Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Nothing is simple, even when you hire a professional. Take the case of the new awnings we recently ordered for the front of our house. I’d chosen a color, which I thought would go well with the brick, the landscaping, and the blacktopped driveway. Then I shopped around for an awning maker because even though I’m pretty good on a sewing machine, this job was beyond me.

Awning Man and I held our first meeting on the driveway where I showed him my ideas. He showed me what he would do instead. No problem here; I’m open to suggestion, especially from someone who makes a living providing a special service. Ultimately, we went with his choice.

A few days later Awning Man’s crew removed the four old awnings so that the frames could be recovered. When the frames returned dressed in their new finery, the fabric of one awning was torn. Off it went, back to the factory. For a week our house looked somewhat lopsided, but the final awning arrived yesterday. That, as they say, is the good news.

The bad news? When the two workers were installing it, one of them accidentally missed the mark with his drill. Instead of bolting the awning to the brick wall, the drill itself bolted through the window. Glass does not hold up well under these conditions.

So the workers removed my window and took it away for repair. Naturally, the glass shop didn’t have the type of glass that was needed, so Glass Man put in a substitute until he could order the right type. The workers returned and reinstalled the window, saying they’d come back when the correct glass was available, remove the window again, have it redone, and return it.

Now lest you think I’m unhappy, I’m not. I’m simply struck with how much detail is involved in almost any project.