Random 5 for May 16, 2021 – Ladders, dust, masks, shipping charges, color

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Yes, that’s a very tall ladder!

The proof is in the pudding – I’m not sure what exactly that means but my mother said it all the time. I’ve been whining about painting since I moved and here is the evidence. We have some rooms with high ceilings. This is a 12 foot ceiling. I tend to be wobbly especially on ladders. I have to be careful but I’ve figured out how to do it safely. (NOTE TO SELF: Don’t buy a house with high ceilings!)

Yikes how did that happen! – I moved three months ago and everything was cleaned — the backs of the furniture and all the difficult to reach nooks and crannies. In moving the furniture for painting I found that the dust has found our new home and moved in. They also brought their relatives.

To mask or not to mask – I’ve been fully vaccinated for quite a while so I’m excited about the loosening of the mask mandate. I have reservations about it because now I know people spit when they talk and they are people, so they lie. Locally all of the stores I frequent are still requiring them and I’m ok with that. In our state the magic number is a 70% vaccination rate to completely life the mandate. It should be easy but the process has become a hot political potato. I don’t remember that happening when the polio vaccine came out. Everyone showed up to get vaccinated because no one wanted polio. Times change.

Nope, not gonna do it – I found a lovely tie dyed sweatshirt on-line. I’ve bought from then before and their quality is good. The sweatshirt had soft colors and not blotchy harsh ones. No orange, my least favorite color! It wasn’t cheap but I thought I would reward myself for climbing ladders. During the checkout process the shipping charge was $10. Seriously? It was soft and easy to ship. I couldn’t find a coupon so I let it go. I checked on it this morning. Sometimes they will give you an incentive to click the “buy” button. They were all sold out. I’m moving on. I’ve been spoiled by free shipping and it’s hard to go back.

The power of color – Inside our new home everything was painted tan. It wasn’t a bad color but when I moved in, it didn’t play nice with my softer palette. One by one, I’ve been repainting the rooms. Yesterday was my bedroom. Last week I would have characterized my bedroom as dark and dreary. There is a big-assed maple tree right outside the windows that blocks light. With the change in color came a change in mood. It’s bright and seems much larger. It’s like a different house (even with the maple). I keep forgetting what a difference color makes. As a side note, my husband is not a fan of khaki. After spending time in the military he is still sick of it some 50 years later.

So how was your week?

 

67 thoughts on “Random 5 for May 16, 2021 – Ladders, dust, masks, shipping charges, color”

  1. I’m truly impressed with your painting prowess, Kate! That you are even willing to get on the ladder and wield a paintbrush/roller makes you a champ. I don’t think I have that in me any more. LOL!

    California is continuing the mask mandate into June, and I’m okay with that. However, we have a governor on the “chopping block” with a recall effort because this has all become political. I think breathing and eating is political these days. I’m going to wear my mask for a long time. I’m not worried about Covid much anymore, but upon examination I haven’t had a cold or any other illness in all this time, and I think I just want to continue to be protected. If this irritates others, that’s just a bonus!

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    • I don’t understand how health issues became so dang political. Future historians will look at this time and shake their heads. Perhaps more high profile people needed to die but they get the best medical care. Our governor had his ability to make emergency declarations limited in the the primary. I think he did a great job but if you are a business owner you are convinced he was trying to hijack you. Money versus health. I am not a fan of people. Not long term thinkers.

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  2. You’re much braver than me on the ladder Kate. I cling on for dear life and that’s a five-foot ladder. Be careful as I had two co-workers on the same holiday weekend, fall and break an ankle and a wrist respectively and that was a misstep on the ladder stepping down. I’m staying masked up for a while longer – it helps my Spring allergies and we are still considered the worst state for COVID.

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    • And it’s unpredictable. Yesterday’s trip to Starbuck’s required a mask, vaccinated or not. Today’s trip was mask optional for the vaccinated. It changes almost daily. Congrats to your daughter!

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  4. I think tan can be harsh and is not a neutral especially if it has a yellow cast. I like it with darker jewel tones but definitely not pastels. I am in AWE of you on that ladder. I could never do that. Color me impressed.

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  6. This being Florida, where official mask mandates never really materialized, I was surprised over the weekend and even today by the number of people still wearing them. I decided to put it on out of respect more than anything else.

    I bought a tiny computer part for $2.69 on eBay last week, and they didn’t charge shipping. I was scratching my head at how they were going to make any money on it. Sure enough, it arrived in a small envelope that cost $0.71 in postage to mail. They barely made $2.00 on me! – Marty

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  7. Your house sounds lovely. Wish I could help with a few pawprints of paint. Oh, well. I guess the Sassy cats will have to make their mark for me!! I like climbing ladders. It’s fun to look down on everyone.

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  8. Yesterday I looked under a picture l in my breakfast nook, and–oh my!–The wall used to be brighter. I’ll have to repaint soon. I love a nice wall color.

    Dust. It never dies. It just keeps reappearing or growing or springing to life.

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  9. Kudo on the paint job. I would so love to paint my place, but when I think of moving furniture and the mess, I just can’t deal with it. Doing it myself is out of the question. My feet stay on the floor since my last big fall. Too risky. I had the outside painted and it looks great, but the inside could sure use a brightening.

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    • I’ll need professionals for parts of it too. It brightens things up. I painted my front door and that made a huge difference. Of course the old door was a dull gray. Anything would be an improvement.

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  11. I don’t do ladders anymore. I have a two-step stool that’s the highest I go. And I don’t paint anymore. I found a nice young guy who is reasonable and good at his job, so no more paint works for me. Just looking at you on that ladder worried me.

    The mask thing is being eased here. Most stores are still requiring masks, but some don’t. I no longer wear one when I am in my building, but I do have one with me when I go into the laundry room or library. If someone comes in with a mask on, I will put mine on, so they won’t feel uncomfortable.

    I am in total agreement with you on paint colors. The right colors and tones are important to our general feeling and well-being.

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  12. You deserve a treat. I know what you mean about being spoiled by free shipping. Sometimes when I leave something in my cart, I will get an email with an offer of free shipping or at least a % off.

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  14. Congratulations on doing your own house painting. One of our sons is a professional painter, so I get to skip that dreaded task (although he does insist that I move the furniture and ‘ indaway’ items out and back in again. Like you, my very least favorite color is orange!

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  16. Painting is one of those immediate reward activities. I’m impressed that you are painting the rooms yourself. Not a fan of ladders, but you gotta do what you gotta do to make things pretty.

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    • It’s partly a contractor issue. We haven’t been able to get the work done to have a painter come in to do the whole job. Bringing someone in piecemeal would be expensive. I’m looking at this as therapy as I learn to wait patiently.

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  18. “I have reservations about it because now I know people spit when they talk and they are people, so they lie.”

    I have a barometric pressure headache so nothing is funny today. But that was. : )

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  19. Kate!… do be careful on the ladder! We have 14 foot ceilings in the gathering room/living room/family room… whatever the heck they call it where it is all open. I don’t paint because I get a cranky and SSNS doesn’t paint because he is afraid of heights and he is a pilot! So as I read this to him and showed him the picture of you on the TALL ladder he was impressed. I was the one who had to get up on the roof and cover the turbines that were on one of our houses in Missouri.

    I didn’t realize how amazing paint can be until we had the interior and exterior of our house painted. I also had never known about RGB and how it can mess with or enhance your color choice inside. We painted our whole interior Drift of Mist which is a warm gray but our guest bath definitely has a pink ish/red-ish cast going on. Who knows, maybe it’s the bulbs in the bathroom. Oh, high ceilings and bulbs are no fun either.

    We strolled downtown Venice yesterday and there was not a mask to be seen. We are still going to mask up for food shopping, indoor shopping, indoor anything we aren’t comfortable with but we haven’t been wearing a mask outdoors since February. We have had visitors and friends indoors without masks who are vaccinated. Our governor is an idiot so only the cautious and the strong survived in Florida! Kate, apologies for writing a blog post in your comments! And thank you for the pictures in your post today… it is nice to see you, always!

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  20. Ladders are scary – I can do 6 feet worth of ladder but over that I get shaky. Of course at my age everything (including my body!) is shaky. HAHA I know you’ll be happy to have that project done though. Mask mandates – we supposedly don’t have to wear them if we’re outside and we haven’t eaten INSIDE a restaurant, etc. since this mess began and we kind of decided if we’re in a group setting we’re wearing masks. Out on our own anywhere, no masks……..we will continue to carry them no matter what though because you don’t know what your situation will be. Better safe than “exposed”. The whole thing STILL confuses me though. We will do what WE want to do and not what the Governor or anyone else says. We just want to feel safe.

    Happy Sunday!
    Hugs, Pam

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  21. We are lifting a lot of restrictions tomorrow but will still have to wear masks in shops and on public transport. I am looking forward to being able to find a public toilet again. A lot of ours are inside cafes. We have high ceilings but I pay a decorator I don’t think it would end well if I tried to do them. We used to have a very annoying paint advert on television “white not quite” you could buy a pot of paint and they would mix a small pot of another colour in with it.

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    • I hear some contractors do that. They will mix special. I never feel comfortable making quick decisions though. I like to live with it a while before I commit. I will hire someone for the truly very high ceilings. I’m only slightly crazy! 🙂

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  22. Wow, that’s a really tall ladder! I am not afraid of heights as long as there is something solid beneath my feet, but I don’t like ladders because my whole foot doesn’t fit on the step!

    Also, the release from mask wearing has me concerned. Our local convenience store was letting customers in without masks and when I asked why, I was told that they aren’t allowed to say anything or question why a person isn’t wearing one (aka a medical condition). We ALL know that people are going to lie about having been vaccinated! Also I often have issues with wearing a mask (I get hot easily and always have a runny nose, tree allergens making it worse right now!) but I just walk off to a place (like an empty aisle in the grocery store) and lift my mask to get some air and/or blow my nose. I’ll be wearing a mask in any highly populated place even after the mandate is relaxed.

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  23. You really amaze me.
    You do.

    In the midst of your move and your painting and your caring for cats, I’ve done next to nothing.
    My motivation level = next to nothing too!

    You even blog more than me.

    Ah, well, “do not compare thyself with others” . . . so says Desiderata. 😀

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    • I said that three weeks ago. I can’t do the higher ceiling in the family room because I’m not totally nuts. I make Dan stand on the bottom step of the ladder to steady it and break my fall! 🙂 I’m blaming it on lack of contractors although to be honest, when I hire someone (and I will to for the tall room) I have to be 100% sure of the color I want to use. I’m still considering some. The one I’ve been using is a creamy off-white which has a yellow cast (better than the pink cast from the tan) but I’m thinking of a lighter shade that is still on the creamy side.

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  25. May I say that you dress well to paint, and I don’t see drips all over your clothing. I love to paint but am the messiest painter ever. 🙂 Our state mask mandate has been lifted with 59.5% with at least one dose and 35.3% fully vaccinated. Ah, we’re keeping our masks on out in public for the foreseeable future plus some towns still have one. Shipping charges could be a post all by itself. 🙂 Happy Sunday.

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    • Those are my painting clothes and they do have paint on them. You just can see them from the distance. I like to cover up otherwise I have paint all over my arms. I forget our % of vaccinated but it’s maybe around 60% combined. There is a big push on now and the vaccine is available almost everywhere in contrast to me spending 6 weeks trying to get an appointment in January. I think getting the kids vaccinated is good. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were a more likely carrier without symptoms.

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