The Brush Off...

The camera is still working...The Terrible Two continue to keep me out. I caught this image early in the evening.

They have been watching me work, it seems. They are staining the roof first. If it drips down, it won't ruin the new paint job that goes on next.

Teamwork all the way. Zar on the ladder and Tessie on the table, passing the full brush up to him. This is fun to watch. Once in a while, Tessie slaps the side of his head with the brush....Accidentally. Once in a while Zar drips stain down on her head.

Believe it or not, they are getting along quite well.


Somewhere in the process, they decided to cooperate with one another. I am still trying to figure out a way to gently tell them that the corners of the roof need to be capped with something. I guess it doesn't matter if the roof has holes. After all, it seldom rains inside our house.

Next they went after the walls. It was decided that they would be Wedgestone Green Ceramcoat. and the beams that were terribly worn would be covered with Burnt Umber Ceramcoat.

They also did the stone work on the base with charcoal gray, white, a little of the green and brown mixed in to make it coordinate.

Somewhere in the middle of the night they decided that the table needed to be Christmas-ed up. They dug out my red and green plaid tablecloth. I guess that it makes a good drop cloth.....Their logic is, the table won't get dirty...Fuzzy logic....

I have only one problem with these two working on their own. Brushes. See the pile by Tessie's feet in the last photo? That is just from last night. They think that all brushes are disposable. Yes. I own a lot of brushes, but contrary to their belief, I also wash a lot of brushes.

Thank goodness, I know the Alcohol trick. One cap full and the whole mess was conquered.

Compare the pile by her feet in this last photo to the previous photo. Yes they are the same brushes. I simply swirled them in the alcohol. Then I took them to the kitchen sink and used dish washing soap and warm water on them. Almost like new.

I have the feeling that I will be doing this every morning, for the next few days. Hey! A bottle of alcohol is much cheaper than all new brushes.

Notice the stain brush in Tessie's hands. That is the only one that I don't bother doing this way. I use a stiff bristle brush for stain. I don't bother with cleaning it. The Minwax stain is solvent based or some such and as soon as you start using it again, it softens up and works fine. That particular brush is a few years old and has never been cleaned....Still works well.

I am now off to bake more Christmas goodies. Zar and Tessie handed me a list of cookies and fudge that they want for the party. They don't mess with mini stuff. A stack of cookies and several pieces of big people fudge is all they need.

See you tomorrow.