Speaking of light fixtures

It really isn't that difficult to install a light fixture. No special skills are needed.

If the thought of working with electricity is a chilling one, read up on it first. Most home repair books include it. While you're reading, read the directions that came with the fixture too. Familiarize yourself with the installation steps. Look up anything that confuses you.

Inspect your fixture and the hardware that came with it. Make sure you have everything the directions call for. It's a good idea to have a set of cap screws in varied sizes, which you can find at a decent hardware store. Check here also if you are missing mounting screws or other hardware.

If you have everything you need, shut off the power to your circuit. Never work with live wires. Double-check that the circuit is dead.

Removing a standard ceiling light is fairly straightforward. Remove the globe or shade and lightbulbs; unscrew the base from the outlet box. Painted in place? Give it a gentle tap or two with a hammer. Pull away from the outlet box, unfasten the cap screws and gently unwind the fixture's wires from the power wires.

Note the color of the wires on your new fixture, and in the outlet box. Like goes to like: black or red wires to same, white wires to same. Twist together; fasten with a cap screw. Tuck wires inside the outlet box if possible. Affix your fixture, using mounting hardware. Once it's securely and properly installed, restore the power ... and admire your handiwork.

Walking in my footsteps

I installed a couple of light fixtures this week. Which really isn't a big deal, in spite of my fear of electricity. (Let's just say I'm the poster child for outlet covers.) But it inspires awe in some.

It reminds me of the reaction I received when I first traveled to Europe alone. Wasn't I scared? How would I manage? (No, and quite well, thank you.) In both cases, I stepped out of a presumed comfort zone — defined by many things, but perhaps most of all by gender. Women aren't thought of as "handy." Traveling solo is seen as dangerous for females.

Perhaps more telling, women think these things.

I don't want my daughters to think that way.

My daughters see a woman who builds, repairs, installs. Their mom, not their dad, is in charge of talking to contractors and mechanics at home and waiters and ticket takers in foreign lands.

Don't get me wrong; their father is smart and capable and confident. They know this. But they know their mother is too. In turn, I hope they seem themselves that way as well.