And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar and I say, "Sorry, I'm not eating carbs."

Sometimes life gives you a free piano. And I am not one to turn down something that makes music. So in our tiny living room, we have a piano. And it's small-ish, for a piano. So it's not like a giant hulking piece of furniture, it actually looks quite nice. Except that it's the same color as the floor. Which makes it both blend in and loom over the rest of the living room.

People have been painting pianos lately, the chalk paint craze making everything significantly easier. I looked at color options, but since I didn't want to drive to Malibu or Glendora for a can of paint, I talked myself into the French Linen I already owned.

Here's the thing about painting anything. I am always very excited to paint. Most of my clothes have bits of paint on them because if I have to change clothes to do something, it's a sport. And I don't sport. So I started painting. I had a smallish, new brush and I just went for it. No sanding or anything, just paint. And as I finished the one tiny side and then set about taping off the keys, I realized I was about to eat an elephant. The project grew ten sizes that moment but I was too deep in to stop. So I kept going. But that moment, where I see the mountain I am about to climb, I have it every time. But it always happens too late for me to turn back.

Here is the before. It's the only pic I have. Hartwell Concerto in Aaaaaahahhahh!

When I told John I was painting the piano he said to me, "Don't get paint on the keys." He said it jokingly and I thought, "What kind of moron does he take me for?!" So I said, "Oh, I'm painting the keys green and yellow..."
To which he replied, rather incredulously, "YOU CAN'T PAINT PIANO KEYS!"

And then I laughed and said, "You think I am soooo dumb..."

That conversation doesn't quite play out in print as it did in real life. I thought it was hilarious and it's become my favorite thing.

Here's the after, with unpainted keys. Keys that are begging for photoshop.

Noon in the Garden of Good and Chervil*

It's been awhile! I get busy. And sometimes I even worry that what I type is dumb so I type nothing...And that's, like, the worst!
Here are some pics of my tiny garden. John and I spent the last two weekends working on it together. Planting a salad garden and filling in the succulent garden. And finding containers...

I had to make a little mini raised bed out of bricks to house some herbs. And rearrange a lot of stuff so it didn't look crazy.

And here is a collection of random containers I've used in my garden. If they have no holes in the bottom, I fill it half full of rocks, then dirt. That seems to help...

And because the back of our yard is a chain link fence, I have very few photos of the vegetable garden. I have one. And I wasn't even aiming at the garden.

In the pic you can see the marigolds around the tomatoes and maybe even some kale and lettuce? But mostly MeowMeow, who does not enjoy gardening. She does help keep the garden pest free, so there's that...

*Also, to be entirely honest, there is no chervil in this garden...