The Happy Table

 

I was given this table by the neighbors as they said it would be too hard to fix it and refinish it. I knew it would become a future project some day so I stuck in in between two pine trees and used it as a shade plant base for begonias.

This year I pulled it out and noted that it was basically falling apart. I nailed pieces of wood to it from the underside to try and make it stable enough to use. 

It wouldn't become a house table. I don't have enough room. If the bottom of the legs were too rotten, I'd simply cut them off. 

I'm a terrible planner. I just started to pick colors that appealed to me and went for it. The legs had to be dressed up with bright colors. The mood is to be Happy. 

I found a butterfly sticker that looked neat and stuck it on one leg. I may do another one or not. The table is to be a discovery of sights, not something that is the same. 

I thought long and hard about the top. At first I thought of painting the top sections of wood in different wild colors. Then I took some mild green paint that is meant for porch floors and spread it on the top.

What about stickers?

I found some old neat stickers I hadn't used on other projects and laid them out.

The sticker idea was cool. But I didn't have enough of the silhouettes to achieve what I wanted.

How about tracing them? I started to trace the birds because I suck at drawing them. But then I went freehand for the branches. Why not have silhouettes of branches and birds all over the surface?

I could hand paint them black or whatever colors I choose and then run some whitewash over it to add texture and interest. 

Besides, I want this project to last a while. I am in no hurry to finish it.

Hubby says I am ruining the table. I retort that the table is falling apart and I've nailed it together making it completely worthless to anyone. 

I remind him of the Happy Chair I did for my mother years ago and how she absolutely loved it and used it to display her stuffed donkey dolls in her living room.

Below is a table and chairs I put together as a 'coffee' table for the porch. The chairs were excellent garage sale finds. I've left both of these chairs out on the porch and now they have a unique weathering to add character to my sitting area.

This chair now holds one of my newer Not Fairy Gardens I made with

and old pie tin I found in the shed. The spool

holds the little grill and the patchwork table top 

is still my most favorite piece of work.
I would love to find a little base for

it to sit on in the house.

I'm in the mood to pick up another chair and take the worn out ones and place them in gardens. I have a thing about chairs. 

I have two nice heavy stout ones in the house that are begging to be worked on. I discovered some neat old chairs in LaFarge  that I drive by on the way to KVR. Hmmm. It is a junk place that has some neat old beat up chairs that look stout. I may have to put one in the back of my Subaru one of these trips!

But first? 

More work on the Happy Table.

It makes me smile.

The table will also provide me with a nice place to do Still Life photography with flowers this summer.

Just give me colors and the freedom to paint wildly and my life brightens exponentially.

Bbbbbabbby it's cold out there!

It was -6 this morning and there was a windchill going on. But by the time I was done with hauling hay and water, I was hot! 

I took Charlie with me to get the mail and got a surprise. There was a thing left by the post person on Thursday. "Sorry we couldn't deliver". I looked the item number up on line and it showed an attempt of delivery at MY address at 9:15am on Friday. Well hell's bells. They never tried. I was outside doing chores on Friday at that time and the mail is never delivered until afternoon anyway.

I've gone through this before. Items that need a signature are never delivered to my door. Not since the last post person retired and the new person took over. Tsk, tsk. I paged through my 'Informed Delivery' and it was not included there either. 
Last year I went to the Post Office and talked to our delivery person and explained to him that he had to drive past the upper house to the lower house. 

Alas. Any complaints to the Post Office are met with deaf ears and attitude.

Well oh well. A trip to town come Monday morning is on the docket then. 

But on a good note~~

The VA called and Rich gets his first vaccination on Tuesday. Apparently I could have driven to Madison tomorrow and done it, but our high temps will be below zero. The VA used an auto dial and recorded message for us to call in an make an appointment. I was surprised that there was NO long wait on the telephone and that appointments were not that far out!

That was very good news. I prefer the Madison VA because Rich has had some severe reactions to meds in the past. Better there than a clinic or drug store.

I had a happy dance.

Fred, the Elder Mule and Mica were doing just fine bathing in the sun next to the big shed. I filled their water 4 times with warmed water. By Wednesday everyone will go back to their regular places. My shaggy mule monsters were napping on the forest edge in the late afternoon sunlight. 

But they looked quite content. 

I read a book after shoveling a path from the driveway to the house.

Then I took some time to play with some toys a Flickr pal sent me. Seems like people think I like toys to photograph!

These are hilarious. I wind the toys up and they hop or walk in circles. Charlie nudges them with his nose. He is not quite sure what to do with them. I think the wooden Squirrel is trying to organize them but it doesn't look as if anyone but the flopping teeth toy is listening!

Old Teddy Bears

happy not to be outside.

Something just for fun. 

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.

Hmmm.

Tomorrow it is supposed to get up to something like -4! I wonder if the creek did a 'flash' freeze.

I guess I will find out!