Yesterday I had a glorious massage after SEVERAL days of mixing and spraying 2-gallon containers of weed killer, and then switching to 6 hours of using the power washer a couple of days ago, cleaning outdoor furniture, our deck, and the back sidewalk. My body was really anticipating the miracle that is Lynn Moody, my massage therapist. 479-629-7601. I spent the rest of the day reading, resting, and sleeping. AHHHHHH! I capped it off by getting a good night’s sleep last night.
Not even the fact that today is supposed to be very rainy can dampen my spirits.
We’ll go to Lunch Bunch in about an hour, catch up with our friends while enjoying chicken fingers, and then hit the local grocery store for supplies before coming back home.
Weather permitting, I’m hoping to gather the first harvest of the season from my veggie garden! My mouth is watering for a salad made with lettuce and spinach from our own garden.
I hope that you are safe and well. Enjoy your Friday.
After all the power washing I did this week – 9 chairs, our deck, and the back sidewalk, I kind of limped around all day yesterday, stiff and sore and not the least bit motivated to do much, my body is really looking forward to some pampering today. I got a good night’s sleep last night – except for an hour or so when I went downstairs to read some more – so this massage will finish off a nice bit of pampering.
The weather forecast is such that I will probably have to wait until at least Saturday to do the power washing I want to do in the front – the porch, front sidewalk, and garage pad – plus, I will see what it does on the water stains on some planter bricks.
I’m not sure what the rest of the day will hold, but the sun is shining brightly and I’m almost on the way to get a massage. I can imagine few better ways to start a day.
My husband recommended Ashfall by Mike Mullen several months ago. I was too engrossed in re-reading other books to try it until a couple of days ago.
I was thoroughly caught up on the first page and read as much as I could each day, finishing it this afternoon. It is a ‘youth’ series, written for teenagers. My husband usually chooses books with LOTS of violence, but he was caught up in the story, as well, and recommended it to me, thinking I would enjoy it.
This is a 3-book series – Ashfall, Ashen Winter, and Sunrise (with more to follow, I hope) about teenagers caught in the utter catastrophe of an eruption of the super-volcano that is Yellowstone.
I was totally caught up in the characters, situation, emotions, decision-making and more of this first book. I CARED what happened to these people and reacted as they did as they met each obstacle.
I have ordered the second and third books, plus another called Darla’s Story, and can’t wait to find out what happens next.
One of the LAST ways I thought I would describe myself is a ‘power washer’ person. That changed when we got one and I tried it several years ago.
Most of the time I clean things and the ‘miracle’ lasts for 30 seconds or so until it’s time to do it again. The power washer does a REALLY good job, it’s FAST, and it STAYS done for the season – or maybe TWO!
My husband set up our power washer this morning. When we got back from errands, I went out to clean the 4 chairs from the porch and the 5 chairs from the deck. By the time I was finishing the last chair, my husband was handing me other things that could use a good, powerful wash, like the hanging things for the porch, a couple of stools, a laundry basket, a dog bowl, and a basketball.
By the time I finished, I just stripped off my wet jeans and spread them out to dry out there. I left my shoes, too.
I’m going to do some serious resting now. We’ll have some lunch and maybe a nap, and then I want to power wash the floor of the deck. I can finish the rest tomorrow or the next day, but we can get the fresh chairs – dried in the sun – back where they belong, plus get the hanging things put on the floor on the porch. (We, of COURSE, are expecting rain tonight.)
My power washing project will include finishing the whole deck, and then the sidewalk that goes from the deck to the garage pad, the pad, the sidewalk that goes to the front porch, that porch, and then I think that will be it for awhile. This may take me a couple of days.
I truly LOVE a tool that makes your life easier, and the power washer is something I NEVER would have thought would have gone at the top of my list.
Safe Elite Transformations 479-849-0520 started work for us on the Friday before Easter. I found them through Home Advisor. Cliff called right away, made an appointment to come look at what we needed, gave me a price for replacing the porch ceiling, repairing the roof soffit where squirrels had gotten in and were wreaking havoc – chewing wires, chewing a hole through the ceiling, etc., plus hanging a new shutter we had bought and needed installed on the 2nd floor of the outside of our brick home. He told me when he would call with a price, and he didn’t keep me waiting. I accepted and the work began without delay.
They quickly tore out the old sheet rock. They were careful removing our fluorescent light fixtures and ceiling fan. Cliff told me he appreciated the good job I had done getting everything on the porch out onto the deck. They got the new sheet rock up in a day, I think. They were very careful on the mudding and taping – even tearing one part off and redoing it because it didn’t meet their standards for excellence. Their ‘texture guy’ came and did a beautiful job of adding texture to the ceiling before painting. It really is an art.
Here is a picture of the finished ceiling with the fluorescent fixtures and ceiling fan back up.
We expanded the contract – at my instigation – to include painting the rest of the woodwork on the porch. I knew – having painted it before – that you have to use roller AND brush and it takes forever.
So now I feel we have a new porch. The only exception to that is the floor, which will address at a later time. The guys spent a long time on cleanup, cleaning our brick as well as possible, our painted door, and especially the floor, which two of them mopped at least a couple of times. They were careful to take all the trash away. There is no sign of anything in our yard or on the deck that a work crew was here.
My husband and I moved the table back onto the porch after they finished last night, and hauled 4 long pieces of painted wood from the previous ‘fix’ that we might use for another project to our shop.
This afternoon we will get our power washer out and I will try to get chairs clean. We have 4 that go back on the porch and another 5 that live on our deck.
I will go through the rest of the stuff on the deck, cleaning the things that hang up, creating a pile to go in the donation pile, and throwing away some things.
I feel I have a new porch. The Safe Elite Transformations guys are good people and hard workers. I can’t say enough about how nice it was to work with them, their competence, their passion for excellence. No ‘ranking’ is high enough. You will be lucky if you get them to do work for you.
I love this painting. Sorry, but I am unable to read the signature to give credit.
I have told you that we are having to have our ceiling replaced on the porch due to an invasion of squirrels who ate wiring and chewed a hole through the ceiling. The painter is out on the porch today, finishing up the project! Their company name is Safe Elite Transformations 479-849-0520, but I secretly call them the “Band of Brothers”. Cliff Harden is the owner, and his brothers, Jared and Cameron (among others) work with him. They are honest, hard-working guys. I trust them. They do what they say they will do. They will work with you. I am waiting to give feedback on Home Advisor until the job is completely finished, but I will give them the highest possible rating.
Yesterday I stared mixing up KillzAll Weed Killer. My container with a sprayer holds two gallons. I filled it up and sprayed things 6 times yesterday. At that point I was pooped and stopped for the day. I hope to finish the job today.
Our weather is beautiful. I hope that you are having a great day, too.
“When your horse follows you without being asked, when he rubs his head on yours, and when you look at him and feel a tingle down your spine…you know you are loved.” ~ John Lyons
Claudia Rodriguez
“For one to fly, one needs only to take the reins.” ~ Melissa James
Marisol Guerra
“I am still under the impression that there is nothing alive quite so beautiful as a horse.” ~ John Galsworthy
SaatchiArt.com
“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and freedom.” ~ Sharon Ralls Lemon
driftwoodhorse.co.uk
“There is something about riding down the street on a prancing horse that makes you feel like something, even when you ain’t a thing.” ~ Will Rogers
Heather Jansch
“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill
I’ve been spending time lately on Pinterest, especially on the home page where ‘someone’ provides pics they think you will be interested in. It’s a little bit, creepy, to be honest, because someone is getting it right.
A thing I like lately is yoga poses for women like me – women who have no interest in folding themselves into paper airplanes and might be carrying a bit more meat on their bones than they would like. There are some wonderful down-to-Earth women, some of whom make ME feel better about myself and my lard, who are truly impressive in their ability to manipulate their bodies to get into poses I have honestly avoided. I have selected all kinds of stretches in my own practice, but these new poses will allow me to expand my horizons without having to have my husband call the paramedics to get me off the floor when my practice is finished and may also result – with some good work on my part – with a stronger core, less pain and stiffness, and an ability to move much more easily.
It’s funny. Normally I don’t like seeing clothes for sale on plus sized women. Somehow, I stupidly cling to the illusion I could look more like the model if I bought whatever it is. But seeing ‘meaty’ women truly amaze with their flexibility gives me hope that I, too, can improve more than I have been.
I have printed several of the articles and poses and plan to try at least one of the articles this afternoon, after I have finished carrying my 2-gallon sprayer full of KillzAll around the yard. (I have sprayed TWO containers-full so far.) I will be tired, stiff, and sore, the perfect condition for stretching, relaxing, and trying a new pose – or 5 – since they are supposedly for beginners, to see how well they work for me.
I’m truly energized by what I found on the Home Page of Pinterest – even though it IS still a bit creepy… :0)
I just love dogs. I see the portraits of dogs that talented people do and my heart simply melts. It amazes me that talented artists can draw so well, but they capture the personality of the sweet dogs, too, and that takes my breath away.
Annette Balestreri Gallery-dailypaintworks.combydonna.co.ukLynda Seal Milleremail09.godaddy.com
Today is a gorgeous day in Arkansas. The sun is shining and it’s 55 degrees outside right now. It may make it to 80 this afternoon! Since I finally finished the main part of the weed whacking around the yard in the past few days, I’m planning to use my two-gallon sprayer to spray KillzAll all around the yard and planter edges, under the deck, and under my garden planters today to see if I can get a leg up on the weeds around here. I will probably do the spraying in several trips so that hopefully my back doesn’t yell TOO loudly afterwards. :0)
Tomorrow at least one of the guys in the crew that has been replacing our porch ceiling and doing a couple more handyman jobs – SAFE ELITE TRANSFORMATIONS– CLIFF HARDEN – 479-849-0520 – will be here all day to paint the porch. Things started with them just doing the new ceiling, but then we expanded that to include painting the rest of the woodwork on the porch. That will allow ME to concentrate on using the power washer to clean up the outdoor chairs, and then continue on to include the front porch, sidewalks, driveway pad, and the deck. This is a big project and will take me several days, if not a week, to finish. (with cooperation of the weather)
There is a lot to paint, so I’m assuming it will take most of the day. Then two fluorescent light fixtures and a ceiling fan need to be put back up, and then a lot of clean up. This may take through Tuesday.
Right now the deck is piled high with ‘stuff’ from the porch. I have promised myself to get ruthless about what goes back on the porch. Using my new ‘LESS IS MORE’ philosophy combined with Marie Kondo’s idea of only keeping things you really need or give you joy, I’m planning to donate a lot of things and throw away others, consolidating what is left. I’ll post pics when the porch is back together.
I hope that your Sunday is shaping up to be a fine day, too.
We had quite a storm last night – heavy rain, gusty winds, hail, flying hairballs…. I went out this morning to see what havoc had occurred.
Two of my three new azaleas were pretty battered, but I’m hoping they will perk up once they get a chance to catch their collective breaths.
My garden plants seem to have come through fine. As you can see, one of the next jobs will be to spray weed killer under the planters.As you can see, I need to pull off yellow leaves and weed this tomato planter. The ‘nook’ tomato planter is looking pretty good..
I’m feeling very lucky that the hail storm didn’t decimate my garden, as they did one year in the recent past. I’m trying to ‘hold my mouth right’ so the good luck continues. :0)
I wish I loved close to this so that I could support the people who designed it. It makes me smile right down to my toes. Who could resist spending time in here?
I have been enjoying the work of several of my favorite authors the past few months. I re-read all of my Nora Roberts collection, including those written as J.D. Robb. Then I re-read my Robert B. Parker books, enjoying his Spenser series, Jesse Stone series, Sunny Randall series, the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch books, and his stand alone books. Right now I’m reading a new-to-me Nora Roberts book I missed somehow, and have a new book by John Grisham that my husband recommended waiting.
I feel so lucky to be able to escape from any worries I have by diving into a well-loved book or a new one by an author I like. What a luxury!
going through the things I brought home when I closed my booth in Greenwood for possible listing on my Amazon Handmade page
getting really serious about getting the scales and measuring tape to go in the right direction
Things are definitely getting better around here. We have repaired or replaced several things, and the list of things remaining on that list is definitely getting shorter. The porch/shutter/roof-soffit seal project is coming to a close very soon and I’ll be able to get the things piled on the deck cleaned up and put back on the porch, put in our donation pile, or thrown away. The garden is in and survived the latest hail storm.
I have NO excuse for feeling ‘down’ and unmotivated. This is not like me. So, even though it is anatomically impossible, I am at least giving myself a VIRTUAL kick in the rear to get up and get SOMETHING accomplished until my regular upbeat-ness returns.
In this endeavor, I will set ONE goal for the day. Today’s goal is getting the vacuuming on the first floor done – the carpet on the first floor includes the living room, foyer and office. Tiled areas include the pantry, dining area, kitchen, hallway, utility room, and two half baths. If I get this finished, I may set another goal for the day.
I’ve always been a PRO-crastinator, but enough is enough.
Today is starting off very well. The man who specializes in ceiling texture is here to work on the new porch ceiling. I talked with him when he arrived, and he said he should be gone by the time we may have some bad storms this afternoon.
I’m not sure what the plans of the rest of the crew are. The ceiling needs to be finished and needs time to dry. There are two fluorescent fixtures and a ceiling fan that need to be rehung. The rest of the woodwork needs to be painted, and then clean up before we can start to move things we have stashed on the deck during this project.
The whole project included attaching of a new shutter to the 2nd story of the front of the house to replace the one that fell off after a winter storm and shattered. Two of the guys ended up removing the window and screen on the 2nd floor and both of them hanging out the window to get this accomplished. I’m still SO grateful that my husband didn’t have to tackle this project. He was telling me it was no big deal to go up on an extension ladder carrying the screws, anchors, and shutter up to the 2nd story, then balancing trying to attach the shutter. Yeah. Right.
A second part of the project was to seal off the place on the roof soffit where squirrel had gotten in and wreaked havoc on wiring in the attic and the porch ceiling.
And then we needed a whole new ceiling to replace the one that was threatening to fall on us – probably while we were trying to enjoy a meal out on the screened porch.
I went to Home Advisor to find a multi-talented group who could handle all three and hoped for a price we could afford. Luckily I found Safe Elite Transformations. The main company is Cliff Harden and his two brothers, Jared and Cameron. You can hire them through Home Advisors, or can call Cliff direct at 479-849-0520.
I honestly can’t say enough about this company. Cliff respects his clients. He listens. He does what he says he will do. If he won’t be there at the time he told you, he calls and tells you a new time. He explains what he’s doing so you’re not in the dark. There is a passion for excellence. He is not satisfied with “good enough.” He strives for perfect. I highly recommend him.
Soon I will leave for Lunch Bunch. My husband will stay home in case there are problems or questions. I’ll bring him some chicken when I come home.
Hoping the forecast-ed severe weather bypasses us this afternoon and evening. I wish YOU a wonderful Friday as well.
My body is letting me know that today might be a ‘take it easier’ day. Yesterday my husband and I did some cleaning out of our shop.
It was half as large as it is now when we first had it built. Now it’s 64’x24′. It’s a wonderful place. We have been able to set up some ‘work stations’ in there, so we don’t have to move so many things when we’re working on our projects.
It’s also large enough that we can be kind of sloppy about how much we keep out there. My husband started the clean out yesterday. Then he came and got me because about 25% of the shop is ‘mine.’ We cleaned out a whole lot of ‘stuff’ that should have been thrown out a long time ago. My husband burned it in our burn barrel, so now it looks like someone might care about the building – hence, my body complaining. :0)
Several of the yard critters we have made over the years are badly in need of a spruce up. Sun, wind, rain, and temperature changes are really hard on things that are outside. (We discovered that most recently when one of the shutters on the front of the house simple fell off the screws and anchors attaching it to the brick and shattered on the rocks below.)
I have cleared my work table now and will work on a critter we call a “box turtle” first.
This is when he was freshly painted, several years ago. Now he is in MUCH need of a thorough washing and extensive repainting. I’ll work on him as I can, and then put him back out in the yard, bringing in another critter to refurbish, working my way around the yard.
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