![]() |
Embrace your partners differences and you have a special partnership! The poppy is no less beautiful than the rose. |
Today I had a HUGE appreciation for why opposites work in a relationship. I make Larry crazy sometimes with my no plan-fly by the seat of my pants strategies and he can make me crazy with his meticulous planning. But over our years of co-habitating I have learned from him and him from me. Instead of resenting his way of doing things today I utilized his strengths to support what I was endeavoring to accomplish.
It would have been funny to see, if it wasn't so sad.
A few weeks ago Larry built me a lovely, sturdy work table for the garden out of recycled materials that was left here and from some of his projects...old fence posts and other stuff. He primed and painted it so it would be protected, but I knew almost immediately I wanted to make it functional yard art.
It will take me days to come up with a plan as I mentally discard ideas until I come up with one I want to attack. I wanted wild and wacky stripes on the legs, so I went and bought exterior paint samples of the colors I wanted...Seth picked the teal blue color and I decided today was the day to work on it.
![]()
Larry explained to me how things aren't straight and where to measure from for marking the stripes. I had the tape measure, the ruler, a large and small square (though why it isn't called an L I don't know!), a pencil and I got started. I got the one leg with the vertical stripes figured out after a struggle, got them taped up and then I started on the other three legs of horizontal stripes. Well, if you could have seen me you would have gotten a good laugh. I measured and marked and taped the first stripe or two, but then I stood back and they weren't right. So Larry showed me the proper way to use the square and I tried it....didn't work as easily as he made it work and the instant I lifted it away to go to another point my brain couldn't get it figured out again to save my life. I turned the stupid thing this way...that way, over, under and gave up in disgust. It was my project and Larry was busy so I didn't really want to ask him to DO it for me, but when he told me to tell him where I wanted the stripe and he would draw the lines so I could then tape them I decided this is where I could fully appreciate his left brain and use it to help me achieve my right brains ideas. If I had tried to do the stupid lines I would still be at it or the legs would have just ended up one solid color! The beauty of opposites working together! Love when I see that I have grown beyond stubborn stupidity!
![]() |
| taped and ready for paint |
So anyway I worked all day, we moved the table a couple of times to keep me in the shade...it was in the 90's again, but I got the legs done. I LOVE IT!!!! I have to touch up where the paint bled in quite a few places...but I expected that with the rough texture of the wood and then later, onto the sides.
I had to throw in some flower pictures too...I managed to get a few when I was taking a break and watering my seeds, which are sprouting already I might add.
I must say that if it wasn't for watercolor workshops and learning to paint watercolor I wouldn't have had the patience for painting multi-colored stripes on anything that required all that prep. But I have learned the importance of planning, preparation and layering of colors and above all patience! Oh and bowing to someone else's superior talents! Love my Man!!!
![]() |
| the first color done |
![]() |
| the second color done, Seth picked it |
![]() |
| Ta-Da! All pretty! Whacky and Wild! I love it!!! |
Larry explained to me how things aren't straight and where to measure from for marking the stripes. I had the tape measure, the ruler, a large and small square (though why it isn't called an L I don't know!), a pencil and I got started. I got the one leg with the vertical stripes figured out after a struggle, got them taped up and then I started on the other three legs of horizontal stripes. Well, if you could have seen me you would have gotten a good laugh. I measured and marked and taped the first stripe or two, but then I stood back and they weren't right. So Larry showed me the proper way to use the square and I tried it....didn't work as easily as he made it work and the instant I lifted it away to go to another point my brain couldn't get it figured out again to save my life. I turned the stupid thing this way...that way, over, under and gave up in disgust. It was my project and Larry was busy so I didn't really want to ask him to DO it for me, but when he told me to tell him where I wanted the stripe and he would draw the lines so I could then tape them I decided this is where I could fully appreciate his left brain and use it to help me achieve my right brains ideas. If I had tried to do the stupid lines I would still be at it or the legs would have just ended up one solid color! The beauty of opposites working together! Love when I see that I have grown beyond stubborn stupidity!
No comments:
Post a Comment