This column is dedicated to all the painters out there. Not the Pablo Picasso types. You are great, too, but this one is for those of you with the paint rollers, the 4-inch brushes, the power sprayers and the dozens of drop cloths. You have my respect and admiration.
Admittedly, I am not a good painter. It’s not that I haven’t tried. I have, many times, in fact, both inside and outside our homes. Walls. Ceilings. Siding. Even furniture.
As a youth, while painting our family house, my dad described me as a “cover guy,” noting that I used a lot of paint — mostly on the ground. He was right.
I also like to have fun when I paint, like the time when my friend Dave and I were painting my dad’s shop and I gave him a stripe down his shirtless spine like the cat in the Pepe Le Pew cartoon.
I am pretty good with a roller on interior walls, as long as there is no furniture in the room, drop cloths are securely in place, and the windows are masked. My wife, Jolene, says the actual painting is the easy part and the prepping process is the real work. She may be right. She has learned to trim edges to perfection without masking anything off. That’s like doing watch repair for me. It makes my brain scream for mercy.
I believe painting is something patient people excel at. Admittedly, patience is not a part of my skill set. Jolene says I am just being lazy. Again, she may be right, at least when it comes to painting.
On the positive side, I do enjoy freshly painted items. The look. The smell. The cleanliness. It’s wonderful. I also appreciate having things painted by people who know what they are doing. They are godsends. I have come to realize there are some things I can do and feel good about, and there are other things I need to avoid to keep my sanity.
Meanwhile, I do still have a sense of humor, so I tell the painters to keep their shirts on.
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707