Bruce A. Borders: work project

Monday, August 31, 2015

Better Left Unopened

So, I think I’ve opened up a can of worms! No, not literally. I’m not going fishing! The can of worms, I’m referring to is the home maintenance one of repair and beautification, something I’ve neglected in recent years.

If you read last week's post, you may remember that I spent the previous week, my vacation, painting my house. That has resulted in the realization that I really needed to catch up on some other long overdue projects. And these projects are all related, entangled together with each one leading to two or three more. Thus, my analogy of the can of worms. I start one project and soon have a list of others.

I’ve replaced the back door; installed one with a window so we can see out onto the deck, which needs a few minor repairs and treated, along with the cedar fence. I’ve repaired the door on one of my sheds, so it actually closes properly! I’ve replaced the front entryway carpet, which was completely worn out. There was only a thin piece of carpet to cut out around the edge before the new carpet could be cut and installed. I’ve sealed up cracks in the driveway. I cut some new trim boards, and attached them, painted the front door, repaired the gate, and... well, I think you get the picture. Can you see all the worms?

The good news is, only so many worms will fit in a can. Problem is, I’m not sure what size can I’m dealing with. I should know since I’m the one who opened it! But no.

What I do know is I’ve now spent more than two weeks working on my house and not getting much else done. (Maybe I should have left the can closed). But the house is looking nice so at least I have something to show for my effort. And, I think I’m almost done! Thinking can sometimes lead to trouble though! Could be opening a whole new can of worms! ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and paperback on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS. Bruce A. Borders is a proud member of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Monday, August 24, 2015

The Vacation Cover Up

After sixteen years, I decided it was time to paint my house. Way past time. Paint isn’t really supposed to last that long. The house didn’t actually look that bad—until you actually looked at it!

But I was sort of dreading the job. Typically, painting requires much more than simply painting. First, everything needs to be cleared away from the house. In my case, this meant cutting the twenty-two rose bushes, getting rid of the weeds, and cleaning all the junk stored in partially hidden areas. Then, all the dirt has to be cleaned, loose paint scraped off, any minor repairs taken care of, and all the cracks caulked.

Once primer has been applied to the bare wood areas, it should be time to paint. But what color, or colors? Should it be left the same? Modified slightly? Or, should the color scheme be changed entirely? If it’s changed what color should it be? What color for the trim? There are literally thousands of ready-made color sets, as a trip to any paint store will attest. And, if the colors they have aren’t enough, they’ll gladly mix any color you want.

Decisions. Decisions.

Ah, but in my case, this was the easy part, I let my wife decide; with only a couple of conditions—no pink and no green. (I didn’t really have to worry that much, I doubt she would want a pink house and she doesn’t like most greens either). I figured my strategy would give me plenty of time to prep the house and allow me to put off painting for a month or so. But no. Within a week, she had decided. The house would be Commuter Grey, which is actually a dark blue with a slight hint of purple, and the trim would be Fluffy Biscuit, a yellowish creamy color that looks just like the light golden color on the top of a biscuit. Makes me hungry just looking at it.

So, last week, on my stay-at-home vacation, I spent most of my time outside painting. Never realized how big of a house we have. It doesn’t really seem that big from the inside. Of course, that could be due to all of my stuff—or, junk as my wife calls it.

It was a great vacation project. I needed something to do anyway! And the weather was awesome; plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the hundreds, and no rain! Yes, it was a little hot but it is August! Besides, painting in the summer can be cool—if you find the right shade.

I’m happy with the way the it turned out, it looks like a new house. And although painting is a lot of work, I had fun doing it. And now I should be good for another sixteen years, right? Maybe not. But for the moment, the job is finished. Which is good because I have other things to do—like go have a biscuit, a fluffy one. ~