This deck was dirty about 5 minutes after paintingI know many of you have been waiting in great anticipation for my next update about painting the deck. Well today is your lucky day except for one small detail - Doug took the camera and I don't want to go rummaging thru Matthew's things to find his camera - so there will be no photo of the finished product until next time. I know you may be disappointed but you will have something to look forward to - a photo of the freshly painted, gray deck.
After all my cleaning (I didn't rent the power washer afterall), the sun finally came out about 10 days later and I painted it. The next day I touched up some spots and painted the top of the railing. Why only the top? That was about all the paint (it's actually stain) that I had left.
Well this deck is kind of like the story of my life these days. When I try to make something pretty, pristine, nice - it gets messed up almost immediately. Almost immediately after I thoroughly cleaned the deck, I noticed a huge muddy blob in the middle. Well in the process of all that washing, which involves water, the dirt under the deck became one giant mudhole and Tia the dog couldn't help herself. I know, I know - this is supposed to make me a flexible person and this is life. Just once, I would like to plant a garden, paint a wall, vacuum my car and have it stay clean and nice for a day. Just a day.
Shortly after painting the deck, I found Tia's muddy paw prints circling the deck. Somehow she had eluded the barrier I erected. Oh well.
With dogs, boys, and one man(husband) around I realize my dreams of pristine are almost impossible. A friend who has obviously done more reading about children than I have said, "Boys always want to change their environment." (Dogs might fit in there too.) In other words, boys want to alter everything almost all the time. Case in point, Daniel found a chicken egg on our walk this morning. A nearby chicken or goose must have laid it in the graveyard. Well, what would you want to do with an egg if you were a boy? Smash it of course. So that he did right on someone's headstone. The vibrant yellow yolk dripping down the grains of granite.
Change, change, change. If there is a new car that is freshly vacuumed a boy will get it filthy in a matter of seconds after soccer practice. (By the way, Matt told me cars get dirty and I'd have to get over it. I told him I wasn't there yet, but almost. )If there's a sand castle on the beach, a boy will smash it almost immediately. If there are toys orderly organized in the garage cubbies, a boy will scatter them all over the yard. If there is a mud puddle, a boy will smear the mud all over the pavement. If there is bare, flat ground - a boy will dig a hole. You get the idea.
Speaking of holes, this is a classic. I took Matt and Daniel to the beach on Memorial Day after the chorus of 'there's nothing to do' resulted in the idea for a beach trip. After playing with his brother for a while and starved for human companionship other than the familiar, Daniel came up with the classic pick up line. Upon spying a grandpa and boy digging a hole, he went up to them and said, "Excuse me, but do you need some help digging that hole?" He proceeded to pick up one of their shovels and join right in. I can't help but think he will so bold as to approach bikini-clad women when he's older with a similar line. "Excuse me, but you look like you could use some help with that lotion."
I will wind down this entry today with my AWESOME news, not necessarily in any particular order. We are getting a new dog!! and I got a great job. I just come right out and say it: It's $55K and I work out of my home dealing with small water and wastewater systems. It just felt like it was meant to be and I feel completely grateful to the universe. There wasn't even a job interview - it was a conversation over lunch. My boss had wine.
I am determined to enjoy this job and do a great job. Wish me luck. I start July 1 but still get my 2 weeks at the beach in August!! I am also determined to keep my sanity and keep up with writing the blog. Thanks for reading.
Next time: Toto arrives and how it all came to pass.
After all my cleaning (I didn't rent the power washer afterall), the sun finally came out about 10 days later and I painted it. The next day I touched up some spots and painted the top of the railing. Why only the top? That was about all the paint (it's actually stain) that I had left.
Well this deck is kind of like the story of my life these days. When I try to make something pretty, pristine, nice - it gets messed up almost immediately. Almost immediately after I thoroughly cleaned the deck, I noticed a huge muddy blob in the middle. Well in the process of all that washing, which involves water, the dirt under the deck became one giant mudhole and Tia the dog couldn't help herself. I know, I know - this is supposed to make me a flexible person and this is life. Just once, I would like to plant a garden, paint a wall, vacuum my car and have it stay clean and nice for a day. Just a day.
Shortly after painting the deck, I found Tia's muddy paw prints circling the deck. Somehow she had eluded the barrier I erected. Oh well.
With dogs, boys, and one man(husband) around I realize my dreams of pristine are almost impossible. A friend who has obviously done more reading about children than I have said, "Boys always want to change their environment." (Dogs might fit in there too.) In other words, boys want to alter everything almost all the time. Case in point, Daniel found a chicken egg on our walk this morning. A nearby chicken or goose must have laid it in the graveyard. Well, what would you want to do with an egg if you were a boy? Smash it of course. So that he did right on someone's headstone. The vibrant yellow yolk dripping down the grains of granite.
Change, change, change. If there is a new car that is freshly vacuumed a boy will get it filthy in a matter of seconds after soccer practice. (By the way, Matt told me cars get dirty and I'd have to get over it. I told him I wasn't there yet, but almost. )If there's a sand castle on the beach, a boy will smash it almost immediately. If there are toys orderly organized in the garage cubbies, a boy will scatter them all over the yard. If there is a mud puddle, a boy will smear the mud all over the pavement. If there is bare, flat ground - a boy will dig a hole. You get the idea.
Speaking of holes, this is a classic. I took Matt and Daniel to the beach on Memorial Day after the chorus of 'there's nothing to do' resulted in the idea for a beach trip. After playing with his brother for a while and starved for human companionship other than the familiar, Daniel came up with the classic pick up line. Upon spying a grandpa and boy digging a hole, he went up to them and said, "Excuse me, but do you need some help digging that hole?" He proceeded to pick up one of their shovels and join right in. I can't help but think he will so bold as to approach bikini-clad women when he's older with a similar line. "Excuse me, but you look like you could use some help with that lotion."
I will wind down this entry today with my AWESOME news, not necessarily in any particular order. We are getting a new dog!! and I got a great job. I just come right out and say it: It's $55K and I work out of my home dealing with small water and wastewater systems. It just felt like it was meant to be and I feel completely grateful to the universe. There wasn't even a job interview - it was a conversation over lunch. My boss had wine.
I am determined to enjoy this job and do a great job. Wish me luck. I start July 1 but still get my 2 weeks at the beach in August!! I am also determined to keep my sanity and keep up with writing the blog. Thanks for reading.
Next time: Toto arrives and how it all came to pass.
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