Good Morning.
It's no secret to those who know me well that I watch HGTV, but I like the shows where people take a real dump and make it nice and pretty. I actually preferred some of the older shows where someone had to redo a living room for $500. It was a figure with which many could identify, but the more modest formats seem to have disappeared.
The shows that drive me batty are the ones where couples argue to the point of making utter fools of themselves because
they're looking at a house where the kitchen has been completely renovated but the wife doesn't like the color of the cabinets and would have to rip everything out immediately. She also has no problem declaring on national television that she is claiming nine-tenths of the walk-in closet for her clothes, and the husband tells her, in turn, that he is taking over the entire basement and she can find a corner of the spare bedroom for her office or crafts.
The truth is that Americans are spoiled and can get real pouty when the faucets aren't to their liking or the chandelier isn't
impressive enough, and nowhere do you see that mindset to more national embarrassment than on a show called House Hunters International where John and Mary Doe discover that European housing is very different from the place they recently occupied in the United States. The Does have arrived in Paris or Amsterdam for a fabulous job opportunity and have engaged the services of a realtor who speaks English to help them locate a flat. That's when reality sets in. The flat has a kitchen the size of a shoe box with a small fridge and stove and no dishwasher. Outdoor space is non-existent, the kids will have to go to a park to play, and the car will have to be parked on the street. Mary is beside herself that the bedroom isn't large enough for the king-size bed that is on its way over on a ship, John isn't happy that the sectional won't fit in the salon, and the realtor gamely tries to convince them that it's the experience of living in a bustling European city that's the main thing here. It's the open-air markets with fresh produce, the shop with homemade gelato, and the street musicians, even the sound of a different language. The Does wince and shuffle around and do a lot of handwringing but finally settle on the lesser of three evils. Oh my.
I think now of Maria, the nun in The Sound of Music, who used the drapes in her bedroom at the Von Trapp estate to make play outfits for the kiddos. It was called being resourceful and creative, even though she got in a bit of trouble for encouraging her charges to have fun. It apparently worked out okay. The rule-bound baron eventually melted like butter, married her, and they all trooped over the Alps to a new life in America. Oddly enough, there was no problem leaving the estate under the circumstances at the time.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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