Back at it... soon!

Hi Folks!

For those of you who want more photos and updates on the miracle that is my office, they are coming. I am finishing off one short report for work, and then my plan is to put a lot of time getting my office up to speed and actually workable.

Yes, I know I can "work" out there now, sitting amidst the loose straw and scattered tools. And I can "work" out there getting ever closer to plastering. 

But the purpose of this office is to be able to work - productively in my own space. There is a lot yet to do out there, and I'm eager to get it done. 

As soon as I get this report out, my office is mine!! (and I am my office)

thanks for your patience. It will be a day or two.

In the meantime, check out America At Home

There are some nifty shed-working spots in there too!

NOW I get it...

As I kid I remember watching TV ads and seeing normal, healthy looking people cringing and needing some sort of pain relief. These poor souls were not "old" but were definitely grown ups. And they felt SOOO much better after they took that little pill.

Now, I'm savy to the advertising messages, and all that, but the other day I was e-mailing a friend of mine I've known for about 20 years. He's about 15 years older than I am and is just taking up running. He's been walking a 9 minute mile for a year now, so running isn't a huge  move. But there are new kinds of soreness associated with it. 

I mentioned that I'd put in a long hard, HOT day on the office build and was feeling tender. My muscles ached, my hands felt bruised, every time I moved I was reminded of what I'd done...

This morning I woke up on the dreaded "Second Day". For folks who are weekend warriors or occasional athletes, you know the first day after strenuous exercise you're tender. The second day it all settles and that's where hurting happens. 

My joints across my body were a symphony of percussion as I got out of bed today.

I have become that lady in the aspirin commercial.

God help me. I'm old. 

Or at least I'm feeling it.

I think I'll go take an aspirin.

Manicures? Me?

Okay, For those of you who know me personally, you know I'm not really a girly girl. I'm not a HUGE fan of doing my hair and make-up - at least not be the standards of a lot of Southern Women.

 I love nothing more than working really hard and getting so into the work that I don't realize how filthy I am until I see the mud rinsing down the shower drain. It comes from years with horses, playing outside as a kid and a general interest in what I'm doing.

BUT I also have finger nails that break with a strong breeze. Lately, they've gotten longer, and I was loath to chop them off. So I decided to do an experiment - I put on Sally Hansen's Diamond Strength Base and Top Coat, as well as the color du jour (It looks less garish without the heavy duty stapler) AND....

This is what my nails looked like after a full 8 hours of construction time with hammers, staplers, chicken wire shaping, ladder scaling, and all sorts of other things.

I have to give Sally credit - This stuff works!! Hey, maybe there is some clever use for it in my construction? coat the floors and NEVER have scratches on the wood again? I wonder if I could get volume discounts? . . . I'd only need a few gallons....

Oh, on a short note...

GOOOOOOO!!!! 'BAMA!!!

Wired!

This morning, I got out to work on the office. 

The chicken wire which we hung last week was a bit on the saggy side. Sort of like a teenage boys jeans with his boxers peeking out. . . 

So I decided to tighten it up. Afterall, whether plaster or stucco, it needs to be secured to the bales and the frame of the building...
sooo with my trusted tools - a heavy duty staple gun, and a hammer, I climbed all over the building securing that wire mesh down,... It's ready for a hurricane!
I admit, I'm exhausted, and had a bad case of the poor-little-old-me's, working by myself. But I realize that once I get it done, I can plaster, and once I can plaster, I can take down the tarps, and really start using the space!! (She says optimistically)

Below is a view into the office proper from the east window. I LOVE MY LOFT!!! 
See the windows up top are the all of the loft!

And while my office looks like a cave at the moment, I was able to work out there in 95 degree heat (@ 36 Celsius).  My poplar tree, that I didn't want to cut down last year is very happy and providing great shade and beautiful color over the office deck.

It is a work in progress. . . 

And though it feels like it beats me sometime... 

I love it.

Round Up....

There are two things I really hate.

1. Round Up - an herbicide that the previous owner of this house used with abandon and killed all sorts of wonderful things... It's been 10 years and it's still devastating. The house was originally owned by someone in the botany department at UGA. 

2. Poison Ivy - a weedy indigenous perennial plant that has oils in the leaves which when in contact with human skin results in really bad itchy rashes that break out in little clusters of boils which spread when scratched. 

Of the two, and while it pains me to admit it, I dislike being incapacitated by poison ivy rashes which I have a REALLY BAD allergic reaction to...  the poison ivy growing near my office got it.

Monday Monday

This morning I got to work on the office.

For all sorts of reasons I didn't do much over the past week - not with regards to the office at least. It was a reasonably good week, but getting back out to the office was great.

I stuffed straw. 

But really, it was pushing straw into small gaps so that there won't be any holes. 

And I wrestled chickenwire. I'm glad I have a recent tetanus shot... I think. 

More soon. And pictures. I promise.