A Painter in the House

Ahh the smell of fresh paint and the tap, tap of another human in the house while everyone else is at school or work. We'll be selling our house in a year or two and as part of the long process of getting it ready for sale, we are having some rooms painted.

I know, shouldn't I wait until I'm closer to selling? The answer is yes--except these rooms are so awful with tons of furniture marks and lots of scrapes that I just can't wait any more. And since I'm having Easter this year, I wanted it done before that holiday.

Gratefully our painter, the European, is the nice quiet sort. Except for the paint fragrance, I could easily forget he is here. Except, of course, that my house is even more topsy turvey than usual given one of the rooms he is doing is our den--which is the center of our home.  My daughter parked herself on the covered sofa this morning and insisted she watch the TV just inches from her nose because "I"m a creature of habit, Mom." Wait until she finds out he's buried the TV under a load of vinyl and paint cloths.

Normally, I would do the painting myself--after all, I did when we first moved in a decade ago. But with writing, the day job, and a teenager who is learning to drive and wants to be in  the car every available minute, I've got more than enough on my hands. Besides, this guy is actually doing it right, spackling and caulking, sanding and priming. Amazing how much better it looks when you do it the right way.

So yes, I should have waited and let the new home owners enjoy it but I couldn't. I want those nice clean, perfectly trimmed walls for myself, at least for a little while.