Requiem For A Paint Brush

Little Paint Brush, so soft and hairy,

You've dripped so much on me I glow like a fairy.

Spreading paint so smoothly upon the walls,

The end result is really worth it all.

Dipping in all kinds of paint colors,

Up and down, back and forth showing up paint rollers.

But alas, when washing again to get you clean,

Your bristles still have the remains of paint sheen.

Where green is now white and cream looks like black,

Spreading new paint comes out so bad that I'm taken aback!

The swirls are not good, the paint blends are off color,

Now the walls look like some kind of horror.

You've labored hard and I've been your fan,

But now it's the end for you and time for the trash can.

I'll miss you, my friend, and remember your feel,

But I'm still trying to get  all the paint off my heel.

A good job you've done and I'll always be proud,

Of the way you made our house stand out from the crowd.

So sleep well my friend, in well deserved paint brush heaven,

You've done the work of any other seven.


PS:  Yes, I think I've inhaled too many paint fumes. 

Good thing I'm not driving the Journey... :c)

Caught Between Two Worlds

Do you know that place between sleep and wakefulness?  That warm, fuzzy location where you are starting to wake up but you sort of want to go back to sleep.  You know you have to get up but you want to hit the snooze button and keep your eyes shut just a few minutes more.  You're in between two worlds.

We are all creatures of habit.  I am entrenched deeply in some habits, especially when it comes to living in the same house for 13 years.  It's a comfortable world, everything has its own place and you know where things are without even thinking about it.

Last night, despite all the upside-downess (is that a word?) of our house, I took a deep breath, cinched up my pants a little higher and went into the kitchen to prepare a home cooked meal.  I looked forward to it, we've been so busy lately that it's been grab a meal on the go.

I opened the lower cabinet to get the skillet out...and it wasn't there.  Instead were a couple of neatly placed muffin pans and a bowl, courtesy of the Caring Transitions folks.  One of the tasks they completed last weekend was to minimize some of the pots, pans, dishes and assorted kitchen gear and stage things to look neat and inviting.  However, you can't cook a skillet dish in a muffin pan, so I went on a "seek-and-ye-shall-find" mission.

After rooting around all through the neatly organized  cabinets, all the while muttering to myself, I found the skillet wasn't in any of them, it was in a box in the corner of the kitchen that is destined to go to the Journey and be swapped out with the old skillet we carry in it.

Okay, skillet on the stove, now the recipe called for 1/3 cup of water.  I reached up to the cabinet over the stove where the measuring cups are and I found several little bottles of red cinnamon candies you decorate cookies with and two small jars of jimmies, all neatly arranged like soldiers marching in formation.  But no measuring cups. 

Marti saved the day, she heard me muttering to myself a little louder so she jumped in and handed me the measuring cups before I broke down in tears.  They are now in a drawer where we used to keep odd, seldom used cooking implements, aka, the "Junk Drawer".

With Marti hovering close by, I was able to get the meal cooked without slitting my wrists and it tasted good.  So we now find ourselves in the position of how we used to live in our home and how it's getting set up to appeal to buyers.  The new world.  And this was just the "fun" I had in the kitchen, what's going to happen when the Caring Transitions folks come back this weekend and get the whole house staged?  I'm really glad that the bathroom fixtures are just that, fixtures.  So I don't have to worry about a middle of the night potty call with me looking for the toilet and finding it staged in the garage or something.

I hope I can last long enough with our "new" world to sell the house without having a nervous breakdown.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

Marti's Musings: Day 2 of This 'n' That

Well, the dreaded clothes chore is done - pretty much anyway.  I have clothes in the MBR that I will need for work etc until we can hit the road.  We filled 4 bags to donate, and I filled a closet that Carol and her crew can sell or donate.  I also filled a large box of items to add to the sell pile.

We did double duty today, as not only are we sorting our stuff - we also have to move everything off carpeted areas.  Not as easy as it sounds as our entire 2nd floor is carpeted except for the bathrooms. 

So, 6 bags of trash, 4 bags of donated clothes, a box of 'to sell' late and a bag of memorabilia later (cannot part with the love letters from Paul!) - we have piles everywhere - except on the carpet, of course. 

Oh yea, another trip to Lowes and now we have ordered new kitchen flooring. (did you hear them cheering when we walked in??)  The LAST order from them.  So, by next week - all should be DONE - and ready to put on the market. Another house, similar to ours, just went up for sale, and at a much higher price than we were thinking.  Woo Hoo.  Hopefully that is a good indication for us. 

The light is at the end of the tunnel!  ~Marti