STRIPPING ONE OF MY WORK TABLES

This sturdy work table came with the house.  It's not fancy; two wooden rectangles support a thick wooden top and it's mounted on un-matching 2x4's.  But I love its strength and endurance.  The thing got painted with that same ungodly dark brown paint they used on all their floors (UGH!) which I don't like on my work surface any more than I do on my floors - so OFF it comes!

I spread that orange goopy stuff all over it and when it's ready I'll take it off; hopefully the nasty brown paint will come with it.

Well SUN ON A BEACH.

I can't get it to rotate.

At least that dark brown paint is GONE!!!

Now for a little sanding, a lot of sealing ...

and hopefully a LOT of USING!

PLAN A: TRUDGING ON THE ROOF

There's not much to see here I know, but a lot of hard work and sweat and anxiety went into getting it even this far!

The beginning of what will hopefully be a substantial pile of cedar.

Rubbish pile to be sorted, filed, and disposed of one way or another.

Indeed. 

Trudging right along on the path, that's me.

The east half of the roof, almost up to the south dormer, is cleared and sealed, waiting for shingles, so I AM making progress! 

More importantly, there are no drippy spots at ALL, which is a quite very good thing.  Gramps gave me some tar for the seam areas which I duly smeared on the appropriate places and it seems to be working quite well so a sincere thank you and a big hug to Gramps.

Also a sincere thank you to the uncles who brought over my mom's big scaffolding which affords a great deal more security than my small though efficient smaller version. 

I've been using brute strength and my little hand saw to remove the tree branches that get in my way more than they help as I have advanced to the top of the roof.  I break off the ones I can (brute strength, LOL) and saw off the others.  As I get the shingles into place I'll cut them further and further back.  Meanwhile, I'm still using them to steady myself up there from time to time.  There's one big branch resting on the dormer.  It will have to come all the way off, but I'm planning to tackle it in small increments beginning with its smaller branches that are at the top of the roof, my next work area.  When I get to the really big parts I'll have to fire up my chain saw, sigh. 

I'm managing to salvage some of the cedar shakes to use for art projects, but most of them will go into my chiminea or the wood stove in my old kitchen for kindling.  I'm bundling the ones that are full length, to neaten up the work area in my courtyard and for convenience when it's time for me to use them. 

Recent weeks have been slow on the financial side of things which has slowed my progress quite a bit when it comes to roof work, but it's getting there.  Slow but sure - and when it's done I won't have to worry about it ever again!

Refining Plan A - Electrical

Of my four daughters (by location they are GF, F, B, and TC) the one I most often brainstorm with is TC and it's always a joy, often provoking laughter as we wend our way toward solutions. 

On the topic of electrical ideas for the studio, she came up with a truly great solution to the question of how to light the front room (which will one day be the main studio work room) effectively and efficiently. 

The original light fixture is antique; while I love the aesthetics of it, it's not practical.  The same applies to the dining room. 

Given the need for good lighting, flexibility, and a desire to be able to spotlight different areas at different times (for showcasing a work and/or for various work stations) I was stymied.  Using lamps is only a stop-gap method of getting the effects I want. 

TC, bless her forever, suggested track lighting in an eight foot square. 

Now that's something I can get my head around. 

It serves the purpose, isn't 'invasive' in the sense of being an irreversible change to the 100 Year Old Home, and is something I'm fully capable of getting done my own self. 

The height of the old ceilings means the lighting isn't going to be the first thing you notice when you walk in.  It will be up high enough to not intrude on anyone's line of vision.  It won't, unlike the antique light fixture, hang down so far that it's in the way (low enough for some to bump their heads on).  And it's not pretty enough to detract attention from what is SUPPOSED to be the focus.  Namely (someday) works of art, either finished pieces or works in progress. 

As the dining room will be a secondary work room, it will have the same requirements; the same solution will work.  It's a smaller room so the tracks won't be as long, but the same principle is in play and the track lighting will definitely be a good move. 

I don't know what I'm going to do with the original hanging light fixtures; maybe when I get to the attic part of the studio projects I'll put them up there where I can put the center of the ceiling as high as I want so they'll hang up out of everyone's way while providing their own 100 year old beauty. 

Otherwise it's just a matter of adding more outlets and maybe another circuit or two, which is a cake-walk. 

The two original light fixtures I want to keep are the ones in the morning room and the kitchen.  I'll have to rewire them so they're up to code of course, but I want to keep and use them as they are so much a part of the rooms they are in. 

While I'm putting in track lighting I may as well give what will be the new kitchen the same treatment and be done with it.  My bedroom can have all the lamps I want. 

Having better than adequate lighting, during the long dark of Dakota Winters, makes an incredible difference.  Using energy efficient bulbs makes you feel okay about it. 

One thing about using wiring that exceeds industry standards is that I don't have to worry about overload. 

That too shows that I'm proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Plan A Moving Along In An Orderly Fashion

The Box Piles Grow - and I've already taken two loads over!



Excitement is tempered with dismay as I take a good look at all of the boxes and furniture that I'm going to be moving by myself.

The living room and dining room and front porch and kitchen of my 'good' house are stacked sky high with packed boxes which bury most of the furniture.

YIKES!

Then I just have to laugh at myself because after all, what the heck.  It's not like I can't DO this thing, you know. 

When the 'Buyer' officially said YES the first thing I wanted to do was start carting the boxes out to my little pick up truck and begin hauling them the half block to my studio.  I was getting ready to do just exactly that when it struck me that it was DARK outside.  It was COLD outside.  It was WINDY outside.  Plus I'd had a long day and was more tired than wired, AND a weekend of night shifts is staring me in the face.  

Through my mind meander the words, "Just do it in an orderly fashion."

There's nothing orderly about deliberately zapping my strength when I know full well I'll need every ounce of it to get through a challenging weekend.  There's nothing orderly about choosing to lug a houseful of stuff out into the cold and dark and wind when it's possible that milder days are right around the corner. 

I checked the extended forecast. 

Well skippity doo dah day, imagine that.  Next week, when I have some days OFF, is supposed to bring better weather! 

Hallelujah! 

By the end of next week I'll be happily and contentedly sorting through all my stuff, taking inventory of what I have to work with in terms of both artwork and project materials. 

And THAT, my friend, is something to look forward to!

Amid the chaos I will seek and find the quiet peace that has always pervaded that place, and it will calm me while I methodically, in an orderly fashion, battle the long dark of this coming Dakota Winter and transform chaos into tranquility. 

That's the plan.

This Could Make Me Sell That

MY STUDIO