That Bright Blue PVC

Strong, well-made furnishings are difficult to find in Thailand, unless they are old and extremely expensive. Before the 1980's, around half of the country's forests were logged and not replanted. At that time, the government bolstered efforts to preserve the remaining foliage. The lovely teak tables and doors we have seen in market places were made before that time. Deforestation continues, corrupt surveyors chipping away at National Forests. Most homes today are filled with plastic and metal; many Bangkok dwellers feel that those materials present a more modern finish. The ubiquitous material for home projects seems to be bright blue PVC pipes.

Modern conveniences, such as safety devices for small children and kitchen appliances, are difficult to find and inconceivably pricey. For my birthday, Philip salvaged bits of old wood from "outback" - the covered, cement slab behind our house - to make a baby gate between the living area and the library. Now, a hinged gate with a slide latch protect our school supplies, books, and games from a dribbling, gnawing baby. I remain thankful and relieved. The cupboardless kitchen and stairs to the third floor still presented plenty of hazards. At first, I removed all the fragile and dangerous items from the bottom two shelves. But it didn't take long for her to figure out how to use the bottom shelf to boost herself up to reach the third shelf. I was quickly running out of safe places to put everything.

Philip and PVC pipe to the rescue! Philip designed and built a sliding gate to keep Calla out of the kitchen when necessary. It is a bit more difficult to maneuver than the library gate but making supper has became a bit more manageable. We thought we'd have more time to secure the other danger zone, Calla has already managed to make it up the first step multiple times, always with someone near by to catch her. When my parents arrive in a little over a week, the traffic going up and down the stairs will increase and motivate her to climbing higher and quicker. Yesterday afternoon, Philip began working on a gate for the stairs.

The stairs arise from our dining room area, and at supper time yesterday, Philip was in the middle of his project. PVC pipes were set down in disarray on the stair landing, and everyone gathered at the table. Philip finished his food quite a bit before everyone else, as usual, so he went back to working as he could still be in the vicinity and participate in conversation and sodality. At some point, he realized that the fittings he had joined together might make a passable musical instrument. His efforts produced a sound not unlike a shofar (ram's horn trumpet). After that, the kids quickly finished their meal to join the PVC pipe ensemble. It was fun to watch them experiment and work together. Meriel patiently explained and demonstrated to Hollis, then Simeon, how to purse lips and blow. Our neighbors were serenaded by the lovely and loud tunes (or lack thereof).

So there you have it. PVC is great for piping water, protecting electrical wires, making baby gates, and musical instruments. I bet in the years to come, we'll discover more uses for this versatile material.

Our Quirky Home

Every house has its quirks, oddities that become normal to the people living in it but can seem very strange to visitors. Our current home was vacant for ten years and before that it was a car repair business. Members of the church put in hours to make it tenable, and the grime coating windows ledges and out of the way surfaces belies the number of times it has been thoroughly scrubbed. Curtain windows, a cushioned wicker couch, a bamboo floor mat, and the daily clutter of living have turned it into a home. Yet, not all is comfy and homey.

I often wonder what strangers would think of some of the things my children say. The other evening as I reached to switch on the bathroom light Simeon nonchalantly said, "Mommy, I hope it doesn't shock you." Yes, the light switch to the bathroom and shower room off the kitchen does occasionally shock the user. No, we haven't figured out why. We think it might happen when the children play wildly in the shower and the wires get wet, but it's not consistent. No one has been injured, it's merely a mildly shocking surprise when it happens. We usually just leave the light on for awhile, and then it can be turned off without incident.

Other electrical irregularities are our lights. Most of the light fixtures in our house were not in good working order. It seems that one by one, they will all eventually fail. It starts out with them taking longer and longer, even up to 90 seconds, to flicker on once the switch as been pushed. Then, one day, the light will not turn on at all. Switching the fluorescent rods produces no results or, worse, immediately burns them out with a flash of smoke. Last Saturday, men from the church replaced five light fixtures. The kids were so excited to have a light in their bedroom again that they wanted to play in there as soon as it got dark! We had never had a working light in our kitchen; now we don't have an excuse if dishes washed in the evening aren't completely clean.

In Thailand, when it rains, it pours - literally. It's quite rare to have a gentle rain. Tin roofs are also common. This combination leads to quite a racket during storms. Add crooked windows that don't shut properly and a missing pane, and you get rainy day puddle in our kitchen. Not that we bother much about keep our kitchen floor dry. Since the kids' shower room is directly off the kitchen, and they like to play in the shower then exit without toweling off, slipping on the wet concrete is a common hazard. But the rain bouncing off the roof into the window is less clean. Before rainy season began, I stored a rolling shelf with my flour, spices, potatoes, and garlic under the sill. After the monsoons started, we tried a variety of ways to keep the rain out of the house and on the roof. Finally, I gave up and rearranged my kitchen. I have switched the location of the propane tank with my food items. Now when it rains, we just have to bring in the laundry and transfer the toothbrushes and my glass oven to the counter. So far, this hasn't happened on a tortilla or pizza night, both requiring every available inch on my small desktop counter.

Our house was originally two separate townhouses. On the first two floors the sides have been joined. The third floors retain unbroken wall between. Philip study is on the third floor of the west side and the laundry balcony is on the top floor of the east side. I don't spend much time in Philip's study, but there have been times when I've had to scamper down the west stairs, cross the house, then hurriedly ascend the east stairs just to travel a few feet to bring in the laundry before it gets wet.

If you visited my house, I'm sure you'd notice a few other strange inconveniences. Wire traversing the walls and blue pvc piping decorating the kitchen and bathrooms are features of most Thai homes. Lack of cupboards and built-in storage is normal, as well. For the most part, we've managed to truly make a home out of pitted and scratched concrete floors and concrete coated brick walls. Visitors always make our home seem more cozy, so come see us in our quirky home!