With One Arm Tied Behind My Back

I'm trying to do some things around the apartment in Boulder that won't put stress on my rotator cuff injury.  I've been going to therapy two days a week for almost three weeks and don't seem to be making much progress.  The therapist says I have to make an effort not to do anything that will further stress the injury, so I'm thinking little and low.  

I thought I had been tapped to drive Olive and Kooky to Louisville to Kooky's dog groomer this morning, but she told me yesterday that the woman who has had the honor in the past, who had been ill, had volunteered to take her again.  I was a little relieved because we were going to take Olive's car and I really feel uncomfortable driving other people's vehicles and I'm not sure she has the requisite insurance either.  So, after I walked with Olive and Kooky this morning I had the entire day without appointments. 

I continued painting on this lawn ornament...

I'm dabbing on watered down Patio Paint in Woodland Brown, Wrought Iron Black and Pot O' Gold Dore'. I think maybe one more go and I'll have it.  

I like it so well, I'm going to do this other lawn ornament...

...and I've already used the brown and gold on this long gourd that I've been toting around for two years, having found it in an antique shop in a little town in northwest Missouri...

...It had got pretty skinned up in its travels.  I'm going to drill a hole in the top, and in this incarnation, as a nod to the Indian theme I seem to have going on the balcony, I may try running some fairly long, sheer colorful ribbons (I'm thinking that marvelous French seam binding) through the hole as a hanger or just decoration.  I may go a little heavier on the gold paint too.  Don't worry, it will all come together!

Then I used some Gorilla Glue on the front stringer on this chair, which was loose...

...I hope that's enough weight.  I know the glue works since it, affixed to a bit of trim, kept the front bumper of my car from falling off earlier in the spring and it had been applied almost a decade earlier!

What else?  Oh, I had gone to Walmart in Longmont yesterday after therapy and purchased a 3M Command Brand hook for that other shower caddy that I bought Saturday at the Goodwill 50% off sale and got that (the hook) put up...

...I wanted to give it plenty of time to "set" although I think you really only have to wait one hour.  I see, based on a coupon in the package, that they're now making these in clear although I didn't notice the clear variety at Walmart if they had them in stock.  I'm going to get a clear one for my apartment door next month so I can hang a wreath.  These are the "damage-free" variety that can be pulled off so I'm sure management will like that.

And I spent quite a bit of time using the heated tip of the hot glue gun on that mixture of hot glue and strands of red gimp that remained on the back of this chair...

...and got an amazing amount of it off.  This is what it looked like before...

I tried to sand the remains off and that doesn't seem to work at all.  I'll give it one more go with the hot glue gun and then just figure the black paint will make it all disappear.  Maybe some day I can get a new back put in this chair although I really don't think it's worth the expense.  I certainly have been getting a lot of good out of it since I moved into the apartment though.

I brought the electric stapler down from the cabin the last time I was there and so should be able to get the fabric put on this chair seat and the balcony chair and settee seats within the next few days.  

I also called in a work order this morning to have maintenance come and hang all of my decor out on the balcony.  Yes, they'll actually do that for tenants.  I think I've lived with things out there on the balcony long enough that I'm sure where I want things hung.  When I first heard maintenance would do this I thought they'd just have to move in since it takes me forever to make up my mind where I want things and often, when I'm doing it myself, I move things after I've got them hung...."No, that needs to be at least an inch lower.  Start over."  I expect these guys will only put up with so much of that.  At any rate, they'll be drilling into concrete block and I did that in the kitchen for a clock and it takes forever even with the right drill bit, so I'm really happy they're available to do it.

All for now...Teddee

Thank You Gorilla Glue and Walmart

About seven years ago when I was still living in the desert heat of Phoenix, Arizona, a piece of trim that went around my left front wheel well started coming loose.  I glued it back on with Gorilla Glue and used a binder clip to keep it in place until it dried.  It wasn't pretty but it held tight.

About two weeks ago I noticed the only thing holding my front bumper on was this piece of trim...

I could see what appeared to be a hole for a bolt and I could feel there was a matching hole above, but I kept putting off doing anything further figuring I'd have to get down on back on the ground to see what needed to be done. 

I think the road I take to the spring may be at least partly responsible for shaking anything loose that can be shaken loose...

Washboard almost all the way.  You can't drive slowly enough to prevent it from rattling your teeth.

Today I had to go to Longmont.  I had a shopping list I'd been adding to for about two weeks and I prefer either of the Longmont Walmarts over the one in Erie.  I got an early start.  I knew it would be too hot down below to leave Dixie in the car and I wanted to be gone before she got here so I didn't have to drive off an leave her.  As I was driving down the canyon and hoping the glue held, the bumper didn't fall off and cause me to either drive over it or drive off the road, down a steep cliff and into Boulder Creek, I decided I'd take it the automotive center at Walmart and see if they could put the car up on the lift and at least provide a temporary fix.  Turns out the newest Walmart in Longmont has no automotive center, so after I'd done my shopping, I drove to the one north of town which does have an automotive center. 

I asked a young technician if he could put a bolt in the bumper.  He said he wasn't sure they could do that, but his older co-worker told him to go ahead.  Here they are making the fix...

Turns out the bumper was originally affixed with two small plastic pieces that snapped together.  The bottom was missing.  This was one still affixed to the top and they had to pry it out...

The bolt doesn't keep the bumper as tight as it should be so I may have to take it to a body shop for a true fix, but at least I know the bumper is not going to fall off.  The best part was that they didn't charge me a thing!  Talk about customer service.  I may just have to go back and see if they can match the two summer tires I managed to wrest from Sears after they a) told me the other two were too worn to put back on, and b) kept the two good ones  "by mistake" resulting in my having to call back and have them dig them out of the recycle pile and hold them for me until I could drive back up there and get them.  Only part of a very, very bad experience at the Longmont Sears Auto Center last fall.

So tomorrow I have to clean out the woodshed because that's where those two tires are stored.  I'm fairly certain we aren't going to have any more major snows--it had to have been in the 80s in Longmont today--so I can get these snow tires off before I put any more wear on them. 

Are you spring cleaning?  Teddee