It’s been ten days since I last strapped hiking sneakers on my feetz, and it might be another four or so more until I do so again.
Some of that is due to my grandiose declaration to Wifey that I wouldn’t lumber again until my feet felt better (they are getting much better); some of that was due to pulling up my plus-sized husband gutchies for Wifey, who was having some semi-elective surgery this week (she’s recovering well enough), and some of that was due to the Astro heat dome which has unleashed 95˚ temps and 85% humidity on mid-Michigan.
Front yard macro #1.
While all those things have factored into this break from lumbering, most of it is due to my full-on one-man assault on the deck of the Cul De Sac Shack.
As I may have mentioned previously, we had a deck built about six years ago, and we requested a dark stain. It turns out the dude used a semi-transparent stain, and the long Michigan winters had it peeling after one year.
Then, a couple years later, out of busy pre-empty nest parental convenience, we paid him to slap on more of the same shitty stain to keep it looking good and shitty enough for a few more years.
Front yard macro #2.
However, in recent months, looking at the deck’s relentlessly peeling “stain” really started to bother me. So, with no experience whatsoever in deck restoration, I started the process of stripping the deck down to the bare wood to start over.
There’s been a LOT of failures along the way, and I now find myself owning three different types of sanders (up three from none) and lots of high-powered, cancer-causing chemical paint strippers, but I am SLOWLY making some progress. I THINK, if the weather cooperates, by this time next week, I’ll be ready to actually stain it—with REAL stain, not that shit the dude used. The railings are killing me, though!
Lola knows the railings will end me.
While I completely cursed this project and will surely continue to do so, I have to admit that throwing myself into the task really helped to take my mind off of Wifey’s surgery and my depressive anger with the assortment of podiatric ailments that I can continue to have just because I dig walking in the woods.
Hoping to get our soon for at least a photo creep or something soon. If not, I’ll be re-starting the Lumber Through Hell Tour next week, and will be working to make up the cancelled dates.
Later.