Rainy Saturday, new paint job, right price. Feels good.
Out of state truck, Bailey straw cowboy hat, pulled into the driveway. He said, “I came to paint your barn.” How much, I ask. I was just beginning a walk and wanted to get to it. He states a price that isn’t too bad. I say let me think about it. Don’t think too long he says, I’m settin’ on forty gallons of red paint, Sherwin Williams. I’ll come back. Off he goes.
He comes back in two weeks. Then he states a lower, better price. Best price I ever heard for painting the barn. His card has a Tennessee phone number. I say do it. He brings another truck with a sprayer and a bunch of equipment, sends two guys with it and they go to scraping the barn, then spraying it. I pay the guy. I mention the garage needs paint, but will do it next year. He says he has enough paint left over to do it, same two guys scrape and spray it in a couple of hours. For another great price. Then they all go. Leaving me with two freshly painted red buildings and a good feeling about itinerant barn painters.
I’m only relating this because it was a helluva deal and a good job at a good price. I will gladly share this man’s phone number for next season. He does ranches in the Flint Hills, water towers, grain bins, barns. While his guys work, he drives other places, says, “I came to paint your barn.” A go-getter. One of his guys said he’d been with him for seventeen years. Small business at its hard-working best.
The Milk Carton Kids. Pretty good listening.
If that’s not very exciting (TLDR?) take a look to your lower left at the links (under the ITW logo). I add ‘em as I discover more. It started as a convenience for me, a gathering place for links in one chunk so I could leap to other favorites. I think you’ll dig some of them. Just hit one or two, see what comes up. I just went to No Depression and listened to a Milk Carton Kids song I probably wouldn’t have heard otherwise. Sort of quiet C&W song with real spare instrumentation. Nice.
Red. I like red.
As soon as I tighten up the SSL certificate and some other orphans on the site like SEO descriptions and the like that never got done, I’ll add in some fun things like interviews with poets, bikers, crazies, and book reviews you won’t get anywhere else. (Coming: “Blue Ruin Motherf***r by Fin Sorrel—I did one on his “Caramel Flood” book a couple of years ago.) There will be guest blogs, short films, writer tips, whatever comes up.
Ride along with me for awhile. You can have shotgun. We’ll get a couple sixpacks and drive around the town square with the radio up loud. (my sixpack will be RC) Thanks for reading. It’s so nice to have you to talk to.