MIKE WEST, Executive Editor
Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010 7:11 am

When Hammerhaid’s right ... he’s right.

Huh?

It all began over a discussion about the H-man’s favorite chair. It had been relegated, uh, hidden for a long, long time until he got his chance to move it into the family room.

Oh, he was the first to admit that it was ugly and showed its age. (Hmmmm, sorta like Hammerhaid.) But his aching back cried for that recliner/rocker.

That’s not to say the family didn’t have a big recliner already in the family room. Did I say big? Huge more fits its description. Oh, the big blue chair (Sounds like a kiddie TV show, huh?) was comfortable to a point, but it just didn’t hit your back in the right place.

“Big Blue,” as Hammerhaid calls it, is restful to a point. And it was certainly the most comfortable chair in the room, which, to be honest, wasn’t saying much. The H-man grades his furniture based on comfort, not look, and unfortunately, he had absolutely no say in what was taking up the floor space in the family room.

Oh, there’s reasons why he doesn’t have a say. Mainly, it’s because he has no taste when it comes to decor. Comfort is his only standard and it certainly doesn’t matter if the furniture matches in style or even color.

For example, you’ve got to consider the recliner in question. It’s sorta pinkish red. The color and condition was enough to make his mother-in-law scream in horror when it was wheeled into the room.

“You’re not bringing THAT in here,” she roared much to the delight of Hammerhaid.

In fact, he placed the ugly seat in the prominent spot of the family room so she could revell in its pure , ugh, ugliness.

But now, thanks to a little magic, it is blue and nearly a perfect match for the rest of the furniture.

In fact, it fits the room better in both color and size when compared to “Big Blue.”

It did Hammerhaid’s heart some good to see it there, calling to him “Sit in me, rock me...take a long, peaceful nap,” it seemed to whisper.

Unfortunately (to Hammerhaid’s way of thinking) the little blue recliner instantly became the most popular chair in the house.

Betty Lou was the first to check it out.

A shocked look crossed her face when she sat down. It was replaced, in an instant, with a moan of bliss.

“This chair is perfect,” she said with a smile wreathing her face.

It didn’t take long for everyone else in the family to reach the same conclusion. Each of them responded just like Betty Lou with the look of shock quickly replaced with one of contentment.

Not only is it comfortable when you are reclining, it is an absolute delight when you are just setting there. It rocks with the slightest motion of your foot. Perfection!

Trouble is now it’s a battle over the chair.

Even all the cats are flocking to it, despite H-haid’s best attempts to keep them off. It’s already replaced Betty Lou’s beautiful bed for their favorite spot in the house. Yep, the ones with white fur get on the beautiful dark blue bedspread and H-man’s black cat delights in the pure white pillows.

Cats are bad enough, but at least Hammerhaid can scare them off long enough to take his rightful seat. The real problem is Betty Lou who manages to beat him to HIS chair every evening.

Tuesday night, he managed to beat her to the chair and the next thing he knew it was Wednesday morning. Dang! He barely had time to make coffee before it was time to head out to the salt mines.

As for Betty Lou ... she barely slept that night.

“My bed was so uncomfortable that I kept waking up, but you ... YOU .... were just sawing logs in your precious chair. The snoring was bad enough, but what really bugged me was that smile on your face,” she snapped.

But on Wednesday night, she got her revenge roosting in the chair til late at night when Hammerhaid finally got home.

It was still warm when he sat down for a spell ... or maybe that was from the cat who had curled up in the chair. He was unable to “shoo” her from the seat. He had to pick her up and dump her in the floor to claim a few minutes in his precious seat.

Can you believe that cat growled at him when it was ejected from the chair?

T-t-t-t-that’s r-r-r-r-r-r-right.