Busy and hectic, life is also becoming somewhat routine. Jimmy and I spend our days searching for a space for our business, looking at materials for our apartment and doing the common every day things people do in the places they live. We are not yet in our own permanent home but we are settling in to life in Buenos Aires nonetheless. We vote, though in the American election. We shop, though for somewhat different foods. We cook, without some of the things we had grown accustomed to. We take days off, though there are always more things to do. We work, though we don’t yet get paid.
There are some things that are the same no matter where you live. Buying granite for your kitchen and bathroom counter tops is one of those things. Buying granite is also, bar none, my favorite part of remodeling a house. Let me explain. First, you get to go to the granite yard. I never buy from stores. They only have a few of the most common types and they display them in small tiles so that you can’t really see the pattern and movement and color of the stone. That’s not for us. We went to the granite yard, a big warehouse on the outskirts of town where they have tons of granite, row after row, lined up on big display racks. Each aisle holds surprises and every corner turned is another amazing piece of natural beauty, cut and polished for my visual pleasure. Granite isn’t just beautiful either, it is a joy to touch. Somehow, someone thought to pull this beautiful stone from the Earth where for thousands of years it has compressed into something hard and durable, and slice into slabs of color and then polish it. It is shiny and smooth and cool and I love touching it. I love the granite yard because I know how much I am going to love the granite. When each of my houses was complete I always loved all the work we did, but cooking in my kitchen on my granite was a daily reminder of the work it took to make the house a reality. The craftsmanship of forming and installing the piece is amazing to me as well.
Jimmy and I took our time and went up and down the aisles surveying our choices. We chose our 2 favorite pieces, one for the kitchen (White Splendour - the word splendor is becoming a common theme for me here) and one for the bathroom, and put them on hold for the craftsmen who will work and install them to come and pick up. Suddenly, for the first time really, I am beginning to be able to see myself living in the apartment and I can imagine working in my kitchen, cooking meals, Jimmy sitting across the counter as I prepare our dinner and working on his computer or watching television with me, talking, sharing time together. I look forward to those days. There is still much work to be done, but it is beginning to feel like a thing with an end now. The granite, solid and comforting, cool and beautiful, is on it’s way home.
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