So Ive got this pond out in front of the house, but it is not really a pond because at least presently, it wont hold water. See, it is concrete, but there are cracks certainly the size of the Grand Canyon in it, quite possibly Valles Marinares on Mars. The people from whom I bought the house left behind two gallons of paint which they and the labels on the cans allege are capable of sealing cracked concrete. Since the kids were over at their moms, I went out to the pond and swept the heck out of it, removing all the leaves, grass, dirt and assorted debris from the pond. Then I went out to the shed and grabbed the concrete sealing paint and associated painting equipment, and I went back to the pond. Turns out that the first can of paint was blue, and it was not quite full. It also turns out that there was not quite enough blue paint in the can to do one full coat. My plan had been to do a coat tonight, let it dry, then in the morning do a second coat. Problem is, I was stirring the second can of cement sealing paint when their mom pulled in the driveway. Damn. I had maybe 10 minutes of painting to do to finish the first coat, but once the kids arrived I heard those dreaded words Dad! Can I help? Dont get me wrong - I love it when the kids help out, but they have next to no experience painting, so I knew their definition of helping would not be much help. I also tried to explain to them that this was a special kind of paint that would not wash off too easily, certainly not in soap and water. Before long, Buddy Boy had stripped off his shirt, Peanut had changed into clothes she had already ruined painting her room when we moved in, and Rug Rat was screaming at his mom to let him out of the Jeep, so he could partake in the fun. Turns out that this is a fast drying paint, and the paint I had put down before they got home was already dry, and to keep sniping at a minimum, I dispatched Peanut to one end of the pond, while Buddy Boy worked at the other end, and Rug Rat continued to scream I get out to his mom, who was bound to give in eventually. Eventually came after I decided that since these kids insisted on helping I was going to go inside and start washing up. By washing up, I mean scrubbing, because no cleaning agent I had would take the paint off my hands, and I did not have any turpentine or the like in the shed. Still, it came off after considerable scrubbing. That is just about the time that a naked Rug Rat came bolting in the door, his feet and legs covered in the paint I had just scrubbed off my own hands, which are considerably tougher than his not yet three-year-old skin. This is the moment that mom picked to suggest that Rug Rat spend another night at my place. Excuse me? I was not born yesterday! So I sent her and Rug Rat packing, with Boy Wonder pouting in the back seat of the Jeep (where he remained for the duration of their visit...not sure what was going on with that) and I turned my sights on cleaning up Buddy Boy. The worst of it all is that I have a strong suspicion that this fix is not going to cut it, and I predict a visit to the hardware store is in my future, to buy crack sealer, which I thought this stuff was supposed to be. In any event, well test it tomorrow and see if it holds water.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 01:56:52 +0000
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