This morning for some strange reason I woke up determined to get the air filters for the house, even though for the most part I've turned off the heat. When I opened the front door it also occured to me that it maybe I could find out what it would take to have it fixed (the lock that doesn't 'hold', the peephole has been painted over - and oh yeah ...I really HATE the color of the door.) I really need someone to go with me to these home improvement places because I can wander around happy as a lark for hours looking at this and that & dreaming about what I would/could do if I had the time and more importantly the money; like the refrigerator that's on sale (if you can call $1400 a sale) that's not stainless, and not white but a chrome-tinted grey maybe?? ...
before find what I went in there for.
Finding the filters took no time at all; figuring out what I wanted to change on the door was another story. It's a no-brainer that the red has to go & frankly I'm still loving the idea of painting it Dallas Cowboys blue. I'm also considering removing the doorknocker (it's not like I get a lot of visitors and I do have a doorbell) and putting silver numbers there since I still haven't found a house number plate I like
and can afford. That only leaves the problem with the gold door knob and deadbolt (the easy answer would be to have them replaced since they aren't working very well - but I had all the doors rekeyed when I bought the house & I don't want to spend that kind of money again if I can avoid it.) ....eh I'll figure that part out later.
I found (and bought) the replacement peep hole - turns out that's not as big of an issue as I thought it might be. I even found large silver numbers to fit in that space across the middle of the door (assuming I can remove the doorknocker). While I was looking/dreaming I realized a clerk was persistently asking me if I needed help. Not only was I in my own little world but I was dressed in my best "People of Wal-Mart" attire (black running pants with broken zippers on the sides of the legs and my old beat up w/ the lettering falling off Cowboys jersey) and not accustomed to "being seen". I chuckled to myself and let him know I was ok and just looking for prices and ideas. He didn't even seem relieved when he walked away - kudos to him.
Next stop the paint department. I have no idea what kind of paint I'm going to need to cover up this door (does it count as indoor? outdoor? will I need a primer?) but I do know the first thing I need to find is the right color. How hard can it be for
me to find Dallas Cowboys blue? Ummm...harder than you'd think. I started with the paint chip samples on my left and nearly had a heart attack; there were four more sections of chips alone! OMG where's Dave when I need him? Deep breath & start pulling cards out of the slot with my left hand (right still has the filters I've been carrying around for 45 minutes now as well as the peep hole) hold it up to my chest (remember the beat up Cowboys jersey?) while I decide if it's close enough for consideration. I've got a stack of cards in front of me & I'm going through my second round of eliminations when it happened.
On my right is another store clerk, only this time she looks a little scared. She puts her and on my arm holding the filters and says quietly (as if she doesn't want anyone else to hear her) "Ma'am is there anything I can help you with?" I'm a little startled because I didn't even realized she'd walked up on me let alone the fact that she still has her hand on my arm. "No", as I pull my arm away "I'm trying to find the right one, I promise to put all the cards back in the right place when I'm done." She smiles as if she knows something I don't and says "it's ok ma'am you can take as many as you want; there's no charge. But could you do me a favor and use the bottom of your shirt instead?" Now it took me a second or two to realize what she was asking me. Sure I was putting the cards up to my chest to check the colors; it was the easiest for me to see. What I didn't realize was that I was making the decisions out loud (and not using the voices in my head)! Imagine what it must have looked like to walk around the corner and see me standing there with 'my hand on my chest' saying things like "not bad", "close but not quite right", "almost", "ewww, not even in the ballpark".... I busted out laughing as I assured her I would be more careful.
