Friday, May 30, 2014

Spectacular Lightning Bugs and Fussy Kitchen Cabinets


I really wish I could have taken a good picture of the lightening bugs at the farm last Sunday night.  They were spectacular!  I've never seen so many at the same time.  I don't know if it is because we have acres of tall grass, or if this year is some sort of firefly phenomenon, but as the sun began to set the fields came alive with flickering lights.  When I would focus on a single point in the distance, I was sure I could see patterns of trailing lights in my peripheral vision, but if I tried to follow the pattern, then I couldn't see it anymore.  What are you trying to communicate to me you tricky bugs?!  

Imagine white Christmas lights set to blink one after another in long runs, only this was acres and acres of Christmas lights all set to different patterns, crisscrossing themselves to form a lightning bug blanket about three feet off the ground as far as you can see.  I had no idea it could be like that!  It sort of made me giddy and dizzy.  Brandon and I walked up and down the yard and the driveway just so we could experience it from different angles and so we could see if the neighbors property, which gets mowed, had as many as ours. I like to think that we had the most.  I doubt the neighbors realize they were in a lightning bug competition, which is just as well since we were winning anyway.  That's how it works - some farmers have agriculture, and some farmers have lightning bugs.  


There were so many lightning bugs, that they even made their way into the house, and I fell asleep watching a half a dozen of them flashing on the inside of the bedroom window.  Who needs a night light when there are phosphorescent insects in the house?  It may be time to invest in some screens for the doors and windows now that we stay overnight when we can.  

While we were there over the holiday, I began what I'm sure will be a long process of painting metal cabinets for the kitchen.  The house came with a few metal cabinets - the kind that were popular in the 1950's.  I bought two more at the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store for cheap, but they are in as rough shape as the original ones that I have from the kitchen.  


After taking a cabinet apart and scrubbing it with steel wool and soap, I tackled the rough spots and rust with the sander.  I thought they were sanded perfectly, but Brandon took a break from his electric work to check my progress, and I'm pretty sure he sanded them again, even though he said he just wanted to do a touch up.  Ha!  Now I know I don't have to work so hard since he's going to redo everything anyway!   What's that saying - "work smart, not hard"?  I don't mind to be the smart one and let him do all the hard stuff.  


After sanding, I gave everything three thin coats of spray on primer.  I got a cramp in my finger from holding the spray button down.  Poor me, right?  This may be a very long process, since it took me all day to prep just one of the cabinets, and I have five more to go!  


I was disappointed that I didn't get to apply the first coat of paint to the cabinet before it was time to leave.  I struggle to have enough patience for jobs like this.  From what I've read, if I don't want to do a hack job of this, I really need lots of patience for doing the prep work before I paint, and I have to actually wait the recommended drying time between coats (lame-o!), do lots of very thin coats instead of several thick ones, to prevent drips, and take the time to remove all particles before I spray on paint.  I guess I'll find out pretty quick if I'm up for the challenge.  But really, how bad could it look if I just give it a good coat and skip all this fussy stuff?   

3 comments:

Stormyshay said...

Did you get the $5 spray handle that attaches to the cans? They sell it in the spray paint section. I never knew to look for it until I started following a lot of home improvement blogs. Best investement you can make if you are going to be spray painting. I never could hold the button on the top it made my fingers cramp up.

donny_walrus said...

What a great suggestion. I have seen those but did not know where to get them.

rain said...

That is a great suggestion! I think we have some of what you are talking about at work that I may be able to borrow. Thanks!

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