good morning mother's day
I woke up with a cluster headache and a numb right arm this morning but it was worth it. I started cleaning and fixing up the goatshed yesterday. I swept it, vacuumed it (brought over Dave's shopvac and 3 extension cords to reach it), and washed the furniture (a table and 4 wooden chairs). I think I had the headache and arm pain cause I was breathing lots of dust and I don't usually use my right arm that much or that hard cause of the mysterious whatever is wrong with it. I'm pleased with the progress and at the point where I can use the shed again (it's clean) even though I have plans to do more. Here's a couple progress shots midway through yesterday:
Just getting started. I got rid of the trash and that green chair and will use one of those director chairs out front instead. I want to replace those prayer flags with bright new ones too.
The table and chairs I'm going to use. Dave found them in a yard sale years ago thinking Chloe would want them for her new house but she didn't so they ended up being stored in the shed. I want to paint the inside bright turquoise blue this time and get a nice patterned piece of cloth to match for the tablecloth. It won't have a bed in it this time - only a cot.
For people who haven't read my journal for very long:
The goatshed is named that because after my divorce in 1983 I moved back home to live with my parents and brought my 2 goats with me. The goats lived in this shed till 1986 when I married Dave and moved to Sandy Lake with him. In our childhood this was a shed that my sister Kathy earthmother45 (who is older than me) used for a clubhouse. How I envied her having her own little building to hang out in. My older brother John also had his own clubhouse shed in the backyard. Being the youngest I didn't get one - all the good outbuildings were already taken. A little side story... when I was about 6 I was lamenting that I didn't have a clubhouse of my own and my dad made me one - a dog house sized building. I crawled in and decorated it with old towels for carpet and had a little "pet corner" where I kept my bowl of slugs. Ha.
In 2010 I was living in my parent's house taking care of my mom who had dementia and I got the idea to give this little shed new life as my clubhouse. It was a mess, covered in brambles (no goats to keep clear around it anymore), the roof was falling in and it was wet inside. Dave put on a new roof, fixed the door (the critters couldn't just walk in anymore) and put in a third window so every wall has either a window or a door now - more light. I had lots of fun fixing it up and making it mine. After mom died in 2012 and we moved next door to our own house in 2013 the goatshed retreat was abandoned. I used the bed that I had in it for a bed in my studio. The table I was using got moved into our basement for a worktable. The squirrels, chipmunks, mice and spiders have been using the shed for the last 6 years as their hangout. There was so much animal crap (discarded pine cones that the squirrels brought in to eat), mouse nests and dust in it. I was glad to be able to use a vacuum. Anyway, every summer I end up putting up a tent in the backyard as a summer nap place just cause I like a place to be outdoors and alone but out of the weather. I decided this year I won't put up a tent but I'd fix up the goatshed instead. I'm looking forward to the next steps - painting and decorating.
Chloe and Mike want to take us out to Mother's Day lunch so we will be heading over Clarion way for that. I want to stop on the way back at Walmart and get the turquoise paint for the shed and a new toaster. The old toaster quit yesterday. Dave is very good at fixing things but this toaster has reached the end of it's life. Probably made in the 1940's. He's fixed it many times before. It still has its original fiber covered cord.
We watched a really good movie last night about John Callahan, the cartoonist who was also an alcoholic and a quadriplegic - Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot.
Just getting started. I got rid of the trash and that green chair and will use one of those director chairs out front instead. I want to replace those prayer flags with bright new ones too.
The table and chairs I'm going to use. Dave found them in a yard sale years ago thinking Chloe would want them for her new house but she didn't so they ended up being stored in the shed. I want to paint the inside bright turquoise blue this time and get a nice patterned piece of cloth to match for the tablecloth. It won't have a bed in it this time - only a cot.
For people who haven't read my journal for very long:
The goatshed is named that because after my divorce in 1983 I moved back home to live with my parents and brought my 2 goats with me. The goats lived in this shed till 1986 when I married Dave and moved to Sandy Lake with him. In our childhood this was a shed that my sister Kathy earthmother45 (who is older than me) used for a clubhouse. How I envied her having her own little building to hang out in. My older brother John also had his own clubhouse shed in the backyard. Being the youngest I didn't get one - all the good outbuildings were already taken. A little side story... when I was about 6 I was lamenting that I didn't have a clubhouse of my own and my dad made me one - a dog house sized building. I crawled in and decorated it with old towels for carpet and had a little "pet corner" where I kept my bowl of slugs. Ha.
In 2010 I was living in my parent's house taking care of my mom who had dementia and I got the idea to give this little shed new life as my clubhouse. It was a mess, covered in brambles (no goats to keep clear around it anymore), the roof was falling in and it was wet inside. Dave put on a new roof, fixed the door (the critters couldn't just walk in anymore) and put in a third window so every wall has either a window or a door now - more light. I had lots of fun fixing it up and making it mine. After mom died in 2012 and we moved next door to our own house in 2013 the goatshed retreat was abandoned. I used the bed that I had in it for a bed in my studio. The table I was using got moved into our basement for a worktable. The squirrels, chipmunks, mice and spiders have been using the shed for the last 6 years as their hangout. There was so much animal crap (discarded pine cones that the squirrels brought in to eat), mouse nests and dust in it. I was glad to be able to use a vacuum. Anyway, every summer I end up putting up a tent in the backyard as a summer nap place just cause I like a place to be outdoors and alone but out of the weather. I decided this year I won't put up a tent but I'd fix up the goatshed instead. I'm looking forward to the next steps - painting and decorating.
Chloe and Mike want to take us out to Mother's Day lunch so we will be heading over Clarion way for that. I want to stop on the way back at Walmart and get the turquoise paint for the shed and a new toaster. The old toaster quit yesterday. Dave is very good at fixing things but this toaster has reached the end of it's life. Probably made in the 1940's. He's fixed it many times before. It still has its original fiber covered cord.
We watched a really good movie last night about John Callahan, the cartoonist who was also an alcoholic and a quadriplegic - Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot.