Deck Work

Tuesday began on a high. The bat had gone to bed, and the sky was bright and clear, and I was looking forward to working in the yard. I felt very good because my mind was clear; I had no demands, no meetings, no homework; all I had to do all day was have a good time doing outdoor chores. 

I loved my morning spa. I was raised in a house without a shower, so I’ve always loved baths. But having a bath, always at the ready, and outside is a true blessing. Once done, I Zoomed with my friend David in London, and then Her Highness and I went for our morning walk. I could hardly wait to get home and get to work.

When I got home, I felt I needed to postpone raking and toting (which I was seriously looking forward to doing) because Pete planned to come in the afternoon to sand parts of the deck needing repainting. I, therefore, chose to focus on cleaning the deck, getting all the crap out of the cracks between the planks and wire brushing areas where there was a slightly mossy film on the wood.

Lifting all the heavy planters off the deck was rough, as was bending over all the time to clear the stuff weathered into the cracks. I’m glad I did the work though, because I needed to get the planters raised so that air can move beneath them and prevent rotting of the wood.

It wasn’t the work I wanted to do, but I don’t really care about what I do. I love being busy doing any kind of maintenance. While I was working, my foot went through a rotten plank. I’m glad it was me who discovered the problem.  

I had lunch by the fountain because I’d moved all the chairs off the deck and onto the courtyard. As I sat there eating, the fountain was constantly busy with birds bathing in it and drinking from it. It’s my bird magnet in Summer because I don’t put seed in the feeders in the warm months. They didn’t seem to mind me as I sat there; I was as still as could be and delighted by all I saw.

Lunch lasted all of ten minutes, though, for soon I was back at work. I got most of the deck cleaned and so I took Her Highness into the village with me to fetch some wood with which to fix the deck. I need about four feet of new wood, but I got twenty feet so that I always have some replacement wood in hand.

By noon, I’d finished all but the hardest part. Two narrow strips of wood lie between the hot tub and a garden bed. It’s nasty working on this part of the deck because of all the rose thorns growing up beside the deck edge. Plus, I’m on all fours the entire time that I am cleaning the cracks between the planks.

I was chuffed about all I’d done when I finished cleaning all the cracks. The deck looked immaculate. But there was still more work to be done. It was time to use the wire brush to scrub parts of the deck where algae or pollen has stained the deck. I was back on all fours.

While I waited for Pete, I got to work on a plan for elevating the planters as part of my deck protection strategy. I wanted them highish off the deck, so I devised a way to achieve that by sawing some small trim wood I have into short lengths, and then I placed one of the many spare two-foot square tiles on top of the wood thereby making a low platform for my planters. And when that was done, I sawed the wood I bought by hand to fit, screwed it down, and felt like a manly man. 

At 13:30, I was rather pooped, so I took a very short break from work. I began working at 5:30 in the morning because my neighbours are away, so 13:30 is the end of am eight-hour working day—especially with only one short break. Although the work done was not what I’d planned on, it was very pleasing to my eye to see how clean the deck was now. And I love clean!

Ten minutes later, I was back outside putting everything away and getting my tools out that I will need today for raking and toting. As I was finishing up, a mighty wind blew in, and I loved the cool breeze. It gave me a boost, so I watered some of the plants that need the most water when it’s hot. 

Pete arrived at 15:00, just as I was preparing to go for our afternoon walk. We went while Pete sanded spots on the deck where the paint had chipped off. When we got back from our walk, I made him an ice cream cone because I know how much he loves ice cream. We had a nice chat while he ate it.

AT 16:30, I was done. I left him to finish up, and I came in to get my foot up. It was killing me and was very swollen. I settled in for a nice evening on the couch. I earned it. 

Today, I’ll paint the deck where Pete sanded, and the job will be finished. But first will be a thorough watering of all the garden beds. When my guests come for dinner next week, they will see a very, very tidy Pinecone Park.