An idea, a job, a project

Have you ever noticed how quickly a simple idea can grow into a job, and then into a major project? When we moved into this house years ago, the storeroom was already there...including the shelves seen in the first picture. Across from those shelves was the bare concrete floor which soon turned into a repository for empty 5 gallon buckets, containers of water, canning equipment, empty jars and other items. After living here for a while, we went away for 18 months to West Virginia. While we were gone, we had house sitters living here, so we stored all the things from our kitchen pantry down here as well, so they would have room for their things. We had a PhD (Pile it Higher and Deeper) in home storage! Some things I never found again...until today. (NOTE: These are NOT before pictures. Those would be too scary.)



At the end of the room were these small shelves which were also crammed with a variety of canning equipment, empty jars, an unusable wheat grinder (due to its location) and sundry things which were mostly not accessible as folding chairs were stacked in front of them.



I looked at the table in my mother's storeroom and had an idea! If I could just get a small table at the local thrift store I could move the small shelves opposite the big shelves and put a table in that space. Then I could actually put my wheat grinder where I could use it! After thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I mentioned it to the woodworker. He got excited about it and I felt my simple idea slipping away and turning into a job, and maybe even into a project. As he talked I had visions of the contents of the storeroom strewn throughout the basement for weeks...which is NOT a happy thought when expecting company for New Years, although I'm sure the grandchildren would be happy to find new play things. I not am not complaining though, because what I got is in the picture below. Woodworker just extended the existing shelves, leaving one out where I could put the wheat grinder in a usable location! As an added bonus, there are now more shelves to store things on. Best of all, it was all done in one day so the basement is now back in order.



For now, I have to use an extension cord to get power to the grinder, but an electric outlet is forthcoming in the near future I am told. We also hope to get some hanger things so we can hang extra folding chairs up on the wall out of the way. For now, I am pleased to say that NOTHING is piled on the floor!