K.C. Shaw's Blog, page 11
April 29, 2012
Bedmaking
Jekyll the cat decided to keep me busy today by puking all over the guest bed. When I stripped the quilt and blanket off, I discovered the sheets on it were still flannel. While I washed the bedding, I put fresh cotton sheets on the bed (I make that bed because it looks funny with just a quilt, and I'm in that room all the time since the computer's in there).
Then I looked in the mirror and discovered that my conjunctivitis was much worse. My right eye looked horrible! Rather than wait a day to call the doctor and get an appointment for later in the week, I decided I'd better go to a walk-in clinic that was open on Sunday. I found one in West Knoxville and waited an hour (reading, of course) to see a doctor for about three minutes. The doctor didn't say much; in fact, I got the distinct impression that if it were up to him, he'd be in bed sleeping off his hangover. He looked in my eyes, listened (presumably) to my nervous babbling about symptoms, and prescribed me antibiotic eyedrops.
When I got home, I thought I might as well wash the sheets on my bed. So I did. I did three loads of laundry today and feel like I've been making beds constantly. Tip taught me by my grandmother: put the top sheet on upside-down; that way when you turn the bed down, the sheet pattern shows.
So I have a clean bed to look forward to tonight, and I don't have to worry about whether I should see a doctor about my eye, and I know--because they weighed me at the doctor's--that my home scale is accurate. Unfortunately.
Also, I had to clean all the stuff off the bed, which I needed to do anyway. Jekyll is pleased with his clean new bed.
Then I looked in the mirror and discovered that my conjunctivitis was much worse. My right eye looked horrible! Rather than wait a day to call the doctor and get an appointment for later in the week, I decided I'd better go to a walk-in clinic that was open on Sunday. I found one in West Knoxville and waited an hour (reading, of course) to see a doctor for about three minutes. The doctor didn't say much; in fact, I got the distinct impression that if it were up to him, he'd be in bed sleeping off his hangover. He looked in my eyes, listened (presumably) to my nervous babbling about symptoms, and prescribed me antibiotic eyedrops.
When I got home, I thought I might as well wash the sheets on my bed. So I did. I did three loads of laundry today and feel like I've been making beds constantly. Tip taught me by my grandmother: put the top sheet on upside-down; that way when you turn the bed down, the sheet pattern shows.
So I have a clean bed to look forward to tonight, and I don't have to worry about whether I should see a doctor about my eye, and I know--because they weighed me at the doctor's--that my home scale is accurate. Unfortunately.
Also, I had to clean all the stuff off the bed, which I needed to do anyway. Jekyll is pleased with his clean new bed.
April 27, 2012
Eyeballing books
[This was supposed to be posted last night, but my internet connection died right before I hit 'publish.' So I went to bed instead.]
I think I have pinkeye, more properly called conjunctivitis. Sunday morning I woke up with my right eye gummy and bloodshot, and all day long it burned and wept. Monday it wasn't any better, so I bought some Visine eyedrops, which helped. I figured I'd give it a few days and if it didn't get any better, I'd go to the doctor. Then I remembered that I have access to The Internet!, so I looked up pinkeye and discovered that yes, that's probably what I've got, and that it has two basic causes. The more common cause is a virus, and there's basically no treatment except time; it's very contagious and people with viral pinkeye shouldn't go to work or school. The other cause is bacterial, which can be treated with antibiotics; that type is also very contagious although once treatment starts, people with it can safely go to work or school a day later.
I went to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and today I ran errands and bought books. I feel like typhoid Mary. Anyway, my eye feels much better today--I haven't even needed to use the Visine. That matches up with what I learned online too. Whatever the cause, pinkeye usually clears up even without treatment within a week to ten days.
I bought books today because my to-be-read shelves are getting really thin. I'm burning up the reading lately; I think the last time I was reading so much was in ninth grade, when we had half an hour free reading time a day at school which I augmented by reading during all my classes. I burned through the library. These days I buy most of my books, doing my part to keep the publishing industry going.
Of course, part of the reason my TBR shelves are thinned out is because I have actually thinned them. I do this periodically, going through and reading the first few pages or chapters of books that have been there a long time, and pulling the ones I don't like. I didn't count how many books I culled and took to the used book store today, but it was probably 15. I brought home 10, most of them bought used. And then I read one.
Despite all the reading, I've found some time to write. I've finished Bloodhound at long last, and--quite to my surprise--finished my aborted NaNoWriMo attempt from last year, the little kid's book with talking animals. It turned out just 20,000 words and I think it's pretty good. It has no market, of course, but I'm just glad I've finished one of the books in my WIP file.
I think I have pinkeye, more properly called conjunctivitis. Sunday morning I woke up with my right eye gummy and bloodshot, and all day long it burned and wept. Monday it wasn't any better, so I bought some Visine eyedrops, which helped. I figured I'd give it a few days and if it didn't get any better, I'd go to the doctor. Then I remembered that I have access to The Internet!, so I looked up pinkeye and discovered that yes, that's probably what I've got, and that it has two basic causes. The more common cause is a virus, and there's basically no treatment except time; it's very contagious and people with viral pinkeye shouldn't go to work or school. The other cause is bacterial, which can be treated with antibiotics; that type is also very contagious although once treatment starts, people with it can safely go to work or school a day later.
I went to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and today I ran errands and bought books. I feel like typhoid Mary. Anyway, my eye feels much better today--I haven't even needed to use the Visine. That matches up with what I learned online too. Whatever the cause, pinkeye usually clears up even without treatment within a week to ten days.
I bought books today because my to-be-read shelves are getting really thin. I'm burning up the reading lately; I think the last time I was reading so much was in ninth grade, when we had half an hour free reading time a day at school which I augmented by reading during all my classes. I burned through the library. These days I buy most of my books, doing my part to keep the publishing industry going.
Of course, part of the reason my TBR shelves are thinned out is because I have actually thinned them. I do this periodically, going through and reading the first few pages or chapters of books that have been there a long time, and pulling the ones I don't like. I didn't count how many books I culled and took to the used book store today, but it was probably 15. I brought home 10, most of them bought used. And then I read one.
Despite all the reading, I've found some time to write. I've finished Bloodhound at long last, and--quite to my surprise--finished my aborted NaNoWriMo attempt from last year, the little kid's book with talking animals. It turned out just 20,000 words and I think it's pretty good. It has no market, of course, but I'm just glad I've finished one of the books in my WIP file.
April 20, 2012
Google Hates Me
I was going to talk about my day yesterday, which involved a five-mile hike, the planting of many flowers and tomatoes, the scattering of my mother's ashes, and my nearly fatal tumble down some steps (okay, not nearly fatal; I just skinned one knee slightly and bruised my lip). But then Blogger pulled the thing where I have to upgrade to their NEW AND IMPROVED YEAH RIGHT interface.
Why? Why why why? Gmail just got a new interface too, and I hate it for the same reasons I hate the new Blogger one: I can't read it properly. My work computer (not that I ever, ever use my work computer for anything but work; this is merely hypothetical) is very old and can't display the new interfaces correctly. On my home computer, the fields in the new interfaces are so washed out I have trouble even seeing them, much less reading them. On my laptop, the new interfaces are too spread out for me to read comfortably on the small screen.
In other words, it's BROKEN when the old versions weren't broken at all. I am now directing waves of hate at Google, who of course runs Gmail and Blogger and obviously doesn't have enough to do.
For those of you who are interested in seeing lots of pretty pictures of my hike, I've started a new blog just for my hiking stuff called Hiking Hot.
Why? Why why why? Gmail just got a new interface too, and I hate it for the same reasons I hate the new Blogger one: I can't read it properly. My work computer (not that I ever, ever use my work computer for anything but work; this is merely hypothetical) is very old and can't display the new interfaces correctly. On my home computer, the fields in the new interfaces are so washed out I have trouble even seeing them, much less reading them. On my laptop, the new interfaces are too spread out for me to read comfortably on the small screen.
In other words, it's BROKEN when the old versions weren't broken at all. I am now directing waves of hate at Google, who of course runs Gmail and Blogger and obviously doesn't have enough to do.
For those of you who are interested in seeing lots of pretty pictures of my hike, I've started a new blog just for my hiking stuff called Hiking Hot.
April 12, 2012
Death and taxes
My to-do list today was long and grim. It started out TAXES and ended funeral home, where I collected Mom's ashes. If you opt not to get a swanky, expensive urn, they give you ashes in a cardboard box with a label gummed to the lid. The box is surprisingly heavy--or surprisingly light, whichever way you want to look at it.
In addition to TAXES and funeral home, neither of which were any fun (those were Mom's taxes, too; I did mine months ago), I called and canceled Mom's credit card, stopped by the utilities office to put the account in my name instead of hers, and got a cashier's check at the credit union to pay the funeral home. I also got my oil changed and bought a couple of books, which was less miserable. Still, not a good day today.
After all that, I felt I could safely pitch my diet out the window for tonight. I went out and bought a big slab of raspberry dark chocolate, and flowers for the dining room table. I've kept fresh flowers on that table since we moved in last fall, but I would have bought flowers tonight anyway. And since that cardboard box, which I've shoved onto the mantel for the time being, looks so bare and sad, I bought some white ribbon to tie around it. And I bought a pair of underwear because A) they had stars on them and I will buy anything with stars and/or daisies printed on it, and B) when I'm depressed I buy chocolate, and when I'm really depressed I buy linens (because nothing makes me feel better like a new nightgown and fresh new sheets; although I often buy nightclothes just for the hell of it, so anyone keeping track out there wouldn't necessarily be able to tell if I'm sad or just wanting a new set of pajamas). Anyway, when I checked out I realized with some embarrassment that with the flowers, chocolate, ribbon, and underwear, I looked like I was gearing up for a night. I wonder if the clerk is still wondering what I plan to do with the grapefruit juice I also bought.
There are still a few things on my list I didn't get to, but I figure I did pretty well today. These things have to be done. They're not pleasant, but they're all part and parcel of being connected with other people.
In addition to TAXES and funeral home, neither of which were any fun (those were Mom's taxes, too; I did mine months ago), I called and canceled Mom's credit card, stopped by the utilities office to put the account in my name instead of hers, and got a cashier's check at the credit union to pay the funeral home. I also got my oil changed and bought a couple of books, which was less miserable. Still, not a good day today.
After all that, I felt I could safely pitch my diet out the window for tonight. I went out and bought a big slab of raspberry dark chocolate, and flowers for the dining room table. I've kept fresh flowers on that table since we moved in last fall, but I would have bought flowers tonight anyway. And since that cardboard box, which I've shoved onto the mantel for the time being, looks so bare and sad, I bought some white ribbon to tie around it. And I bought a pair of underwear because A) they had stars on them and I will buy anything with stars and/or daisies printed on it, and B) when I'm depressed I buy chocolate, and when I'm really depressed I buy linens (because nothing makes me feel better like a new nightgown and fresh new sheets; although I often buy nightclothes just for the hell of it, so anyone keeping track out there wouldn't necessarily be able to tell if I'm sad or just wanting a new set of pajamas). Anyway, when I checked out I realized with some embarrassment that with the flowers, chocolate, ribbon, and underwear, I looked like I was gearing up for a night. I wonder if the clerk is still wondering what I plan to do with the grapefruit juice I also bought.
There are still a few things on my list I didn't get to, but I figure I did pretty well today. These things have to be done. They're not pleasant, but they're all part and parcel of being connected with other people.
April 7, 2012
Staying up late
My Goodreads giveaway had 1,401 entries! My God! One of those people won, and I've shipped the book off to her. One thousand four hundred and one entries. Wow.
The cat is demolishing one of his jingle-balls (the one with the feather, I think) in the living room and I'm still up because I'm waiting for the dishwasher to finish so I can start the washing machine. Tomorrow is Easter. I think I'll walk down by the river and think about things.
I hope the weather is pleasant wherever you are. I hope everything is as good as can be expected. I hope you have a good book to read.
The cat is demolishing one of his jingle-balls (the one with the feather, I think) in the living room and I'm still up because I'm waiting for the dishwasher to finish so I can start the washing machine. Tomorrow is Easter. I think I'll walk down by the river and think about things.
I hope the weather is pleasant wherever you are. I hope everything is as good as can be expected. I hope you have a good book to read.
March 31, 2012
The difference a week makes
On March 25, last Sunday, I went on a long (4.5 hour) hike through Clear Creek. It was a lovely, sunny day and I took lots of pictures. This afternoon, once the daily storms had moved off, I hiked up to Observation Point for my end-of-the-month photo of the view, and took lots more pictures as I went along.
Well, I thought it was green last week. But look at these pictures, the first taken last week, the second taken today:
And no, I didn't monkey with the filters or shop anything. Spring is just exploding all over the place. This was the warmest March on record and very nearly the wettest. We've had storms almost every night, daily temperatures consistently between 70 and 85 degrees every single day. I'm not complaining, because it's been awesome, but it does make me worry about the summer. I think it's going to be very, very hot by July.
But in the meantime, it's just gorgeous out there.
Well, I thought it was green last week. But look at these pictures, the first taken last week, the second taken today:
And no, I didn't monkey with the filters or shop anything. Spring is just exploding all over the place. This was the warmest March on record and very nearly the wettest. We've had storms almost every night, daily temperatures consistently between 70 and 85 degrees every single day. I'm not complaining, because it's been awesome, but it does make me worry about the summer. I think it's going to be very, very hot by July.
But in the meantime, it's just gorgeous out there.
March 30, 2012
But first an outline
I think it might be almost time to start my new project.
The problem with being a writer is the constant influx of story ideas. In my case, they're all ideas for novels, which take a relatively long time to write. Sometimes I think an idea is a short story idea, and when I start writing it turns out I've got a novel idea after all. Sometimes I think an idea is ripe, and I get five or ten or fifty thousand words in and realize I only had half an idea. (Outlines help with that problem, but I don't always do an outline.) I always intend to come back to those half-done projects (like Little Sparrow and How Christopher Kaplan Learned to Lie and Adventures in Zoology). But time is short, and there are always new ideas crowding in.
I was messing around with the sequel to Misfits, which has a working title of Unsung Math Genius. But I'm hesitant to write too much on it while I'm still querying agents for the first book. I don't want to jump the gun on the direction the series takes.
So I've been doing some editing and a little bit of writing here and there instead. And then BAM! An idea smacked me upside the head. It's YA, probably SF/F although that's an aspect of the plot I haven't resolved yet (the bad guys could be aliens or zombie type monsters or real life terrorists, depending on where I want to take the story).
Last night I figured out the main characters' names. Tonight: outline time. And then the first words.
The problem with being a writer is the constant influx of story ideas. In my case, they're all ideas for novels, which take a relatively long time to write. Sometimes I think an idea is a short story idea, and when I start writing it turns out I've got a novel idea after all. Sometimes I think an idea is ripe, and I get five or ten or fifty thousand words in and realize I only had half an idea. (Outlines help with that problem, but I don't always do an outline.) I always intend to come back to those half-done projects (like Little Sparrow and How Christopher Kaplan Learned to Lie and Adventures in Zoology). But time is short, and there are always new ideas crowding in.
I was messing around with the sequel to Misfits, which has a working title of Unsung Math Genius. But I'm hesitant to write too much on it while I'm still querying agents for the first book. I don't want to jump the gun on the direction the series takes.
So I've been doing some editing and a little bit of writing here and there instead. And then BAM! An idea smacked me upside the head. It's YA, probably SF/F although that's an aspect of the plot I haven't resolved yet (the bad guys could be aliens or zombie type monsters or real life terrorists, depending on where I want to take the story).
Last night I figured out the main characters' names. Tonight: outline time. And then the first words.
March 25, 2012
Give it away, sell it
With just over a week to go in my Dragon Whisperer Goodreads giveaway, I already have 703 people who've entered the contest. Good grief! They can't all seriously want the book that much.
I can announce the sale now since I've returned the contract: my story "Blood Oranges" has been accepted by Daily Science Fiction! I don't know yet when it will appear. The sale pleases me mightily because I really like that story and because DSF is a SFWA pro market! I don't write very many short stories so I don't make very many pro sales; this is only my second. Once I sell one more, I'll be eligible for SFWA membership.
Now I just need to write some stories.
I can announce the sale now since I've returned the contract: my story "Blood Oranges" has been accepted by Daily Science Fiction! I don't know yet when it will appear. The sale pleases me mightily because I really like that story and because DSF is a SFWA pro market! I don't write very many short stories so I don't make very many pro sales; this is only my second. Once I sell one more, I'll be eligible for SFWA membership.
Now I just need to write some stories.
March 16, 2012
How to be paranoid
Twice last year I needed a 'go bag' when I had to rush to the hospital after Mom was admitted, and had only a few minutes to throw some things together. Twice I was unprepared. (You'd think after the first time I'd have figured it out, but I'm kinda slow.)
But I resisted putting a go bag together until after my aunt and I were cleaning out some of Mom's stuff after she died. My aunt found the little suitcase Mom kept under the bed and said, "Isn't this the suitcase your grandmother kept packed in case she had to go with someone to the hospital?" And suddenly I didn't feel so paranoid at feeling like I ought to have a go bag.
There's a very useful Making Light post that gives some good tips, which I just reread. Now I have a small list of things I need to add to my go bag. Of course, my go bag is not just for emergencies; it's also in case someone ever says to me, "Let's go! Now! Adventure awaits!" Not that that will ever happen, but it might.
Instead of a backpack, I used a small, attractive (I think) messenger bag made of sturdy brown canvas. I can sling it over my shoulder and carry it comfortably, leaving my hands free, and it won't make me look like I'm about to go camping. Here's what I have in it currently, in case anyone else is interested in making one and would like some ideas:
*toiletries in two small makeup bags (they wouldn't fit easily in one bag, so I split them into things I need daily and things I need frequently but not daily)
*a light, sleeveless nightgown and change of underwear
*a washcloth
*a small notebook
*a ballpoint pen and a spare ink cartridge for the pen
*a paperback book (Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers, which I can happily read again and again)
*a few bandages and a tiny bottle of aspirin
*a spare pair of glasses
*one of those travel sizes of Kleenex
*my passport in a holder that also contains a few dollar bills and a card that tells me what to do if I lose my passport (of course, if I ever lose my passport I'll probably also lose the card, but at least I feel like I'm trying)
*a copy of all my important documents--driver's license, credit/debit cards, health insurance card, car insurance card, etc.--front and back. On the back of these two sheets of paper I've jotted a list of passwords to certain important websites (like my online banking account) that I don't use often. (In a weak stab at not making it entirely easy for anyone who steals my go bag to take over my identity, I didn't label the passwords or write down the matching login information.)
*a spare car key and house key
*a flash drive that I update at least weekly with whatever writing project I'm working on
*$100 cash
Things I plan to add to the go bag now that I've reread that Making Light post:
*flashlight
*space blanket (those things are really tiny and only cost like a buck)
*whistle
*wool socks
Even though that makes what looks like a mighty long list, the bag isn't heavy and has plenty of room left for small things that I need to add. I keep it in a hidden but easy-to-get-to location in my house (I'm not leaving it out where anyone can grab it, duh, it's got money in it).
If I do ever have an emergency that requires me to leave home on short notice--say, a flood or fire--or a weather emergency like a tornado that makes me have to leave while repairwork is done on my house, I've now got a bag that will make it a lot smoother to stay a few days in a hotel or shelter. And if I ever need to go with someone to the hospital again, I have a book, a nightgown, and dollars for the vending machines--and those little comforts make all the difference, trust me.
But I resisted putting a go bag together until after my aunt and I were cleaning out some of Mom's stuff after she died. My aunt found the little suitcase Mom kept under the bed and said, "Isn't this the suitcase your grandmother kept packed in case she had to go with someone to the hospital?" And suddenly I didn't feel so paranoid at feeling like I ought to have a go bag.
There's a very useful Making Light post that gives some good tips, which I just reread. Now I have a small list of things I need to add to my go bag. Of course, my go bag is not just for emergencies; it's also in case someone ever says to me, "Let's go! Now! Adventure awaits!" Not that that will ever happen, but it might.
Instead of a backpack, I used a small, attractive (I think) messenger bag made of sturdy brown canvas. I can sling it over my shoulder and carry it comfortably, leaving my hands free, and it won't make me look like I'm about to go camping. Here's what I have in it currently, in case anyone else is interested in making one and would like some ideas:
*toiletries in two small makeup bags (they wouldn't fit easily in one bag, so I split them into things I need daily and things I need frequently but not daily)
*a light, sleeveless nightgown and change of underwear
*a washcloth
*a small notebook
*a ballpoint pen and a spare ink cartridge for the pen
*a paperback book (Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers, which I can happily read again and again)
*a few bandages and a tiny bottle of aspirin
*a spare pair of glasses
*one of those travel sizes of Kleenex
*my passport in a holder that also contains a few dollar bills and a card that tells me what to do if I lose my passport (of course, if I ever lose my passport I'll probably also lose the card, but at least I feel like I'm trying)
*a copy of all my important documents--driver's license, credit/debit cards, health insurance card, car insurance card, etc.--front and back. On the back of these two sheets of paper I've jotted a list of passwords to certain important websites (like my online banking account) that I don't use often. (In a weak stab at not making it entirely easy for anyone who steals my go bag to take over my identity, I didn't label the passwords or write down the matching login information.)
*a spare car key and house key
*a flash drive that I update at least weekly with whatever writing project I'm working on
*$100 cash
Things I plan to add to the go bag now that I've reread that Making Light post:
*flashlight
*space blanket (those things are really tiny and only cost like a buck)
*whistle
*wool socks
Even though that makes what looks like a mighty long list, the bag isn't heavy and has plenty of room left for small things that I need to add. I keep it in a hidden but easy-to-get-to location in my house (I'm not leaving it out where anyone can grab it, duh, it's got money in it).
If I do ever have an emergency that requires me to leave home on short notice--say, a flood or fire--or a weather emergency like a tornado that makes me have to leave while repairwork is done on my house, I've now got a bag that will make it a lot smoother to stay a few days in a hotel or shelter. And if I ever need to go with someone to the hospital again, I have a book, a nightgown, and dollars for the vending machines--and those little comforts make all the difference, trust me.
March 11, 2012
It's a pergola!
I have a weird work schedule anyway, but this week it was even weirder than usual--but that's good, because it meant that I got off work on Friday at 10:30am and then had the whole weekend free! Friday was chilly and rainy, so I went and saw a movie (John Carter of Mars, or whatever it's called; it was fun).
Saturday dawned beautifully sunny and warm, so I opened a gallon of exterior semi-gloss white paint and decided it was time to paint the front railing. So I did. It was honestly a perfect spring morning: birds singing, sun beaming, a light breeze fluttering my hair, people walking by with their dogs calling greetings to me. By the time I'd finished painting the railing, it had dried, so I went back and did a second coat.
So then I went around and painted part of the back porch, but didn't do all of it because I decided it was time to paint the pergola.
I didn't know what a pergola was until we bought this house. It's a open trellis that doesn't have a roof, and of course the house has one. It's old and needs repair and/or replacement of many of the beams, and it badly needed painting. So I got out the stepladder and got to work.
I started painting the railing at about 9:15 am. By the time I ran out of paint while working on the pergola, it was a quarter until two. I took a shower, changed clothes, and went back out and washed and waxed my car. Because apparently I get my energy from the sun like flowers do. And I mowed the front lawn (badly).
I finished painting the pergola today and finished the first coat on the back porch, which looks very nice but will have to wait for its second coat at least a week because it's going to rain rain rain all week long. I also repainted the white adirondack chairs in the front of the house. And I have a sunburn, a strained muscle in my arm, a full-body crick in my neck, and so much paint left on my skin I look like I have leprosy. But by god the house looks great!
More pictures, including a bonus Jekyll pic:
The pergola. Disregard the clutter underneath it, which I need to rearrange (and some of it goes on the back porch but is not on it currently while the paint dries).
The back of the pergola, by the garage:
The back porch. Once the second coat is on and dry, the red chairs go back on the porch:
And finally, Jekyll the cat who wishes I would play with him instead of painting constantly:
Saturday dawned beautifully sunny and warm, so I opened a gallon of exterior semi-gloss white paint and decided it was time to paint the front railing. So I did. It was honestly a perfect spring morning: birds singing, sun beaming, a light breeze fluttering my hair, people walking by with their dogs calling greetings to me. By the time I'd finished painting the railing, it had dried, so I went back and did a second coat.
So then I went around and painted part of the back porch, but didn't do all of it because I decided it was time to paint the pergola.
I didn't know what a pergola was until we bought this house. It's a open trellis that doesn't have a roof, and of course the house has one. It's old and needs repair and/or replacement of many of the beams, and it badly needed painting. So I got out the stepladder and got to work.
I started painting the railing at about 9:15 am. By the time I ran out of paint while working on the pergola, it was a quarter until two. I took a shower, changed clothes, and went back out and washed and waxed my car. Because apparently I get my energy from the sun like flowers do. And I mowed the front lawn (badly).
I finished painting the pergola today and finished the first coat on the back porch, which looks very nice but will have to wait for its second coat at least a week because it's going to rain rain rain all week long. I also repainted the white adirondack chairs in the front of the house. And I have a sunburn, a strained muscle in my arm, a full-body crick in my neck, and so much paint left on my skin I look like I have leprosy. But by god the house looks great!
More pictures, including a bonus Jekyll pic:
The pergola. Disregard the clutter underneath it, which I need to rearrange (and some of it goes on the back porch but is not on it currently while the paint dries).The back of the pergola, by the garage:
The back porch. Once the second coat is on and dry, the red chairs go back on the porch:
And finally, Jekyll the cat who wishes I would play with him instead of painting constantly:
