80°F — yikes. It’s -12°C (11°F) here, and not getting any warmer for probably a week.

Marc the contractor arrived this morning with an estimator from a cabinetry company, who measured up and chatted politely about needs and wants until I asked, “Can you do all this in clear-coat maple?” There was an uncomfortable few seconds while the cabinets guy looked uncertain, and then he said, “We don’t do anything in wood.” Cue the drop of Charmion’s jaw.

Nothing? Nothing. It’s all variations on MDF, particleboard and melamine. “Why is wood so important?” asked the cabinets guy. “I like wood!” I said with a splutter, indicating my handsome old (wooden) furniture and the red oak flooring. “It’s beautiful! It’s the real thing!” And, to be blunt, this renovation will cost a helluva lot of money from which I intend to get a result that pleases me.

So that was a bit of a bust. Marc promised to shake the bushes for cabinetmakers who work with actual wood.