MIA

I have been "missing in action" the last few days for a very good reason! Our weather has been picture perfect and it could be spent NO WHERE but OUTDOORS! And, that is exactly what I did. Had a hot date that lasted two days with this guy...

I really don't know what is wrong with me but I LOVE to pressure clean. I will clean anything that stands still once I get going. I think I love it so much because nothing much else gives you such immediate gratification and such obvious results.

I know this looks horrible and you are wondering how I could possibly have lived like that but that is what the brick path in my back yard looks like one year after it was last cleaned. I live in Florida and algae and mold grow quickly-especially in areas that get the benefit of the irrigation system and are fairly porous. The Kool Decking on our pool doesn't get this bad but it does grow algae in the dips (the parts that are there to keep the deck cool to the feet).

About once a year I grab the old pressure cleaner and we spend a few days together. It is a hard job but I enjoy it. I push that machine to its limits. This year, I found out how resiliant my little friend actually is. At the end of day 1, I was a bit tired and had pulled the cleaner (attached to the power cord and HEAVY, water filled hose) along with the nozzle and hose for the nozzle, to the far side of the pool. I should have disconnected stuff and re-routed the hose, but as I said, I was tired. And so, I just tugged a little while I was starting on the pool slide and heard a "funny" noise. I turned around just in time to see the pressure cleaner slip off the edge of the deck and glide ever so graciously into the deep end of the pool. It was very surreal but I gathered my wits in time to run and pull the power plug out. Then, I gazed at it 8' below the surface and figured I had just seen the last of this little guy.

I called my husband and we fished it out of the pool and I immediately called my son-in-law to ask his advice. Had I killed it for good or was there hope? He is an engineer and he reassured me that it would probably dry out and be just fine-and, if not, I would not electrocute myself attempting to plug it in after giving it some time to dry out.

And he was right. It started right up the next morning and helped me clean the slide, the pergola, the brick walls around the plants, the pathways.....

So that was pretty much my weekend. In the few extra minutes I had, I decided to find a place to hang the sconces that I took down from my fireplace wall. In walking around my house, I discovered that the only place they would still work was the front guest room. Luckily, these are easy to hang and took no time at all.

I really like them there. What do you think? Of course, now I have the two pedestal shelves that I took down from here.......Stay tuned.