It was breezy and almost balmy as I set out on this third day of the long holiday weekend, which sadly is zipping by all too quickly.

Is there still mayhem at the malls, or, perhaps people are patronizing their local shops for “Small Business Saturday” … or, maybe folks are content to hunker down at home, munch on a turkey and stuffing sandwich and just relax a bit.

I passed on the early morning mayhem this holiday weekend and painted instead.  I wish I could tell you I was creating a masterpiece that could hang on my wall and be admired by many, but, it is not that exciting.

I had an early morning paint session in the basement these last three days, and, most likely tomorrow morning as well.  You long-time followers of this blog will recall the June plumbing disaster where a jackhammer was used to open the drain in the laundry room, resulting in a concave cement mess surrounding the drain, in an area about three by four feet.  I painted that area over the 4^th of July weekend and threw the paint out, knowing there would be no more basement drains opened up again (hopefully in my lifetime anyway).  But, little did I know, that in late October, water would be seeping from the drain under the laundry tub, necessitating a sledgehammer to open that drain to clear it.  The plumbers scraped up the original paint job during the second plumbing debacle, so, here I was, barely getting past the suggested waiting period of thirty days after the cement cured, to return to the same task that consumed four mornings in July.  The paint color this time is Valspar’s “Shiitake” and yes, it is the color of a mushroom.

I’ll tell you that all the walking I do may be good for my cardiovascular health, but it doesn’t keep me limber.  I can confirm that fact at the beginning of every gardening season when I feel like I have been run over by a Mack truck after a day doing yard cleanup.  Climbing down, squatting or kneeling to get to the back of the laundry tub near the wall was simply not doable for me because, if a centipede ran out from a hidey hole, I’d have had a heart attack as I couldn’t scramble to my feet on time.  So, I gerry-rigged a long handle to a paintbrush and painted those faraway places that way and called it done.  But, I still had to bend and reach other places that were more visible, and, a few unused muscles reminded me the morning after the first date with a paint brush, that I should factor some stretching into my exercise regimen.  I really didn’t feel like a slacker, but I guess I am.

Once the paint can was tapped shut and the vinyl gloves discarded, I hurried upstairs to see if that forecasted drizzle had arrived yet.  Sprinkles or drizzle were in the forecast for the early morn, but, being a weekend, I figured I could hold off a little longer before leaving.  After all, I had miles to walk, goals to be accomplished, not to mention a slew of hungry squirrels waiting for me down at Council Point Park.

So,  I waited an hour and good things come to those who wait.  Suddenly there was a sliver of sun and blue sky filtering through the clouds that were quickly disappearing.  So, off I went on a morn that felt balmy and breezy like the first Spring day when you leave the hat at home, unbutton your coat and carry your gloves … well, almost. A girl can dream anyway.  But, the weather sure was better than those bitter cold and blustery days of late.

So … rain, what rain?  Nothing rained on my parade.  Patience was a virtue because I added another six miles to my total miles walked in 2017.

[Image by StockSnap from Creative Commons and Pixabay]