Tacky!

Well, the fellas had moved all the furniture to one side of the room. After stirring (very thick stuff, very hard to mix) the primer, I poured some into the flimsy paint holder I purchased. And to think this was the stronger one! It bent every which way and I thought for sure I was going to have a huge mess. 

I placed the roller in and began to apply the primer. This ain't so bad, I thought. The cats were all still in the basement and the dogs were tied outside. I moved along rather quickly. I painted all one way and got as close to the furniture as I could so that when it dried I didn't have much left to do on the other side.

At exactly 4:55 p.m. it became quite evident to me that one gallon of primer was not going to do it. In a small panic mode I wondered what time that lumber place closed. It was a small local business and was only a few blocks from where I live.

I threw the dogs into the garage - not an easy feat as they remembered what happens when they go in there and I drove off like a mad woman. Whew. I made it in time and purchased another $30 can of primer.

I sat my tools down and waited for the first half to dry. The smell - my God, the smell! I had forgotten how paint fumes bother me. My lungs hurt, my head hurt. One cat had escaped. Teton is the reason for the paw prints above. She was in full panic mode. It was like she came up from the basement and her entire world had changed. She acted like WTF?

She scurried here and there getting paw prints all over the place. I realized it didn't matter what it looked like since the floor was going to go over top of it all, but I wondered about the paint on her paws. By this time the smell was becoming overwhelming. Well, I knew what I had to do. Experience taught me what I had to do. The A/C had to be shut off and doors and windows had to be opened.

Oh, it was hot outside. There was a storm brewing and the humidity was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

For the newer readers, let me take you back a couple of years. Okay, here. It was not hard to find. It was July  16th, 2006. You have to ventilate when you paint (which I knew but 90 degrees is hot, you know?!). We had been re-doing my daughters' bedroom and the polyurethane smell was overwhelming.

Back to my primer. I sat in the back bedroom on the computer and noticed that my chest was hurting. Dammit, I thought. I better not get pleurisy out of this mess. I have had pleurisy several times and it has always involved water - but this sure felt like it. The paint fumes were causing my left lung to hurt. After a while it dissipated.

I began checking the floor after forty minutes. Tacky, tacky, tacky! The weather was very close outside. Sultry (to quote Momma from the train).

I had left an area where I could get to the bathroom and walk to the kitchen. I said "Screw it!" and let the dogs in. I let the cats out of the basement and fed them. I packed my stuff and got in my car and left to meet my daughter and her beau for dinner. My head hurt, my back hurt and I was in a mood. The paint fumes had turned me into a crazy woman like somebody on a  bad drug trip. I snapped at my daughter and I yakked and yakked. I explained to them that I was under the influence (of paint fumes) and not to pay any attention to what came out of my mouth.

The reason I was over there? They got a new puppy. Puppy is an understatement. This is a female German shepherd. She was (at 8 weeks) almost as big as Cheech and Chong. Her paws are HUGE! I took a couple of pictures and after a while the paint buzz wore off. How do kids sniff glue? This is not fun. This is horrible! My head  hurt a little less and at ten o'clock I headed back home. I had already decided I would paint the rest of the room tonight.

I got home and the primer was still a bit tacky in places. Oh well, I thought. It has to be done. Moving the huge organ was the hardest part. It scraped across the floor and left the long strips where it removed the primer. I didn't give a sh!t by this time. I have no memory of where the cats were and the dogs. That is weird. They had to be in the house with me as at this time of night I would not leave the dogs outside.  Oh, the dogs were laying in the kitchen by the back door and the cats were just scared to come into the room, I guess.

I retired to the back bedroom and the computer again to deal yet again with a hurt lung and the overwhelming fumes. The boxer came in after a while and his paw prints are all over the back bedroom floor. Big white paw prints. Did I care? Not at this time, no. I just wanted it all to be over with. I had taken Advil and just wanted to go to bed. I waited a while to make sure the pets did not go ballilstic and I left all doors and windows open and went to bed.

I awoke early (the guys would be here at nine) and began the prep for them. At 8:30 I again threw the cats into the basement. Now, cats are not all that stupid. They knew what was coming. I never did find Moose. I think she hid in my bedroom (for over 18 hours! Nice.) The others fought me like a banshee. I managed to get very few scratches on my arms. The dogs were tied outside. I took my reading glasses, cell phone and a puzzle book outside. 

Oh, it was beautiful out. They came. The put the floor in. These guys worked from 9:30 to 5:30 with one half hour lunch break. They worked hard. 

This all has a happy ending, folks. For once. No catastrophe this time. Very unusual for me. It just goes to show you that nothing goes smoothly. There is always a speed bump or two and I can sit back and laugh about it (as long as I have Advil).

I am working up quite a thirst for Saturday, though. I can tell  you that.

It should be interesting. The guy my daughter is living with works until 5. The other fellow is coming to the party. All invites were issued before this love triangle developed although as I look back I should have seen it developing over the past few months. I am NOT a fan of Jerry Springer. My sisters will be alerted that should I appear as if I am going to rip somebody's head off (which I have done or attempted to do before - while SOBER!) they are to interfere. 

I like the fireworks to remain in the sky.