laundry day at flatbroke ranch

my latest project started with this:

(i ended up changing these to all the hooks on one side & all the "eyes" on the other side because of the length of my line & the line tighteners i used.)

and ended with this:

i built a clothesline!!!!

all

by

my

self!!!

but i'm not gonna tell you the funny story about my 45* angles with the swanson speed square (which was invented in 1925 by albert swanson to determine the pitch of a roof), or not being able to get my blade on the circular saw so trying to cut 45* angles with a hand saw, or not having enough hands or any clamps so trying to hold things together with duct tape!!!! moustache duct tape, of course!!!! but then suzanne's boyfriend justin arrived on the scene & put the blade on the circular saw & then HE cut the 2x4 for the braces.

but technically i made it ALL by myself!!!!

i drilled the holes & put the eye rings & hooks on the cross bars parts & built the poles and then i dug the holes all by myself!! i tried to bribe the boys at work to dig the holes. i promised whoever dug the holes that i'd cook them a steak dinner --- well no one volunteered to help, so i did them myself.

well, me & geronimo!!!!!!

it was way easier than i expected. however, you can only get about 2 tablespoons of dirt with each scoop of the post-hole digger!!!! while i was digging the holes, i thought, "those stupid boys!!! they could have had a free steak dinner so easily!!" it only took me about 15 minutes per 2 foot hole! i was expecting it to take days!!!!

(those poles are HEAVY!!!!! when i was carrying them from the garage to the backyard, it made me think of Jesus carrying His cross for me. but i'm sure His was a lot heavier. made me love Him even more!)

geronimo helped me dig the holes -- i'd take out a scoop of dirt & he'd look in the hole. i'd have to shew his nose out & dig another scoop of dirt & he'd look in the hole!!! i told him he needed to dig the holes the way he's dug them all around his house -- he's making himself an in-ground pool i think!!!! -- but he was more interested in being the hole supervisor rather than the hole digger. i tried to take his picture supervising, but he wouldn't cooperate. it's hard to dig holes with a camera around your neck so at 1 point i took it off & put it inside. when i came out the door, he was on his front knees & had his whole head down a hole!!!! all you could see was DOG BUTT up in the air!!!!!!!!! there was no way to get the camera & take his picture because as soon as he heard me come out, he was out of the hole! dang!!! it was just too cute!!!

here are close ups of the "hooks & eyes & tighteners" -- really neat contraptions! keep the line very taught!

and here's what that clothesline can do:

(i promise not to take pictures every time i do the laundry!!!!) (i've already done & hung about 8 loads!!!! i love it!!!) i put an old hook on one end & hung a bucket -- i'm going to plant some flowers in it - hopefully this weekend.

i made a clothespin holder from a couple dish towels. i hung it with velcro from an old wooden hanger. it looked real cute but i left it on the line & the wind blew it off. i caught geronimo chewing on the hanger! he chewed it all up. at 1st i was mad at him & was mad because i'd have to buy another wooden hanger & i didn't want to go to the expense of that but then a lightbulb went off!!! i could just hang the bag directly from the clothesline since i had put velcro on the entire width of the bag!!!! much better than a hanger anyways because now i can just slide the bag along with me & not have to worry about it blowing off the line! thanks geronimo!!!!! (and he didn't chew up the bag, just the wooden hanger -- miracle!!!!!)

original "design" with the hanger:

"new improved" bag:

my backyard is really country now!!!! it's so cute with the white sheets & bluebonnets!!! (which are fizzling out quickly. they've gone to seed & the blooms are fading away. i think God gives them to us for such a short time so we'll appreciate them more.)

growing up we had to hang laundry on the line --- it was one of my most favorite chores. that & weeding our HUGE garden! but hanging laundry was my FAVORITE. i LOVE the way sheets smell after they've hung on the line!!! they feel better too.

i LOVE it!!!! i'm so glad it's "summer"! i just can't wait for saturdays to do laundry!!!!!

5 questions

i had another post started for publication but that is being interrupted for the following.......


5 questions:

1. why is it in my house?

2. where did it come from?

3. where has it been in my house?

4. how many more are there?

5. what is it?

the answers:

1. i don't know

2. i don't know

3. i don't want to know

4. there had better not be any more


5. a SNAKE!!!!!!!!!

i may be a countrygirl, but i don't.like.snakes.

the downside of living alone -- you have to kill your own snakes!!!

today i mowed both the front & back yards, fertilized both yards, watered both yards, hung 2 loads of laundry out to dry, played with the dog & layed out on the lawn chair and never saw a single snake.

tonight i made scalloped potatoes

for church tomorrow & was sitting in the living room watching tv (yes, i have tv now) waiting for the potatoes to get done & then i was going to take a shower & get to bed so i can wake up super early for SonRise service. i had been sitting in the rocking chair in the middle of the room for a couple hours. i took the potatoes out of the oven, turned on the water in the shower & as i was walking through the dark living room, illuminated only by the tv, i spotted it!!!! a garden snake about a foot long slithering across the floor heading towards the couch!

i ran to the garage & got the shovel, praying that i'd get to the snake before he went under the couch!!

i did it!!!! he was already 1/2 way under the couch, but i scouped him out with the shovel & CHOPPED at him a couple times!!! i didn't want to cut him clear in 2 for fear that he'd still be able to slither under the couch. sucess!! he lay there, tail squirming, bleeding on my floor, while i got the camera to take his picture. (all the while my heart is beating 1000 miles an hour!!!!)

i.HATE.snakes. this is the 2nd snake that's been in my house. i don't remember how long ago it was, but i was still married, so it was over 10 years ago. it was a sunday morning, i walked into the bathroom & there was a huge dark black snake coiled up in front of the toilet. i ran screaming through the house all the way to the other side of the house yelling for my husband to hurry & go get the snake!!!! he was sitting in the living room acting like i was out of my mind. he nonchalantly asked, "what do you want me to do?" (one of the many reasons i divorced him!)

BE A MAN & GO KILL THAT DAMN SNAKE, YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!

i'm yelling at him to hurry before the snake goes somewhere & he's not moving at all. i screamed like no one has ever screamed before - GET A SHOVEL & KILL THE SNAKE - NOW!!!!!!!! i THINK he finally got off his rear & got the snake -- i don't know for sure because i was hysterical by this point!!!!

i used to get up & go to the bathroom in the middle of the night in the dark --- ever since that day, i now turn the light on & check out the entire bathrooom floor before i enter the room!!!!!! day or night!!!! but i walk around the rest of the house in the dark. i guess i'll be using lights a lot more often from now on!!!!!

i grew up in the country -- we played in cornfields & woods. i hated snakes then, but don't remember seeing any in either the cornfields or the woods!! i did see one in the barn though! i had been riding horses & was putting the saddle back in the barn. the barn was the downstairs part of a garage building that had an upstairs apartment where my grandparents lived. it was probably 150 feet from our house. i walked in to the barn carrying the saddle -- saw the snake, screamed bloody murder, threw the saddle on the ground, screamed & ran all the way to the house in .5 seconds, shut & locked the door!! my parents & brothers & sisters were all outside wondering what the heck was the matter. that saddle stayed on the ground for about a week!!!! i don't think i visited my grandparents for a whole week either!!!!

I.DON'T.LIKE.SNAKES.

i always say: if i had been the one in the garden of eden, i would have run from that snake instead of listening to him & eating the forbidden fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i hope i never have the opportunity to do this again. women should not have to do this. snake killing is a man's job!!! and snakes should not go into people's houses. especially women's houses!!!!!

i've entered the 21st century -- sorta!!!

well, i've gone & done it.
done something i said i'd NEVER do.

i held out as long as i could & then yesterday, out of the blue, something came over me. don't know what possessed me! beforehand i didn't even give it any thought.

it just happened.

at lunchtime i went to verizon to pay my phone bill (because i forgot to do it online over the weekend & i can never remember the password -- have to look at the "cheat book" every time!!!! so i went in, paid my bill & then the next thing i know, the vulture nice man says, "can i take all the rest of your money?" "is there anything else i can help you with?"

before i knew it, i had a quote for an upgrade to an iphone!

i didn't have time for all the questions i had in my head, so i told him i'd come back after work.

i fully expected to not go back & made a mental note to make sure i paid my bill online next month!!!!!

well, i guess my car had other plans because after work instead of heading home, it drove to verizon!!!!

(silly car! didn't it know that the extra money i'm now spending each month on my phone bill could have gone for GAS for him instead??????? i guess HE won't be going out as much because i'll be sitting at home TEXTING!!!!!!!)

yes, i have given in & i have texted! i have texted with my kids & two friends & i sent my sister a text, but she didn't text me back!!!!!! it's still awkward & when i hit a key i don't get the letter i want & i can't type as fast as i can on a computer keyboard. (suzanne CAN!!!! oh my!!! she can make those thumbs move!!!!)

i spent almost 2 hours asking the girl at verizon all sorts of questions (she earned her paycheck that day!!!!!!!) (the "nice man" wasn't there) & then suzanne gave me a crash course & then i stayed up late figuring out a bunch of stuff. i don't think it's gonna be as hard as i anticipated! (i woke up to barking dogs - which i thought would be a good alarm, but i didn't like it, so i'll have to switch to something else tonight!!!!)

NOW PEOPLE JUST NEED TO TEXT ME!!!!!! my "dumb phone" worked just fine for so long but i didn't really get enough calls to warrant anything "better". suzanne & the boys at the office kept saying i should get a texting phone & then they'd text me instead of call. apparently it's the only way the world communicates!!!!! so come on people, text me!!! i want to get my money's worth outta what i'm now paying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

here's the "new addition":

(the cover's not scratched -- that's glare.) and, of course, i put a mustache on him!!!!!! i spent the money to put one of those waterproof cases on it. don't want to take a chance & now i can put it in my pocket when i'm outside, gardening, walking, or whatever, without having to worry. a little expensive now, but it's much better than having to pay a bazillion dollars --yes, that's what they cost!!! -- later to replace it!! i'm going to get one for suzanne -- i worry about her phone, especially now that she & justin have taken up this "mudding hobby"!!

so, there you have it!! i'm a texter!! but don't worry. this rustic texascountrygirl is still a little lot old-fashioned -- wait til you see my next post about my backyard project!!!!!!

goodbye "toasted almond" hello "smoked oyster"!

taxes are done, so now i can get back to blogging & stamping & other fun things!!!

(this was done last weekend, but i told myself i couldn't finish writing the post or post it until the taxes were done!)

i've been wanting to paint the living room for some time now, but couldn't decide on a color. it's been boring "toasted almond" for.ev.er.

toasted almond as in "we'll go with that (boring)color to make the (boring)husband happy." well he's been the ex-husband for almost 9 years now (WOW!! NINE years?!?!) so it's time for a change!

i had a whole bunch of color swatches but couldn't decide, so it was on hold. i wanted something grayish brown or brownish gray. i REALLY wanted to paint it like the bedroom -- "sueded leather" is my all time favorite!) but i wanted the bedroom to be special so i'm not gonna paint any other room that color. i was trying to decide where to hang the tractor & truck pictures & when i got to moving things i realized how HORRIBLE the walls were & that they MUST be painted. the living room's only been "original builder grade white" (bone actually) & "toasted almond" in the 25 years we've lived here, so it was TIME to paint again!!! it's funny how some of the blogs i read, the ladies paint their walls every year or so!!!! the only room that's seen more paint in more different colors is suzanne's room. it's been 8 different colors!!!! (and one of those times it was 5 different colors at once! she had each wall a different color - blue, pink, green, lavender & the ceiling was yellow!!! so does that technically make it 14 colors???!!!)

anyway --- friday night i just picked up the samples - i'd been looking at them in all different lights - went to lowe's & chose one! i chose "smoked oyster" - it was a toss up between that & "tempered allspice". now i'm thinking i wish i had gone with tempered allspice!!!!! i like the smoked oyster - it's a grayish brown, but it has a lavender undertone. in the daytime it looks very "purple-y". it's pretty at night though & since i'm at work during the day, i'm not lookin' at it that much then!!!! i was afraid the tempered allspice would look too yellow. UGH! i hate choosing paint for a huge wall from those teeny tiny samples!!! WHY can't them make them bigger??????

oh well! the paint is on the wall & it's gonna stay that way for a while. (hopefully not 15 or 20 years!!!) the walls go 1/2 way to heaven & i was standing on the top rung of a 10 foot ladder. up & down, up & down. my calves are soooooo sore!!!! when we had it painted about 12 years ago or so, we had professionals paint it. i don't have the $$ to pay professionals, so it was up to me. it wasn't that hard, but going up & down that ladder took a toll!!

i went to lowe's at 7:30 pm. left there at 8:15pm (wandered around the store for a little bit waiting out a HUGE rainstorm!!! i couldn't see how hard it was raining, but the sound of it in that building was terrible!!!! i started painting at 9 & stayed up ALL night painting!!!!!!

(i've gotten hooked on the tv show "hart of dixie" & have been watching it on netflix, so i had it on while i painted.) finally finished early afternoon & it's a good thing because i was slowly running out of steam!!!! there's one little area above the ledge that i left toasted almond because i was afraid i'd mess up the ceiling because i just couldn't quite reach it!! the contrast is ok -- so until it gets professionally painted again (probably never!!!), that's just the way it'll be!!

original "toasted almond":

(the bible verses are gone. had to paint over them -- woulda looked stupid had i not!!! maybe i'll write them again - haven't decided yet.)

here you can see the difference in the 2 colors:

and all done!!!!!:

(the wall behind the tv is the same color as the wall on the fireplace. it just looks different the way the light is hitting it.)

i need help hanging the window back up. it is HEAVY! i don't know how i ever got it up all by myself the 1st time! it's gonna take 2 people on 2 ladders. (or maybe i was just too tired saturday, that's why it was so heavy!!!! but when i took it down friday night, i thought i might fall off the ladder......don't tell anyone that though!!!) i did put it back up & was sitting in the chair when--- CRASH!!!! it fell down!!! straight down - took the tractor picture with it though! scarred the livin' daylights outta me!!! i was so worried that the glass broke or the wood frame broke -- or even worse-- the tractor's canvas ripped!!!! but praise the Lord, everything was OK!!!! just a little scraped up wall, but i had the paintbrush right there & touched it up & you can't tell!!! it was a miracle the window didn't break! i don't think i had it on the hooks exactly right. i'm gonna wait til suzanne or justin can help me hang it.

it's really hard to take photos & get the true color, but at least you get an idea.

if you wanna see the real thing, come on over!!!!