Friday, April 30, 2010

Oh! My aching back...and knees

Definitely a Top 10 Day at the Aerie. Sunny, high in the low 80s and just a hint of a breeze (if you call a steady 10 mph a "hint") to keep things feeling cooler.

And I spent it on the deck...on my hands and knees...with a 1" putty knife in my hand trying to get all the GD sunflower seed shells out from between the deck floor boards. I knew we should have left a larger gap between boards. Instead we butted them edge to edge and let nature shrink the boards ever so slightly. And shrink they did, just enough for the seed hulls to get in and, in some cases, not enough for the putty knife.

It took me nearly six (6!) hours to do the 10' x 36' deck in front and the 10' x 16' deck under the roof on the side. My hands are still sore from gripping the putty knife. My knees--despite the use of pads--are sore from crawling about on all fours. And my back...Oy! I didn't even see the elephant climb atop me while I worked.

I did NOT get around to applying the wash today. That will wait until tomorrow. And the staining, which will require me to get back onto my knees again, that can wait until at least Sunday.

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