Mistakes

I bought Safari Tan paint for this house. I found out that the paint was not all the same lot number. The difference in color was, lets just say, very noticeable. I used all the first gallon and opened a new gallon while painting on the east side. That was a mistake. When it was dry you could tell exactly where I ran out of the first gallon. I repainted to the corner of the house. Checked the lot numbers and made sure I did not switch numbers on a side of the house again. 

Well I was this close to finished when I ran out of the lot number I had on 3 sides of the house. Once again I had made a mistake and not calculated how much it would take to cover that side of the house. Now in my defense if I was spraying, as I usually do, I would have had plenty. Takes more paint brushing it on. I did have one gallon left that did not have a number printed on the bucket. I thought, "it is what it is" and opened the gallon without the lot number. It matched!

I painted the white trim around the windows and doors. See my aluminum ladder laying there? It has seen better days. It is a bit wobbly if fully extended. Every time I have it as high as it goes and I am standing on it I am looking for something to hang onto. It is at that point I am thinking this is a mistake.

When I was painting the west side of the house I was wondering how I was going to paint the last of the trim along the roof. My ladder would kinda reach, but it was definitely extended as far as it would go and left me feeling uneasy as it would start to bend. I decided I am not scared of heights. I am scared of hitting the ground when the ladder fails. I was started on the low end when  heard someone say, "sir, sir". I looked and a neighbor on the back yard was trying to get my attention. "Do you live there?"  

"No, but I own the house."

"I have a better ladder than you are using. Use my ladder."

I took him up on that offer. It was indeed a much better ladder than I had. I painted the trim at the peak and was done in 15 minutes.

The former owner put dirt against the basement wall. I am assuming it was done to keep water from running into the basement. The dirt was half way up one of the basement windows. I am sure they thought they had solved the problem of water coming in the basement and all was good. Burying a metal window frame is not a good long term solution. It is indeed another mistake made. I dug the dirt away from the window and cut a path for the water to flow away from the house. I will have to go back when it rains to make sure it is draining.

I threw the dirt I removed from the window around the corner against the basement wall. The ground was lower against the house and water was going to pond up against the basement. That is a recipe for a wet basement and eventually a failed basement wall and foundation. If the foundation fails the house will start to sag and the sheet rock will crack. The doors will not close and the windows will not open. All because the water does not drain away from the house. 

We all make a lot of mistakes in life. Sometimes our mistakes are when we are doing our best to fix what we see as a problem and then we just create another problem. 

Usually our mistakes do not have long term consequences. There are times when they do. Right now there are a lot of people stressed because they are in their homes and have no ability to get away. The normal is gone and "mistakes" are being made. I was told this week that the need for foster parents is huge right now because of family stress. That is happening as the reports of child abuse have fallen sharply because of few interactions with mandatory reporters.

Our society is hurting right now. Mistakes are being made. If you are stressed, call someone. If your children are driving you up a wall, call a close friend or relative. Don't ruin a relationship by attacking the ones you love, because you feel you have no space.

The foundations of your life are still there. Make sure you do the small repairs and adjustments to keep them strong into the future.

If there is pressure on the foundation of your life fix it before it fails. Better to do a little work now than to have the house of your life cave in around you.