Power Washer, Mi Amore

Finally got going with my dad's power washer today. Some thoughts:

I love power-washing so much that I am going to start listing my hobbies and interests like this: "Education, homeschooling, amigurumi, reading, writing, biking, kayaking, power-washing, Sacred Harp."

I used to wonder why anyone would ever wash a house. I mean, by definition a house is outside, right? Where the dirt is? We don't go around washing tree trunks, do we? I mean, seriously, is the queen expecting to come eat her crumpets off my exterior walls?

Today, I learned that for a house with vinyl siding, a good power-washing is pretty much the equivalent of a fresh coat of paint. The house is glowing! I figure it's probably worth $6,000 more than it was this morning, just from being so fresh-faced.

Also, I defy any woman--anyone, really--to get a good two-handed grip on a power washer and start playing it over the siding without immediately feeling like Ellen Ripley with a flamethrower.



That little fantasy was enough to keep me happily power-washing for most of the morning.

I liked the power washer so much that when I had finished doing the garage, I moved right on to the kayaks. Here the kids helped, even the Tiny Tornado, who squeezed the trigger while I helped hold the hose. Everyone loves the power washer.

The kayaks look like new, even the crappy uncomfortable double kayak that we only keep around "in case friends want to go with us sometime," and which we haven't paddled in 7 or 8 years, and which actually had moss growing on it.

It was fun being out in this perfect sunny not-too-hot day working with my dad and the kids. At one point, my dad was finishing up the new breezeway screens, I was power-washing, and the kids were moving mulch all by themselves. They got quite a bit done, too.

My dad and I could never get it together, temperamentally, to work together when I was a kid. Not that he didn't try; he was as happy to show me how to hammer a nail and change the oil in a car as he was to show my brother. But my perfectionism and insecurity made it very hard for me when I didn't get things right away, and it took me another 30-some-odd years to really get that just because my dad sounds gruff and is frowning doesn't mean he's actually mad or thinks I'm incompetent.

So it was pretty neat to be out there today, bustling around in each other's vicinity, getting stuff done. Our yard and house are looking good, though don't you find that one project begets another? Having power-washed, I now wonder if we shouldn't try to find the time and energy to paint the garage doors and shutters this summer.

I can't wait to use the breezeway. It hasn't been useable for its intended purpose since we moved in and our big old dogs went right out through the screens when they wanted to get to the back yard. I'm getting chairs and a table, and I'm going to invite people to brunch. I'm getting a chaise longue so comfy I can take a nap in it. Or a hammock! A hammock would be good.