Tired, sweaty and burnt

While Adam was off on his adventure to the Appalacian Mountains, I took it upon myself to give myself jobs and tasks to complete. Why would myself do that to myself? I haven't any idea.

First, I assigned myself to mow the backyard. The grass was long and dog poop was a plenty. After hitting the fence a few times and realizing that the mower automatically shuts off when you get up from the seat (something about safety??) the process went somewhat well. Then, I ordered myself to clear the flower bed in the backyard that was overgrown with weeds, add top soil and plant a vegetable garden of tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and something that is either okra or green peppers.

After permitting myself a short break for H2O, I commanded myself to apply deck wash to the tired and thirsty deck, followed by applying 2 gallons worth of deck stain/sealer on the railings alone. Then, I told myself to shut up because I was tired and needed a break. Also, I was angry at myself for failing to put adequate sunscreen on my back, which was now really red and looked like I was wearing a pale, skin colored sports bra. Ugh.

After an adequate night's sleep, I gave in to myself and finished staining the deck, which took a total of 4 gallons to complete. The deck, much like a whiny and thirsty/hungry child wasn't satisfied with one coat and required a second to achieve the "not thirsty and warped wood" look. I'm happy with the results, though my back isn't happy that I strained it by being hunched over for hours to paint the deck by hand with a small brush. Did I mention I like doing things the hard way? But hey, having a well-moisturized wood surface to sit on and enjoy the blazing hot summer weather is totally worth it. We have to sit directly on the deck though, because we don't have any furniture to go on the deck. I'm told I need to either lower my standards or my price range because a $1,200 patio set is a bit on the "excessive side." Sigh.

Wonder what potentially painful and back-breaking job myself will think up next?