At the time I wrote this blog, it was the day before Father’s Day, a day celebrated by families all around the world. Father’s Day happened at a strange time this year—just as the world was starting to come back from a pandemic quarantine. But because of the devastating global coronavirus outbreak a large number of people, including myself, would be commemorating the occasion apart from their relatives.
*Sound of mic tapping*
Hello…is this thing on?
Many of our amazing fathers may be in the high-risk category: those aged 70 and older, those with underlying a health condition such as a chronic respiratory issue, or those who have a weakened immune system. So, health officials have urged members of the public to avoid any unnecessary travel, and practice social distancing.
Many of you may know by now that I’m a serial house-stalker, and never tire of a great home tour or a before and after renovation. Today I look back fondly on one of my favorite memories. I have a dad who has everything. Years ago I wanted to give my dad an incredible gift that he would be sure to love. He certainly didn’t need another necktie or anymore fly fishing lures.
That’s when I had one of those “lightbulb” moments. My dad had been busy remodeling a small cottage that he had purchased across the street from the cabin he was living in. He tackled the kitchen, living room, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, and laundry room, but he had yet to touch the exterior.
It’s always fun to compare the pictures from where it all began when dad bought the house – almost fourteen years ago. I’m always amazed at the power of paint in making budget-friendly updates to a home. In this case the original exterior was dirty and dad was tired of the paint color. Dad wanted the cottage to look like his northern Michigan cabin. So, I decided that repainting dad’s house exterior would make an exciting gift. We just didn’t realize, though, how big of a project we were getting into. Ha! As with most home projects, there is usually a hard way and an easier way. The easier way would have been to hire professional house painters. Ha, again! But my two sons and I choose to help dad paint the house, as our gift of labor.
The first thing we did to the 869 sq. ft. 1969 house was knock off the big visible spider webs, wasp’s nests, and leaves. Next it needed to be washed down prior to painting. We pressure washed it to remove pollen, mildew, and dirt. This took only a few hours, but we witnessed years’ worth of accumulated gray soot and dust that disappeared—right before our eyes. While we waited for the exterior to dry, we removed the window shutters and cleaned those, as well.
Scraping paint, both on the house and shutters, was an unloved chore. One problem with paint scraping was that one section always seemed to lead to another. If the edges of the paint stayed down, we left it alone. I knew that the new paint would seal the edges and help keep it in place. We scraped until we reached a relatively solid edge, and then stopped at that edge. After scraping paint for a couple of hours, we longed for the comparatively easier jobs of rolling and brushing paint.
It took us about four days to finish painting the house. But when I saw how the fresh paint completely changed the look of the house, I knew I couldn’t let the garage go unpainted. And, well, I don’t have to tell you how this story ended. Seriously, the photos speak for themselves.
My Facebook cover photo was taken after all the painting was completed and after my sons restored the eroding asphalt driveway where Dad lived. This treasured photo is near and dear to me in more ways than I can count. It’s just a beautiful glimpse of our, joy, laughs, and love we had together that week.
Happy belated Father’s Day to all the dads and father figures! Have a safe week.
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