If I Had To Choose

Last night I watched 'This Is It' - the documented performance of what was to be Michael Jackson's 50 sold-out concerts.

Some of you may be Michael Jackson fans - some not. In the end it doesn't matter. What does matter is the message that Michael wanted to give the world. The message that the earth needed protecting and it needed help. But most importantly - one of love. That we need to love one another and not to judge each other. The earth would be a better place if we all just tried.

When the film ended I was left feeling profoundly sad that this incredible performer was gone just days before his attempt to heal the world with his music. I went off into the bathroom and had a good cry because it seemed like such a waste to me. To lose someone who might have eventually made a difference with all his fans - and maybe those that weren't as well.

I personally do not care what the media has had to say about Michael over the years. I had always wished they would just leave the man alone. Can you imagine living in a glass house and under a microscope all of your life with big faces peering down at you - and the word here is 'down'.

When I awoke this morning I read a story about a local hero who had been stabbed and was recovering in the hospital. This hero was not just your ordinary guy - but a homeless man who lived under a bridge. He had saved 2 different people from drowning and because of it had moved into a government owned apartment block. It was here that he was stabbed.

From that story I moved on to one about tainted cocaine laced with levamisole - a veterinarian drug used to treat intestinal worms. This combination can eventually kill the person if left untreated. But the world of drugs is one of profit and it doesn't matter to the dealer how that profit comes about or what it might do to others.

Now - I have admitted that I did cocaine in my youth. I spent a year trying to run away from the abusive relationship I was in by doing cocaine as often as I could. I knew it was cut with something but at the time I didn't care. Just reading this story made my stomach clench and I thought of how lucky I really was to have survived that stupid habit.

Put this all together and we have the harsh reality of life mixed with Michael Jackson's desire to bring peace and love to the world.

It clashes horribly doesn't it? It makes one's mind almost twist if you juxtapose one over the other.

I've been on the other side - the hard side - and even though everyday is a party - it's not that fun. Believe me.

For me - I'd choose Michael Jackson's world any day. One of love and the joy of music and singing and dancing and giving your all so that it would be a better world today.

A Rambling Post

I’m probably going to ramble here a bit today because I have a few things on my mind that I must get out.

First of all – the refinishing of the dining room floor. I have to admit that this has been a true learning experience. I have swung from determination to  exasperation to anger and back to determination once again with a little hope thrown in.

After a long week of applying a total of seven coats of polyurethane,  I finally remembered my brother’s advice to call the company that makes the polyurethane and ask them the correct way of putting this stuff on the floor. It was no where near how HOME DEPOT told us how to do it – and that was from the guy at HOME DEPOT who was demonstrating how to refinish a wood floor!

With proper instructions from the company, Sam (my winter house guest) and I sanded for 6 hours in an attempt to take off a couple of layers of the stuff.

Let me tell you. Sanding with a long pole a room about 20 feet by 15 feet is very hard work. My body is in complete rebellion, which, added to my health problems is not a good thing. However – anyone who knows me knows that I do not lay down and relax when I am not well – I attack all manner of work to be done (mostly renovations) and I work as hard as I can to forget what ails me.

After 6 hours of sanding and then finishing with a complete vacuuming and then wiping down with mineral spirits – which  HOME DEPOT told us was the same thing as Varsol (which it definitely is not) Sam and I sort of melted into a puddle and with weakened limbs crawled off to our respected corners of solitude and tried to deal with it.

Today we will apply another coat of polyurethane to the floor and see what happens. This time I think we have the proper procedure to follow and we have our fingers crossed!

If anyone wants to know how to do this for future use – here’s a small list of what NOT to do according to HOME DEPOT and what TO DO according to the manufacturer. (Can someone tell me what has happened to knowledgeable service? Anyone? Anyone?)

Crap! I could work in all departments at these hardware stores because I know far more about everything than the people working there do and that’s just from doing it myself!

Anyway – sorry about that small digression there – I had to rant.

First of all – sand your floor down to the bare wood starting with a large grit and working your way down to a fine grit. A sander is a good thing to rent for this purpose and please don’t forget to wear dust masks and wipe down the walls afterwards.

Then use a lint-free cloth and MINERAL SPIRITS to wipe down the entire floor and allow to dry completely. (HOME DEPOT told us to use a water-based varsol and just to go at it after we had wiped it down. First of all – water-based products DO NOT mix with oil-based products. Rule one. Then – a completely dry floor is needed along with a completely dry applicator – either sheepskin or something similar. And be aware – fake sheepskin sheds all the time and that then stays in the polyurethane and stays on your new floor. The applicator has to be vacuumed and washed with mineral spirits and allowed to dry before being used. This may take a couple of days. DO NOT soak it in water-based varsol and then use it to apply the oil-based polyurethane to the floor while wet.

Thin coats are best – not thick coats. Sanding is needed between each coat to remove any bubbles or (hairs). Do NOT just keep applying the polyurethane once the coat is dry. HOME DEPOT told us we “could sand if we really wanted to”. Uh NO! You need to sand. Not only to remove debris and bubbles but also the surface needs some scratching up so the polyurethane has something to adhere to.

A maximum of 4 coats is what is needed. Not seven and on into infinity which is what we were looking at! Thank you again HOME DEPOT!

Finally – let cure for at least 72 hours before walking on it. And don’t forget to seal off your room and wear gas masks as the fumes are dangerous (believe me – even if you are not applying this stuff and are just sitting in another room – the fumes affect you.)

So there you go. We are going to be applying polyurethane today according to the way we were instructed by the manufacturer. Hopefully this is the last time we have to do this in this room.

Then I have the adjoining living room to do and a hallway as well. I should be an old pro by the time this is all done.

One last thing. Those names did not reappear once we started applying polyurethane. I was sort of disappointed but there’s still a chance something will show up in the next areas!

Still Here - Still Working

Has anyone who reads this blog ever refinished hardwood floors themselves? Is there some special trick to it when using an oil-based varathane?

We still haven't figured out what those names were that showed up as we sanded away the top couple of layers of varathane that were previously on the floor.

However - no more names showed up once we put down our own first layer of varathane either. Not in that room anyway. There's still another room to sand so we might come across a few more surprises. This barn/house is over 100 years old and I expect that there is quite a bit of history gathered inside these walls over all those years.

Meanwhile - when we put down the second coat of varathane - it bubbled everywhere and we had to wait 12 hours before we could go in and sand it down. Then we put on our third layer, it bubbled too - just not as much.

Sam has gone off to town to ask the people who are supposed to know - ie - the people at the paint department in Home Depot. I'm going to be quite interested to see what he says when he gets back.

The smell from the oil-based varathane is unbelievable! It burns the eyeballs and drains away any strength one might have - even with masks on.

What Sam and I have been doing to resuscitate ourselves afterward is looking at the whitewater videos that my brother has posted over on his blog - In Otter Words. They are great for a smile and boost our spirits knowing that we have another summer of rafting ahead of us.

So once more I'm suggesting you go over to In Otter Words and give yourself a smile as you listen to the screaming of excited (or terrified) rafters. It truly is so much fun!

Meanwhile - I'll get back to work.

What’s In A Name

    While trying to deal with my stress and health and basically being the person I am (which is one that hides from the world and doesn’t like to leave my house) – I have thrown myself into the renovations that still need doing in this big old barn.

Our house guest (also known as Sam) has been taking care of me and helping out as well.

We are in the process of sanding the dining room floor and while doing so – Sam won’t let me run the machine so it’s all him – we came across something in the hardwood.

We’re not sure what it is and believe it to be a name so I’m going to post some pics of it here and see if any one of you can figure out what it says.

Please note there are 2 different spots which to me look like two different names.   

So here we go.

And the other ‘name’.

Any and all ideas are gratefully welcomed.

*CLICK PICS TO EMBIGGEN*

I Don’t Do Well With Stress

And that’s a fact.

Stress + Me = Tears – lots of them.

So while I am trying desperately to deal with my life at the moment and which I’m not doing a very good job at – I would like to point you towards my brother’s blog – In Otter Words.

Now that rafting season is over he is working on his pottery and he is putting out pieces that just take my breath away with their beauty and which need to be seen by the world – or by my blogging friends at least.

Please – go have a look and let the beauty of them settle your mind and enrich your day. And if you feel like it – leave him a comment. All artists need that. Just like us.

 

My brother’s fabulous pottery.

and here too!