The Outside Growing Inside, Green
I was so tired last night after dinner that I fell asleep in bed fully clothed. I didn't spend the rest of the night that way, but that's an unusual way for me to sleep. This morning, even at 9:30, I had a hard time pulling myself out of bed. Nancy is the same. This remodel, added to everything else in our busy lives, is simply wearing us out.
I had to start the day by writing a little essay about a friend of mine for a festschrift coming out in a couple of months. That took me longer than expected and slowed me down, but I still finished my project for the day. I put second coats of paint on the bathroom and the kitchen, and I took down the tape and newspaper in the rooms, removed the dropcloths, and swept both rooms. There were a few spots of paint in the bathroom, but I could scratch those off with my fingernails. I did the same to the single tiny spot of paint on the floor of the kitchen. Now we have two beautiful green rooms, one in a soft minty green and the other ¡Fiesta! I like talking about the second color more than the first.
The Mikes arrived back home yesterday, but I forgot to talk about it because they didn't come to see us. Instead, they spent last night and our spending this night in the Holiday Inn in Johnstown, New York (specifically in Room 213, if you want to call them early in the morning tomorrow). They arrived here around 4:30 or so, while I was painting the bathroom, and they waited for me to finish before we went out to dinner. (Thanks for the meal. We're too lazy to cook anymore--even in the basement.)
Green Paint on My Forearm
This morning I discovered that I didn't do a good job at all removing the paint from my left arm. Yesterday (and then later today), I also had paint on my right arm, my hands, and (especially) my feet.
The Pocket Door Stained by Nancy
Nancy spent the day in the basement, staining the woodwork. It's a thankless job. I had to open up the three windows in the rec room (most of which we've never opened before), all the easy-to-open windows on the first floor, and the back door (which is screenless) to make sure Nancy had a modicum of fresh air to work with. She is working on a huge pile of wood downstairs: this pocket door, the railing for the basement stairs, and piles of different molding. The process is thus: first, she applies wood conditioner to ensure that the wood takes the stain evenly; then she stains the wood (meaning all sides of the door but only the side that shows for the molding); finally, she has to poly the wood. But she never made it to the third step today. We hope this doesn't put the project behind schedule, but she worked for hours and didn't have the time to apply the polyurethane tonight. When the guys ask me about this tomorrow, our story will be that her parents slowed us down! (And, Mr Mike, don't forget to come by here sometime during the day. You'll love to meet Dave and John.)
Gate Outside
With the back door open, something happened that we never expected. Gate walked outside. When I first saw him there, he was sitting on the little kneewall coming out of the back porch, but I couldn't take his picture quickly enough. Even this time, he started walking back into the house as soon as I tried to take his picture. I assume he knows he's not supposed to be outside. As a matter of fact, our contract with the person who sold us Gate stipulates this, strangely enough. This poor cat has almost never walked on grass, but he's also never been in a cat fight.
A Bumblebee I Killed
With the back door open, something happened that we did expect. Insects flew into the house. One of these was this huge carpenter bee that kept buzzing around the TV room, looking for some wood to bore into. Since I couldn't abide by that, I did something I almost never do. I killed the bee. Nancy says she doesn't care about killing insects, because she's not a Jainist.
The Kitchen after the Last Coat of Paint
Here's the kitchen after I finished applying the last coat of paint. It looks pretty good, but there are a few light spots on the ceiling that I need to paint again, I did get a little of the green paint on the ceiling, and there are a couple of spots around the corners of the cabinets where the tape protected the wall entirely from my painting. I'll solve these problems later in the week, since I have to go to New York City until Wednesday (the day the counter gets installed).
The Bathroom after the Last Coat of Paint
Here's the bathroom after I finished applying the last coat of paint. Again, I left a few green spots on the ceiling. And there are a few smudgy drip marks here and there. And a drop cloth stuck hard to the wall when Nancy was pulling it off, so she ripped some of the surface of the sheetrock up away from the wall. But everything is fixable. Well, except for the drip marks and for one spot in the laundry room where John forgot to sand, and which I didn't notice until today. (Maybe I shouldn't have been a crepuscular painter yesterday.)
The Kitchen Uncovered
Here is the kitchen uncovered, and we really love the green paint here. We forced Mr and Mrs Mike to wait while we tore down the tape and the newspaper. (Mrs Mike was a bit impatient during this process, but I heare that's not uncommon with her.) I think this was worth the wait, though, and I've taken to standing in the kitchen and admiring its beauty again. (Yesterday just wasn't conducive to this type of revery.)
Nancy Demonstrating that Her Underwear is the Color of the Bathroom Walls
Nancy was so excited about the bathroom being almost finished that she cleaned out the bathroom and took a nice long soaking bath. Before she submerged herself in the water, though, she showed me that her underwear was the color of the bathroom. This is hard to tell in this photograph, and for some reason Nancy didn't want to show any more than her hand in this shot.
Pat's Now-Obsolete Message to Us
Now that this message is obsolete, I might as well show it to you. This is the handwritten sign Pat wrote to us to tell us (nicely) to stay out of the bathroom while the tile mortar and grout were setting. That K on the sign is the last letter in "WALK." Until Friday, the whole word was visible.
honi soit qui mal y pense
I had to start the day by writing a little essay about a friend of mine for a festschrift coming out in a couple of months. That took me longer than expected and slowed me down, but I still finished my project for the day. I put second coats of paint on the bathroom and the kitchen, and I took down the tape and newspaper in the rooms, removed the dropcloths, and swept both rooms. There were a few spots of paint in the bathroom, but I could scratch those off with my fingernails. I did the same to the single tiny spot of paint on the floor of the kitchen. Now we have two beautiful green rooms, one in a soft minty green and the other ¡Fiesta! I like talking about the second color more than the first.
The Mikes arrived back home yesterday, but I forgot to talk about it because they didn't come to see us. Instead, they spent last night and our spending this night in the Holiday Inn in Johnstown, New York (specifically in Room 213, if you want to call them early in the morning tomorrow). They arrived here around 4:30 or so, while I was painting the bathroom, and they waited for me to finish before we went out to dinner. (Thanks for the meal. We're too lazy to cook anymore--even in the basement.)
Green Paint on My Forearm
This morning I discovered that I didn't do a good job at all removing the paint from my left arm. Yesterday (and then later today), I also had paint on my right arm, my hands, and (especially) my feet.
The Pocket Door Stained by Nancy
Nancy spent the day in the basement, staining the woodwork. It's a thankless job. I had to open up the three windows in the rec room (most of which we've never opened before), all the easy-to-open windows on the first floor, and the back door (which is screenless) to make sure Nancy had a modicum of fresh air to work with. She is working on a huge pile of wood downstairs: this pocket door, the railing for the basement stairs, and piles of different molding. The process is thus: first, she applies wood conditioner to ensure that the wood takes the stain evenly; then she stains the wood (meaning all sides of the door but only the side that shows for the molding); finally, she has to poly the wood. But she never made it to the third step today. We hope this doesn't put the project behind schedule, but she worked for hours and didn't have the time to apply the polyurethane tonight. When the guys ask me about this tomorrow, our story will be that her parents slowed us down! (And, Mr Mike, don't forget to come by here sometime during the day. You'll love to meet Dave and John.)
Gate Outside
With the back door open, something happened that we never expected. Gate walked outside. When I first saw him there, he was sitting on the little kneewall coming out of the back porch, but I couldn't take his picture quickly enough. Even this time, he started walking back into the house as soon as I tried to take his picture. I assume he knows he's not supposed to be outside. As a matter of fact, our contract with the person who sold us Gate stipulates this, strangely enough. This poor cat has almost never walked on grass, but he's also never been in a cat fight.
A Bumblebee I Killed
With the back door open, something happened that we did expect. Insects flew into the house. One of these was this huge carpenter bee that kept buzzing around the TV room, looking for some wood to bore into. Since I couldn't abide by that, I did something I almost never do. I killed the bee. Nancy says she doesn't care about killing insects, because she's not a Jainist.
The Kitchen after the Last Coat of Paint
Here's the kitchen after I finished applying the last coat of paint. It looks pretty good, but there are a few light spots on the ceiling that I need to paint again, I did get a little of the green paint on the ceiling, and there are a couple of spots around the corners of the cabinets where the tape protected the wall entirely from my painting. I'll solve these problems later in the week, since I have to go to New York City until Wednesday (the day the counter gets installed).
The Bathroom after the Last Coat of Paint
Here's the bathroom after I finished applying the last coat of paint. Again, I left a few green spots on the ceiling. And there are a few smudgy drip marks here and there. And a drop cloth stuck hard to the wall when Nancy was pulling it off, so she ripped some of the surface of the sheetrock up away from the wall. But everything is fixable. Well, except for the drip marks and for one spot in the laundry room where John forgot to sand, and which I didn't notice until today. (Maybe I shouldn't have been a crepuscular painter yesterday.)
The Kitchen Uncovered
Here is the kitchen uncovered, and we really love the green paint here. We forced Mr and Mrs Mike to wait while we tore down the tape and the newspaper. (Mrs Mike was a bit impatient during this process, but I heare that's not uncommon with her.) I think this was worth the wait, though, and I've taken to standing in the kitchen and admiring its beauty again. (Yesterday just wasn't conducive to this type of revery.)
Nancy Demonstrating that Her Underwear is the Color of the Bathroom Walls
Nancy was so excited about the bathroom being almost finished that she cleaned out the bathroom and took a nice long soaking bath. Before she submerged herself in the water, though, she showed me that her underwear was the color of the bathroom. This is hard to tell in this photograph, and for some reason Nancy didn't want to show any more than her hand in this shot.
Pat's Now-Obsolete Message to Us
Now that this message is obsolete, I might as well show it to you. This is the handwritten sign Pat wrote to us to tell us (nicely) to stay out of the bathroom while the tile mortar and grout were setting. That K on the sign is the last letter in "WALK." Until Friday, the whole word was visible.
honi soit qui mal y pense
posted by Geofhuth at 11:47 PM
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