I Like to Be Grumpy When I Work

Well, my new blinds for the living room came today. There's nothing all that special about my new blinds other than they are replacing the 17 year old shutters and (probably) the 10 year old "bra" fabric topper that has adorned out living room window for as many years. I was excited not only because they are here, but because they came super fast. I ordered them just four or five nights ago.

My husband is a lovely man. He really is. But while in the process of, or while trying to complete household "to-do's" that loveliness sometimes escapes him. Apparently tonight he had that very same revelation about himself.

I had made no bones that I would "love" to have the blinds hung tonight. Being the lovely husband he is, he agreed to do that. Our neighbor had requested we run by to see some things and I asked Steve to go. "No, I'm going to stay here and get the blinds hung". "Are you sure?" Yes. So an hour later I return and he is hanging bracket #2 of blind #1. Anne went in to talk with him and quickly learned he was also not nearly as lovely a dad during blind hanging time. Nothing terrible, but I think his comment was, "no, I really don't like doing this at all".

So being the supportive wife I am, I thought, ohhhh he just wants someone around while he's working. You know people like that? I'm sort of like that. You don't really need help, but it's nice to have a person who can fetch things close by preventing you from making sixteen trips up and down the stepstool. Someone to make conversation so to take your mind off the tedious nature of the job. Someone to give you a quick opinion (higher or lower? to the left or right?) when you need it. So I decided I would go sit in the rocker by the windows and be that supportive person. I sat and asked if he'd read the instructions (knowing full well he hadn't, but didn't need to either), I read the tools needed list to prove that there was no need for a great husband like mine to read the directions, we chatted briefly about the extra sliver of sample wood that was in the packaging, I then shared my observations at the neighbors house, shared the fact that the wife is quite the artist, shared that I wanted her to paint the kids pictures, shared...well, I shared for a bit...apparently too long...

Bracket #2 was completed and it was time to move the stepstool and reconfigure his tool placement:

Him: You're kind of in my workspace.
Me: Well, I thought I would just sit here and talk to you and keep you company. You don't want me to do that?
Him: No. I like to be grumpy when I work and with you here, you are just going to get the brunt of it.
Me: (Huge belly laugh) Are you serious?
Him: Well at least I can be honest. Here, can you go throw this away?

And there, my friends is the sort of revelation one must wait for nearly twenty five years to finally hear.