I’m a creative, experienced, multi-purpose artist and art director
who can take projects start to finish in a variety of styles.

Good designs sell –
my designs sell out!

Friday, July 20, 2012

"Carry"

I’ve carried a lot of things in my life… rocks, brothers, backpacks, tents, canoes, lumber, drywall… Okay, let’s talk drywall – 88 sheets of ½” x 4’ x 8’ of it.  Well, maybe I should start talking about drywall from the beginning…

The story of drywall begins in Indianapolis, Indiana where I lived with then-husband (TH).  I’ll skip the part where he went behind my back and overpaid for a house and go straight to the part of “let’s unload this place and move back to Ohio!!!”  We hadn’t lived in the house long enough to get our money out of it, so we decided to finish the attic as a way to at least break even.  

I carefully drew up a floor plan for 2 bedrooms, a full bath, and sitting room.  I drew up more careful plans to update the wiring and plumbing.  I read books about how to do it all, and then I ordered stuff – a lot of stuff.  It came in a big truck, and 2 burly guys carted it all into my living room and stacked it in giant piles that strained the house’s foundation.

You know, it’s one thing to do the math about how many sheets of drywall it takes to finish an attic, and a whole other thing to actually look at 88 sheets of it piled in the middle of the living room.  There’s also the reality of a stairway that makes a 90 degree turn halfway up, which is in direct conflict with the fact that drywall doesn’t bend around corners – and none of that takes into consideration that sheet rock is HEAVY.  TH promised to help carry stuff upstairs, but yeah, he promised a lot of things.  I figured out ways to prop it up while screwing into the studs, and when I really pitched a fit about needing help with the ceilings, TH got his friend Don to give me a hand.  I’m pretty sure Don saved TH’s life right about then.

Anyhoo, we eventually sold the house and eventually got back to Ohio, and I listened to a lot of criticism about how I emasculated poor TH by being actually competent at such things, which is only one of many reasons why we settled our differences at the courthouse, and might lead you to wondering why I’m rambling on about sheetrock when I had a picture of a pail with seashells at the beginning of this post.

Well, because sometimes life can be a whole lot easier amongst females, and I spent time at the beach with 2 of my friends from high school this week.  Or in other words, I don’t feel like carrying anything heavier than a beach pail any more. 


We went to Kelley’s Island and stayed in a posh suite courtesy of Leanne.  We stuffed ourselves with the finest dining the island has to offer, joked about the young bucks by the pool, and the only heavy lifting I did was to pour more wine into my glass.  Mary Lou has been to the island many times before and acted as chauffeur and tour guide, which included searching the woods for a statue of Mary and finding this very cool abandoned building in the woods. 

We went to the beach and saw Cedar Point in the distance while the island breezes blew and the waves splashed around our legs and the seagulls swirled around in the air.  And talked, and talked, and talked, and talked… there’s a lot of life between high school and 2012.  I think I’m talked out for at least a month or two.  The ferry ride back to the mainland was a blast with huge waves crashing into the boat and loons flying backwards in the wind.  Good times.

Really Officer, I didn't know it was trespassing.  I just found this sign in the woods and thought I'd help with the litter problem :)

I did the beach pail art for Mrs. Fields.

17 comments:

  1. Ha! Carry on up the island! Love the beach pail art, tales of drywall emasculation and posh suites! Thanks Linda!

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  2. Your DIY talents are endless Linda..amazing work and carrying! So glad you had a brilliant time with your friends..looks like a fab holiday. The pail art is brilliant, makes me think of my summers on the beach both as a child and with my own kids! Have a restful weekend!
    Jane x

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  3. I am really impressed with the drywall job. I wish I knew a bit more about building techniques. I like putting together the furniture that comes in kit , but that's as far as I've gotten. I did build garden boxes for my veggies this year after looking it up to see how to do it. You bucket of goodies made me extremely hungry by the way. I think being self sufficient and strong is a great thing. You Rock!

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  4. Love the pail and the story, as always Linda :)

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  5. Oh how I remember you telling me about that make-over and the agony that went with it.
    It really came out great.

    Yes nice time on our little outing. I was not as thrilled with the crashing 4-5 foot waves as you were, but then again I'm not as much a thrill seeker as you, not by any means.

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  6. Wow, I'm impressed. The little pail os adorable.

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  7. Thanks everybody! So okay, I guess I was the only one enthralled by the giant waves when we were on the ferry. I'm pretty sure they were more than 4-5', but it's hard to tell when you're looking down at them, and where do you start measuring? The bottom of one wave is below the regular lake level. Sorry, guess I'm rambling again :)

    The remodel job is on my "never again!" list of things, but flower boxes sound like a fun project.

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  8. Every time I read one of your posts, Linda, I vow to get on a plane and come visit you (someday) so that I can experience some of your wit and wisdom at close range. What a time we could have! In the meantime, I am proud to call you my friend, read your posts (ok...infrequently: I've been glued to other computer operations for months) and receive your appreciation for my own work. Beautiful sand pail, by the way. Who knew that there were actually real live people behind all that beautiful art we bought on our gifts items and cards? And as always, a delightful post, my dear!

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  9. Great story! And glad to hear you moved on so successfully. As for the girlfriends trip, it sounds so great! My best girlfriends are on opposite sides of the country, and I'm in the middle. One day, maybe. :)

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  10. You're welcome any time Susan! Friends are important whether we see them in person or virtually. Maybe you can meet in the middle sometime with yours Cindy.

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  11. You crack me up, Linda! Glad to see you are still gainfully employed with Mrs. F. Hey - about 30 yrs. ago, I was one of about 20 college students who spent a week on Put-In-Bay, another island in Lake Erie, and from the sounds of it, very similar to the one you stayed on...lots and lots of drinking and not much else in my memory of it. Except, that's where I first met my DH of 28 yrs. Thanks for bringing back the fond memories!

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  12. I lifted a wine glass myself this weekend. But that is just a regular part of my workout routine. Glad you had a blast with the gals!

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  13. well, if that officer had any smarts he'd a read your keep out sign and left the area!
    Nice pail. Makes one want to go scavenging!

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  14. Great post linda, Wow your DIY skills are amazing! Sounds like a great girlie break too.

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  15. I'm with you on this one, Linda- Summer should be all about good times and carrying on with the girls and less about the burdens of the daily grind. And I won't go on about some of the projects I've been dragged into, courtesy of my contractor husband (men!)...Love your seashell art on the pail! Enjoyed your earlier post on your Dalmatians! :o)

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  16. Thanks everybody! I think I needed a longer vacation, but beaches and friends are always welcome. For the record, people tend to drink more at Put-In-Bay, but I suspect there's a fair amount of drinking at Kelley's Island too. There's wineries in the area, and it can be fun to try out the local product :)

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  17. Seashells and sweets - two of my favorite things. :)

    I KNEW you were a woman of many talents! You've let us in on a bit more of your impressive resume.

    Glad you had a good time with your friend at Kelley's Island(thanks for the link). Now I know where it is. :)

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