October 2022 Island Trip – Day 3

After finish painting the new wood work and shelf above the oven, I wanted to finish to degreasing the interior cabinet above the stovetop. That lead to trying to get (many)specs of paint off the cabinet doors. Goof Off is a magic product. It used to be that once paint dried, you basically had to live with it unless the side of a credit card could chip it off. Some paint came off (latex), some did not (oil enamel). What also came off the cabinets was soot. I did not expect this, and it was a hit, so to speak. Every time I think I’ve got the house clean, really clean, it hands me more fucking soot. And soot is a symbol of my parents living in a smoke filled house because, what, neither one of them were willing to admit it was a problem? Dad, because he rebuilt the chimney? Mom, because it had been so long that she couldn’t back down (until I forced the issue) because to do so would be admitting being OK living in purple air for decades? And in all of this I am left feeling that I will Never be able to ‘fix’ this little house. To fix it the way I want my parents to have wanted to live in it (and thereby somehow cosmically fixing them), particularly when their health was too brittle for them to care any longer.

After wiping the soot off cabinets with both Goof Off and Windex, I went to town, got another wad of cash out of the bank for our roofer, and went to find him in the ferry line. He and his wife were headed off Island to get their 5th-wheel tucked in for the winter. We hung out until they had to get on board, and we made future plans to get together for dinner when my DH next comes up with me.

Back at the ranch, I started to put things back where they belong in regard to the house, and vacuumed the floors. Lunch, a nap, communications of various sorts, a shower and then dinner with my neighbor to the east.