The Lamp

Peter is a man of many skills and talents: athletics, gardening, finance, cooking, window-washing, kayaking, to name just a few. But electrician is not on the list.

After we moved into our new home, actually before we even signed the papers for our new home, I despaired over the dining room chandelier. It was utilitarian and ugly. But buying a new one would be easy compared to having it installed. So I put it off and put it off. Until one day… I was out with my decorator friend when we happened to wander into a lighting store and she almost shouted at me: “THAT is the chandelier you should have!” I made the purchase.

i had a few sleepless nights trying to figure out how to get it from the box to the ceiling. My son James overheard me at some point and offered to install it. I had forgotten that his dad had studied electricity and had passed this knowledge on to his son. On the appointed day, James arrived on time, with the correct tools, and went to work. He did a professional job. The price was right too – a free lunch.

A couple of days ago a living room floor lamp, one matching 2 table lamps, stopped working. We replaced it with an old lamp that had been sent to the basement. But it didn’t match the others and was an unusual style. I certainly couldn’t invite anyone to visit with this abomination in the living room. So I invited myself to have lunch with James at his place, about an hour’s drive away. I snuck the broken lamp into my trunk.

James good-naturedly got out his tools again and studied the lamp. He found the offending um…part thing.. which we needed to replace. We ordered it on Amazon and he told me that, when the doohickey arrived, he would visit me and do the rewiring. This seemed like a lot of driving for just one lamp, so I took a bold step and asked: “Can you show me how to do it, and maybe I can fix it by myself? Isn’t it just about black and red wires matching up?”

James shook his head. “Oh Mom, it’s pretty hard to figure out. It’s not black and red; it’s gold and silver. I’d better do it.” I went home with the broken lamp, and a broken spirit. Ok sorry. Too dramatic.

When the new thingamajig (actually 4 of the same new thingamajigs in one package) arrived a couple of days later, I was determined to fix the lamp. Peter told me I’d better work on it outside in case something exploded. Really! No support from the men in my life at all! I deliberately set up my work station in the living room, but close to a window just in case.

Work station. The broken floor lamp is on the left.

In no time at all I had the gold and silver wires matched up and the lamp re-assembled. Ta Dah!

I still have 3 brand new thingamabobs left. So, if you break one, I can easily fix it for you.

Sue