Who's Counting?

Let’s see: Marc now has me staining and varnishing the doors so that’s eight doors x two sides=16 times two coats each=32 but actually they need three coats if there’s time, which equals 48, right? Is my math fuzzy? All I know is that each day I get up and do three more sides and this has gone on for weeks and will continue at least until Saturday. Given we’re working with oil based lacquer each coat takes about eight hours to dry but we’re actually giving it overnight then Marc sands each early the next morning before heading off to work. Then I do the next round. As if that wasn’t enough, I’m also back to spray painting more baseboards which Marc has also just started installing. The bathrooms are just about done!

In between all that painting, we started work on the back stoop this past weekend. Marc had packed home some scrap pieces of Trex decking they had used on one of his projects, no piece which was larger than about four feet long, so he pieced that together for the deck. He’s also trimming the sides with it so about our only expense on this will be vinyl railing and covers for the deck poles and a little lumber.

I’m about to jump on the wagon big time regarding processing our apples, which with recent high winds are dropping from the trees in quick order. Here’s one day’s haul just off the ground which I peeled and cored and froze into two gallon bags today. We’ve been woefully short of our normal rain lately so my mowing duties are in abeyance since it would stress the grass too much to cut it short.

Saturday I took the morning off to quickly hit the small farmer’s market on Waupaca’s downtown square and then was off to the shelter where we held our monthly fundraising committee meeting, where about nine or ten of us “older” gals struggle with ways to raise awareness, more volunteer participation, and the never ending task of raising money to feed the hungry mouths of all the dogs and cats in our care. If you own a pet, or are a pet lover, please consider taking time to drop by your local shelter with a case of food or a bag of litter; those old towels and blankets you no longer need, or even a gallon of bleach and hand soap; believe me, it’s all desperately needed by them. Better yet: stay awhile and participate and put a little joy into a caged animal’s life by giving them just a little bit of your attention and love. Our shelter holds its annual Volunteer Appreciation BBQ Thursday evening which Marc and I plan to attend. Knowing it’s Wisconsin, I suspect beer and brats are on the menu but I’ll try and take pictures to let you know next time for sure!
(PS: The pictured cat, Trouble, was adopted after a relatively short stay of a few months into a loving home with two small girls who absolutely adore him. However, we have many fine cats who have now been with us over a year waiting for their forever home.)