We have had our first meal in the “temporary kitchen,” a simple affair of bread and cheese. I have called this remodel an adventure, and so it seems fitting that we begin with adventure food. I have no idea where the horses have got to, nor when the orcs and trolls will be showing up.

Meanwhile, the old kitchen is nearly empty: only empty bags, an umbrella or two, and a few stray bits of what’s-all-this-then remain. Oh, and the refrigerator and some coolers to receive its content tomorrow morning before the contractors move it.

The Marines arrived at 9:15 AM and established a beachhead. Much packing and toting ensued. We begin to see the daylight at the end of the tunnel…unless that’s an on-coming train.

The gnomes didn’t come and finish packing up the kitchen while we slept.

Time for Plan B.

Today is D-Day minus three…which is to say that on Wednesday, bright and early, the contractors are going to be here to demolish my kitchen, which I love, the kitchen which is engrained in my bones, the kitchen of my earliest memories, the kitchen with impractical, unusable cabinetry, the kitchen with no place to put a dishwasher, in order to replace it, in the fullness of time, with a kitchen of beautiful tile, a kitchen of soapstone counter-tops and decent lighting, a kitchen with significant cabinet space, a kitchen that looks like it has always been here even though it hasn’t, a kitchen that will make my wife happy, a kitchen with a dishwasher.

Oh, and a powder room.

All this is to note that my “deep thoughts” might not be quite as deep over the next week; or perhaps they will be even deeper, depending on what kind of depth you’re thinking of.

On the other hand, perhaps I’ll have more time to write after the next few days, because it’s not like I’m going to be spending my time, you know, eating.

OK, it’s not so bad. We’re not starting construction for three weeks, not two. (Long sigh of relief.) I mean, that’s 50% more time before my world gets turned upside down.

For almost a year now, we’ve been in the process of getting ready to remodel our kitchen. We talked with contractors. We picked an architect. We got drawings. We got bids. We picked a contractor. This week we’ll be signing a contract with him; and we expect to start work in two weeks.

Let me repeat that. Two weeks!

During those two weeks we need to pack up our kitchen, getting rid of as much stuff as we can, and prepare to set up a temporary kitchen elsewhere on the property.

I just told my sons that we’d have a much better time if we all thought of it as an adventure rather than as a series of calamities…and that they should keep reminding me of that.