BUMP-A-DE- BUMP

I'm sure there have been times when you have decided to do a job all the time knowing it was going to end in an accident if done in the manner you were starting. That's me! It took a long time for me to finally understand the method I was using was shorter but something was bound to happen that would make it much longer. And it usually did. I decided the ceiling at the top of the stairs coming from the cellar into the kitchen needed painting. It was a pretty simple job and I got out the kitchen step stool so I could reach the ceiling . Holding the gallon can of white paint, left over from a previous job, in my left hand I mounted the stool , wet my brush, and began the job. You understand that in the back of my mind I knew I shouldn't do the job in this manner but I proceeded anyway. That's when lightning hit the out house, to coin an expression. My stool wobbled. So did I. And so did that can of paint to the extent it leaped from my hand and went bump-a-de-bump, bump-a-de-bump all the way down the stairs managing to hit about every third step and splattering paint all over the walls and the steps. I sighed thinking to myself too soon old , too late smart and spent an hour cleaning that mess up salvaging enough paint to do the job I had started out to do, I was using a large round basin and as I completed the job, I inadvertently stepped backwards on the rim of that basin sending all that white water all over the carpeted kitchen floor. Here again I knew I shouldn't have used that basin, but it was large, if a bit unsteady. Another hour passed as I dutifully cleaned up the mess wringing the water mixture back into the basin. Finally ! I now could get that carafe of cranberry juice out of the refrigerator and as I reached for it with my paint covered hand, it slipped out and spilled all over the floor, My exasperation finally surfaced and I uttered my first profanity of the day---Damn!! Did I learn anything? Probably not. Those who don't learn from history are destined to do it again.