The great garage project...

I've mentioned in previous posts that we have been working on cleaning our garage.  It was the hottest of hot messes. A horrible embarrassment, and so full of stuff we really didn't know where to begin.  We use it to store animal feed, (6 big bins full) and shavings, as well as hay, and these things take up a lot of room. There was also stuff for fencing, extra feed pans, and other animal-keeping accouterments. Besides it had become a giant catch-all for things that are too good to get rid of, but not good enough to be in the house.  Add in a law mower, a snow blower, and a bunch of other tools and it was a recipe for disaster.

With the upcoming wedding, it occurred to us that having the garage clean and cleared out of all the stuff would give us a lovely extra space for entertaining.  The building itself is really very nice.. a double wide, double deep garage, sturdily built.  So we got to work. The space didn't get that cluttered and dirty overnight, and it didn't get clean overnight, either.  Rachel, Evans, Chris and I spent many hours putting the space right. Several pick up truck loads of trash were  hauled away, donations made, things sorted and packed and neatly stowed. We took down shelves and dismantled an ugly cabinet that some previous owner had built. Our burn pile grew as broken chairs and lumber scraps were added.

We evicted a lot of spiders and swept down many a web. It was a wonderful moment when the floor was completely cleared of everything except our two small chest freezers.

They will be moved, but not today.  Then we fired up the pressure washer our kind friend Scott loaned us.

Chris still had energy to ham it up a bit.  That power washer is amazing.  We washed the walls, we washed the floor, we washed and washed.  And it was fun.  Meanwhile, the hot afternoon sun beat down and in no time the room was dry and smelling fresh and clean.

And now the fun can begin.  Chris hung a quirky light fixture I recently found in a local antique store.

Next weekend... we stain the inside. In case you can't guess, it will be white.  You can expect another post when it is finished.

Words can't express how tickled I am to have this project nearly completed.  It was one of those daunting things that had been hanging over my head for too long, and it's a huge relief to have made such progress.  Chris and I worked beautifully together, with good music playing.  It was an unusual dance, fired by purpose, but each in step as we ground through the task at hand.  We make an excellent and effective team.