Bunk Area Painted

I'm tired.  The wind was really blowing again this morning, but at 1 p.m. almost on the dot it quit so I decided I'd try to complete the bunk area painting project.  I just finished and it's 8 p.m. 

I pulled down the piece of plywood...

...I had to take it out the end.  You can see this is the really awful side that's splintered and looks as if someone had used it as a work table for Spackling.  I had turned this side up as one of the first things I did when I started living here because I couldn't stand to look at it...and it wasn't even painted then. 

I managed, without breaking something, to get it outside even though it's very floppy and hard to control...

...then I rolled on two coats of the dark charcoal brown paint on both sides...

In between coats I worked on the springs...

I experimented by spraying them just with the glitter paint and could see it didn't have enough density, so knew I was going to have to paint them brown first.  These were really hard to paint.  I don't remember it being that big a deal when I painted them white.  Maybe I just sprayed them and because the walls were white I didn't have to worry about over-spray.   If I got enough paint on either brush or roller to get the brown paint into the nooks and crannies, the wires just scraped it off...

I had so much paint on my drop cloth that I used it as a source of paint!  I had on clothes that were already spattered with paint from previous painting sessions, but I got paint in my hair and even up the sleeves of my long-sleeved t-shirt.  It was a mess. 

Once the wires and springs dried, I sprayed them with the glitter paint.  Can any one tell me why some paint companies continue to use these blasted paint lids that you have to open with a screw driver?  I absolutely tore this one apart trying to get it off with the paint can opener.  My screw drivers were in my plastic storage box "tool box" under the mattress!

I had the door open and opened the north window to get some air circulating through the cabin because this stuff was potent.  I held my breath, sprayed and then ran outside and breathed.  The springs now have a definite sparkle, but it is very subtle, which probably is good...

I spent the next couple of hours putting things back to rights.  I feel as if things aren't ever very organized in this one-room space, but when they really get disorganized like they do during projects like this, I sure stress out.  So, I put the painted plywood back on top of the springs; horsed the mattress back on the lower bunk (I put on a clean sheet while I had it on the table so at least I didn't have to have my usual wrestling match getting the bed linens changed); put my clothes bins back on top of the plywood, finished making the bed, put my prints and bedside lamp back up and the little tray that serves as my bedside "table."

Cozy, no?  I see I need to do a little touch-up here and there, but I'm generally pleased.  And, boy, does that bed look good and I'm hitting it just as soon as I have some supper.

Did you achieve a goal today?  Teddee

Waiting with Guacamole

I feel as if I'm just waiting right now.  Waiting for the dough--the settlement check from Sears for the botched auto repairs and the reimbursement of the double-dipped payment from the IRS--waiting to determine if the few things I dropped off at The Wild West Mercantile Co today will be accepted, waiting for the weather to improve again so I can continue this painting project and get the mattress off the table and back onto the bed and get my clothing bins put back on the top bunk so I can move around in this one room.

I slept fine last night on the foam pad and two sleeping bags...

...I threw on the electric blanket and a woven throw for a little weight and didn't get cold until this morning when the electric blanket automatically went off.  It was chilly this morning.  My neighbor said she saw tiny snowflakes (she and her husband had been camping in Utah those two weeks they were gone, I found out).  According to NOAA it was supposed to get down to 33F degrees last night.  The wind came up making it too cool and windy this morning to drag things out on the deck to make enough elbow room to get the piece of plywood down off the top bunk and take it outside and paint it...
































...and I need to do that before I can paint these...

But I did get the paint for the above when I stopped at Ace today to get fire starters...

...now I'm really anxious to see what this looks like when applied.

It's supposed to be mostly sunny tomorrow with a high of 54F degrees so I should be able to use the deck as another room and move some things outside to make it easier to maneuver in here as well as get the piece of plywood outside so I can paint it.  I'll roll the same color of paint on it as I'm using on the cabin walls and ceiling and just use the bronze Glitter Blast on the springs and wires.

The owner of The Wild West Mercantile Co. was not in when I dropped off a few "test items" this afternoon.  His assistant said he didn't want anything he couldn't price for a least $50!  That seems pie-in-the-sky for Rollinsville.  I'll have to take some photos of "main street" Rollinsville the next time I'm there and post them!  The assistant did agree to keep the items and let the owner decide.

In the meantime, I'm on page 244 of Elizabeth George's Believing the Lie and I made guacamole tonight...

I make really good guac.  I sort of cook by the seat of my pants, so just take two ripe avocados, cut them in half, remove the pit, scoop out the pulp and mash it up with a fork.  I suppose you could use a food processor, but I've never owned one and I like my guac really chunky.  Slice a bunch of green onions including a little of the green top, chop up a couple of cloves of garlic and a couple of plum tomatoes--you can use more tomatoes if you're trying to stretch your avocado.  Add the onion, garlic and tomato to the mashed avocado.  Add salt, chili powder and powdered cumin to taste.  I like lots of cumin.  Serve with your favorite chips.  I've been liking Nash Brothers Yellow Corn & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips for the last several years.  They have a lot of uumph to them.

So how do you spend your time while you're waiting?  Teddee