I Think I Can...

I Think I Can, Therefore I Can...


I've possibly mentioned before about a thousand times that the Texas house became beyond neglected while I was in Colorado. Apparently guys just don't see "stuff".

Eighteen months ago when I was in town I tackled the upstairs bathroom that 16 years ago we foolishly thought three kids could share. They did share but not without a fair amount of drama, most of which is still ongoing. Standards of cleanliness vary between the male and female children.

But anyway, the girls and I started stripping the original, very tired wallpaper and then after we were also very tired we gave up the stripping and just sealed the stuff. Over the last 16 years the wallpaper had become "one" with the  sheetrock underneath.

Original wallpaper.

Lovingly removed in 3" strips.

That paper around the mirror was NOT going to come off.  Once I came down from the chemical high from the oil based sealant, the Boy and I learned to texturize walls.

Wallpaper gone, walls textured

and painted. 

HUGE improvement.

YouTube is a wealth of information.
So are knowledgeable friends.

Then we painted. At some point a glass shower door was installed by the male inhabitants here. This was a very good thing since over the years, the knowledge of how and why to use a shower curtain had waxed and waned within my kiddo's heads.

Which gets me to this weeks project.
Baseboards.
The geniuses that built this house used MDF baseboards everywhere, including the wet areas of the house. MDF is Medium Density Fibreboard which is supposedly a pressed wood product. I'm pretty sure the stuff in that bathroom was pressed paper. No matter the composition, once wet this stuff expands. And cracks.


The baseboards in all the bathrooms are cracked and peeling. Shower curtains and sink drains are NOT idiot-proof.

I neglected to take a pic of the upstairs trim but "fortunately" 

the downstairs bathroom trim has the same problem. 

Cracked, separating, peeling paint.

If you don't put the shower curtain in, 

or if you plug the sink, turn on the water 

and get in the shower, the bathroom will flood.

Yesterday I decided I could replace baseboards. Removing them should be a snap- cut the caulk line with an Exacto-knife then pry them off. With only 14 linear feet of wall space involved, this should take 20 minutes tops.

Four hours later I was done.

Builder Bob had installed the baseboards, putting the finish nails low to the subfloor, THEN installed the tiles. And grouted. And caulked. With the swelling over the years from water exposure, those baseboards were in there TIGHT.

No problem, I figured I could pry them out.  Forty minutes into the first 30" run on the first wall, I almost gave up. I figured I just wasn't strong enough.  That had to be the problem because the boards would NOT come out of their gap.

I took a break, ate lunch, regrouped. Decided I had to be strong enough, there was another problem.

That was when I discovered those very low- now below the level of the tile- nails that were holding the trim back. Aha! Those rats.  I couldn't pull them out but I could sneak the needle nose pliers down between the wall and the trim and twist those suckers out.

Like I said, four hours later the baseboards were gone. I was left with huge gaping holes between the floor and walls.

Like the wallpaper, the trim also came off in 3" strips. 

What a mess. 

BUT!!
I did not put the hammer through any walls, I did not crack the toilet or the bathtub and I did not have to make even one trip to the Emergency Room for stitches. So I consider that a win.

This morning I mixed up some grout that will not match even though the color name is the same. I've just resigned myself to that fact and am hoping it won't matter. I stuffed a whole box of grout into those gaps and am waiting for it all to dry. (And maybbbbeeeeee turn into the correct color? Nah. Won't happen.)

Was I using the correct tools? Wait? Fingers aren't the correct tools?

No...

Do I care?? No....

Wiped the edges down, waiting for the haze to dry.

Yep, messed that wall up a little.

I've given the new baseboards a coat of enamel paint.  Tomorrow I will cut and nail and caulk.

Linen Enamel Paint. 

Probably the trim color for 90% of the houses in Sugar Land.

The moral of this story? If it isn't perfect it will still be an improvement on what was there.
If I think I can, then I probably can.
Project Sixty by Sixty was conceived with the idea that you are never too old to learn or try something new.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

A BFI. (My friend Cherrilla taught me this term.  Short for Big F**king Idea.)

HGTV needs to hire me to be the Nicole Curtis of the "over 60 home remodeling" set. I could learn on the job how to do all this stuff that requires skill and practice but is NOT brain surgery.

I will need some hunky helpers, please.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Hopefully the finished project will be on next week's blog. Hopefully. 

No. 2: Go to the Orange Show

No. 2: Go to the Orange Show


First: The Back Story

The Orange Show Monument in Houston is the creation of one man, Jeff McKissack.  His goal was to honor the orange, healthy eating and hard work. He did this by building a  "maze of walkways, balconies, arenas and exhibits decorated with mosaics and brightly painted iron figures. "  *  

Orange Show Entrance

It wasn't painted orange because someone told 

Mr. McKissack "orange wasn't a very good color."

McKissack was born in 1902 and had many jobs including trucking oranges, welding in a naval shipyard and delivering the mail in Houston.  He never married but did propose once to a woman. She turned him down and after that he decided he could not afford a wife and never tried again. (Poor baby.) 

A conglomeration of wheels, metal birds, and mosaic tiles (with sayings meant to encourage healthy living and the love of oranges) makes up the show.  Started in 1956, Mr. McKissack worked alone on his project until he died.  He opened his exhibit to the public in 1979 with the anticipation that 90% of the U.S. would want to come. When the crowds failed to appear, he quickly went downhill and died 7 months later. (Again, poor baby.)

 The wheels were a big theme.

Mosaic sayings, tile work, lots of welding.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is the foundation in Houston that runs The Orange Show and also keeps the Beer Can House open. The Big Guy and I went to that before his 21st birthday.  One man covered his entire house and yard with beer tabs and lids.  Because, why not?
They also organize the Art Car Parade, which was No. 3 on my list to visit. Cars turned into visions of art.

Our Experience:

So anyway, last Thursday morning the Big Guy and I went exploring the mazes of the Orange Show. I was totally inspired by all the mosaic sayings tiled into the walls. I was also a little bewildered by the fact that the whole place was supposed to be honoring the orange. It didn't seem to have too many orange references....but maybe that was just me.

 The Big Guy admiring Mr. McKissack's handiwork.

 Loved these mosaic hearts.

Isn't this bit of mosaic tile work sweet? 

Afterwards we wandered down to Smither Park that is under construction at the end of the street. It is also part of the Orange Show foundation. Being built in honor of John Smither, a supporter of folk art and the Orange Show, the park has a wonderful back wall of mosaic tiles anchoring swings, a pavilion and a giant fish grotto. It's going to be magnificent once it is done.

 I found my throne! 

Can't wait until it's finished. 

 A mosaic bunny with sharp pointy hair. 

Not a park for small children!

Isn't he wonderful? 

A mosaic clam.

The Take-away:

I am always intrigued by people whose passion inspires them to create.

Jeff McKissack found a way to channel his passion and energy into an homage to the orange and healthy living..
John Milkovisch, the creator of the Beer Can House, found a way to insulate his house, recycle his beer cans and - bonus!- create a fabulous work of folk art when he started nailing beer can tops rather than tossing them.
Jim Bishop of Bishop Castle in Colorado (I visited here) took his abundance of rocks and knowledge of welding and built himself a true castle.
Passion. We could all use more of it.

(Also, welding seems to be a very useful talent if you want to create a giant work of art!)

No. 2 marked off the list.

It's a Sign

Give me a Sign!

In Big City, Texas we live in what is called a "Master Planned Community".   That means it is a lovely place to live and raise children but there isn't a lot of personality allowed architecturally.   Signs and buildings and landscaping are all heavily regulated.   That is great for property values but does not allow for much creativity. 

But where I get to live in Colorado has creativity galore.

I love creativity. 

And I love a sense of humor.


So it really tickles me that the city of Salida has not sent someone out to "fix" these stop signs.  I know the stickers have been up for at least a couple of years…and I think longer than that. Not that I am condoning vandalism, but hey! if you are going to vandalize city property you might as well do it in a way that brings a smile to people's faces.

See?

Why, this one could even qualify as a PSA.

Stop Burning Dinosaurs. 

Food for thought as I am idling in my car at the stop sign.

I love this one. 

Definitely a cultural reference.

From 1990!

See: MC Hammer: U Can't Touch This

(Music video kindly included below)

                           

U Can't Touch This. 

Love those pants.

(And if you can't see this- for some reason I have not perfected "embedding"-

please click here.)

Another PSA.

There are at least two of the "Stop Gossiping" signs in town. One near the High School.  That was probably wise. 

And this one says;

Stop Laughing at Danzig.

Another cultural reference.

Ok, I confess. I had to look this one up. It didn't ring any bells with me. Danzig? Who is that?

He's a horror punk rock/ heavy metal guy-Glenn Danzig of The Misfits- and apparently excels at making a fool of himself.

Here are a couple of links to explain: here and here 

I know Boy has a t-shirt with The Misfits logo on it:

I've sent this logo through the wash more than once.

So here's to creativity and a sense of humor.  

And if you feel like being creative, here's a link to some similar stickers.  Use at your own risk.

I'm not condoning anything.

Happy 22 years to my Boy

Happy 22nd Birthday to Boy.

I have to say, Boy would hate it if he knew I was posting about him on here.
So please don't tell him.

Fortunately he isn't too big on social media so maybe he won't see.

I confess we haven't been seeing eye to eye too much recently but he is my first born, my only boy and I love him like only mommies can.

Not on Santa's knee but close enough.

This photo from Christmas is a favorite because he has a great smile on his face and I love that the kid will still "see Santa" even if he is almost 22 years old.  Besides, he's a bit more cleaned up than usual.  That always makes a mom smile.

I'm glad I had him.
He's talented and creative. ( Like his mama!)
And stubborn and individualistic. (Unfortunately also like his mama.)

Happy day.

No. 12: Take a snow skiing lesson

No. 12: Snow Skiing Lesson.

So No. 12 on the list was to get myself a snow skiing lesson.

And since I'm in Colorado and we just had a boatload of snow, I really didn't have much excuse to not follow through on this one.

See?

Plenty of snow.

But I have to say, this was probably the scariest and most "I want to but I don't really want to" of all my challenges.

I've always wished I was raised in one of those families that put their kids on skis when they were three. But I wasn't.

Instead, to me, skiing was just one of those things other people did. 

But the snow was there, the temperature was perfect and Boy had already asked to go to the ski area so there was  NO reason why I couldn't take a lesson.   I hoped the classes would be full, but they weren't. Again, there was NO reason why I couldn't take a lesson. 

Boy had one snowboarding lesson 4 years ago yet

he had no problem picking it right up. 

Kids..

Getting my boots on. 

Still hoping the lesson might be cancelled.

  

.

So I was out there on the bunny slope with three other much younger, much more adept, beginning skiers. 

This is the part of the lesson I aced.

My name and where I was from and what was my experience- 

I knew all the answers.

And you know what?
This has got to be the stupidest thing ever but since my only experience observing skiers has been watching the Olympics, I did not realize that I was not supposed to go straight down the mountain.
I could not understand why the patient instructor was teaching us to turn this way and that.
Traversing?
That was the whole point?
News to me. 

*

This is not me.

And somehow I never realized that skiers were turning as they came down the mountain.

But looking at pictures I couldn't find a single one with a skier coming straight down. 

Hmmm. 

About an hour into the class I had a huge reality check.
I am not in the excellent physical shape required for snow skiing.
And that knee I broke FORTY years ago is not as strong as the knee that has never been broken. Muscles were squealing and I could tell that the left leg was working much harder than the right one. My right ankle was joining my right knee at the pity party.

Me in the pink jacket looking awkward. 

But at least I'm upright. 

The more I practiced, the weaker my muscles got. 

I confess. 

I ducked out early.

Once I decided to duck out, 

I still had to get down the mountain.

Or the tiny slope. 

But I'm not giving up entirely.

I really feel like if I worked out a little, I could do this. (Why, o! why is my horse in Texas? Those horse riding muscles are the ones I need.)  Maybe yoga class would help.
Especially since now I have the concept down.
Maybe I need a private lesson.
But plenty of people ski, people older than me,  so I'm sure I can figure it out. 

The hubs says maybe I need to realize my limits. 

Nah. 

It's a Boo-tiful Morning!

Happy Halloween!!
It's a Boo-tiful Day!

Busy, busy and no pre-prepared post for today. Shame on me.  Running a bit late.

Instead I have a collection of ghosts and goblins and spirits from Halloween's past.

My kids don't usually read my blog much which is a good thing. Unfortunately for them, some of their friends do read it. I may be in trouble tomorrow.

But this is probably the closest I will get to trick-or-treaters out here in the country.

We've had:

Lala and a Geisha-

Love that Teletubby.

A butterfly.

A pirate and a Raggedy Ann

                                               

A devil.

(I won't say anything about playing to type here...)

Another devil and a... rockstar?

Boy has a theme going here..

I believe KISS inspired.

 Also rockstar inspired:

(And that moment where the parenting skills lapsed)

Teenage daughter as Amy Winehouse

At least it is just a Coke bottle in her hand.

Halloween Spiders and...

Halloween cats.

Halloween Hillbillies.

Another Halloween cat.

Plus Pikachu.

 Even some Halloween moms playing with a group selfie in the baño.

Not sure what these girls were- but 

the Halloween cast on Bunny was real.

And to make your Halloween complete, a recipe for dessert tonight.

Severed Halloween fingers:

Red or green food coloring if desired
Sliced almonds
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:

Heat oven to 350°. I line my cookie sheets with Silpat liners.

Separate 1 egg. Set aside the white. In a small bowl, whisk together yolk, remaining egg, and vanilla. Set aside.

In the mixer, combine butter, confectioners' sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add egg mixture, and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, and mix on low speed just until incorporated. You can add the food coloring at this time or leave them "natural".  Wrap the dough in plastic, and chill until firm, at least 20 to 30 minutes.


Take out small chunks of dough at a time, keeping the rest chilled. Roll each piece back and forth with palms into finger shapes, 3 to 4 inches long. Pinch dough in two places to form knuckles. Score each knuckle lightly with the back of a small knife. Transfer fingers to baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.

When all fingers are formed, brush lightly with egg white. Position almond nails; push into dough to attach.

Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.

To make the knuckles more creepy just shape them big and uneven. To keep them from puffing out too much roll the fingers extra skinny (skinnier than you want them to look if that makes sense). Try to get them out of the oven before they brown.

(Recipe adapted from here.)

Happy Halloween.

And this morning on my walk I passed 22 of these:

You know what that means, don't you?
Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

Back in Town: Observations on Living Two Lives

Back in Town: a few observations about spreading myself around and occupying two places....


Belle and Bunny and I went back to Texas over the weekend for a quick visit.
Carlos stayed in Colorado and went to the kennel.
Obviously one of us got a bum deal!

I had low expectations for my own entertainment since I knew I would be driving Bunny around while she got herself gussied up for Homecoming.
Homecoming in Texas is a whole 'nother ballgame compared to Homecoming in Colorado.

Homecoming in Colorado. 

No mums, no garters. 

Corsages and boutonnières instead.

Look at all those ribbons! 

Just like big Texas hair, 

the bigger the better when it comes to mums.

A garter had to be procured for Bunny's date. This is a big Texas tradition. I figured that would be easy but nooooo.
Michael's craft store would not accept an order over the phone.  Period. No way. "It's against the rules."
Okay.
A Facebook plea garnered an innocent victim volunteer: a poor friend who had NEVER ordered a mum or garter before. Michael's made her run around the store picking out ribbons and trinkets and while she had NO IDEA what she was doing- the final results were spectacular.

Bunny and date.

With mum and garter.

Both girls insisted on getting their hair done while they were in the "big city".  I was brave and got mine done in Colorado before we left and couldn't be happier. A cut and color for half what I usually pay and I can't tell you how many people told me my hair looked great.
Apparently Texas does not have a corner on the market for "perfect blonde highlights".

I truly did not think I would have time to do any visiting.
Thankfully I was wrong.
I got lunch with one friend, coffee with another and a chance encounter at dinner with yet another.
And I got to see my horse and a couple of barn friends, too.

I got to see Boy and of course, the hubs. The hubs had been in Colorado the week before and I talk to him all the time, so I hadn't really had a chance to miss him.
But Boy.  Haven't seen him in over two months and he isn't much of a phone talker. So it was nice to spend time with my oldest child even though he was possibly not as happy to see me as I was to see him. Sometimes we don't see eye-to-eye.
I did get this photo which totally warms my heart. He pretends to be gruff but he's a softy at heart.

 Me, Clara and Boy.

"Hey cuz. Can I have a bite?

The parents aren't giving me real food yet.

I won't tell."

But best of all, and totally unexpected, I got to spend time with the youngest and oldest members of my family at the same time.   My brother and sister-in-law came into town and there was a big ol' gathering at my parent's house.  This was especially lovely since it was the one year anniversary of my other brother passing away and it was a treat for the remaining ones of us to gather.

Clara and Colby (6 months) with the peeps (1075 months  and 1090 months)

My nephew in Utah had taken my brother's/his uncle's ashes up to Yellowstone and scattered them on Saturday. Brother Paul gets to spend his eternity in Wyoming, a place he never visited but always wanted to go to.  I guess it's true: It's never too late.


                                             

And some little observations.

I walked into the Texas house and thought "There is stuff here that I haven't seen or needed in 2 1/2 months. I need to purge."
There will be a major cleansing in December.

...

The second thing I noticed was that we left a LOT of animals at home for Boy and the hubs to care for.
A lot.
Three cats, one of them very old and needy.
A turtle.
A chinchilla.
A Beta fish that will turn two next month.
Every one was still alive and mostly doing great.
The old cat needed a bath and a good brushing but I am sure they will do better now that they realize he really can't groom himself.
Otherwise all was good.
We can replace that molding on the wall where someone didn't realize that chinchilla's chew.

Ruby says "YUM!"

This used to be my dining room wall. 

Well, it still is, but now it has "character".

...

Remember the little photo of the bunny footprints in the snow on my Colorado front porch?

Bunny feet prints. Must have been researching his dining options.

Well, while the dog was away, the bunny played. And ate.
That bunny systematically trimmed the flowers off of half of my chrysanthemums on the front porch.  Very neatly. Looks like he used some tiny scissors.

A very neat little bunny- with very sharp teeth.

...

Food that I was greatly anticipating didn't taste as good as I expected.
Tex-Mex!! Come to mama!
Except- meh- it was okay.   Maybe I wasn't in the mood.

Grimaldi's Pizza- a weekly favorite in Texas- must  have been having an off night.  Either that or Moonlight Pizza here has stolen my heart away.

And I brought back a present for Carlos.  An item of clothing that never in my entire life did I expect I would have a need for.  I went shopping in the "Duck Dynasty" section of my local Academy and purchased a one piece "step in, zip up, go" camo jumpsuit to wear while walking Carlos.
At 7:00 AM  I am incapable of making warm clothing decisions and am very hesitant to actually get out of my nice warm jammies. This outfit "stylishly" solves that problem. Stay in the jammies, cover up and clip on that leash. I will blend into the landscape- no one will even notice if I haven't brushed my hair. (Because I won't have....)

Nope. Not modeling this one...

So....  back in Colorado and pretty happy about it.

I'm working on No.16: Write a letter every day for a week.
First off is a note to the Colorado occasional neighbors. They stopped by while I was away from the cabin and asked Bunny some questions about who cleared our property.

And ....  I will be spending the week traveling back and forth to Colorado Springs.
One of the main reasons I bought the car that I have is that the dealership is less than a mile from my house in Texas.
Unfortunately the "check engine" light is on and it needs to see a Colorado dealer.
That dealer would be over 90 miles and two hours away from my cabin. Hopefully I can run the car in tomorrow morning, get it magically serviced while I kill time in the Springs and then retrieve it and be home by dinner. If not, I will have to come home and then do that trip again once it is repaired.  
Friday I get to go back to the Springs to see the girls cheer for their last football game.
I just drove in from the Springs last night when we came into the airport there.
So maybe I'm not so happy about this little aspect of being back in Colorado.

At least it is a pretty drive....

(OK. Yes, I am happy about being back here. I just walked into my living room and there is a beautiful doe standing about ten feet from my door, grazing away. I just LOVE that. As long as she stays away from my flowers.)

Off to write a letter...