Call Me Rembrandt

There's so much more to painting than just filing some nail holes and slapping on a coat of paint.

First, take off all the door trims -- without damaging the drywall. Check.

Next, rip up the carpeting in the hall and on the stairs and cut it about a foot away from all the other walls.  Check.

Then, so as not to impale any people or puppy feet, pry up all those little nail strips that hold the carpeting in place. Can you say, "pain in the butt?"  Those suckers splinter.  Especially when there are three inch nails holding some in place. Like they require three inch nails. Mission accomplished -- without bloodshed I might add.

And then it was time for the main event. After about 25 hours over the past week the joint is finally painted.  Two coats...except for the part of the entrance hall that requires the scaffolding.  Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.  Even managed to get most of it on the walls.  I was going to title this entry Call Me Picasso, but that would have painted a whole different picture as to my abilities...if you know what I mean.

Oh, and my plinkplink?  Disappeared as mysteriously as it began (knock wood), despite endless days of heavy rain and some snow thrown in for good measure.  

Curiouser and curiouser.  Call Me Alice?  


Book Review:  The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches is the 6th in this series by Alan Bradley and I've been faithfully following along since the beginning. There is just something about 11 year old heroine, Flavia de Luce that strikes my fancy.  Maybe it's her love of poisons.  This latest instalment takes the series to a whole new level and in an entirely different direction.  Good thing too or they could have started to teeter towards tedious.  They are a fun, quick read and sometimes that's all you really want.  New to the series? Starting at the beginning is a must.