It Is Square

 Several years ago, I helped my daughter Angela remodel her kitchen.  One of the alterations was to situate a refrigerator that is too large, to fit in the present opening of the cabinets.  Being an old cabinetmaker in years past, I agreed to help her.

She had a couple of options.  One was to remove the two-door cabinet above the frig, and take a couple inches off each side of bottom cabinets to keep uniformity. 

The other option was a bit simpler, but she would lose cabinet space.  This course of action involved removing a section of the cabinet over to the next door by eliminating a top door and bottom door and their shelves.

My son-in-law said that it was impossible to remove the top and bottom sections since it meant removing two doors and their shelves.  His logical thought and reasoning was you could not do it due to its construction.  My response was someone built it originally. 

Angela said, “Daddy can do it.”  I knew that I could, but I was concerned about making it look like the cabinets were made that way.

My youngest son Aaron gave me this wonderful little saw for Christmas, so I knew I had the perfect tool to help me. Since I know how cabinets are built, had the right tool, I started by using a cordless drill to remove the double door cabinet above the frig opening.  Square-headed screws held this section of the cabinet in place.  Screws are much better to construct and deconstruct projects.  I also removed the sides of the cabinets that I was about to cut.  The sides were nailed together with small staples that I removed with a screwdriver and pliers.

When Angela finally arrived, I was well into to what Handyman Magazine calls a DIY (do it yourself) project.  When disconnecting the cabinets over the frig, one side dropped a tad.  I placed a level on the shelf, got it level, and anchored it with some ‘dry wall” screws.  I keep several different sizes of dry wall screws for projects.  Angela said that it did not look level.  She inherited her leveling ability from my momma.

Having done carpenter work most of my life, I know to measure twice and cut once.  I said I know good and well it was level because I put the level on it.  She said it was leaning.  I put the level on it and showed her that it was level.  I know leveling.

The house that I grew up in was anything but level and square.  Daddy placed some large rocks on the property and commenced to build our house on top of them.  He did like old timers did when constructing a house or should I say shanty.

When I was a senior in high school, we did some remodeling on the old shanty.  We added two bedrooms and replaced the old leaking tin roof with some fancy modern black shingles, replaced the asbestos siding with brick, and the outside toilet with a inside jam up bonafided indoor bathroom.

We did not have much trouble with the two new bedrooms because they were built on a good foundation.  The rest of the shanty was another matter.

When we started putting new paneling over sheetrock, we thought we were uptown.  Years later we asked why did we put that ugly paneling over good sheetrock?  I claim temporary insanity.

In building, you must start level, plumb, and square.  Daddy and I took our time to make sure the first piece of coconut colored paneling was plumb.  Momma said it was leaning.  Dad put a four-foot level on it and it was plumb.  Momma won out, and dad and I struggled to hang paneling.  It was a genuine mess.  Momma had a good eye no doubt, but she was no level or plumb line.

Momma and Angela remind me of something that a pastor friend, Denny Couturie`, said in a sermon at Sunny South Baptist Church.  Denny said that people disregard what the Bible says in favor of what they believe.  Authority and speaking with authority come from Scripture, referencing Titus 2:11-15:  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee (KJV).

God knows best.  I had a deacon tell me one time that it did not matter what the Bible said, he was going to do what he thought was right.  To say the least, he had no authority.  Opinions may have some merit in certain arenas, but the Word of God is the plumb line by which all life is measured.

As Angela and I completed the modification, she questioned something being square on the bottom cabinets when I measured and scribed a line on the bottom shelf before making a cut.  I assured her that it was indeed square.  Being a “Doubting Thomas” because I did not use a square, I told her to get the square and check it.  It was square.  Of course, she wanted to know I knew it was square.  I said if you measure the same distance from something that is square, the line will be consistent and continue to be square.  I told her it was called geometry and parallel lines.  When Angela and I finished the cabinets, it was hard to tell the modification.