TGIF!
This has been the longest week in history! Most likely it seemed to crawl at a snail’s pace because I’m really looking forward to the weekend – we’re staying home and doing something for US!
Last night we got started prepping for our paint job this weekend. We removed mouldings from around everything but the sliding patio door. We took the blades off the ceiling fan and cleaned them. We also took a concrete broom and “swept” the ceiling really good. Can’t believe the stuff that fell – stuff that wasn’t really visible to the naked eye. The ceiling hasn’t been done since I moved into the house 15 years ago this August. And I used to smoke, we’ve got a fireplace, and I’ve used kerosene heaters in the past. Needless to say, there’s a greasy grayish film on the ceiling. It’s a textured ceiling so it can’t really be washed – I’ve tried it. It tears up any sponge or rag you use with all it’s peaks. So, we decided we were going to paint over the grime, let it dry, then put a second coat of ceiling paint on it. That should keep the grime from sliding around on the finished product. That’s the plan, anyway. We’ve got the largest napped rollers made, so they should handle the peaks in the ceiling well. I think it’s going to be tricky because the ceiling starts off at about 8 feet where the garage entry is, and by the time you get to the other side of the entryway, it’s 12 feet or more. Lots of time on a ladder, I think.
Mary will come over tomorrow to help out, and it’ll be nice to have that third set of hands. But we’ve told her that Sunday we want some “us” time, because I just can’t handle Mary for an entire weekend after all that we’ve been through lately. It’s likely that we’ll continue work on Sunday, but without Mary. I just need some quiet time.
It’s 58 degrees out right now. We’re supposed to get 50 mph winds until 2:00 this afternoon, but they’re predicting temperatures right around 60. This morning I did a small “walkabout” and noted with excitement that our tulips are starting to come in, and the crocuses are peeking through as well. The daffodils have been trying to come up since January. We even had two roses bloom on the rose tree in the house. And, this morning on the way into work, the sky was lousy with gaggles of geese flying in formation. I think spring has sprung!
It’s supposed to be sunny and 55 tomorrow (without the heavy winds), so I’m throwing the windows and doors open and airing out the house. It’s amazing how the seasons tend to mirror my life – I’m reminded of a poem from long ago that went like this:
In the Fall the leaves came
To burst and burn and sear with light
Falling into the winter of darkness
The Winter of despair
Fall always sort of bums me out – all the beauty that we’ve created during the summer dies back and becomes this dismal brown. No leaves on the trees, no flowers, no sun high in the sky warming the back of my neck as I work in the gardens. Then there’s the gloom of winter. Around here, it’s even gloomier than most places, with the sun present less than 20% of the time during the winter. We often go long stretches of time without seeing the sun, and you can sure tell that it affects the mood of the world around you.
Spring always brings new hope, new growth, a freshness that makes me feel like I can start over, no matter how bad the winter might have been. I love the squishy sound the grass makes underfoot as we walk across it after a heavy spring rain. I love the fresh-scrubbed smell of the outdoors. I love the early spring flowers that often can be seen peeking out from under the last of the snow. I am SO ready for spring!
Last night we got started prepping for our paint job this weekend. We removed mouldings from around everything but the sliding patio door. We took the blades off the ceiling fan and cleaned them. We also took a concrete broom and “swept” the ceiling really good. Can’t believe the stuff that fell – stuff that wasn’t really visible to the naked eye. The ceiling hasn’t been done since I moved into the house 15 years ago this August. And I used to smoke, we’ve got a fireplace, and I’ve used kerosene heaters in the past. Needless to say, there’s a greasy grayish film on the ceiling. It’s a textured ceiling so it can’t really be washed – I’ve tried it. It tears up any sponge or rag you use with all it’s peaks. So, we decided we were going to paint over the grime, let it dry, then put a second coat of ceiling paint on it. That should keep the grime from sliding around on the finished product. That’s the plan, anyway. We’ve got the largest napped rollers made, so they should handle the peaks in the ceiling well. I think it’s going to be tricky because the ceiling starts off at about 8 feet where the garage entry is, and by the time you get to the other side of the entryway, it’s 12 feet or more. Lots of time on a ladder, I think.
Mary will come over tomorrow to help out, and it’ll be nice to have that third set of hands. But we’ve told her that Sunday we want some “us” time, because I just can’t handle Mary for an entire weekend after all that we’ve been through lately. It’s likely that we’ll continue work on Sunday, but without Mary. I just need some quiet time.
It’s 58 degrees out right now. We’re supposed to get 50 mph winds until 2:00 this afternoon, but they’re predicting temperatures right around 60. This morning I did a small “walkabout” and noted with excitement that our tulips are starting to come in, and the crocuses are peeking through as well. The daffodils have been trying to come up since January. We even had two roses bloom on the rose tree in the house. And, this morning on the way into work, the sky was lousy with gaggles of geese flying in formation. I think spring has sprung!
It’s supposed to be sunny and 55 tomorrow (without the heavy winds), so I’m throwing the windows and doors open and airing out the house. It’s amazing how the seasons tend to mirror my life – I’m reminded of a poem from long ago that went like this:In the Fall the leaves came
To burst and burn and sear with light
Falling into the winter of darkness
The Winter of despair
Fall always sort of bums me out – all the beauty that we’ve created during the summer dies back and becomes this dismal brown. No leaves on the trees, no flowers, no sun high in the sky warming the back of my neck as I work in the gardens. Then there’s the gloom of winter. Around here, it’s even gloomier than most places, with the sun present less than 20% of the time during the winter. We often go long stretches of time without seeing the sun, and you can sure tell that it affects the mood of the world around you.
Spring always brings new hope, new growth, a freshness that makes me feel like I can start over, no matter how bad the winter might have been. I love the squishy sound the grass makes underfoot as we walk across it after a heavy spring rain. I love the fresh-scrubbed smell of the outdoors. I love the early spring flowers that often can be seen peeking out from under the last of the snow. I am SO ready for spring!
posted by Pat @ 9:03 AM
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