Rain is forecast for next week, lots of it – three of four days of showers. The rainy season will begin at Thanksgiving again this year. Low temperatures will be in the 30s. Wet ground and deep rooting should protect the plants from the cold.
The push today was to finish the painting of the outdoor barn stairs. Masking takes time, particularly with the two colors for the stairs and risers, but I do not know a cleaner, more efficient way to paint. I painted as high as I could reach, and Mike graciously took the upper levels. The steps are painted with a battleship gray deck stain – applies like paint, dries like paint, looks like paint and mercifully cleans up like paint but is also a sealer for protection from weather and wear. The risers are covered in two coats of a dusty rose exterior paint, which will hopefully give enough protection from weather for a few years.
I also applied a quick coat of the dark gray-green porch paint to the upstairs door at the barn. The third color is not too much of a jolt with the gray and the pink. The dark color certainly works better than mandarin red. I will try the other two barn doors in time.
A Year at the Snake 