Okay folks buckle up as this will be a fast one. No time for funny stories, gushing over my beautiful bride, or reflections of youthful indulgences. Nope. Lots of stuff happened this week at the Shanty and we need to dive right in. So here goes-
We have been pushing hard to get our living room ready for the new furniture that we bought a few weeks ago. You remember me telling you about that purchase, right? Sheetrock a total mess and ship lap still stacked in the barn, and PJ, with unbridled enthusiasm and the optimism of a young bride on her wedding day, goes all in on the order. Well the order came in and we were not quite ready, but darn close. We loaded the trailer with furniture and headed North. Ready to do whatever it took to get the furniture installed.
Day one at the Shanty- BAM! Right out of the gate. After a three and a half hour drive (30 min detour) I mowed for three hours. Did I mention mowing season is in full bloom. Ugh.
Day two at the Shanty- Spot sanding was the word of the day. That and primer. For me anyway. As for PJ, well she kicked some major booty and finished out the wall texture. After the texture dried we tag teamed the ceiling and put on a nice layer of primer, then a couple of coats of paint. We are close at this point. Oh so close.
Day three at the Shanty- Two coats of paint go on the wall. The recessed lighting that has been dangling for a year finally gets tucked up nice and tight. WTF. Is this really Happening? Oh hell yeah it is, and I am getting as excited as a groom heading to his honeymoon. At this point my youngest offspring, Catherine, is napping while 
PJ and I quietly move in all the furniture. I shared my excitement with the world and posted a pic on Facebook. I just couldn’t help myself folks and really appreciate you guys letting me indulge a bit.
PJ and I quietly move in all the furniture. I shared my excitement with the world and posted a pic on Facebook. I just couldn’t help myself folks and really appreciate you guys letting me indulge a bit.And just like that. I sat down, for the first time in my life, on a couch in Zavalla Texas. Magic I tell ya. Pure magic.
Day four at the Shanty- We were out of there by 10:00. I was committed to helping with the Church bazaar on Sunday which meant I needed to attend Mass on Saturday night. Pedal to the metal and I am flying South down Interstate 69. Flying precisely 18 mph above the speed limit. Now you might be asking yourself how I recall the exact number above the speed limit that I was “allegedly” driving. Yeah man. I got a ticket. I wasn’t even going to tell you guys about this but my daughter, the lovely Alex, said my blog post wouldn’t be complete without at least a mention. Now I am not even sure how Alex found out about this ticket but I suspect her mother had something to do with it. On the advice of my attorney that is all I am going to say about that.
You might notice in the pics that the floor isn’t very pretty, and you would be right. It’s a patchwork of sub-flooring in desperate need of being covered up with some nice shiny hardwood. Not to fret. We will soon be working to continue the bedroom flooring into the living room. We have tons of boxes of this stuff and I am ready to get them out of the way. The fireplace also needs to be finished. I have big plans for the finish and can’t wait to 
share some pics with you guys. I am going to try my hand at some brick work. A first for me so wish me luck. Another note about the pics- I have been teasing the wall texture PJ has been working on and now for the big reveal. Check out the pic. It turned out great. This woman can do just about anything.
share some pics with you guys. I am going to try my hand at some brick work. A first for me so wish me luck. Another note about the pics- I have been teasing the wall texture PJ has been working on and now for the big reveal. Check out the pic. It turned out great. This woman can do just about anything.Next week I will be working on window and door trim. Paula will be working on cleaning the ship lap as it has very small pieces of the old muslin the folks back in the day used to back wallpaper. Nothing exciting but still on the path of progress.
One last note- Funny thing about the furniture. We pull into the furniture store for the pickup and the clerk tells us the furniture will be ready in about 15 minutes and to feel free to browse the store. Sure, whatever. Well the whatever turned into $$$$’s flying out of my wallet faster than a debutant’s first kiss. PJ picked out a whole living room set for our house in Alvin. We picked it up yesterday and I asked Paula (nicely) to remain in the car. You know for obvious reasons, like bankruptcy. Sorry folks. No pictures of the new digs. My inner lair is off limits to all but the closest of you guys.