A Matter of Perspective

Welcome to the Sistine Chapel...

This is the ceiling of the area of the cabin above the bunks.  I spent much of the day on my back either Spackling or painting this and the walls of the bunk area.

I had been procrastinating on this part of the painting project because I knew it was going to be a challenge.  All winter I had the excuse that the ceiling and walls were too cold.  Now that it has warmed up, that was no longer the case.  In fact, we had another beautiful day.  It's 60F degrees on my thermometer at 5 p.m.  My 80-year-old neighbor was starting to garden so I was challenged to get on with this project

I had to move some things out onto the deck to clear the way for the White Whale, this mattress with which I do battle on a regular basis.



I don't know what it's filled with, but it's heavy, really heavy.  I managed to wrestle it onto the table, but it was blocking the door so I wrestled it up onto the couch...

but it didn't stay there long, falling off when I tried to access the plastic storage bin that serves as my tool box that was on the couch.  I fought my way around it all day.

I also had to move my "closet."  These storage bins that I keep on the top bunk are my only clothing storage.

Once I got the decks cleared, I Spackled the deep cracks in the bead board on both the ceiling and walls, scraping off the excess with a small Spackle knife.  I got Spackle in my right eye and had to get down and irrigate my eye with artificial tears and then I put on my safety glasses.
 
When I was finished filling the cracks,  I opened the paint I had purchased on Christmas eve....

Yech!  I needed more Spackle anyway, so took this back to Ace and had them put it on the shaker again, came back and started painting.  Painting this bead board, especially since I am switching from a light to a dark color, is difficult.  Paint rolled on doesn't permeate the cracks in the bead board so you have to go back over everything with a brush.  If you get enough paint on your brush to fill the cracks, it starts running down the handle.  It was a pretty messy day, but I got most of it completed...

 ...but I need to remove this upper piece of plywood, take it outside and paint it and then paint these springs...

This is what is over my head when I sleep.  I've had the idea ever since I started living here that I'd like to hang short strands of mixed glass beads at random from these...Might as well have something interesting to stare at.  I was even thinking it would be fun to spray paint these wires and springs some metallic color.  I'll see what I feel like tomorrow.  If I spray paint I'm definitely going to have to go out to the woodshed and retrieve that huge drop cloth and drape everything in the immediate area.

I didn't want to move the mattress back until everything was done and dry, so I'll be sleeping on a piece of foam and two sleeping bags tonight...

...and hoping the White Whale doesn't flip over on me in the night.

Did you meet a challenge today?  Teddee