The Never-Ending Story

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(Sigh). So then, where did I leave off in the on-going saga (Comedy? Tragedy? High Drama? All of the above?) of my kitchen remodel?
I believe it was back on November 15 (https://www.ailantha.com/blog/out-out-dang-spot-or-send-in-the-poultices) that I related that, all the treatments and ministrations by the stone doctors to remedy the ugly seams in my new countertop having come to naught,

...the determination was reached by said stone doctors that my countertop would have to be taken out and would be replaced by a new seamless one. After this new countertop was installed my backsplash could then be installed and the project finished. That was on November 15.
A few days later I received a call from the stone company. They could remove the old new countertop and install the new new countertop on Wednesday, November 24, which was the day before Thanksgiving. They admitted that the only problem for me might be that the kitchen plumbing - sink and dishwasher - would have to be undone for the installation of the countertop and, as this was the day before a long-weekend holiday, there would be no plumber available to reattach the plumbing until the following week. This would mean I'd have no functioning kitchen sink or dishwasher over Thanksgiving, However if I opted not to take this opening for the installation of my countertop the next available opening would be Judgment Day. I thought about it for two seconds then said, "Fine," I knew I couldn't fix a turkey dinner in a kitchen without a sink, but maybe Thanksgiving pizza would be a fresh change.
As it turned out, Tom, Theresa, and I were invited over by Tommy and Emily for a vegetarian Thanksgiving, which was quite delicious.

I provided the pies, which came out of the oven shockingly ugly,

...but tasted fine all the same, and a fine time was had by all,

....including my grand-pup Ronan,

...for whom I brought a Snif-Snax doggie treat Advent calendar.

But I digress.
As the days went by the stain around the seam began mysteriously swelling, until it looked positively pythonesque.

On Wednesday, November 24, a plumber arrived at 8:15 am to detach the pipes then be on his way to his next job. The countertop guys were scheduled to arrive at 9 am.
At 8:45 am my cell phone rang. Oh no, I thought as I recognized the number as that of the stone company.
To my not-surprise, the countertop could not be installed that day. The stone had not yet sufficiently dried out. The stone company rep seemed to wish to bend my ear with apologies but I had no time to oblige him; I had to grab the plumber who had finished taking apart my kitchen sink and was packed up and on his way out the door.
"Can you, uh, put my sink back together?" I sheepishly asked the plumber.
Fortunately the over-booked but kindly plumber agreed to put back together what he had just spent half an hour taking apart.
And so my replacement countertop that was supposed to arrive November 24 is now due to arrive on the afternoon of Friday, December 3. I expect the beleaguered plumber will return on Friday morning to take apart my sink again and probably return sometime next week to put it back together. And then sometime after that the backsplash will be installed and I'll have a whole kitchen. Maybe. In the meantime the stain around the seam continues to grow. Now it looks more like a blob.

Or maybe a really fat python.

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