it's up. I can't believe it took 6 hours and only one is up on the wall.
• I hate these type of projects.
• Hmm. I don't know if I even like the way it looks. It's a bit fussy but I just can't care about it anymore. I bought it, it's up and I'm going to live with it.
• Sitting on the couch it slowly dawns on me that if it was a stud that I hit on the first attempt, I could have skipped using the plastic insert and just put the screw into the stud.
• Crap.
• Wait. I might even have a stud finder but how does it work? I guess I will find out when I try to put up the other display unit.
• Oh god. There's still another one.

I have many talents but projects that require tools is not one of them.