Satisfying Saturday

I worked my butt off Saturday.

Started out by getting a haircut at 9:30 AM, then went to Home Depot for some paint and painting supplies. (Helpful Hint: Never, EVER go to Home Depot on a Saturday morning when you need to get some paint mixed up.! It's a zoo!) Then went grocery shopping and finally got home just after noon.

This weekend's project is to paint the garage door and Jake's patio door. The garage door is white, and its bothered me since I moved here. When the siding on the house could best be described as almond, why buy a huge white door? Sticks out like a sore thumb. Actually, after being at Home Depot, I know why. Yes, you can get garage doors and storm doors (I need a full-view one for my patio, but that's another project) in almond, but they are all special order, none in stock, and cost more. But, I'm starting to ramble on here...

So, got the hose, scrub brush and a bucket of soapy water and washed the garage door. There is a metal strip that covers the edge on one side, but not on the other, so cut some wood strips about 1 inch wide and put it up. Used paintable caulk that had to dry two hours, so I'm off to Jake's patio door.

Jake never used that door while they were here. In fact, he suspected it was the entry point for the little ants Redford is famous for each Spring, so he got some of that spray insulation foam and sealed the bottom (you'll see in the "before" picture). So, I used a razor knife, screwdrivers and a putty knife and with great difficulty, removed it. Then I washed that door. Found the upper edges of the panels had surface rust on them, so got some steel wool and went over it. Did I mention its a steel door, and, while we did paint the inside when we moved here, the outside is still the original blue-gray color? Another odd color-choice.

So, while everything was drying, went inside and had lunch and a 20 minute nap (excellent choice).

Then came out and got started. There are 32 separate panels on the garage door and 6 on Jake's door, so, brush work took a l-o-n-g time, and roller work was a snap. Got the first coat on and things cleaned up just after 7:00 PM. Looks pretty darned good, but will need a second coat on Sunday (groan - my arm is about falling off!)

Went in a made some fried chicken legs, enough for dinner (with leftover sweet corn) and several snacks. Hey, if you gonna make a mess, make a lot of food, right?