The Best Laid Plans

 It is a balmy 76 degrees outside and I am stuck inside! I had plans for the day. Big plans. I made great progress in the She Shed over the past couple of days. As long as I don't attempt to walk up the drive with my bifocals on, I am good.

I am not sure how everyone else organizes, but I need to just stand in the space and think. Uninterrupted, so alone. If I want feedback, I will ask for it, otherwise just leave me be. So far I have emptied 5 cardboard boxes and one extra large plastic tote and about a dozen smaller containers. In doing so I have discovered things I had forgotten I had.

I wanted to get all my paints out and my first discovery was a drawer. Last year, we purchased an old teachers desk for $15. Well worn and pretty big. I was thinking about using the wood for shelves. We took it apart before we unloaded it from the trailer, HeWho complaining the entire time. More like a low grumbling. It was easy to unscrew and break it down into usable pieces. We used a good part of the sides for shelves in the tool shed. The desk top is about 3'X5' and sits waiting for an epiphany from me.

The biggest drawer, the shallow one over the opening in the front for the chair, was the one I saw and had an "aha" moment. I have a lot of paint, by the way. The apple barrel 2 ounce bottles. They are a little over 4" tall, so shelves every 5" can accomodate them. The drawer depth is not quite 4". I didn't want anything too thick. I picked through all the wood I have hoarded away and nothing fit what I had in mind. The drawer is 20" wide and almost 22" long.

Then I had an epiphany. There is lattice under the tool shed that I plan to replace with the under pinning I found when I cleared the underbrush when I cleared the embankment. I walked around the shed and finally found a section with 2" boards that would be long enough. I ripped them off carefully and hiked up to my shed, knowing that the paint bottles would fit easily on them.

I had taken the jig saw up to my shed several days ago, so I measured them and cut them to fit. Now I had to figure out how to mount the shelves in the drawer. Picture the drawer standing on end with the drawer front on the bottom. I decided to cut small 3" pieces of the scraps of the lattice and screw them in the sides of the drawer to hold the shelves up.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. I would have preferred to use the chop saw, but that would have required hiking up and down the drive to the tool shed where it is all set up on its very own table made from three sides of the desk, thanks to me and my efforts. That is why the jig saw was in my shed. But, I digress. I have a container of mixed up screws that HeWho is opposed to order and neatness had left in various places. I had gathered them with thoughts of sorting them, but just took the coffee can up the hill with me. 

First I had to find enough screws that were short enough not to poke through the side of the drawer. I had to make sure they would fit the bit in my drill and most of the ones I wanted to use needed a star bit. I had to go through them all over again and pluck out the philips head ones that I needed. I measured and marked the sides of the drawers for the three shelves, the bottom serving as a shelf to make 4 shelves.

Them I drilled holes, so the screw wouldn't split the thin lattice slats. I could see the light fading outside and I knew time was running out, so I was trying to make the most of my time. I get them all screwed in, with two of the screws wanting to stick out the side of the drawer. Not much, but enough to tempt an injury. Then to add insult to injury, I set the drawer upright, as it would be on the wall and the shelves were crooked! Not a lot, but I knew it would insult my eyes everytime I looked at it. When I am working on a sewing or craft project and begin to make mistakes, I just stop and leave it for another day.

As I gathered my phone and cup of water, ready to shut everything down and turn out the lights, I spied with my green eyes ..... I don't know the word for them, but they fit in the holes for adjustable shelves and I had a pill container full! I decided they would work better and look much better that the small pieces and too long screws. All I had to do was remeasure and drill a hole to put them in. I discovered I had the wrong sized bit, gathered my stuff and called it a day.

The next day I took the correct bit with me and accomplished the task of shelving the drawer, then mounted it on the wall. It takes up less space than a regular shelf and I can see all of the paint at a glance. I unpacked a box of paints and filled the shelves. They did not all fit and there was a second box under the first box. No problem, I have three more drawers! These drawers are almost 5" deep and will hold 4" shelves. Not as wide, but longer than the other drawer. I found enough pieces of 1"X4" boards and cut them to fit. Still using those shelf holder things, I drilled my holes and soon had a second unit to hold paint. Mounting it proved to be a little problematic. The drawer was too wide to go between the studs, but not wide enough to be able to screw it to the studs. I finally decided to mount it from the boards along the top. I could reach it easily, so having the paint that high would pose no problem when I wanted to access one from the top shelf.

In order to mount it properly, I had to unload the first one and move it higher and then mount the second. My shelves were 7" apart in this one. I needed to put the bigger bottles on the one and sice the shelf is deeper, I can put two bottles, one in front of the other. Filled this one and I still need another drawer mounted with shelves. I have a lot of paint, some duplicates. The duplicates can go on the wider shelves. Then I will sort the paint by finish (glossy or matte) and then I will arrange the bottles by color.

I woke this morning eager to get at the next drawer. Had my coffee and then showered. I had an appt. for a haircut and planned to spend the balance of the day in the She Shed. After I showered, I was picking up things and decided to mop the bathroom since I was right there. I bent down to pick up the bath mat and felt a twinge in my left hip/lower back.

And just like that, it grabbed and now I am unable to walk around, or sit down comfortably. I found a muscle relaxer left from HeWho's pulled back muscle and took it (there was only one). HeWho drove me to get my hair cut, then we went out for lunch. I hobbled along slowly and now I am sitting on a pillow, with another at my back to make me sit very upright. It is going to be a long night!