Friday was sort of a lost day due to Robert spending two hours on the phone in the cool part of the day dealing with identity theft from March. Just FYI, smaller credit unions are better at catching this stuff as B of A gave some guy claiming to be Robert 30 K in credit without verifying his identity. Fun stuff! I got to listen to the hold music, and I know those people kept assuring us that our call was important to them, but I have my doubts.

 Saturday we woke early to get started. Here’s what we learned:
1. You know how you can buy white trellis? And even though you might have some wood trellis you could paint white, maybe that isn’t a good idea? I have spent two days painting trellis and it is THE WORST PAINTING ASSIGNMENT EVER. I know painting, closets, windows, whatever, but trellis is like the Sisyphus of painting.

2. Our ladder sucks. After it dumped Robert into the side of the house and gouged the new paint, it got bent and generally decided not to cooperate with people using it as a ladder. Maybe it is on strike, but we are buying a scab. F that ladder.

3. Harold had a lovely time both days because he has new friends at Ace Hardware who give him cookies and tell him how cute he is. He’s just so proud to go out and about and loves meeting everyone so much, but he needs to practice four on the floor and not jumping before he breaks some lovely older person’s (or mom’s/same thing) hip.

4. Windows! Warbly Stuff! Lead paint on 3 of the windows=boo hoo. In addition to the Trial of the Lattice, I have been doing the lead paint abatement, while Robert has been engaged with the battle of the Warbly Stuff. It’s that clear plastic roofish material and everyone I know, including some of the people on You Tube, call it the “Warbly Stuff.” It’s horrible to cut (breaks, tin snips are better than saws), it is ungainly, the screws that come with it are awful to put in, and it involves a great deal of time on ladders (see #2). As for the lead paint, next to painting lattice and the back of a toilet, windows are my next favorite. Really.

5. Big lesson learned: this seems like it is taking forever and we are just spinning our wheels, but with every window painted, every warbly piece locked down, every haul of wood brought home, we are closer…I hope.