Progress and Playtime

     It's so great to see that I'm at the end of the ceiling scraping ordeal!!  A friend at church asked if I were going to hire myself out as a ceiling scraper now that I'm so experienced.  I told him I'd be happy to do his entire house for a mere one million dollars!! That should tell you how I feel about the experience.  Not that it was all that difficult; it was just really time consuming and hard on my right arm and shoulder.  No need to lift weights - I've found out how to get rid of those baggy arms, no gym membership required!
     I've been asked how I did it and I'm happy to share my knowledge for those of you brave (or as in my case, poor) souls who would like to rid your house of that lovely 1970s and 80s look.  (Really, whose bright idea was that to spray on that horrid stuff!!!???)  I filled a spray bottle with tap water, climbed up my ladder, sprayed the area that I planned to scrape, wait a couple of minutes and then I used a 4 in putty knife to scrape.  They do make an actual ceiling scraper that's about 8 in wide with an attachment for catching the popcorn in a bag.  Well, that didn't work for  me.  Maybe I wasn't strong enough, but the only part of the ceiling that got scraped was the 4 in area in the middle of the scraper.  And as far as catching the popcorn, well, that was pretty much impossible as it goes everywhere!  Oh, that's the other thing.  Be sure you have drop cloths on your floor.  I taped them up the wall about 10 in to make sure it caught everything.  It's a mess!!!! 

The scraped ceiling!!

     I could only keep it up for about 2 hours at a time as it is strenuous work and my arm would finally say "enough!"  At that point I would clean up what mess I had made.  Vacuum if on the carpeted area and mop on the wood floors.  Take the drop cloth outside and get all the popcorn and fine dust (of which there is a ton!) into a large garbage bag.  Then take the cloth (or clothes depending on the area) out in the alley and, while still wearing my mask and goggles (oh, I forgot to mention that part - a necessity!) shake out as much as I could so that I could use the drop clothes again for the next section. 
     At that point I hopped in the shower, clothes and all!  I always covered my hair so that it wasn't too bad.  But it's crazy where all that popcorn dust settles. 
     I used to hate painting, but  now I kind of look forward to it because it means I'm done with the scraping!  And I found that it's easier to scrape the sheet rock ceiling than it was to scrape the old plaster ceiling.  I think it was put on a lot thicker over the plaster. 

How green is my garden?

     There's also progress out in the garden!  Just look at how lovely my raised vegetable garden looks - the rains (and more rains) have been a huge help.  As you all know, you can water and water and water, but all it takes is one good rain and everything looks so much better!  Not sure when I can expect everything to bloom - did you know that potatoes and onions bloom?  But I read that I can't harvest anything until after the blooms die and start to fall off.  I'm so tempted to peek below the dirt and see what's happening down there! 
     There are two neighborhood yard sales coming up.  One this weekend and one the next and so I'm also making progress going through drawers and closets and organizing what I'll be selling.  Wish me luck!  It would be great to get rid of a ton of stuff and make a little money also.
     Two weekends ago I volunteered to help at the Run to the Shrine which our zoo sponsored.  It is only on this one day each year that pedestrians are allowed on the road up to the top of Cheyenne Mountain, so the event attracts lots of runners/walkers who want that experience of saying they went to the top without a vehicle.  When I showed up in the Broadmoor parking lot at 5:45 am that Saturday morning I was given a choice of jobs and I chose to be the traffic director!  So, I got to stand near the intersection of the main road and the one that turns off to the parking lot/registration area.  I had an "official" shirt and loved directing traffic and answering questions. 

The Will Rogers' Shrine

     My job was over around 7:30 as that's when registration ended and I was told I could drive on up to the zoo if I wanted, which of course I did!  The zoo opens on Saturday at 8am for members and that was my first time to be up there that early. What a great time to be at the zoo!  The animals are all waking up and energetic and ready to start their day.  And I had the whole zoo practically to myself!  It was awesome!!

Dembe chillin'

Dembe and Tumani playing

Asha and Dembe

   My first and last visit each time I go is at the Primate House.  As you probably have figured out by now, I am so in love with our Lowland Gorilla family and could spend hours watching them.  If Asha sees me she will usually come over to the window where I am and sit right in front of me.  It's like we're visiting!  And she'll sit there for as long as I stay.  It's always fun watching her little ones interact.   Her daughter, Tumani, is 7 and her son, Dembe, is almost 3.  Asha's mother is also part of our zoo family and she, Juju, is almost as social as Asha and often comes over to see me.

Ember and her mommy, Hadiah

    Also in the Primate House are the orangutans and we have a 7 month old named Ember who suffers from perpetual "bad hair day", but that just makes her more precious.  And her daddy, Tujo, gives kisses if he's next to the window and you pucker up.  I'm telling you, if it's been awhile since you've been to our zoo, you really need to get up there!!!  I try to go once a week and really love going early if I can.  It's fun when you can hear the lions all over the entire zoo.  Makes you feel like you're in an exotic locale.  And I love watching the antler progress on our moose.  Amazing that they lose their rack every year! So, that's been my playtime and a wonderful stress reliever.  When I was there on Saturday, I actually overheard a couple speaking French and so, of course, I had to go and ask where they were from and we had a great conversation.  (They were from western Africa originally).

Tahoma in Moose Lake

     When I started this post I wasn't sure I had a lot to write about, but, guess what? - no problem once I got started.  But then those of you who know me well know that I seldom have a problem thinking of something to talk about!  ha!   A friend asked if I was planning to continue the blog after I move to France and the answer is a resounding "YES!"   I would love to share with you all of those wonderful things I find around each bend in France.  And I won't have to share any more remodeling stories - at least not for awhile.  And if I do, it will have a certain French twist as I figure out all the housing terminology and the tools, etc.  That should be interesting, right?  But as I plan to housesit I'm hoping the houses I stay in will not need me to do any work for them - otherwise I'll have to stick to my one million dollar charge!
     Thanks for taking the time to read and for following me on my journey.  I'm getting closer to my goal.  Every ceiling I scrape, every wall I paint, every floor I refinish (there's a song in there somewhere) . . . .  And it's been easier knowing you are all encouraging me.  Merci!!