I do not have a pussycat named Patsy. However, when the kids were little we had a book by that name. It was about (you guessed it) a cat named Patsy who lived on a farm. One day the farmer's wife painted the kitchen thereby disrupting Patsy's world. No fire in the stove to keep warm by, no bowl of milk - you get the idea. So Patsy visits all the animals on the farm looking for advice? sympathy? a new home? At the end of the day, she returns to her kitchen and is overjoyed to find everything back to normal.
When I started writing I was going to tell you that our dogs were Patsy this week. Kevin replaced the banister at the top of the stairs with a half wall and I started painting it 3 days ago. Awkward position for me and the ladder. Since I had the paint out, I gave the halls a fresh coat - we must be a dirty family because I recoat the halls virtually every year. Then I figured I might as well paint the kitchen since it needs to be done before the cabinets are replaced in the next few months. So Shasta and Darcy's beds were moved downstairs. Shasta couldn't care less but Darcy couldn't settle all night. Their bowls were moved to the other side of the kitchen. And they have been locked up in the laundry room for the better part of two days because they insist on leaning against the wall I have just washed or painted. They have many other places to lie, but have to pick the one spot they can't. And of course, I didn't have time to walk them. I am a supreme multi-tasker but I haven't figured out how to be inside painting and outside walking yet.
As I wrote I started to think that I was really Patsy. I hate things out of place for days on end (like tables covered with tools, curtains and other things that should be hung on the walls). I get very impatient. I wish I had some animal friends to go elicit compassion from. The painting is done. All I have to do in the next 24 hours is clean the whole house from top to bottom, put all the light covers and curtains back up and at least start the holiday decorating. We have a dinner at the church tomorrow night and for the first time ever, I am not baking something. I love baking but new I wouldn't have time so I bought a lemon tart before this craziness started.
Next week doesn't look any better for me - get the Christmas cards and baking done and a new special project I will blog about next week (as long as it turns out).
It took me a while to decide on the stain. I knew I wanted to stain it, not paint it so some of the beauty of the grain shone through, but I also wanted it to look custom, not like I just bought it finished. This is the bench after 2 applications of Minwax driftwood. It is shown against the new half wall Kevin just built and I painted. Our entrance is really small and I wanted somewhere that we could sit and put our shoes on (not on the stairs because that causes a real traffic flow problem). 
So here's where I need help. Should I leave it plain, as above or paint flowers (or something else) as shown below. I painted the flowers quickly on a piece of clear plastic just so I could see what it might look like. I hope my real paint job is a bit better, though it has been years since I painted anything. I could also put flowers in other spots. So please, give me your opinions. 
One of the last times my parents came to visit my dad mentioned that the banister needed refinishing. That would be because of an unnamed child who slides down the rail with his shoes. So, I added that to my list of things to do before Christmas. Thanks Dad - I didn't have enough to keep me busy. There are a few drips but it sure looks better than before. So shiny!
