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