Author: greatwallstudios

Cook, clean, work then sort yourself out, on repeat forever until you die. Interrupted by precious moments you’ll cherish, followed by the usual slog. Don’t mind me, just sorting out and putting away winter gear, in preparation for our three weeks of mild sunny spring before we collapse over into the searing heat of summer. This is the goldilocks zone for southern Ontario weather. Warm but not sweltering, not yet in a drought, and plant life is growing. Wonderful time of year, if you don’t suffer from seasonal allergies.

I am once again cleaning up the living room after the kids have played in it. Then I have to sort out my hair. Buzz cut, anyone? Anyone? Right to the scalp if I can bear it.

I had a few cracks to fill on my door, so I’ll be sanding that today. Then cleaning my shop, so that I can paint without excess dust settling on everything I’ve spent days sanding to a soft delicate finish. Then back to sawing up Cedar strips and moving along with the build. If all goes well I’m going to turn to a window screen for the kitchen. If I have enough material left that is. I may not.

Is it Thursday all ready!?! It has been at once a very long week, and a very fast one, full of completed tasks on my to-do list. I have two birthday parties in June to plan and execute. One for my wife, and the other for my youngest. Why do people take forever to RSVP to stuff? I have to order food, drinks, snacks, dip and a cake to suit how many guests, so if you wait until the last minute I’ll just have to exclude you. Now I’m the bad guy. Or order expecting you to show up, get ghosted, and have a telling reminder that a bunch of folks were no shows to our event(s). Bah. This is why I don’t like people very much.

The blessing and a curse that is Wednesday. Far enough along that the weekend seems close, but so far to go if you aren’t on top of your work load. As far as I am concerned I am back to getting things done around the house now that we have consistent weather, and Spring finally feels like it has settled in. So I’m out doors during my slow period getting chores out of the way.

We are back to a holding pattern in regards to the gazebo. I want to put it up, and now my wife would like to see it go north to the cottage for shade on the water front. As long as it gets out of the shed this year, I don’t much care where it goes, as long as I don’t have to spend yet another year with it hogging space in the shed.

I need to clear a down spout around the back of the house, but I’m not too keen to get back up on the rough again this week. Taking down the lights went smoothly, and I don’t want to push it so that I have an accident, here by myself. Needs to get done though. That one spout has two many bends in it, and it’s clogged like a MF.

Still sanding and filling holes on the door frame. I’ll finish that sooner or later. I just know it! I took a few days off from illustrating my book, as I had things to do around the house, and hitting my hand with a hammer put a damper on drawing anything while I rest it and the painful lump goes away.

Getting so much done around the house these last few days. Making good headway on the Ash screen door build, from scratch no less. I didn’t grow the trees but I started from rough sawn barn dried boards and have fashioned it into a solid wood door. Just sanding it now. 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 / 150 grits. Then I will paint it white. Next steps are to cut down some Cedar strips, affix one side of them, cut out my mesh screens, staple those in, then add the second layer of Cedar trim. Cut out hinge slots, and screw on the push plate, handle and latch. Then hang it, and all any needed trim in the frame. Totes done with it by June. HA!

I am a man on a mission. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, pruning Raspberries, Roses, Lilacs, taking down exterior lights, uncovering the AC unit, hanging tree swings, planting flowers, and chopping up brush. Staying busy during my slow period. Waiting on invoices to trickle in.

This weather is something else, just lovely. Had a seat on the new swing enjoying the breeze, the shade and all of the bird song. You know they be fuckin’. “Come and get it!” They sing out loudly all day long. Glorious.

After the door, I’ll build an interior window screen for the kitchen. All those years ago when the windows were delivered they missed one screen, so we can’t have it open due to bugs and bees. So I’ll remedy that this year. Helps when I try bacon! An extra window to open to let the smoke out!

And what a busy one we’ll be having today. Laundry, picking up Rx, planting eleven Dahlias, fetching gas, tuning up the lawn mower, oil change, spring replacement and filter wash. Cut the lawn and try to get another round of sanding in for the screen door. She’s chock a block today my good friends. Best get at it, times a wasting. Best pee first though!

It just so happens to be a lovely sunny say here as well, so that’s great. About to take the kids out for breakfast and a drive to an activity of some sort. Wanted to reintegrate them into society by walking around a mall but everything around here opens on of after 11:00am, which is too late in the day to keep these two savages occupied before even starting a walking tour of a mall of any size. I’m not feeling an hour plus drive one way to go to Square One, nor Vaughan Mills. I was thinking of either Pickering or New Market. But I haven’t decided. We’ll have to see how they handle breakfast first before I commit to hanging out with them for several more hours. Perhaps just a quick wander around a Chapters Indigo would work just as well? Who even knows at this point. Once they get going acting up, you’d wanna toss them into the sun. But we will keep them, feet firmly planted on the Earth.

It doesn’t feel very good, and the effects last for several days. Zero stars, do not reccomend. Also, hold whatever your hammering a few inches lower than where you plan to strike, and most of all, I can’t stress this part enough, pay attention when you commit to a hearty swing. So lessons hard fought and won in situ. If you wanna get frisky ping yourself with a cast iron frying pan. At least then you can tell your friends you are a mage. I cast iron!

Things are in motion, and projects are coming along nicely. The door is dry fitted and I can see a path to the finish line. It’s not going to come together exactly how I had envisioned it, but it’ll work out in the end. Not just for me, but for the kids and whole family. Got a bit dusty, dirty and grimy in the process, but we’re building towards a better future at this house. So I’ll take it.

Taking an easier day today after whacking my off hand with a hammer the other day. The wrist is a tad swollen, and it aches vaguely off and on. Just glad I didn’t damage the tenons I was pounding on to get the door dry fit together. That would have upset me, no, enraged me to no end if I had done so.

Which reminds me, I really need to get my mower tuned up for the season, and start cutting the grass. Oil change, filter clean, spark plug brushed off, and new gas put in, along with a blade sharpening. Lots to do for Saturday.

Where has the time gone? Oh right, sick child, yep, that’ll do it. But a great nights sleep, nose cleared up, and no major coughing fits, and a negative cheek/tongue/throat/nose swabs says back to school with you! Plus it’s Star Wars day at school, they had new Grogu shirts that they really wanted to show off, so all for the best.

I’m hitting up my book illustrations, and doing some minor story editing, to clean up the story a bit. Next I’ll head out to the garage to work on my door. I do have to watch the time as I get jab #4 today. Right in the middle of the day. But I won’t let that stop me. Maybe. Possibly. I’ll try not to dwell on it, nor forget it entirely. Both are bad options. As for the illustrations I found some new brushes, that feel pretty good. There are 40 of them, so will definitely not use them all on this project. But good to know I have them lying around.

Still plucking away at dry fitting my door tenons. It’s slow going, but I think it will ultimately be rewarding? I hope. And not a total cock up / mess.

May the 4th be with you! And the 5th with you also.