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Monday, July 5, 2010

Painting at the Old House is Not For Wimps

When one of the infrequent tropical storm systems that make it to central Georgia came through several years ago it brought rain and lots of it. Joe and I were painting the central hallway. I can look back on our years together and mark them in paint! Painting in the old house is not for chumps or lazy folk. The plaster is covered with forty or fifty year old wallpaper and must be ever so gently removed.  The bead board makes me crazy. Frankly, I just paint over small spiders. All those little grooves are mind numbing.may 2010 part 3 019

On the day of the storm, the outside of the house was wet from blowing rains. We were rinsing brushes on the front porch. I stepped onto the porch to rinse a brush and went STRAIGHT DOWN  through the porch. I was stunned. I broke the fall with my right wrist. My right shoulder was already injured and needed surgery but I was waiting for oh I don’t know maybe a porch.

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Joe immediately wanted to pull me out. The nurse in me said hold on a second. I checked myself for something like an avulsion injury. It seemed everything was intact. Joe pulled me out. The boards were wet and had original hand forged nails. I had not one scratch, nail or piece of wood in me. My good friend and doctor said I was fortunate in this regard. I did have a twelve inch bruise on my right hip for a long time. Man, was I sore. The warden at the prison where I was a nurse administrator asked who I had been boxing with. I replied “a house.” He never got me. You know?

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The next week I fell again in front of the washing machine. I suspect this time it was because I was sore from the first fall. Joe was about ready to request a CT of my head! However,  not one surface of our old house is level. I can trip on a flat surface. Just saying.

Joe replaced the porch floor.

grace surround us

Olive

6 comments:

  1. OMG!*!*! Soooo glad you survived Olive!!! and LoVe the ChiPPy Old Paint... P.S.- Those "hearts" on your sidebar are just darling... Mind sharing how that works??? Jeanine, ChiPPy!-SHaBBy!

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  2. You could have been hurt bad. Surprised you only had a bruise. I can mark some things in our house that I was painting with things that happened, too. When I painted the guest room upstairs was when Lady Di was killed in that car accident. Glad your porch was fixed.

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  3. Heck, I paint over small spiders in a new house!! That's a tough way to get a new porch!
    Glad you're still in one piece,
    xo,
    Debra

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  4. Poor dear!!!
    So glad you were all right.
    You are sure dealing with
    a lot of OUCHIES!
    Love to see the outcome
    of the painting job, once
    you are feeling better!
    xx Suzanne

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  5. Oh my, I can completely relate to the part where you fall on flat surfaces - that's me.
    What an experience that had to be - falling through the porch - and thank heaven you weren't injured too much.
    ♥Sharon

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  6. Glad you're okay - and be careful. And glad to know I'm not the only one to paint right over bugs. Hah!

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I adore your comments. They are like finding unexpected chocolates. olive