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Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, August 12, 2013

A new talent to add to my resume

Along with doing wildlife surveys, leading tours, working with kids, giving interpretive programs, and mowing, I can now add very experienced post painter!  I bet no many of you can say that!

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Some of you may be familiar with these kinds of signs seen on National Wildlife Refuges.  Often they’ll have the Blue Goose printed on them, and can be found on the boundaries of a refuge.  Well, all of them are attached to some kind of post and at Tamarac, those posts are wooden.  Over time, the stain wears off and must be renewed.

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Before                                                            After

This is a very tall sign, and I was only able to paint most of the right hand post.  Tomorrow I’ll bring a step ladder along with me to finish it.

I have been given several gallon jugs of the stain, which is more like paint, and it is put on with a brush.  Anyone want to guess how many of these wood posts can be found on a refuge that has 40,000 acres?  Signs similar to the top one can be found on each side of the road every quarter mile.  Some of them aren’t exactly easy to get to either while carrying an open one gallon can and wet brush.  Confused smile

Did I also mention deer flies?  Oh well, I look at it as job security.  In six hours today, I only got 17 posts painted.  That is literally a drop in the bucket!  I’m kind of thinking it’s going to take me most of my work hours until I leave near the end of September to finish this job.

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One of the perks of this assignment is that I spend the whole day outside.  As I was working on one of the posts this afternoon, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.  It was a cicada emerging from the ground, and wouldn’t you know it decided to climb up my freshly painted post.

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It eventually slid off of the post back onto the ground, but not before it got some of the paint on it’s head and legs.  Dumb bug!  I’m glad it went elsewhere to find a tree to climb up. 

I was finally able to pick up my car from the collision repair place this afternoon, but not everything is finished.  Fixing the door handle didn’t turn out to be as easy as they thought.  Apparently this is a common problem with this model of Focus, so Ford developed a better system.  That means it will be several more days before those parts come in, so I opted to get my wheels back while I wait for them to come in.  Hopefully by the end of the week I’ll be able to stop the Chinese fire drill stuff of trying to get into the car.  Some people misunderstood my last post and thought I’d had trouble with the door for three years.  It’s only been broken for a little over a month.  It was just the last straw that made me get everything fixed.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

31 comments:

  1. Great! That means until your door handle is installed, we still have time to submit a video of your car entry antics to America's Funniest Home Videos! :cD

    Painting is a skill I hope never to use again.

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  2. Thanks for the update! One post at a time...(:

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  3. I'll bet all those other Cicadas are going to wonder what is wrong with this one? Ugly bugs aren't they?
    And the noise ah deafening. That is some job to paint all those posts, reminds me of painting all our fences on the farm. Not my favorite thing to do for sure. Good luck.

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  4. Sounds like you don't mind the painting that much since it keeps you outside. I imagine everyone else is happy to have you do it. I'm with you, outside=way better than inside.
    I'm one of those misunderstanders. Sorry you cleared it up though, I was really enjoying visioning you doing the chinese fire drill.

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  5. Yea...I was envisioning you jumping into the car from the passenger side for 3 years. Thought you were one patient lady! Now thinking about you painting about 1 gazillion posts with stain...I still think you are one patient lady!

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  6. That is a big job! I don't envy you - don't know which is worse, painting or deer flies. But I'm sure you'll make the best of it and get some great photos.

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  7. I think a lot of refuges hope for a willing volunteer who will paint... seems like that job is kinda low on THEIR priority list. I couldn't begin to count the gallons of paint I've used over the years. But you're right... painting sign posts outside is a heck of a lot better than painting office ceilings and the like!

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  8. Wouldn't it go a lot faster if you used a roller?

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    1. I don't know that a roller would be that much help but a paint sprayer would sure do the trick. But, this is a government operation using volunteer labor so a paint brush is the thing to use. The money saved by not buying a paint sprayer can be used for salary increases, travel and conferences in Las Vegas or Hawaii.

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  9. You must have a very long resume by now! :)

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  10. The World needs more wonderful volunteers like you. I do wonder, however, if it might be easier to use a roller, like Flowergirl said. Happy painting!

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  11. You posted about posts today. what great post, the picture post, and the blog post. posting is fun. painting is fun. but posting about painting posting is perpetually perfect.

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  12. Painting -- even painting a post -- just isn't a skill I developed...LOL! But, it does get you outside where you can enjoy the Cicadas and their irritating noise up close and personal! HA

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  13. Donna, you've got that right !!!!! Not a chance ...... How lucky can the Refuge be and how about everyone who visits ..... Judy, you are worth your weight in GOLD !!!!!

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  14. Pssssssss.....a roller on a fence post ....... Not sure about that one .....

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  15. Consider how many "posts" there may be in your future ... looks like a full time job to me ;-)

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  16. Bella is trying to help with the Cicada problem. She loves to catch them and eat them. Egads...she acts like it is some type of special dessert.

    Paul said...YUCK....to your painting. He HATES to paint.

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  17. At least it will keep you out and about for the next few weeks.

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  18. You are a Jill of all Trades! Now painting a jillion sign posts is something I could do - all the rest of your duties would be something else. I could never lead a tour of a bunch of kids or a lot of the other things you do. Maybe I should add "painting" to my NPS resume!

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  19. Add me to one of the misunderstood readers. I really thought you'd been doing this 3 years :) Glad it's getting fixed though. Have fun painting!

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  20. Hope you can still walk after being up and down a stepladder all day. There are a gazillion posts in the refuge. I never stopped to think who painted them.. Thanks for painting Judy! :)

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  21. That's a lot signposts to paint. Hope your arm holds out.

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  22. Hahaaaa dumb bug... well? don't they live underground then surface every 17 years? guess I could google... sounds right~ fascinating creatures. used to get the skins and stick 'em on my pinafore. I haven't a clue why.

    you have quite a resume...

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  23. I would kill for a video of you getting in and out of that car...seriously!

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  24. I have fun memories of chasing my sister with cicada shells :)

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  25. glad to see you are getting some staining experience...remember we have a new
    porch and steps that need to be done :-)

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  26. I painted ballusters at the State Park last winter, but I used a roller. . .have fun with the miles and miles of strokes you have left to go. . .just sayin'. . .it's a mindless job. . .enjoy the outdoors!

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  27. And another couple here who've been painting posts, and floors, and walls, and ceilings here at Highland Ridge.

    Always great hearing your antics!

    Cheers,
    Peter
    A retired Photographer looks at life
    Life Unscripted

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  28. Ah, how I wish I could paint a post! Think of it as keeping in shape! I'll extend my personal "thank you" for helping to keep our natural habitats clean and protected. Glad your car wasn't down for three years. I was one of the commenters who thought you were climbing from one side to the other for all that time!!!

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