Working Man Blues

I woke up at 6:15 on Saturday. It’s supposed to be sunny, warm and (big surprise) no rain. So the first thing I did after throwing on some clothes was to go out back and turn the water on for the sprinkler I’d set up last night. Then I went back inside and had a cup of coffee.

I only ran the sprinkler for an hour. I’ve watered this area before and that gave me 1/4 of water. Then I put on the square head sprinkler and did the vegetable garden. When that hour was up, I moved the square head sprinkler to the last place I wanted to auto-water, just outside Jake’s patio (where I had that big maple removed). It’s another place where there’s not much shade and so it burned up. I set the time for another hour (my water bill is going to be frightening!)

When that timer went off, I put my brace on. I shut off the sprinkler and started carrying buckets of water to the back and yes, Jake had reminded me that I do have a hose zip-tied to the fence for watering way in the back, but this just seems easier, somehow. Plus, I can use the exercise in both my arms and legs.

While I was back there, I checked things out and saw that the honeysuckle was starting to grow back into the roses (or maybe I didn’t get it all like I thought). So, I got my gloves and anvil pruner and cleaned them out (scratched the hell out of my arms, though). I also saw that the raspberries I transplanted two years ago from the vacant lot next door were actually bearing fruit this year. I also noticed my on-going war with the kudzu was nowhere near over. Neither was my battle with the trash.

I took some pictures for you as well as one of the peonies. I can’t figure out why one is doing so much better than the other. They were the same size when I bought them and I planted them the same way (over-sized hole, filled in with Miracle-Gro fertilized garden soil and topped with mulch) and water them together. Hmmm...

I came in when the sun started getting hot. I saw it was noon already and I had indoor work to do, as you know. I took my brace off and had a cup of coffee for a break before moving on to the tile.

Rested up, I got to work. First order of business: painting the caulked cupboard. Since I had the paint out anyway, when I finished the cupboard, I did a second coat on the baseboard and 3/4 round molding behind the stove (Yes, I know no one will see it, but I also knew it needed it) and finally I touched up the pantry door where it had hit the trash basket for all these years. I opened the kitchen window so the smell wouldn’t bother the cats or me.

I put the top back on the paint can and wrote on the top “kitchen cabinets.” Why? Because I always assumed that I would recognize left over paint, but found it wasn’t that easy years later. I’ll do that to all the other paint cans if and when I use them. Then I washed the brush out really well and hung it up to dry (I had bought a good one for a change and didn’t want to throw it away, like I usually do).

Then it was onto the molding on the top step. First step (no pun intended) was to get the carpeting off. I managed to get a screwdriver under it on one side and pulled with pliers. Thank God they didn’t glue it on, they just attached it with a LOT of staples. Some came off with the carpeting, the rest I pulled out with a pair of needle-nose pliers.

I heard the air conditioner kick on (I had it set at 80, BTW) so I closed the kitchen window.

Next I had to remove the molding from the side of the second step. I cut the paint with the razor knife and pried it off. I took a photo for you at that point.

I cut the gold carpet seam strip to length and nailed it on the face, flush to the bottom. The I cut and added the stair edging. Unfortunately, it was not long enough to cover the nails in the carpet seam strip, as I’d hoped, but it doesn’t look too bad (see photo and remember, I had to get on my knees to take that shot).

Next I cut and installed the tile on the stair riser (where the carpeting used to be). My back and knee was really starting to hurt (remember, this was all bending and/or kneeling at that point), so I thought I’d better quit for a while. I checked the time and it was almost 4:00 PM! So, before I quit (deciding it was for the night, then) I pulled off the carpeting on the bottom step.

But, there was another, new problem. When they put down the ceramic tile in the downstairs, they grouted the carpet bottom in! I had to get and use the cold chisel and a hammer to bust out the carpeting (which did not improve the look of the grout at all!) I cleaned up the mess, took a pain pill and really did quit for the night (after checking all the garage lights were off and the doors were all locked).

I laid down on the bed with my brace off until I stopped throbbing – that took quite a while. Jake gave me a quick call to tell me that it was so hot down there that the “cold” water from the tap felt lukewarm, even after running it a while, at least to his Michigan-born fingers.

Then I went out and heated up some leftovers for dinner. I went back to bed to watch some TV but never made it past 9:00 PM before I fell asleep. Which is how, I learned Sunday morning, I missed a call from my Brother Carl at 9:30 PM Saturday night… Sorry – I’ll return your call at a more decent hour today.