What I've Been Up To, Lately

Posting has been a bit sporadic around here, lately, but not because I'm not doing anything.  I've been so busy with the beach house, I haven't had much time to take photos or write about the projects.  And, honestly, how much "wow factor" is there in posting about buying a twelve foot extension pole with a pivoting brush attachment for cleaning cobwebs from the rafters?   Or stripping more of that doggone wallpaper?  Or trying to coax a fireplace door, that has been rusted shut for years, to open? 

Out on the coast, we get serious rust.  After many applications of WD-40, and scrubbing with a wire brush, I did get one door to open...

...but the other one never budged.

For days, I scraped at the grasscloth wallpaper.   Thirty year old grasscloth is really nasty.  There is no good way to clean it, and it has lots of texture, so it can actually hold massive amounts of dirt.  And all that dirt gets everywhere -- in your hair, in your eyes, in your bra -- as you remove it.

It's a little disheartening to spend days stripping wallpaper, only to realize you need to spend many more days cleaning and sanding and repairing the drywall to prepare it for texturing and painting.

The former owners randomly hammered holes in the walls. I have no idea why.  They also allowed their pets to use the grasscloth as a scratching post, and allowed their children to hang garland and Christmas lights everywhere, using thousand of tiny staples....

We had dozens of these lovely window shades installed throughout the house.  Here is one gloriously extended to show its full beauty.

We (I) removed them.  But nothing is ever easy, is it?  Each blind was occupied by a fat shiny black spider, with webs and nests, and aggressive attitudes.  So, first I sprayed them with toxic chemicals, then cleaned them out with a broom.  Only then could I start the tedious task of removing them. Afterward, I felt all itchy and weird.  After all, what if the spiders had survived and hidden behind a fold, then jumped into my hair or clothing or something?

And, I still had to touch them all one more time to haul them out to the dumpster!

So, that is some of what I have been up to.

And this is why I'm doing it.