Let the Purple Rein

I got out of bed at a little after 8am. I had a mild headache but one I figured would subside once I got to exercising. Mindy said she’d be down later and hinted that she wasn’t going back to sleep. I’m quite sure that she did, however. It didn’t take me long to crank through my routine. I made coffee and exercised by 8:20am. I was out the door with Ykraps come 8:25am.

It was a lovely January morning. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. It certainly didn’t feel like mid-January. Instead, it felt like spring! I was amazed at the beauty of the sun shining in the bay window through Mindy’s vase of fresh tulips. I fetched my camera to capture the sun drenched moment.

I spent the next hour on the PC updating my blog, downloading pictures, and surfing the net eventually landing on Glenn’s 2007 highlights page. Honestly, it’s a bit depressing to read. It brings to mind the story of the chicken or the egg. Which came first? But in the end, does it really matter which came first? Probably not. The important thing is that we foster change – make sure that we’re not what’s in the way.

Mindy moseyed down about the time that I was planning to dress for my run. It was nearly 9:30am. I sipped a little more coffee before fully committing myself towards the run. I probably didn’t get out the door until almost 9:50am. The weather was glorious – not too warm, though. I still wanted my heavier jacket. But the sunshine was brilliant. The temperature hovered just above freezing. I was quite cozy throughout. I ran along Trabue and Hague for the first time in a very long time. Probably only the second time since TG.

Mindy began making breakfast in my absence. She made maple bacon and scrambled eggs. It was all but ready upon my return. I took the time to sweep the annoying bird droppings from the front porch before removing my sweaty running clothes. As best I could tell, there are no nests, yet those pesky sparrows still like to rest in the English ivy just above the front door.

Our breakfast was amazingly tasty. During our quiet breakfast we discussed the day’s plans. My number one goal was to paint the fireplace wall blackberry (purple). Mindy had a haircut and a jewelry party to attend. I gave her shit since the painting was really her idea, but in the end we both knew that I’d be better off painting alone. After cleaning up breakfast, Mindy did help me move stuff out of the way of the wall in question. That meant moving the stuffed-full entertainment center. Those small “Moving Man” discs worked like charm, basically allowing us to easily slide it out of the way.

The move revealed thick dust and scourge that had accumulated since the last time it was moved some seven or eight years ago. It was a harrowing experience. We addressed the mess underneath and then cleaned the endless number of cables resting behind as we prepared for painting. After the mess was dealt with Mindy went to shower to ready for her appointments. I got busy masking-off the wood trim and ceiling. The last thing I wanted to do was get purple paint on the ceiling or wood trim.

Lurking in the back of my mind, also, was the leaking skylight. I really wanted to inspect that today as well. While masking off the wood trim I was reminded of another wet spot I had to deal with some ten years ago on the wall directly to the north of the fireplace. The drywall and trim was damp eventually leading me to caulking the gap/transition between the stucco and the brick chimney. M/I was out and caulked chimney cap (morons).

I decided to pull the carpet back a little to see how much water deterioration there was. I was taken back by how far the water damage traveled – about ten inches in. The sub-floor was flaking up. I kept working and eventually finished all the masking. Mindy left for her two appointments. I seriously debated attempting to fix the rotted trim before moving forward with the painting. Mindy was OK either way. I decided against the more drastic measures for now.

Ready for paint, I retrieved my ladders – one from the garage and the other from behind the shed (actually the extension ladder belongs to Pat). J Before heading on inside I decided to inspect the skylight since I had to walk right by the access point with the ladder anyhow. And what stuck out like a sore thumb was the trim around the suspect skylight. It was pulled completely up and away from the main structure, and right about where the water seemed to be trickling. That was good news, especially since there was no visible water damage inside or out thus far. I easily snapped the flashing back into place. It fit snuggly, too. What puzzled me most was that I inspected the entire roof and even Windexed the exterior of the skylights after the roof was replaced in October. The roofers would’ve replaced all that flashing, but somehow I missed the fact that it wasn’t on correctly. It looked pretty obvious today. Regardless, I am grateful that I found the apparent trouble and resolved it. Now I can use my worry cards for other things. J

I did the cut in first, and since I was working with a very dark color I took extra care. I even masked the wall to ceiling line. The two coats of cut in took about two hours. I even had to do a little touch up with a brush. The rolling went quick, but it was apparent that I’d have to roll on at least two coats and even more likely three. After rolling coat one I took a much deserved break. About that time an “art dealer” knocked on the door telling me that he was with an art gallery located in Powell and had several fine pieces for sale on the cheap. He asked if I might be interested. Couldn’t hurt. Sure! However, after he pulled his car up it was quite obvious that he had nothing more than your standard decorating shop prints mounted in cheap frames. I toyed with him a little for misleading me, but was mostly pleasant. Not today bub!

Just as I returned inside, I found Ykraps having a rare #1 & 2 accident right in front of the door on the tile. What? My gasp scared him and he darted off into the living room all the while still pissing. I really think that he was dreaming because he was limping away like he does as he exits his dog bed other times. So, my break was spent looking at cheap art and cleaning up dog piss & shit. Great! I wasn’t too pleased. The bright side is that I got it as fresh as it gets. It was easy to clean up, plus most was on the ceramic tile. I went to the kitchen for some lunch. The painting had me sweating, believe it or not. I made a pork, sauerkraut, cheese, and ranch sandwich on marble rye. It was good but I could eat only half. I got back to my painting.

The second rolled coat went on very quickly and easily. Mindy returned home just as I was finishing up. Meanwhile, I knew the likelihood of thin spots was high but couldn’t easily detect them while the walls were wet. I resigned myself to a third coat tomorrow. We stowed the paint tray and roller in a trash bag. Mindy said it would keep the roller wet. I tried it. I cleaned up what I could and what ever else made sense. In the meantime, Mindy marveled at her purple wall. She loved it. As it dried we spotted a handful of thin spots. I just noted them for tomorrow’s daylight. Finally chilling for a few, I saw that the Packers roared back against the Seahawks who once had a 14-0 lead. It wasn’t close. The Packers kicked their asses.

Finally, around 5:30pm I headed up for a much deserved and needed shower. Mindy offered to take me to dinner but I didn’t really feel like going out. And I was still at least somewhat full from the half Reuben earlier. What I wanted most was to be held and kissed. J No. What I really wanted was a cold beer! I poured myself a Goose Island Xmas Ale, and then another. Mindy and I eventually settled for a game of Euchre. She won a close game 10-8. After cards we decided to hot tub. Mindy hadn’t been in for a couple months. I, on the other hand, was in one day over Xmas break during the daylight hours while she napped.

The hot tub felt terrific. I turned the temperature up just one degree. It made a big difference. After hot tubbing we watched the rest of the Patriots game. They won. And this just in. They are GOOD! I enjoyed a total of three beers. I headed to bed around 11pm.