IT IS GREY!

18 June 2013

Story #676

R. Linda:

While you are probably feeling the effects of smoke inhalation out in Denver, I have been painting a room. Yes, the loft, my loft to be exact. I decided the sunny apricot colour was a bit ugly and wanted something else, so I went to the paint store and looked at a masculine putty colour, Benjamin Moore paint called Stone Hearth. So, I got meself a gallon and all the paraphernalia needed to set up for the do-it-yourself home painting project, and off I went, all happy with the prospect of a new colour. Finally, I'd be getting rid of the wife's sunny colour in that room. It has annoyed me since she had me paint it. Her excuse was, "It's a dark room, you need to have a light, vibrant colour." Well, it isn't a dark room, it gets the sun all day long! And that light, vibrant colour heats the room up in the summer!

I stirred the creamy beige paint and started slapping it on the wall. It looked grey, not putty, but when paint was wet and there was only one coat, one couldn't tell that the colour one was looking at was the colour one thought it should be.

Waiting for paint to dry is a pain in me butt so instead of waiting, I kept on going first coating everything. It was time for the second coat by the time I was done. I looked at me first wall and it looked dark grey. Yet, when I looked at the paint in the can, it looked putty coloured. What was going on? Being me, I put me logic to work thinking it was the apricot underneath that was making it look that way (I know, I should have primed the walls, but I only wanted to do two coats, not three!). A second coat would take care of that! So, second coat on. I looked at the one dry wall as the other three were still absorbing the second coat. Hum, looked grey, not as dark, but GREY! New idea: a third coat! The third coat on and greyer still. 

In the meantime, of all the grumbling to meself, the wife walks in and says, "I thought you were going to the warmer earth tones, not the cooler stone colours."

Well, DUH, so did I! I had her look at the paint left in the can. She agreed it was not the same colour that was gracing the walls.

"It looks like the castle keep." Says she walking off.

GREAT!

I shouted after her, "DO YOU AT LEAST LIKE IT?"

"It's a great colour for a man's castle!" She said. No help at all. I'd love it for once if she'd answer a question instead of making a comment that doesn't really answer the question. I tell ya, women!

"BUT I DON'T LIVE IN A CASTLE!" I shouted again as I could hear her footsteps receding further away. "DO YOU LIKE IT OR NOT?"

Nothing, not a word, then I heard her coming back me way. She popped her head in and looked around.

"Well?" I tried again.

"It's good. Works." And she left.

I stood there, paintbrush in hand, shaking me head. She still didn't answer the question. I wasn't about to go out and buy another colour to paint over what I just painted. No, I had had enough, I'd live with it, so there on me!

I cleaned everything up except for a step stool I had left out. I had moved it into the room for a tricky corner and forgot about it. Let's face it, I was knackered from working three coats of paint on an entire room! I was still unhappy; I didn't know if I liked it, and I was more disappointed that I couldn't get a straight answer from the wife if SHE liked it. I wasn't looking where I was going and took a good spill, pulling the muscles on me right side. I can hardly pick up me leg to go up the stairs. I fell over the step stool, yes, I did. At least I waited to almost kill meself until I was done with the painting. I don't know about me sometimes.

Anyway, I have today off, which is a good thing. It gives me a day to recover and a chance to stare at the grey walls to decide whether I like them or not. I be black and blue on me shoulder, though, and the wife says if anyone asks how I got that way, I should tell them I was in the castle dungeon, and was beating meself up over the colour. She thinks she's funny. And now it's dungeon grey. Wonderful, just wonderful.

As I was thinking of sending you a photo and asking YOU for an opinion, I realised that everything to you is grey. All that smoke drifting over your house and the smell of burning, well, you'd probably not be able to see the colour on your computer screen for the smoke. And I know what you'd say, you'd say, "IT'S GREY!" So, I'm not asking but including a picture anyway.

Grey, anyway you label it!

Gabe
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