Painting Party

It would be particularly inaccurate to describe what my Favorite Panamanian and I are going through right now as a party because there is nothing festive about it. This is what happens when two Panamanian ladies are left to their own devices amidst shopping venues. Nature just flat hates a vacuum. My wife had been making noises about redecorating the first floor of our home all summer but decisions are not her strong point so we hadn’t progressed beyond the idea stage so far. That all changed on Saturday. I was pleasantly surprised at being left unsupervised all day, recovering from First Friday exertions. That’s why so many movies fell in my A-Z watch (see below).  I thought my Favorite Panamanian was running a couple quick errands with the Neighborhood Mafioso although I did become a bit concerned when they were gone for the entire day.

The Baseboard Gaps

A Couple Speaker Mounts from Prior Owners Also had to be Removed

They returned and the spouse was brimming with happiness as the Mafioso had gotten her through the decision phase. We were now new owners of some really nice curtains for the living and dining rooms. I would have been happy if that was the only damage done. They also decided before the major muscle moves of the redecoration, all the walls had to be repainted. You can see where this is going. So there we were on Sunday at the Home Depot, as my Favorite Panamanian was once again in her decision fog; so many colors to chose from. I should mention at this point that I was/am on board with the effort because when we put in the French doors out to Deckzilla last year they had to move the trim surrounding the opening in. That left a half inch gap in the painted surface and the baseboard. That sounds minor, I know, but it was in my direct line of sight whenever I say down to eat, so kind of right in my face.

Living Room Stacked

Dining Room

Let the Taping Begin

I’ve learned not to spend time with my wife when she’s trying to make decisions. I get frustrated, which she picks up on and that adds to the drama. The Army kind of expected me to make decisions and I struggle to understand what is so difficult about it for her, but it certainly is. We arrived at the Depot with colors already chosen for the walls but that was before she saw al the possibilities. I got the supplies I needed for my baseboard project while awaiting her process. We eventually compromised and we left with two samples to test on the dining room walls. Neither of those samples were ever used (but I’m not allowed to throw them away?!). I went to bed around midnight and found her perusing additional color choices online. She decamped into our closet for additional perusing time. Monday morning she proclaimed she had made a decision! All new colors for the dining room and entry hall while a re-painting of the existing colors for the living room/kitchen.

Deckzilla Doors with Repaired Gaps

Repainted Entry Hall

After returning from my Monday swim workout, I was put to work on the re-painting because she figured I would do less damage than if she trusted me with the trim painting (probably a valid conclusion). I had to make another trip to the Depot because I bought what I thought was painter’s tape but both rolls turned out to be blue duct tape. The Depot had stacked a huge supply of this tape in the paint department so someone not paying close enough attention would buy that instead of painter’s tape. I’m not saying that’s what happened to me but if anyone needs some blue duct tape, I know a guy. One of the good outcomes of the extended decision process on Sunday was my Favorite Panamanian finding some new painting tools, one of which I am a confirmed fan of. It’s a metal straight edge you use to keep from getting paint on ceilings when you reach the top of the walls. I love it.

Dining Room Re-Painted

Kitchen Painted

I completed my surgical fixing of the ½ inch baseboard gap on each side of the deck doors. I’ll never be mistaken for a finished carpenter. I’ll admit it, you can stop laughing now. It would have made more sense to just buy complete sections of the baseboard, measure and cut to length, but I wanted to see if I could insert a small piece, cut to size, to plug the gap. I was a little dubious but it worked out fine. A less than prodigious amount of spackle was also involved. I re-made the same mistake I have over the past few years by thinking I could work as hard and as long as a much younger version of myself could. I just kept going on Monday, forgetting to take breaks and finished both the living room and kitchen. I finished around eight o’clock at night and then I paid the price. My ever-observant Favorite Panamanian said I was walking around like her ninety year old father used to. I felt substantially older than that.

Gap Repairs

I tried to be smarter today as I tacked the dining room and entry hall. In both locations the new paint was much lighter than what it was covering so at least two coats were needed. Lovely. I eschewed the usual Tuesday workout, realizing, after Monday, I would need whatever energy the body was capable of. It’s the constant bending over (when did that get so difficult!). We have moved all our possessions into the center of the rooms leaving alleyways near the walls to be painted. The one exception is the huge hutch in the dining room. That’ll have to be emptied before moving. I was willing to try but I wife muttered something about all the glassware inside and my proclivity to break same.

Sudsy FBR

Today went much better despite the two needed coats. I’m not allowed to comment on the colors chosen but as I was painting I mistakenly opined that both of the two rooms looked like white paint. I was then given an in depth explanation that one contained some gray and I’m sure she told me what the other one contained as well. Listening wasn’t my strong suit at this point. By dinner time the rooms were done (except for behind the unmoved hutch (that’s tomorrow). While I was slinging paint my Favorite Panamanian was working just as hard with the trim, which required a lot more bending than mine. She has this miracle cream from Panama that I believe contains some THC which does wonder for the very sore back. That plus some Tylenol (extra strength don’tcha know) will get me through tomorrow. This went longer than I thought but, as you can see, not a very festive time. I have to admit though, my Favorite Panamanian has once again proven to have a lot more style sense than her husband. The new walls look great. Meanwhile, down in New Jersey, the FBR found herself submerged in suds over the weekend. If the accompanying photos are any indication, she was thoroughly enjoying it.

Five movies fell in my A-Z watch, all keepers, Eiger Sanction, Eastwood climbing mountains to kill people; El Cid, a true epic and young Sophia Loren, MY GOD!!!; El Dorado, same movie Duke made a couple times, this is the one with Robert Mitchum as the drunk sheriff, still plays; Elektra, Jennifer Garner in red tights and swinging blades; and Elf, a true Christmas classic, impossible not to smile while watching.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course