...anticipation

...it's almost time...
I've been scheming for quite a while now, [years, in fact...]
about what to do regarding the obvious need to repaint my living/dining room...
color choices were childs' play compared to the actual preparing of the space for paint...

Since I've discussed paint selection and all that angst before
[Blog of 10/19, "...is red by any other name..."],
I'll skip that here...

The jumbled piles of Mom's stuff/my stuff/clutter etc have been moved from the rooms
[with thanks to J, Mz Minka & Mr. Greenthumb]
The boxes of furniture [ to be assembled] and household necessities have been "dealt with"...
[with thanks again, to the "usual suspects"...]

The walls, trim, woodwork and ceiling have been [mostly]
cleaned, scraped, sanded, spackled, patched, mended, re-sanded, wiped, primed and re-sanded...
The remaining "stuff" is stacked against one wall, "out of the way" [I hope...]
It's now "painting time"... and since J's still "on vacation",
Mz Minka will be adding "My Walls" to her already impressive portfolio...
[I realize some may not take me seriously, as I am so often snide, so to you I say, check-out "Gigi's Pastels" at Mz Minka's... it is quite impressive...]

ah, anticipation ...
the little painty paw prints running across my hardwood floors...
corraling the culprit and cleaning the paint off said "paws"...
all the while,being called ugly names in cat, getting scratched and bitten...
oh wonderful, now there's blood spatter on the freshly painted walls....
[hopefully not arterial spray...with apologies to Dr.Z ]
the fluffy cat tale, dripping with paint...
that accompanies it's owner to make a nest in the leather chair...
starting down the ladder and finding at least 3 cats sitting on the steps below you..
none of whom "wish" to move, even when encouraged...
trying to contain an entire, newly opened, $40.00 can of paint
that is spreading,quickly, over my hardwood floors...
"discouraging" feline participation in the "cleanup" of said paint spill...

I have a book..."Why Cats Paint" and "driving me crazy" is not in the text...
It is supposed to "fill a creative" need...
A form of "play", if you will...
Some of the cat "paintings" have sold for $$$
And yet, somehow, I just know that any similar activities around here will "cost me"...

Still, it is that tang of the yet unknown... the desire for improvement...
the "active" waiting period coming to a close...
it is "hope"... "the feathered thing that sits in your heart..." [apologies to E.D.]
and this is the time of year for it...

So I say, "bring it on, kitties !" ... Mz Minka and I are ready for you...
We know your ways, your stealth moves... and we are equal to them !
"We don't need no stinkin' dropcloths ! " [sorry, Bogey ...]...
well, I don't think we do...
I do have a couple of new dropcloths...[I threw the ones the cats peed-on away...they really stank...]
they are over there, by the giant bundle of paper towels...
and the "Goof-Off"...
next to the paint cleaner and the sponge mop & bucket...
no, under the masking tape...next to the wet/dry vac...
yeah, there... on top of that pile of rags...