HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1979-09-19, Page 21A SUPPLEMENT TO
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, THE BRUSSELS AND THE BLYTH STANDARD,
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 27, 1979
How the rec room almost
wrecked our marriage .
BY A. NONY MOUSE
Mx husband and I believe
in togetherness. Whether it's
doing dishes, planting a
garden, or washing the car,
we believe two pairs of hands
are better than one, That
theory also worked well in
practice, until we cleeicled"to
turn Our basement into a
recreation room and do the
Work ourselves, together.
In deference to the Weaker
sex, D. asked a male friend
to help him: install the 2 by 4
studs, while I started reading
every book on carpentry that
I could beg, borrow or, as a
last resort, buy..
I soon discovered that
most panelling is designed to
be nailed on 16-inch centers;
thus the grooves hide the
nails from all but the most
prying eyes,
Knowing this info"r"mation
would be appreciated, I
grabbed my trusty tape mea-
sure and skipped down the
cellar stairs. I pulled Out
about tWo feet of steel,
placed the metal tab in the
center of the first stud,
reached over with the tape,
and took a reading in the
center of the second stud.
"Sixteen and three-quarter
inches" I called out. Oh,
well, that was the first one, a
temporary aberration, and
quite understandable. The
tape flashed between the
centers of studs• two and
three. "Fifteen and a
quarter" I exclaimed with
dismays Well, perhaps the
master builders had not yet
hit their stride, although the
looks they sent niy way
indicated they could Cheer-
fully hit me. I would give
them one More chance to
redeem themselves. I
checked the distance
bejtvveen studs three and four.
''Seventn inches" I
gasped incredtlodsly.
My self-appointed job as
building inspector ended the
next moment, as I beat a
hasty retreat up the stairs.
Wouldn't you, if two strong
men suddenly ran toward
you with hammers gripped in
their upraised hands?
The insulation went in
next. The only problem was
trying to keep prickly fiber-
glass fibers away front
contact with human skin.
We rarely • succeeded.
Usnally by 'the end Of the
evening we were behaving
like demented disco dancers.
Each awkward piece of
panelling had to be
measured, marked, and cut.
I held each piece on the saw
horse while D. ripped down
the pencil lineS with his saw.
"Hold it steady! Move your
hands out of the wayl" he
Would yell. My outraged
Words of protest at this
absurdity y came out of my
mouth in little balloons of
(Continued on Page 3A)