Bill's Office, Before & After

There is nothing I like better than a good "before and after" picture. How someone has worked magic from a hopeless situation is enough to give anyone thrills. I had to join the crowd to share my magical workings. Above is a definitely hopeless situation, Bill's office. I know it looks really bad and this is after we (he) straightened it up. Five years ago Bill was laid off from his job because the company closed the Tennessee office; it was not a pleasant time for us. He eventually was rehired (because they could not run the company without him, in my lowly opinion) and now works from home. At that time the only place to put an office was in the basement. It was cold and dark in the winter and hot and dark in the summer. We labeled it "The Dungeon," obviously not an OSHA approved job site. At the lower right corner of his desk sits a bottle of bug spray. Spiders like to congregate in the back corner under the desk so he keeps the poison bottle handy. The fan on the floor is replaced by a heater in the winter.

Pretty depressing. I know. There are unseen perks. He is right by the garage door so when I arrive home with a car full of groceries, he is able to help unload the car without having to walk too far. The woodburning stove is also downstairs so he gets to haul in the wood and keep the fire stoked all winter long. If the stove starts to smoke up the room, Bill is right there to check on it.

Another perk is that he can work without his shoes, leave them right in the middle of the floor and never be reprimanded by his boss. Bill has taken the lead and designated the whole week as casual Friday.

Underneath the desk on the right side is a lumpy pillow used by Scooter for napping. He is always on guard protecting and acting as Bill's personal security force. Bill says he is really more like a fire alarm, he makes quite a bit of noise but does not actually do anything.

Good things come to those that wait and one of our sons moved out. Bill immediately received a promotion so he moved upstairs to the empty bedroom. He is now the man upstairs with a corner window office. In addition, there are additional perks like air conditioning, heating, and decent lights. However, the commute time is unchanged, there are 13 steps going down to the basement and also 13 steps going upstairs.

NOW FOR THE BIG REVEAL

So what were the steps to achieve such a shocking transformation?

1.  Bill looked online and chose the desk he wanted from Office Depot.

2.  He gave Joshua the money and sent him to buy it and haul it home.

3.  All three boys took turns assembling it...some assembly required was a LIE.

4.  Bill called the internet service and had them come out to change the lines.

5.  Bill began moving everything up 26 steps then organizing everything the way he wanted it.

6.  After everything was in order, I went upstairs, adjusted the light shining through the curtain and took the pictures.

Yes, before and after magic is something I can get used to doing.

Wait, what about Scooter? Don't worry. He was able to track Bill to his new location and continue his security detail. He received a promotion and a new office also. He now works from the foot of a soft BED!