Sand girl.

Yesterday I had just stepped into a grocery store when the Carpenter called. "Can you come help at Cobbler Ct?" Specifically sand window trim. The Carpenter was at Cobbler and the crew was at Knollwood Ct. Busy week. I had my day planned out and this request was not part of the plan. But it is important for me to support the Carpenter wherever it is needed. Even when it unsettles my day. …


So a couple hours later I found myself working alongside the Carpenter sanding a first coat paint layer on trim in the four season room addition. (Oh and the wall paint color that I helped pick really really is perfect.) http://applewoodremodelers.com/services/

I had no idea you sand between paint coats. I know that about varnish. You can feel little rough bumps when you run your hand over the painted surface. If those are not sanded away.. they will just continue to show up in the next coat. This includes wall paint! I know I've never sanded between coats of wall paint! yikes.

Whenever I work with the crew I have to get into the groove. It feels weird to be in their environment. To even be in peoples homes feels different. I do feel like a fish out of water. gulp.

I used a block sander on the trim. Pretty easy but tedious work. I had to step on and off a ladder. I felt it in my arms. I've been lifting 5 lb weights all summer. Yo. Hmmm maybe need to up those to 10! What a baby. Oh and I got really hot at first. The Carpenter had to find the remote for the ceiling fan to save me. What can I say. Maybe he was regretting the call for help just a teeny tiny bit?

I did in the end help move the ball a little farther down the road. Sanded and vacuumed three windows- ready for the Carpenter to apply a second coat. I did not fall out of a window (I was standing on a step ladder in front of large open screen-less windows and it did make me think…), I did somehow manage to get paint on the back of my shorts.. and I wasn't even painting. This is quite normal for me. In fact.. the Carpenter always says… "watch out for that tray of paint!" even when I am nowheres near it! He knows. One time I was standing on a step ladder painting outside and a bee did a fly-by. I ended up slapping a full brush of paint on myself and then landed not so gracefully on the ground. He definitely knows.

I'm so thankful we are busy. That we have multiple projects going. I've heard there is a construction boom in the Twin Cities and from what I'm seeing that is very true. After the horrible mortgage crisis things seems to be rebounding. I've never seen so many dumpsters sitting in driveways. Wish we could do all the work out there! Well maybe not. 

~ the Artist