It’s Tuesday morning and I have paint all over my hands. It’s white latex paint and I have speckles and splashes all over my fingers, fingernails, and ingrained in the lines of the heel of my right hand. I scrubbed in the sink and again, in the shower before falling asleep last night. No worries, I’ll have more paint on my hands this afternoon and maybe even tomorrow.
I’ve been painting the music room at W and O’s elementary school. We spent ten years in elementary school as a family. Our time at Wiesbrook School began in 2003 when W started kindergarten and ended in 2014 when O moved up to middle school in’14. My how time flies.
Actually, it’s we, not me, that’s doing the painting in the music room.
We’re back to paint the music room for W’s Eagle Scout Project. I remember the first Cub Scout meeting at the school when W joined as a first grader. He was so excited being a Cub Scout. My how he’s grown.
His project is the BIG deal for him – after almost 11 years as a scout – cub scout and boy scout he’ll be turning 18 in January and ‘aging out’ of scouts and becoming an adult. He’s been working on his project planning and organizing with (a little a lot) guidance from B and little advice from me – too many guides makes for a long journey – since April. We’ve been encouraging him to get started and work on the project for a couple of years – he’s been Eagle eligible since 2011/12. He’s a busy kid with sports and family activities taking up a lot of time and no small bit of procrastination. Newton observed the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
This week, July 13-17, is the only window he had to complete the project after he had finished the planning and permission portions. Next week, he’s off to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico to hike 80+ miles in the mountains. He’s scuba dived at Sea Base, paddled 50 miles at Northern Tier, and been to the 2013 Jamboree at the Bechtel Summit Scout Reserve – all four of scouting’s high adventures. When he’s completed with his project, he’ll need to write up a reflection, schedule a scoutmaster review, and pass an Eagle Scout board of review. I am sure there will be a little more guidance and nudging involved on our part.
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
All are great qualities. He’s grown and we’re proud of his accomplishments and his drive.
Yesterday was warm and humid. Thunderstorms rolled through the area early Monday morning, we got a half an inch of rain in the rain gauge. Monday afternoon sunny, warm, and humid. Monday was our prep day in the music room and we had as many fans moving air as we could. Still it was warm in the room. After pushing all of the furniture into the middle of the room, removing bulletin boards, taping doorways and moldings, there was time to begin washing the walls and priming areas for the Tuesday’s first coat of paint.
We painted until almost 8 PM when W called quitting time. We cleaned up and looked outside, a second round of thunderstorms were brewing to the northwest and the clouds were impressive. O and I drove home and Ivy greeted us as if we’d been gone for weeks.
Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and Ivy stayed close. I could see the lightning and the trees blowing outside. The storms blew through and for all of the bluster last night there was only a tenth of inch in the rain gauge this morning, though I know other parts of the area got more. The storm was a quite a show.
It’s Tuesday morning and we’ll be painting the first full coat, and maybe a second coat if we play out cards right. W has Wednesday and Thursday lined up to work – paint, clean, and reset the room. I’ll have paint on my hands at least through Thursday. I don’t mind at all – trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent – trying to live them all.
Today is gonna be a great day. I know it and I can feel it, it might even be a million and six times better than yesterday, but I’ll never know if I don’t jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one brush stroke, one lightning strike, one thunderclap at a time.
Have you done any painting recently?
Painting is my least favourite DIY job. I tend to get out of it by doing it really badly. But we’ve just had a bathroom re-vamp, so I may not be able to avoid it entirely over the summer. As for painting as a volunteer…. I’m beyond impressed. Good luck!
I am not much of painter, either. My last job was painting W’s room and the hall bath before he was born – both were fine jobs. But When O was born almost five years later, B hired out the job – it took half the time and she couldn;t pick at my job and I think here room turned out well. I think we’ll be doing some painting up north later next week and I am up to the challenge. We finished one full coat in the room yesterday and are back tomorrow for a second and FINAL coat this afternoon. I still have paint on my hands and couple of swatches on my calves! Have a great week.
I can’t even pretend to wish you a great week painting. Hope you survive, and survive well is all I can say 😉