Fri., 05/29/09

Hello

This a.m. I wrote this essay about paint stirrers as a note on facebook.com

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"Paint Stick"

Preparation is the most difficult part of painting. Filling dings. Caulking gaps between floor boards. Sanding. Vacuuming. Washing/rinsing surfaces. These steps take time. When they are eventually done you're ready to prime & paint.

Always remember to ask for a paint stick or stirrer when you buy primer & paint. If more than one is offered to you accept them! Sometimes I'm on a roll when it comes to painting, & I am juggling two or three projects at once. To not have a paint stick can delay the application. Sometimes I apply primer to trim & am ready to apply second coat of color to a wall in another room. I need a dry paint stick.

At local paint & hardware stores I have to ask for a paint stick. They aren't on the counter. Customers can't help themselves to two or three. I think paint sticks should be prominently displayed on counters to remind customers they will need this tool. It's as important as a brush or roller cover. How do commercial painters obtain sticks? I've never seen a pkg. of sticks for sale in any store. I'd be willing to spend a couple dollars to buy a pkg. of 16 or 20 sticks.

Not all sticks are created equal. Some sticks are thin & brittle. They wiill break if primer or paint is stirred too vigorously. Recently I bought a tray liner, 9" roller cover, & two sm. foam disposable brushes at a hardware store. After walking out I do-si-doed back in to ask for a paint stick. Clerk handed me a nice, thick one from a box on a low shelf behind paint mixer & muttered something like "You're lucky. It's almost the last one."

After spending $12 to $15 for a qt. of paint & about $30 for a gallon why are paint & hardware stores stingy when it comes to distributing paint sticks? If you find yourself without a stirrer when you're ready to apply primer or paint I suggest using an old kitchen utensil, a (clean) ruler, or part of a yardstick. I used to have a set of two or three wooden mixing spoons but needed them to stir paint.
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Bye

Wed., 05/20/09

Hello

I'd like to create a blog for unemployed Americans.

Why do so many human resource depts. contain people with androgynous names? Some are Lee, Dale, Robin, Kelly, Chris, Jamie, & Pat.

Some paper applications have a section at the end with the instructions "DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE" or something similar. What happens if I write a poem or draw with crayons in the space?

Why do employers not ask for an electronic address? Sometimes I include it but usually I forget to provide an e-mail address. Acknowledgement via computer of paper & electronic applications would be appreciated by this jobseeker. Already I am paying Fairpoint Communications for Internet & e-mail service.

Thanks for visiting.

Mon. a.m., 05/18/09

Hello

Recently I wrote the following poem. It took only five or 10 minutes to compose.

WHO'S CALLING, PLEASE?

On Saturday at 6:45 p.m. a foreign woman on the phone asked to speak with Meena Eeshum. My name is Mina (rhymes with China) Isham (I or eye + shum).

I was hoping the caller was my cousin Sherry. No. American Satellite has entered my home. It didn't pick a lock or break a window. There isn't any property damage. Nothing is missing except a couple minutes.

When the phone rings I climb the stairs where phone & computer share a jack.

If I want to subscribe to cable or satellite TV (or extend auto warranty) I'll use yellow pgs. or advertisement.

Please don't bother me. I'm baking bread. I'm paying bills. I'm folding laundry

Bye

(Hang up)"

There are several old purple lilac bushes on my property. Their perfume now is intense. Last spring I moved a young lilac bush. Previous homeowner/s planted it under the canopy of a flowering crabapple tree. Now it receives direct sunshine. Its blooms are white.

Thanks for visiting.

Thurs., 05/14/09

Hello

Yesterday the weather was sunny, mild, & breezy. I walked to Holiday House to play the piano during a Red Hat tea party. At home late in the afternoon I mowed the lawn.

Today rain & wind are forecast. I'll probably scrape trim (woodwork) in the hall upstairs & use orbital sander on the floor. I want to paint trim white & the floor chocolate brown.

Seeds I sowed in the garden aren't germinating. Last yr. I let sprinkler water garden for 10 or 15 minutes. This yr. I've been holding nozzle to moisten seeds. I don't think water is wetting top two or three inches of soil.

Play the piano & walk are daily activities.

Thanks for visiting.

Sun., 05/03/09

Hello

Yesterday the weather was sunny & warm. Outdoors I sowed chamomile & savory seeds. I plopped cardboard pots with mint seedlings in two tree stumps.

Sundays I usually walk through an industrial pk. because most businesses are closed. Several times I brought a rope with me to twirl near a bldg. with gravel.

I need new sneakers. My two prs. work hard.

Ciao

Mon. afternoon, 04/27/09

Hello

When I turned on the radio this a.m. I learned swine flu is in the news.

From the library I borrowed "Babe" on video cassette. At Champlain Veterinary Clinic Wanda told me Dr. Gunther used to have a pet pig named Newton. The pig was fond of Fig Newton cookies. My maternal grandmother had a pet pig named Arnold.

On Easter Sunday earlier this month (04/12/09) I wrote this poem to defeat boredom.

Grey sky spits out a few snowflakes

Heavy traffic includes all models & makes.

A walk yielded five empties or 25 cents

Neighbor allowed dog to poop (I have no fence.)

On gravel I did 50 jumping jacks & jumped rope

Fresh air & exercise help me cope.

In cardboard pots I sowed some seeds

for zucchini, mint, & probably weeds.

I slipped my feet into barn boots not Crocs

to stretch plastic on garden anchored with rocks.

The weather today is hazy, hot, & humid. The temp is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit!

Now I'm going to play the piano.

Bye

Fri., 04/17/09

Hello

Before leaving the house on foot to do errands this a.m. I watered lettuce, spinach, & turnip green seeds in the ground & radish seeds in a whiskey barrel.

Late this morning the sun retreated from the sky. Now the sky is overcast. Rain is forecast for tonight & tomorrow.

In the winter the USPS returned application & cover letter I mailed to Old Mill Troy because the plant doesn't have a mail receptacle in St. Albans. This a.m. I handed the original envelope to a woman seated behind a desk in the office.

Now I'm pursuing a job as an independent contractor for a credit card processing company. This weekend I'll visit the web site to learn more about rates & svcs. I think I'll enjoy meeting merchants in northern Vt.

Thank you for your interest in my whereabouts & doings.

Bye