The New Me

Ever since M and K came over--3 times, I think, to help me get rolling with organizing and culling, I've felt an internal pressure to maintain and not live like a sad and lonely man.  Well, I still live the life of a sad and lonely guy, but I don't allow some of the trappings.

It spilled over into other parts of my life which I've neglected.  And all of a sudden, I have tons of work.   Hopefully, it will last.  That is my intention.  There is plenty yet to do, but at least I know how and things aren't going backwards.

I can't even leave a dirty pan after I cook.  Right after.  The food waits until everything is cleaned and put away.  I'm getting that down to a quick process.  If stuff is stuck to that pan that needs soaking, then I'll leave it to soak.  When the plate is done, then it all gets handled.

That sounds silly and basic.  To me it is rocket science.

The landlady asked me to paint the wood railing out front and a door to what she calls the bunkhouse.  I think of it as a shed with a nice door.  One of those with 10 windows.  If you see a door like that, and the paint is all flaky and gnarly, don't go out of your way to paint it.  It will take plenty of scraping, then sanding, then sanding some more, and that is just to arrive at the point where you can do an adequate job.

Actually, I enjoyed it.  One side had to be blue and the other white.  That is trickier than it sounds with all the windows.

When she asked, she said they'd pay me to do it.  I never asked how much.  Now she wants to know what they owe.  I'm so glad for how they deal with me, leave me alone yet make every effort to accommodate me, that I can't charge them much more than materials I bought for some of the projects.  I'm also replacing the molding around my front door.

It is some kind of therapy.  Didn't see it coming.

I'm looking at the stone box.  It hasn't always been appreciated, but I see now that it should have.  One friend remembers it and it made a favorable impact.  That is a big deal.  I was quite proud of it when I built it, but I was casting pearls before swine.

I think I tried to give it to more than one girl over the years.  Maybe the box can be my test for The New Mrs Me.  If she digs the box then she's in the running.  If not, I no what the end result of our time will be so I have the choice of hitting the road now or later; either way it is inevitable.

Forgot my original train of thought. Amost none of the foregoing was it.  Old Me and New Me have a lot in common.