Digital Analogue

Exquisite timing

Staining goes way faster than scraping and sanding, of course. So I was able to do it from start to finish tonight, and then as I tiptoed out via the backdoor (using improvised foot coverings made of clean rags), closed it, and stepped out onto the back porch, there was a huge and very clear bit of lightning. The rain started.

I sprinted around to the front door, and cast about for a big plastic bag. See, I have a fan in the kitchen window, and it really needs to stay there to vent the room of stain fumes, not to mention I'd have to walk over the fresh stain to pull it out anyway. So I grabbed the biggest plastic bag I could find and the key to the basement door, sprinted back, got a ladder out of the basement and some duct tape, and proceeded to tape plastic over the top of the window and the part not covered by the fan (and a flap that the fan can blow the air under, but which protects the rain from going in).

Because, of course, there is absolutely not a single time in this entire process when my kitchen floor would be more vulnerable to even a couple drops of rain splattering in. Argh. I suppose it could be worse—the rain could've come tomorrow while I was away from the house, or while I was still doing the staining. As it happened, there was just a lot of sound and fury and not much rain until after I'd safely packed all the stuff away.

It'll be interesting if this turns into tornado weather; right now the fastest way to my basement would be to grab Nutmeg like a football and make a dash around the side of the house for the basement door....

"The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it." --P. J. O'Rourke