Seventeen

That's how many years I ignored them.  For years we used to plunk ourselves into the most glorious Muskoka chairs in the screened-in porch or on the dock at our cottage.  Big, broad, sturdy and made of wood, these wonderful chairs had ample arms scientifically designed to hold a drink, balance a dinner plate or play cards.  I loved these beasts; to me they said "the cottage".

When we stopped going to the Gatineau Fish & Game Club in 1998, I missed my intimate wooden friends.  Driving by Gabriel Blais' home in Kenneyville one morning (he was the Mayor of that hamlet and we were up for a day party), I spotted four newly-constructed Muskoka beauties on his lawn.  We stopped.   I had to have them.  We bought four, but how to get them to Ottawa?  M. Blais' nephew agreed to drive them into town.  (Can you believe this had been the first time "young Gabriel" had visited Ottawa?  Believe it.)  Anyway, the Muskoka chairs arrived, but they were "au naturel".  To preserve them, they had to be either stained or painted.  I opted for stain because painting would have necessitated "more painting".  Forever.  The handyman readily agreed, but a week later delivered four painted Muskoka chairs.  "Eff," I exclaimed.  "What happened"  "My girlfriend thought paint would be better," he offered.  Man, some guys will agree to anything for a f....!

As pissed off as I was, I paid that dumb handyman anyway and we started to enjoy our Muskoka chairs.  This went on for many years.  After giving two chairs to my stepson and his then-fiance -- against my better judgement -- we were left with two.  OK, that worked.  We enjoyed our remaining two on the balcony of our Ottawa condo and moved them to Calgary in 2011.  But seriously, after 17 years they needed painting. 

Lazy me, last year I bought two cans of spray paint and fully intended to do them.  But I didn't.  The thought of sanding left me paralyzed.  And I also secretly knew that spraying would not do.  I knew I had to brush-paint them -- all thirty pieces of each chair.  So, yesterday was the day.  As I breezed out for lunch with one of my swimming friends I tossed the sand paper to B and said, "Oh, here's the sanding paper and I've put the Muskoka's on a drop sheet in the backyard.  See ya!"  When I returned, he had prepped both.  Wow!  I was impressed. 

Today is Sunday and they now have two coats.  Can't wait to enjoy them 'cause you can't buy wooden chairs in Calgary.