It’s a State of Mind
I think it was 2 years ago this summer that I pulled 5300 pounds of asbestos/cement siding off my house. It was months of work on a ladder with a pry bar. Getting the actual siding off wasn’t even the worse part. After I got all that crap off the house I had zillions of nails I had to pull. They used a thin ring-shanked nail and if you didn’t pull it out slowly and straight you could leave a lot more than a tiny hole in the siding.
I thought I would never finish. It just went on and on. After a few months of this I realized I had another 4 to 6 weeks or so of work ahead of me so I started to kind of psych my self up for it. If someone made a comment about the weather I would reply with something like, “Oh yes, this is beautiful nail pulling weather”. It could have been 40 degrees with the rain coming in sideways and it was still perfect nail pulling weather. When a co-worker would ask me if I had plans for the weekend, I would answer with something like, “Well, I plan to get up early Saturday and get in a couple good hours of nail pulling in before breakfast. You know, there is really nothing like nail pulling first thing in the morning. It just gets the blood flowing”. All weekend activities I mentioned after that would either be actual nail pulling or some how nail pulling related. I got a lot of strange looks.
I’ve started to think that way about the plaster in the kitchen. It just seems to be taking forever. I think part of that is because I really don’t like it. It is just such an imperfect art form. Sheet rock isn't any better. Give me a piece of wood any day of the week. I can measure it and cut it and then re-measure to make sure it is what I want. Plaster doesn’t work like that. There will always be imperfections. It is very frustrating to work with.
But I must get it done. Yesterday I ordered the flooring. I have to get these walls done before the flooring arrives. So now I need to psych myself up. I must get in to this work no matter how much I dislike it. So, you know what I’m thinking now would be absolutely perfect. I think if I can get in one solid hour of plaster work before dinner that would be great. Nothing tops off a perfect day like a little plaster work. Fine wine, beautiful woman, plaster, and good music. These are the things that make life worth living. There is a light rain falling right now, but you know, this is perfect plastering weather. It really doesn't get any better than this.
5 comments:
wow, I can totally relate. I used to say when people asked what I was doing on the weekend, "stripping...wood." (haha)
home renovator humour I guess- that's why your nail pulling -plastering comments made me laugh too. There is some kind of major satisfaction in completing these arduous tasks though I must say!
Can't wait to see your plaster walls too.
Hello! Thanks for leaving the great comment! My husband could certainly relate to your drywall woes. He used to do all that for a living and couldn't care less now if he ever did it again. When he was contemplating the kitchen, which is 15x15 with vaulted ceilings, he looked pretty sad. LOL But then we decided to use the joint compound to texture the walls with an old, roman plaster look. That was more like art for him...he enjoyed that! And I love the results. (I'll be posting about that soon.)
Have a great night!
Maria
Way to keep a positive attitude. Nothing feels worse than a project that seems to have no end. But both your nail pulling and plaster stories have made me giggle. My office project seems to grow LARGER daily instead of smaller, so I can relate. Hang in there!
The people I know don't ask me any more, "What are you doing this weekend." It's not because they don't care. They just know the answer.
Right now since I'm mostly doing painting they take notice of the new color on my paint pants at work (I work for a company that has a uniform, I where what ever to work). "Oooo, that's a nice shade of blue," says co-worker. "Thank you," I reply. "I'm trying that one out in the mudroom."
You made me laugh with your talk of psyching yourself up. I also find myself talking about work on the house in glowing terms ... but my motivation is more so that people won't make those obnoxious "I told you so" comments.
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