Thursday, September 14, 2023

The Pushy Unwanted Not-Guest Condescends To School Mrs. HM On The Nuances Of Paint-Brush-Washing

Sweet Gummi Mary! Don't dare to ask a logical question to Farmer H before he leaves the Mansion at 6:00 a.m. You will have your rumpus handed to you forthwith!

"Can't you wash your paint brushes outside The Pony's house?"

Well. You would have thought I was the stupidest VALEDICTORIAN ever to draw breath! Farmer H glowered at me and heaved a heavy sigh.

"You need hot water and soap. You always have to wash out the brushes."

"I KNOW you have to wash out paint brushes. But I've never heard of using hot water. My dad never used hot water. He just washed them with regular water."

STILL the look from Farmer H. I don't believe for a minute that hot water is necessary. In fact, I just now looked it up on my estranged BFF Google, and found THIS:

Give your brushes a rigorous clean with mild soap and cold water, one at a time. Cold water is key here because warm or hot water will actually help the paint set. Rinse until the water runs clear. Next, take a moisturizing bar of soap and stroke the wet bristles across the top.

Of course, there are other instructions touting warm water, but I'm just making the point that it does indeed seem possible that Farmer H could have washed his brushes outside with the hose. I later sent The Pony a text to say that I regret Farmer H invading his space for that. I suppose Farmer H might have gotten a bit horsey with The Pony, as my dad used to call a mild smart-alecky outburst.

"All I did was ask Dad to use the hall bathroom, since I didn't want to risk the kitchen one clogging with strands of congealed paint if they didn't rinse right or I missed one. Because once it's dry, it's a mess as I learned after moving in."

"He told ME you said he might clog up your drain. No mention of you asking him to use a specific sink."

The Pony sent me a screen shot of their text conversation:

DAD: I have them but I have wash them after I'm done painting

PONY: OK. Could you use the hall bathroom sink? Because last time it got all over my kitchen one

DAD: Yes I'll watch Old Buddy he's a little sloopy. And I'm sure I'll have to pee

PONY: Yeah. It's just hard to scrub it off and I don't want the sink drain to get clogged if you two miss something by the drain and it dries

DAD: It will be fine I've been washing paint brushes in sinks for years no worries

PONY: I'm just saying because I've picked out strings of solid paint from there before after moving in

DAD: I'll be careful. I'll only use the hall bathroom that was my plan anyway didn't mean to upset you

Anyhoo... The Pony didn't say if he found any clogs of paint in his sink. So I guess maybe Farmer H was more careful this time...

Still no reason to belittle me or The Pony about paint brush washing!

6 comments:

Rae said...

Interesting how Hick was concerned about potentially upsetting The Pony. Too bad he can't give you the same compassion. Although, it is nice to see that he realizes that he may have upset The Pony as sometimes he does seem a bit clueless. Now if only he would take that into consideration with regards to his oft times challenging response to you. Ranee (MN)

Hillbilly Mom said...

Rae,
I think he didn't like being questioned about his plan, what with being King of the Universe. And he probably knows that cold water CAN be used to wash out the brushes, but didn't think I knew it. Just because he remodeled The Pony's house doesn't mean he still has unlimited entry to it. That's another of his problems. He considers it HIS property.

River said...

He needs to realise it is no longer his property. I have always washed my paint brushes in cold water but never bothered with soap of any kind, let alone a moisturising bar.

Hillbilly Mom said...

River,
Yeah. He has a hard time getting that through his noggin! Funny how my dad never had any problem with his cold-water-washed brushes. If I had suggested the hot water, I'm sure Farmer H would have declared that only cold water is needed! He's a contrarian.

Kathy's Klothesline said...

I enjoyed the text exchange! It must be a father/son thing. Agreeing to one thing, but doing it the way you wanted anyway! The Pony must find it difficult to chatise the man who made the house possible for him. Easier to have you step in and do it for him! I know this story well.

Hillbilly Mom said...

Kathy,
Yeah, I left in Farmer H's own words. The Pony is a pleaser. Not because he especially cares what people think of him, but because he does not like confrontations, and will leave the room if other people are disagreeing. So he will make his point, trying to be polite, and then let it go.