Home Improvement's Become a Real TRIP!

Gotta love home improvement!

The desire to paint the living room, dining room, foyer, and upstairs hall came in late 2008, as we were about to celebrate 20 years in our house.  I'll return to this thought in a moment.

Back in the late '80's, the builder's white on the walls was looking bad.  I was so young.....35!  I organized all the necessary equipment and I whipped through those four rooms, including the stairway in a matter of a couple of weeks, even with three small children around.  When the work was done, I was ready for more!  Family room or kitchen, anyone?  Cleanup was a breeze and the pale mauve paint speckles in my hair and on my clothes made me look like a hard workin' guy!

Okay, back to 2008.  Jackie and I went to our local Home Depot and she was able to decide after a while on a color for the living room, with a slightly contrasting, but matching color for the dining room, stairway and hall...orange!    I knew after the first few strokes with the paintbrush that this wasn't the late '80's anymore.  Nonetheless, I worked my way through the dining room in just a couple of days, and by Christmas, the living room was also completed.  I marveled at my endurance, and at the refreshed look of our lower level.  Despite our beautiful downstairs walls, the project took a snooze until.......

CANTALOUPE

It was August of 2010 before I resumed the project.  Commitments, you know!  I began working my way up the steps with that paintbrush and those rollers.  Somehow, I was not very enthusiastic about the continuation of this project.  The mauve speckles of the late '80's were a distant memory and now I was covered with orange speckles.  I looked like the inside of a cantaloupe as I  stood looking in the mirror...then I stood corrected as I looked at the label on top of the paint can.....I looked like the inside of a MANGO!  A couple weeks later, the staircase was painted, along with the trim.  I remember Jackie inspecting the work and saying, "I wonder what white on white would have looked like?"  to which I quickly replied, "That'll be one for the next owners of the house to see."  I was so happy to have that part of the project finished, that I decided to take another year and a half off!

 

MANGO

Now, in early 2012, I am back on task, albeit without the organizational skills once posessed in my younger years.  I'm working on the upstairs hall, and it's a trip.....  

      ......a trip downstairs to the garage to get the vacuum cleaner to clean the walls.

      ......a trip down two flights of stairs to the basement to get the paint, brushes, and rollers.
      ......a trip to back to the garage to get the ladder.
      ......a trip back to the basement to get the drop cloths.
      ......a trip over the drop cloths, and thankfully not down the steps
      ......a trip back to the basement to get the screw driver to open the paint can.
      ......a trip to the bedroom to get my painting clothes on.
      ......a trip down memory lane as my collection of Beatles music plays.
      ......a trip to the kitchen to get paper towels.
      ......a trip to the basement for the extension pole.
      ......a trip to la la land from the paint fumes.
      ......a trip to the sink to wash the brushes, and the roller is trashed 'cause I'm not cleanin' that thing!
      ......a trip (a.k.a. happy dance) in that nearly finished hallway 
      ......a trip to the medicine cabinet for some Advil to relieve all of the above.
      ......a trip to the chair to anticipate the last leg of that project.

It'll be in 2012 if there's nothing to trip me up!

MANGO OR
CANTALOUPE......
YOU DECIDE!!