The Deep End, Fire Goat
My day off yesterday was taken to try to get everything inside the house as ready as possible in preparation for the interior being painted this weekend. When I got up in the morning I saw a bunch of grey, potentially menacing clouds. When I looked at my weather app I saw that there was a 40% chance of rain. When I came up with the plan to use the lanai as a storage dump there was no precipitation in the forecast. As a result I had some things in the uncovered area which I then had to shove back underneath, just in case. Luckily no rain fell and I was able to push things back out into the open, I had no choice.
I tried to be systematic, as much as possible, focusing on one room/area at a time. When I could, I opted to move furniture outside if I could as less is more in this scenario. Before very long the amount of things that were piled up outside were approaching hoarder like visuals.
I took a break around lunch time to go play pickleball with the gang which was a nice distraction from the chaos at home. Since I was off I was able to stay longer than normal, playing a couple games of singles with Jeff. I was totally on fumes by the end. By the time I got home I only had maybe 90 minutes of time to do more work before I had to take Elsa up to Babcock Ranch so she could stay with Ali and Shugs for the weekend. I made a stupid decision and left the house about 4:20 which inserted me right into the absolute worst time of rush hour. I sat in stop and go traffic on I-75 forever. I was frustrated with myself for not planning my timing better.
Elsa was thrilled to see Ali and Shugs. She has been stressed out by the upheaval in the house without a doubt. Seeing familiar faces in a familiar surrounding was good for her. Sadie came out when she heard me for a bit but then quickly returned to the bed where she spends most of her time. She has made a slight rebound from the low point she had earlier in the week. It was good to see her. Ali invited me to stay for pizza which would have been nice but I still had a bunch of stuff to do at the house so I had to reverse direction quickly.
The final push last night was grueling. I just was tired both physically and mentally but I labored on as there was no other choice. I made the commitment, I had to finish. The pile of things on the lanai kept swelling to the point where I only had narrow pathways through it. About 9:30 at night I called it. There were a handful of things left to do but I set an early alarm to knock them out. With no TV on the wall anymore my laptop and YouTube were my substitute. Before I went to bed I did one walk through of the house with my phone to establish the BEFORE scenario.
I have a very long track record of taking on big projects solo fueled by determination or stupidity, depending on the scenario. However as I walked throughout the house even I could hardly believe that this was done almost entirely by myself. The amount of stupid determination just leveled up. Throughout this process there have been numerous times where I felt like I was tossed into the deep end, it’s a good thing I know how to swim.
Of course the fun has only begun. Once the painting has completed I then have to bring everything back inside the house. Taking stuff out was not a surgical process, it was blunt force. Not much care was taken when I was ripping things out so setting things back up is likely going to take even longer than pulling it out. I am already anticipating now taking Monday off as well to give me ample time to do the work.
Franks crew showed up on time again at 7 this morning. He was impressed by how much I got cleared and his people started working immediately. I am sort of in a weird place where I feel like I should be around but the inside of the house is basically uninhabitable right now as everything is covered in plastic and paint rollers are moving everywhere. When I asked him if he thought this could once again be a one day job he wouldn’t say yes but he didn’t say no.
Since there is a good chance I will not have an operational TV tonight I am thinking about just going to the bar at Brooks to drink some of my stress away while I watch the Eagles/Giants game at 8:15. I have a couple friends that have offered to come help me on Sunday bring the big stuff back into the house which will be a large help. Asking for help is something I have never been good at, in any regard.
I was talking to a friend of mine the other day. They asked me what my Chinese zodiac sign was. I had no clue, I only know my normal western zodiac sign is Sagittarius. I gave my birthday and year and was told that I am a Fire Goat. The Chinese Zodiac is a bit more specific where the year of your birth is significant and the day then adds additional detail. When I looked at the description of a fire goat it was a bit scary how on point it was in regards to my strengths and weaknesses. One of the things mentioned was a crazy level of determination when it comes to getting things done, imagine that. It was interesting reading about the different animals in the Chinese Zodiac and how they relate to one another. Do I believe this stuff is always true or accurate? Who knows, it is as believable as much of the other things that mankind has subscribed to throughout history. Look up your sign and see what you think.
Back to work…..