Chattanooga Times Free Press

The right tool is key, but caulk is cheap

- Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreep­ress.com or 423-757-6354.

It’s random-thought week here at the ol’ paper, though to be fair, my brain is always susceptibl­e to chasing anything shiny … Oh hey, a butterfly! Do you see that?

As some of you might know, I dabble in just about all manner of how-to from electrical to plumbing to woodworkin­g. I’ve done some things I’m kind of proud of and I’ve spent hours creating some nice kindling.

I know just enough to be dangerous, and over the years have collected so many tools that Sears borrows from me.

Not saying I’m good at it, but I like it, except when I’m actually tasked with completing a project. Then I remember things like: the job always takes three times as long as you think; the right tool is the key, and it is always loaned out, back at the house, or suddenly impossible to find; reading directions is for dullards, and I am a dullard who never reads directions; and, fairies live inside of my tape measure and steal anywhere between a quarter of an inch to a full inch, depending on the value and scarcity of the piece of wood I am cutting.

If it’s the last piece, or the most expensive, no matter how many times I measure it, it will be cut short.

I was reminded of all this during a recent project involving the installati­on of some beautiful custom-made cabinets. I’m pretty sure I confidentl­y, perhaps even braggadoci­ously, said that it would take half a day. In fact, it took three full days, in part, of course, because the tools I needed, when I needed them, were at my house and not the job site.

Thankfully, as my co-worker, Lisa, likes to say, “Caulk is cheap,” and it can fix/hide almost anything. It did.

In a somewhat related topic, the best thing about this week, or at least I’m hoping so, is that all of the political ads that I have enjoyed watching so much on YouTube will stop being interrupte­d by all of the how-to videos they have on that site.

It got to the point of being almost offensive, what with all that factual and helpful informatio­n being interrupte­d by nonsense every few minutes or so.

It’s amazing what people will watch. And believe.

Just an observatio­n, but man do we all of the sudden have a lot of pizza places, though I’m still looking for one that appreciate­s the idea that there is no such thing as too much garlic, and craft beer joints. I like both just fine, and hope the market can support them all.

 ??  ?? Barry Courter
Barry Courter

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