Weird... those seem to be parts of our coffee mugs and glasses. And... isn't that the door to one of the cabinets that hangs on the wall opposite this door from which it's protruding? Why yes, yes it is. So if those things are spilling out into the hallway, that means....
and then probably....
So yes. I've let these pictures speak their thousand words to you (which may or may not be suitable for children). The cabinets fell off our kitchen wall on Friday. Unfortunately these were holding all of our dishes and glassware.
There are a few ways to look at this. First and foremost, what did we not lose? The obvious -- nobody was crushed to death by a falling cupboard. I realize it might seem that I'm overstating this a bit for effect but honestly, I'm not. We left our apartment a bit before 8:00 on Friday morning, with everything as it had always been. According to my neighbors, there was a horrible and thunderous crash some time around 8:20. If we hadn't been out of cereal, and I hadn't convinced Paul that the only logical response to this was to go to Starbucks and get a muffin, my husband might have been cleaning up the kitchen when these fell. This thought is terrifying. It's also terrifying that if the cabinets had managed to hang on for a few more years and there were children living in this apartment, the unspeakable might have happened. None of this even mentions how many pieces of shattered glass lay on the floor, just waiting for us to try and step over them, trip, and open some vein. We're very blessed not to have been here and to be unharmed.
The second way to look at this: What did we lose? All those beautiful, almost brand-new dishes and glasses. I know they're just things, but they were all wedding gifts. I think of my aunt and cousins and all the glasses they gave us. I think of my other aunt who gave me that pretty serving bowl with the cover (oh the cruelty, the cover survived but not the dish). Wedding and shower gifts are the things our family and friends gave to us so that we might start out our lives together with everything we need, aside from Love, which they have always given us in volumes. I do think of the people who gave us these things when I use them. Having let them break and perish here in this foreign land, I do feel like I've let my loved ones down a bit and not taken care of the things they gave us. But... they're just things. On a more practical note, the cabinet fell on the stove top, breaking that as well. Lucky for me I like baking dinners...
The third way to look at this: How could this have happened?!? Well, I have a few answers.
The first is something we may laugh at some day, but not yet.... We installed our own cupboards. That's right. We bought them at Ikea and had them delivered in there assembly-ready pieces. I put them together while Paul was at work and then he and our brother-in-law put them up on the walls. We even decided to attach the cupboards to each other to make them more "stable!" Ha. We probably won't be doing that again! So I think the rule about how a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client also applies to home improvement. Our clients were idiots.
Second... and I apologize that this might be kind of a rant... but why on EARTH would France have the common practice be that the renters, and not the landlords, equip the kitchen?!? Why??? Then what happens is you end up with people, much like us, who have NO idea what they are doing and are making very large holes in your property. We didn't know which wall was made of what. (Apparently one wall is plaster, whereas another is brick, and the wall in question was a combination of the two. Obviously we didn't go far enough into the brick). I personally feel that the entity who has a little more ownership and knowledge of the place should be responsible for these things. (Disclaimer: I love our landlord. She is amazing, and very nice. I do not blame any individuals in this situation other than my husband and me. I just wish things had been different. Please see previous post about moving into a French apartment and unequipped kitchen).
Third, and this is obviously less the culprit than the first cause, is my American-ness and lack of familiarity with France and all things French. I have heard from a few people here (after the fact, of course) that one should never put too much in the hung cabinets, and they've heard of this happening. The heavy stuff should go in the cabinets that stand on the floor. Again... what?!?!? I'm sorry, my assumption was that if there is a cabinet, it is meant to store things. I have never heard this in the U.S. My mother's hanging cabinets are chocked full of dishes, glasses, and various other things. We have never needed to be aware of how much weight is in them. They were constructed and mounted properly. That has taken the variables out of the equation. And, as several of my American friends have mentioned, if this had happened in the US, someone would be paying all of our expenses so as to avoid a law suit. (Unless, again, we were the idiots who had installed them...) Had I heard this rule that the upper cabinets should be spared the heavy weight, and had I been born and raised here, we might never have had such a dish-aster. Ah well.
In the end, quite a few of our dishes survived. I would really like to fully endorse Fiesta and all their products. They might have been the heavy dishes that brought the thing down in the first place, but a lot of them survive the fall! We have about 9 plates, 7 bowls, and various other things. Also, one of the cupboards is completely in tact. (I'm sure it's because I followed the Ikea picture directions to a T!)
That's really not such a bad lot to be left. We have plenty of plates and bowls. Several mugs (some without their handles, but whatever) and a very good story to tell. One day.
Before wrapping up this post, I would like to give a couple of shout-outs. Thank you to AS for answering the phone when I called and giving good advice like, "Don't try to climb into the kitchen for the broom while you're alone, you could get really hurt if you fall on broken glass." Thanks also for all of your help cleaning up the mess.
Thanks to Aunt B for the moral support, the dinner and scotch later Friday night, and the replacement glasses and temporary use of the mini stove, the pots, and of course, the means to make coffee in the morning!
Our neighbor here in the building, with whom I am not acquainted online, was also incredibly kind and gave us cleaning supplies and even more replacement glasses. She had some gloves that were thick enough to protect from glass shards, which were a huge help.
And... thanks to Aunt Karen for coining the phrase, "Dish-aster!"
So to my family here in France, thank you for all the support! To my family in the US, thanks for all the moral support, and don't worry... I promise we're okay. There's no sense crying over some broken glass.
