I had really thought we were going to get done on Tuesday but we got started too late in the day and I kept running into one frustration or complication after another. Like I had forgotten that behind that set of louver doors in the living room was a closet…that still had some odds and ends in it, which then reminded me that I had left the linen closet in the bathroom full of stuff- to be cleaned out later. Well, now was later.
Linen closets are odd things. It used to be when couples got married they got their linens for life; or at least for a good portion of it. Now, couples get too many towels that they end up throwing out after they move out of their first apartment….and if every bed has more than one pair of sheets, it is a rarity. And comforters and homemade quilts have replaced the lowly blanket. Does anyone remember the sheet blanket? The perfect cover….a tad more than an extra sheet and way less than a blanket/quilt/comforter. One of the things I have noticed in the antique stores and even at auctions, these sheet blankets are snapped up. They came in beautiful soft patterns and colors. They were cotton, lightweight enough to carry on a picnic, cover a piece of furniture, or comfortable enough to toss over you for a nap. Polar fleece is nice but it is polyester and does not breathe like cotton nor does it feel as soothing to certain skin sensitivities.
Well, back to the paint job. Without going over and actually counting buckets we used roughly 25 gallons of paint and it took us six days. It seems like a lot of paint and time but we did all the walls and the ceilings. The walls took two coats in order to thoroughly cover up any of the remaining old paint that we suspected had lead in it. As far as the amount of time, we were a crew of one and two. (With the second person learning on the job. BTW, she did marvelously!! And I am 100% thankful for her willingness to help.)
Wondering how the Momma cow is doing? Much better after, Hubby shoved a tube up a teat and drained out the udder. He said that it was a rather tedious procedure because the Momma didn’t much care for it. He called the vet and had hoped that he was going to come out and help but the vet was in route to a city far from here to pick up some rhinoceros. (Yes, we are kind of wondering about that as well.) But he was willing to give a phone consult while driving to points south and prescribed what he felt was needed. He sent Hubby over to his clinic to pick up the necessary tubing to insert into the affected area. So three grown men, with some fear and trembling, inserted this syringe into a teat and began drawing out the milk. Actually, I think one was watching, one was holding a tied down leg and Hubby did the inserting, fearing of having his arm broken after the process was completed. Hubby said they must have drawn out three gallons. Yesterday she still looked swollen but so much better that Hubby let her and the calf out of the pens. Hopefully, that crisis is over.
Hubby has suggested that we take the morning and the lunch hour to run off to the neighboring city to the big box stores in order to shop and think. While most folks would not consider this a date…for us it works. It will be a much needed break for me. I confess, I am tired but more than physically, I need a shift in focus for a few hours before I go back over and start the next phase of the work. Cleaning up the inside and then begin the exterior prep. The youngest of our group is absolutely wiped out. I was hesitant to use her help for fear that the work would set her back. While she would normally enjoy an outing like this she is opting to stay home and rest. Lyme does that to you.
Well, if I am going to get my afternoon work done I had better start moving toward the car.