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Installation of the new wall sconces started simply enough that afternoon.

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With Lord Dudley Mountcatten on hand for the box unpacking assist.

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He follows my husband everywhere, like a devoted dog.

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Me? I’m just tolerated for my can opening and litter box cleaning ability. 🥴

When all the pieces and parts of the lights were laid out and the instructions ignored, because… you know, men… it was time to begin.

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Upon initial examination, the existing electrical boxes (circa 1974 when the house was built) didn’t look good.

They were metal, barely stable, filled with old paper and sawdust and had nowhere to attach the new mounting hardware.

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So they had to go.

New boxes were purchased…

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But of course they didn’t fit.

*side note- this wall is actually two sections of old paneling I painted when we first moved in. Neither of us was skilled enough in wallboard mudding and application to rip it out around the fireplace… so there it’s stayed for 20 odd years. This was never an issue, until now*

For the next few hours my husband cursed, sputtered and cut. Or tried to. He only needed to make the holes a wee bit bigger but doing so without splitting and splintering the ancient paneling was more of a challenge than he thought.

By dinner time he’d finagled the boxes into larger holes, mounted the new hardware, grounded and wired one new sconce and attached it to the wall.

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As you can see this did not go as planned.

To be continued…

Hopefully.

🥴

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