Wow! I was so excited to finally get this going. Even posted the spring clean-up where the guys were burning ditches! WEEELLLLL what a year we had. The Wallow fire literally kicked out butts! First, we evacuated for nearly a week. Steve had just had knee replacement surgery so the evacuation alone was a trial. Thank Heavens for Rhett who came to help. Not only did he irrigate and have things very wet, he loaded as much stuff as we could take that was either irreplaceable or priceless. That was another a ha to me. I MUST get the scrapbooks in order and give them to the kids. I have far to many.......
Life has been very busy, first there was the clean-up, then we immediately started getting and placing sandbags. Since the hottest part of the fires watershed is the Little Colorado, and we live on that river flooding is a concern. We shored up the irrigation ditch on the golf course. Only because they have dug below the normal ground level for a fairway and once the water surges into that fairway it can't get out. A wierd deal and a design flaw am sure. Nevertheless it forces the water toward the ditch which brings water to the 13. Those sandbags sure got heavy but we did it. Then we started down the lane. The mud and guck (for lack of a better word) would fill our pond and kill the fish and no telling what all. We got started but did not finish....... (story of my life!)
Then winter....
A new grandaughter Carson Brynae Heussner in November.
A wonderful crazy fun filled Christmas.....
Now spring again!.....
Most of us here in the Round Valley feel as though the summer was sucked right out of our lives! Many have remarked how glad we are for summer this year as we feel we got robbed last year.
This is a brief catch up and am sure will fill in the gaps later.
I was in the middle of redoing Steve's fathers desk when the fire hit so it did NOT get finished until just before Christmas. Need I say more why it was never posted!? The desk was nothing special wood wise, it's mahogany and a quality piece dovetailed drawers etc. We striped in when we were first married living in Tucson. Then years later, I had another more professional gal work on it for me. Well, with all the current trend in painting I was sure tempted. I mentioned it to Steve and he was, oh do whatever you want with it. He didn't have to tell me that twice. Now if he REALLY had meant it, perhaps this would not be such a funny story. I thought he meant it!
You know how projects are. You don't SEE the end from the beginning, it evolves, right? Is bought the newest latest Annie Sloan's chalk paint and got going. I wanted the top left wood stained, the legs white the drawers and drop front blue and I wanted the plaster applied to the front drop leaf. Well, the white went on
easy enough but the blue was, well, very blue. I was scared. I knew it would calm down with the clear wax and then even more so with the dark wax. But, I was wondering what I must've been thinking. He came in one day when I was painting, looked at it and said to me. "What in the hell have you done to my Father's desk?" Oh my gosh, was I going to have to strip it again just like 40 years ago? I was nervous but kept at it having faith I really could envision what I had started. My biggest fear right then was the shade of blue. (Which turned out to be magnificent!) but for awhile - not so good. Each step improved the look.It was mellowing AND it was growing on ME. Finally I got the plaster stencil in and applied the dry wall mud then painted again, then waxed again. I was fairly pleased but I could strip it if he REALLY did not like it.
So, here is the day I finally have to confront this headon. I went outside and asked him to come in. I sat him on the couch and told him. I think I am pretty much done with the desk. Now, if you really don't like it, I will strip it down to what it was. Without hesitation he said, no, you enjoy doing it.I like to give you a bad time. Which is true. But, why paint something we stripped? Which is true. I still don't think he LOVES it but we get tons of compliments on it. People never knew it was there before, it stands out now but I have to admit it does NOT look like a cowboys desk. Guess I coulda put a horseshoe on it instead.....
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