UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Whoever said beware of what you wish for, was definitely considering the "unintentional consequences".

For me, it all started nearly two months ago, when I decided to replace my ratty old dining room table and chairs. It had been a cheap set to begin with and needed desperately to be chucked. Knowing that if I didn't act decisively and go look for one that very day, it would probably take me another five years before I actually did. So I marched into Raymour & Flanigan and picked one out.

Unfortunately, now that I was going to have a new dining room set, the chandelier above it had to be replaced, as well. I live near a Lowe's and a Home Depot, but I hit the Lowe's first. Keep in mind, my husband is with me and he hates to shop. However, for some reason he's being very cooperative. Perhaps, it's because I'm paying for that all this. But I'm getting off point, so back to the story.

The only thing that I wanted was a fan with a lamp. As I looked at them, all I kept seeing was Rick's Café in Casablanca. Being the romantic and writing romance, I really wanted and had my heart set on getting one. The only problem was, my husband hated them. He liked a bright room and felt none of those fan lamps would provide enough light in my dining room. I couldn't understand why, because my dining room is so small. To make a long story short and despite my husband’s protests, I picked out one at Lowe's after having checked out all their other lamps, as well as all the lamps at the Home Depot.

My husband wasn't happy, but he let me have my way. So the lamp sat in its box and waited and waited for him to put it up. The table eventually came, but the lamp was still in its box. I would look at the picture of the lamp and sigh.

I helped him put up a shed, (and nearly lost my thumb, which is another story), so he put up the lamp for me the weekend following the last screw being turned on the shed.

I hate to admit it, but he was right about the light. We tried to get a brighter bulb, but it didn't fit. I went back to the store and spoke to someone about the problem. I had suggested to my husband beforehand that I pick up a torch lamp for the corner of the room. He didn't think it would help and told me not to bother. However, after talking to the guy in the electrical department at Lowe's, the only solution to our problem was another lamp. A higher watt bulb would burn the plastic in the fan lamp and probably cause a fire. So I got a torch lamp for the corner.

Okay, the second lamp did help, but not to my husband’s satisfaction. I had to remind him that he wasn't going to read, only eat, in the dining room. Begrudgingly, he agreed and that's where we left the situation.

There are moments when I am so sorry I threw out my dining room set.