Open Letters, yet again

(c) 2009 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Dear Summer,
I like you. I really do. You've been temperate, not too warm for our no A/C house during the days, cooler at night. I'd had some complaints about the drought, but, hey, it kept me from having to mow very often, so it wasn't all bad. Glad to have the rain recently though! So, you know, let's keep this up for a while!
Love,
Me


Dear Guest Room,
As the last room in the house that hasn't been painted (other than the sunroom, but that's only narrow bits around the windows/ceiling), I'm sure you've felt a bit neglected. Well, you were/are in some pretty rough shape. Rough enough that we're not going to get away with just slapping a new coat of paint over top and calling it good. Plus, you know, most off our painting was done by/with the grandparents here... of course, using the guest room.

No, you're going to get the whole 9 yards - peeling off the old latex paint on top, washing (or coating with flour/water paste, scraping, THEN washing) off the ancient chalky mess of calcimine paint underneath, exposing those (in your case rather damaged) bare plaster walls, having Mr. Kluges continue to develop his plasterworking skills, paining you up with masonry primer & then FINALLY paint on some yet-to-be-determined color.

Whew. Just typing that was time-consuming.

Since summer has decided to hit a hot and humid phase, Mr. Kluges suggested we take advantage of that and really move on peeling/pulling the paint. When we tried taking that layer of paint off this past winter, it clung kicking and screaming to the walls. Now, however, we can get our fingernails under a bit and just gently pull off pieces the size of hand towels. In fact, see here...

So, I hope you're enjoying the extra attention, Guest Room, since now that we've begun, we might as well keep trucking along...

Love,
One of the Owners


Dear AKJ & The Dude,
Since washing the calcimine paint off the walls takes SIGNIFICANTLY longer than peeling the latex off in the hot humidity, expect to enjoy the hospitality of the Master Bedroom rather than the "the yellow chalky crap sticks to your shirt if you brush against the wall" state of the Guest Bedroom when you come for your much-anticipated visit!
Love,
Your Excited, if Chalky, Hosts To Be


Dear Pumpkin,
You are seriously amazing me with the LEAPS and BOUNDS with which your reading has taken off this summer. Holy crap, kid, did you not read "Please come downstairs to the gum for paperwork and pictures day" on the school door today?! Ok, so I helped you go back and reread "gum" as the correct word, "gym," but dang! You're not even 5 yet!
Love,
Your proud mummy and fellow pre-kindergarten reader


Dear Penguin,
You crack me up when you reply to my questions with, "No, honey," all the time lately. Seriously, even if you're being a little naughty, it's hard for me to be firm (though I manage it), when the words of a 1950s, down South, diner waitress regretfully informing a patron that there's no pecan pie just came out of your mouth.
Love,
"Honey"