It was warm yesterday and I think we all had the automatic response of “oooh and ahhhh” and the sense of coming upon a misplaced valuable. We went for two driving lesson/Shane Wubba-ing trips to the fairgrounds and walked in and out of the house without a thought to a jacket as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And, then, in the evening, things got too hot: Summer had been reading Dracula for school and I happened to see a VHS copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in Goodwill. Right before we watched it, Summer asked me what was the sex scene that was inserted to provide a modern day shock to help convey the scandal of the vampire bite when the novel was new. That was the reason they couldn’t watch it in class. Well, I ‘d never seen the movie and thought surely it couldn’t be much. I was wrong.  There was not just one scene, but many and first Cameron bailed, then Summer joined him- after a continuing monologue of “Why are  they doing this? THIS wasn’t in the book!”

Der Bingle said we would turn it off, but I protested. It was not a wise decision, but I fell asleep until the last 30 seconds. Der Bingle just stuck his head in his Kindle.

I really didn’t know it was rated R; Anthony Hopkins: I’d rather watch you eat someone!

Spent most of the day at the LaGrange house. Nice and relaxing with sun streaming in . . . but there was this slight odor in the kitchen – maybe a dead mouse. And this makes me wonder about another perhaps not so relaxing future day. Does anyone remember when I found a dead cat? I don’t want to think about this.

To be accurate, I was in a giant evergreen bush, one I have let become overgrown because it makes one of the rooms in the house feel as if it is in a forest. Okay, I have several overgrown bushes to get the total effect. But anyway, to keep some control and allow the bush to have green needles throughout, I cut out the tallest branches every year.

Today was Bush #1’s turn and after I had sighted in on the limb I wanted, I had to climb up a knot of branches and sort of lean out on one to reach the spot I wanted to saw. It wasn’t bad, but a little dicey getting down; I had to keep releasing my sweatshirt from probing twigs. Of course, the branch stayed right where it was because others held it up, so I had to tug on them to get a handhold of access and then extract it slowly.

It’s raining now and things will be wet in the morning so I can safely say Bush #2 is on a delay and has time to prepare some sort of defense moves to thwart me. Maybe I’ll wear a helmet when I tackle that one. Rose thinks I should be wearing a strait jacket. Oh, well, everyone has a right to his/her opinion.

Fortunately, I, AmeliaJake, the myself noted above, seldom pay any attention and that is probably a good precedent for the anyone elses. But, nevermind, I drivel on.

Today is a rest day –  yesterday was more painting and other drudge stuff. It occurs to me I could paint anonymous graffiti on my walls simply by using the same paint color. This is something for me to play around with. Another noble idea coming to you from the think tank at the Peanut Butter Cafe & Roadhouse. Sometimes we have to scrape our ideas off the roofs of our mouths, but it’s a hazard inherent in our obsession with the food group peanutus butterus.

I do have to go to Fort Wayne today and I will stop by Home Depot and buy more paint. Oh, I just crossed my legs and see I am wearing my painting shoes; ironically, I will need to change them. I mean I don’t want to get them all dirty with parking lot debris.

Lest I fall into just one rut, I am now making a project out of  brushing my teeth so they look healthy when I smile – not that I do that too much. I am either a frowner or a grinner. I don’t know if people notice my teeth when I grin because Der Bingle says my mouth is so big, grinning makes it appear as if my head is going to fall off. I think there are some Muppets that have the same problem. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen teeth in their mouths, but that proves my point – all these years and I’m suddenly realizing that.

I am still marching to the beat of Vanilla Milkshake. Der Bingle asked me about trim this evening and I laughed to myself, “Trim???” I don’t usually look at decorating magazines but a couple I opened flipped right to pages of monochromatic rooms. Now maybe I should fill up up a paint sprayer and have at it. I hear they clog, however; I sigh and think there always has to be some elfish cog in the works.

It was a day of tugging and clipping; I pruned the grapevine. I think I was lucky to escape from the brawl, although I feel as if I have had a multiple bout fight with a Triffid.

Well, today I shall not paint, nor do much of anything except let my muscles benefit as they quietly improve after the week’s repeated climbs up and down the ladder and stretchy reaches of arms. I had been thinking I would climb up the ladder again as Der Bingle handed me pieces of tape to mark the separation of wall and ceiling, BUT it occurs to me that not only would I be stretchy reaching, but I couldn’t stretch far enough to do the entire working part of the kitchen with just one climb up the ladder.  So, I have pushed that activity to next week.

We talked with Quentin last night and, hearing the light color of paint I was using, not to mention the name  – Vanilla Milkshake – he suggested I should let Shane dip paws and snout in purple paint and randomly express his creativity. Oddly enough, I was not enthusiastic about this idea.

I have closed the flue in the den fireplace and I think I need to post a note – a big one, not a little stickie one, on the mantle to that effect. Nothing like a little smoky surprise. Hopefully, the blue fireplace cover with the flowers painted on it will be a further reminder. I couldn’t help myself: I toted the fireplace screen outside and leaned it against the house, with the thought that rain could wash away all the winter’s soot and ash debris.

The basement fireplace is a different matter, however, and I plan on having many more fires there yet. It is cozy to sit down there in front of the fire and watch a movie . . . and well, if it is convenient to toss anything unwanted into the fire, so be it. At the present I am rolling up old pizza boxes and feeding them in. It is also nice to be able to stick a couple of hot dogs on a skewer and let them roast over the coals.

Were Mother still alive, she would think of something more complex to do, such as suspending a big old iron pot over the fire and making authentic settler stew. I am content with hot dogs and my skewer is actually telescopic, although if we were to talk of potions, I might be persuaded to go the pot route. Double, double, toil and trouble and all that, don’tcha know?

This is a bit off my usual posting modus operandi. I’m putting it here because I watched this VIDEO after I read about Molly’s shirt sale at Molly’s Movement TWO Fundraiser–Online Fundraising Booster.

This is Molly; she had a massive stroke when she was 16. She’s learning to express herself again; she could use a little help.

The second coat went on so easily . . . and then I tackled the area that serves as entrance to the laundry room, the back vestibule and the garage. Three doors, solid wood ones with five panels. Lordy, it took forever. It doesn’t look too good now, but I’m hoping the second coat will remain my faithful friend.

I have my aspirin bottle sitting right here next to me. Maybe I’ll just be a little preemptive.

On April Fool’s Day, I painted, going up and down the ladder I don’t know how many times – not to mention moving the ladder back and forth. Then I contorted myself and painted way low down to the floor. I’d say all this stuff I did at 20, 30 and 40 and 50 ain’t as inconsequential now that I am 60+++++.
I guess maybe I was my own April Fool.

But, it’s okay; it’s better to be able to do things than not. And, today, after this aspirin kicks in I am going to do it again. Today will be easier – second coats always are, especially the psychological part of seeing the forgiving aspect of that second coat.

I think I’ll forgo my walk today, given my sore muscles; I walked yesterday and by nightfall, I felt as if my legs and feet were like “L‘s”.

Okay, here I go.