random thoughts – Day 1,860 – (Sunday) – bright night light

Day two of the "freshen the porch before the house goes up for sale" painting project commenced at 10:00 this morning. The planned procedural approach was top down – first the trim board at the top of the wall, which was done Saturday (day one). Next would be the top boards inside the window frames, then the vertical trim between the windows, which was started on Saturday. Finally, the deep sills that run under the windows on two walls.

The original paint color was a yellowish-tan that is close to the boring, generic, safe color of the vinyl siding. The new color is called “Night Light” and is a cream color. I didn’t want to take a handful of paint chips home and wanted to leave the store that night with paint. Not a lot of deliberation went into the choice, meaning, for once, I didn't overthink it. It took two years to decide on a kitchen paint color and I don't have that kind of time.

The painting plan was conceived to deal with the chance that I miscalculated how much paint was needed and ran out. If the sills were the last segments to be done and more paint was needed, everything above them would match, and whatever paint was needed for the sills, either a new can of the same color that might not match exactly, or a different color, would be the same.

There were seven windows and the sills under all ten windows left to be done this morning. I started at the short wall with two windows. The paint supply was plentiful, and the plan was changed on the fly. Once the window frames were painted, I moved right onto the sills. It felt more efficient completing the section in one visit.

I methodically moved along the wall of windows and sills. I was so engrossed in painting that I had no idea of the time. At some point, I stopped, cleaned up everything, and had a big plate of salad with homemade dressing. The coverage on the sills looked uneven, and, even though I had already cleaned everything up and moved on to laundry, a second coat was done on the sills. 

Later, when admiring the gleaming, fresh paint in the sunlight, nearly blinding in its glory, I noticed I had forgotten to paint the trim around the door leading to the deck. In a few minutes, the narrow framing was painted, another clean up was conducted, and I was finally done for the day. There is a small amount of paint left in the can, and I might finally be able to stop second guessing myself when it comes to math, especially when the calculations have been checked twice, even thrice.

"Night Light" is brighter in real life.

The paint color "Night Light" is not quite what I imagined in real life. It’s brighter and whiter than the chip, almost as if the color wasn’t added, but the dab of paint on the lid matches the chip card. The color isn't a huge concern. The objective was "fresh paint," and it is definitely fresher than the tired tan paint of unknown vintage. 

Without window coverings, the porch feels exposed, like a stage for the neighbor’s entertainment. The sheer curtains soften the light, provide some privacy, and make the porch feel more like a comfortable space. Once the paint is most definitely fully dried and won’t be messed up by the tension rods, the sheer curtains can go back in the windows, and I can't wait.

The walls don't seem problematic, and with luck, a handyman will be available by the time I get to the floor. I need to be decluttering, downsizing, and scheduling a moving cube to store some of the household stuff.