Like A Girl

Wading Through A Swamp Like A Girl

A big storm hit yesterday while I was at work.  When I came home, there was debris all over the subdivision. Worried that the house may have suffered some damage, I quickly checked it out. Roof? Check. Windows? Check. Fence? Check. Trees? Check. Bushes? Check.

 “Man, I need to mow my backyard.” I said to myself as I continued to survey my property for damage.  “There’s a huge patch of grass in the corner  that’s about two feet taller than the rest. I must have missed that spot . . . wait a second . . . where’s the trampoline?!”

 As I began my search, I found two legs and a few springs in the neighbors backyard, but there were no other signs of the 12 foot trampoline AND enclosure  and no sign of damage to my fence or anyone’s property. The winds had picked it straight up out of the yard and carried it off somewhere.  I guess expecting the garden anchor pins to hold it down was a little aspirational.

 You know how far 80 mph winds can carry a trampoline? About 300 – 400 yards. Did it land in a nice flat area? Did it end up in a place easily accessible to bring it back home? Nope. It landed upside down at the bottom of a steep hill in a hole of swampy sludge.

 

 Side note: If you decide to go into a swamp, it’s always a good idea to wear your fashionable wellies.  I was impressed at how dry they kept my feet. 

 

Anyway, it took us about two hours to drag that stupid trampoline out of that swampy sludge hole and up the steep hill, disassemble it and load it into the truck to haul it home. It wouldn’t have taken so long if we could find the one essential tool that helps you to install and uninstall the springs. We tried everything we could find: a paint can opener, a small hammer, that weird looking garbage disposal tool. None of it worked. Seems to be something really special about this T-shaped thingy-majig.

Needless to say, all trampoline parts (that we could find) are stacked neatly in the garage awaiting our final decision of whether or not to put it back up . . . maybe in the fall.

Organizing A Garage Like A Girl

Why do people buy a house for the 3 car garage and then cram it full of "storage" so they can't fit a car in it? For fear that I would fall victim to the same tendency, my garage was the first room I worked on when we moved into the new house. I love these cabinets and shelving units you can get at the hardware store. You can put them together with a rubber mallet, but they're still strong enough to hold all your crap. Nevermind the fact that it took me an extra hour on the cabinet because I put it together inside out at first. Anyway, you can also get the hanging things for your garden hose and extension cords. And the brooms, rakes, weedeater and pooper scooper (not kidding) get hung up too. The Fly Lady's on to something with her theory that a clean kitchen sink can alleviate that stressed out overwhelmed feeling we all have. (www.flylady.net) Man I love it when I pull into the drive and the garage door goes up and this is the first thing I see when I get home. (because an empty kitchen sink is a little too aspirational at our house) Just look at it. All orderly like. Beautiful. And maybe if I keep it all organized, I won't notice how much useless junk I have.

Caulking Like A Girl

Want to know how to fix a torrential downpour coming in through your kitchen window? You hang a tarp on it! Lovely.  

After two weeks of this tarp hanging on the side of my house, I finally figure out the leak was actually due to ¼ inch UNCAULKED gap in the upstairs window. Evidently, it was running down the entire inside of the wall to the first floor window. Ridiculous.  So I head to Lowe’s, to start my task at hand.  I buy silicone caulk for windows – preferably waterproof, a caulking gun,  and this long rope-looking stuff that you pack into the gap. I have no idea what it’s called and don’t care.

 

1. Pack the rope stuff into the gap
2. Cut the tip off the cap of your caulk
3. Puncture the seal of the caulk
   • First of all – this is a VERY IMPORTANT STEP. If you forget to puncture the seal and you go ahead and load the gun, squeeze the trigger and then remember to puncture the seal, you’ll caulk yourself . . . and pretty much anything around you. This is a very valuable lesson that I’ve learned . . . twice.
   • Second of all – I like to use a BBQ skewer to stick down the nozzle to puncture the seal. Why not?
4. Load the gun
5. Squeeze the trigger and out comes the caulk like toothpaste. Speaking of which, toothpaste makes for great caulk! But you should only use it inside and never anywhere too obvious because it tends to have a bright obvious sheen to it. I’ve also learned this lesson . . . twice.
6. Run your finger over the caulk dribble that comes out to smooth it out. Hopefully it dries before it gets wet again.

 

It’s not perfect. It’s not professional. But it’s how I do it . . . like a girl.

Blogging Like A Girl

I’m not a feminist by any stretch of the imagination. So this blog isn’t about “anything you can do, I can do better”.  It’s not about doing it wrong or right, but about doing it your own way. It’s about not being afraid to take care of things yourself. Whether it’s fixing a leaky sink or taking a vacation. Do it like a plumber, like a tour-guide, like a tennis player, like a college student, like a retiree, like a real estate agent, like a writer, like a comedian, like a cross-country runner, or even like a girl.

Self-expression can come in everyday moments.What follows will be blog entries about every day life, done like a girl.