The Paint Department

In some stores they have a discounted section of returned paints and stains.  Strangely, but not really for me, I check this section in every store that sells paint.  Through the years I've found some bargains.  I've acquired stains, interior and exterior latex and even Dry Lock for sometimes a quarter of the original price.

I'm not sure of the return policy for each store regarding paint. I thought if you chose it, bought it, and opened it, you were stuck.  Not so.  A stranger's dissatisfaction becomes my bargains such as the latest Rustic Red (five gallons) exterior stain for under ten dollars a gallon.

Recently I have gathered pieces of cans and mixed all the latex.  Green, lavender, and red makes this color!  Quite a pleasant color and will soon be the painted shelves in our basement...or maybe the floor.  It is a partly finished basement that was Mom's laundry room, the food storage room and the storm safe room when needed.

My oldest daughter, Melissa, is gonna hurt me for posting this photo but had to show how well the Dry Lock is going on the block walls.

Big difference!  Melissa is cleaning every thing with vinegar and a wire brush so there's a nice healthy underlay.  The walls were painted pink long ago when it was built.  We even have the original pink and gray tiles in stacks.  I think we may just paint the floor.

The ceiling is tongue and groove pine from who knows how long ago. It will be clear coated after it's deep cleaned.  The wood is too pretty to cover.

As for my waiting Rustic Red...we'll just have to see what it tells me to do.

The Adventures of Dead Mouse

I had a helper yesterday to make my day go faster.

Meet Mr. Dead Mouse.

He said just call him Dead.

He did some sweeping.

The hammer was just a wee bit large for him.

Dead likes honey and was fascinated with the antique smoker.

He was very sad when the bee gloves would not fit.

Dead gave the grind wheel a couple of turns.

He laughed and said it made him dizzy.

He enjoyed checking out the old tools

and was very grateful he had sharp teeth.

This saw could not be mouse powered.

Pretty knowledgeable about power

Dead admitted he COULD possibly be

the reason this outlet will not work.

 Dead decided to leave the vise alone.

I would say that was wise considering his fragile condition.

Dead Mouse became Happy Mouse

when he discovered this hub cap.

He's a Chevrolet mouse through and through.

He swore on his mother's grave

he did not know this place was posted.

Dead spent the rest of the day dancing his little feet off.

He came alive to Queen's "We Are The Champions"

We both enjoyed the music.

Boston, CCR, Nine Inch Nails, even The Boss sang.

When I left for the day, Dead was still rocking out!

He will probably be too tired tomorrow to help.

It was a productive day.

A job is always easier when it's shared.

Thank you, Mr Dead Mouse.

You made my day.

Morning's Too Early For Roosters To Crow

For some dratted reason, I can't sleep.  I have tossed and turned and tumbled and finally gave up and got out of bed.

Could be I have so many projects going, I can't shut my mind down enough to sleep. Could be the light from the waning moon, so I've shut the curtains.

Could be

we're working this pair overtime

and still can't catch up!

Of course I shed this pair as soon as possible.  The ground, believe or not, is beginning to dry and that makes it difficult to weed.  The heat and humidity has been extrememly oppressive but we keep on puttering.

New spark plugs and wires in our Gator, the push mower is working, a new trolling motor plug is ready to be installed in the boat.  Some tree trimming and regular cleaning has been done.  You can barely see where we've been but we have two large lawns, ours and Marcy's we keep mowed. Hubby is catching up on some brush hogging and life is going on as usual...EXCEPT tonight I can't sleep.

I have a couple out of the box projects I'm working on and trying to do my six month major cleaning at night.   Three rooms down and six to go!  Did I mention I detest house keeping?  About twice a year I wash the walls and oil the wood, while turning the place upside down, belated spring cleaning. Washing awful windows and cleaning cabinets.  And I'm thinking who told me I have to do this?

Tomorrow, no, today is another day.

Land of Our Own

Row after row, 

turning, plowing, and planting

growing, cutting and harvesting

opening the land

of milk and honey

We tire of battling

the elements dressed

in thin simple clothes

but we store our tears

until darkness falls

The dinner bell rings

calling us home

in level tones

grateful for freedom 

we speak Latin no more

Without intending this became a double prompt for Sunday's Whirligig and Flash 55 Plus at Imaginary Garden With Real Toads.  I used the words with the picture for inspiration while finishing with 55 words exactly.  I forgot the touch of Zen but some reach that moment working with the land.

My Many Hats...

There are many hats we wear in a life time, some all the time, some only a few times but the importance of that hat is not lessened.  I had a postal hat but I've laid that aside as I have many hats in my past. My current hats include but limited to those below.

At The Shop hat

Sweating boat-loads hat

My Wife hat

My construction/repair hat

My explorer hat

My cattle feeding hat

My cattle working hat

My rock hunting hat

and a hat I don't wear anymore.

We wear our hats with pride or in hiding due to our choices but we all have hats.  Wear them well.  Be proud of the hat you wear...change 'em around just for fun.  Maybe wear someone else's hat for awhile and look at the world differently but love the hat you wear.

How Many Brush Piles...

can I brag about until you say, "Enough!"

I wrap my work around me and get lost in it.  I reenter reality and look behind me and think, Wow, I did that?

Progress continues.  I have not dropped from heat stroke and severe dehydration.  I seem to be bound and determined to reclaim this acreage an inch at a time.  That is a testament to my stubbornness, I guess, but on I go with piles of brush growing.

It may be difficult, hot, work but it is almost mindless so I can travel anywhere I want as I clip and pile.  I have been to the South of France, Wales, two hundred years and millions of years into the past. It all happens as I clip and stack, clip and stack, clip and stack.

 One stack

 two stacks

three stacks more

and stack four

Shooting...

Shooting while driving can be as dangerous as using a cell phone...I just can't help myself.  It's another of my terrible habits.  Prisoner Transport was following too closely

There has been a traffic light on Norfork Dam for almost two years.  I believe they may be building something inside to meet the minimum flow requirements for the trout in the river below.  How long does it take to put a cork in a dam?

Continued to have showers off and on all day.  We got damp sometimes but it felt good.  Temps were in the eighties and we were working hard.  We welcomed any breeze as we were packing boxes and reorganizing. 

This is one unit.  I almost forgot to take a before picture.  My Irish complexion shows when I'm extremely hot.  Dressed in work clothes and fighting our time schedule I allowed Toni to take a picture.  That was a mistake!

So I got even!  Toni is carefully packing glass things.  I was so tired I was like a bull in a china closet.  Thank goodness I haven't broken anything...yet.

I missed the funniest picture of all.  We met a Game and Fish truck in town dragging a gas pump nozzle and hose.  Three cars later was the police.  Who knows what his excuse was but I've never seen that before except in movies.  I believe they have an auto shut off now so the gas station doesn't explode.

We packed every nook and cranny in both vehicles, my PT and Toni's Blazer.  It rained a lot so it was not an open truck day.  We  both rearranged for the side mirrors to have a clear view.  Know what I forgot?  I have a standard transmission.  I forgot to leave ample room to shift so I was going under a box and sideways to shift.  I'll not do that again!

The lights over the dam reminded me of the old black and white movie War of the Worlds.

Today we do it again.

Pushing Stumps

On a farm you never get done with cleaning and clearing.  Trees die, tornadoes blow them down and ice storms break them.  It is a continual job with much satisfaction.  You can measure your work by the piles of debris.

One stump plagued Dad for years.  Den finally got it out.  Another stump defied his powerful pushing.  It was a cedar.  The red heart center is the strongest and oldest growth.  We use it for fence posts.  This cedar stump will set some more. It refused to move.  Notice the bright red of the splinters.

The pile grows slowly

as the Dogwood flowers

and farmers work on and on.

Happy Easter.

Sunday Was A Spring Day...

Ice was removed from the water gardens and fresh water added.  So far so good.  All the chickens, dogs and birds enjoy these gardens as much as I do.

Got my boots wet

and muddy

Pruned the fig, removed dead wood, wisteria and rose limbs

Now it's ready for spring with waste to burn.

Trimmed a lot more bushes here and there and decided to quit when I got my last owie.  I keep Walmart in business just with band aides and antibiotics.  

We accomplished a lot more Sunday but I will save some excitement for another post.

The temperatures are dropping but we had one day to play.  We were grateful for that day.

Stay warm.