Friday, August 20, 2010

Wet T-Shirt Contest!

I don't know if it's from the humidity or what, but all of the houses in southeastern NC have this ugly, gray-green gunge all over their north sides.

It's a bitch.

It doesn't come off with any old garden hose spray. You have to pressure-wash that crap off.

Last weekend, I had 4 days off. And one of those days I was feeling particularly ambitious. Chuck had just finished mowing the lawn, and I had prettied up my gardens (as best I could, anyway). We were admiring our work, and I got to thinking about how bad the north side looked.

'Let's pressure wash!' said I.

We actually own one of those babies. Because this operation has to be done once a year at least. Although if you drive through our rural neighbourhood, you can see that most people don't. Which looks terrible. I guess if you have a toilet sitting on your front lawn, no one's going to notice your siding mold.






Here comes the hot wet t-shirt action!!



Are you ready??






Shameless, isn't he? Wearing a white shirt that he knows is going to become transparent!!

I, on the other hand...



...was foresighted enough to wear a black t-shirt. I didn't want to get the whole neighbourhood in an uproar.



Not only did I get all the back spray, but there's also a small leak where the hose connects to the gun. Chuck said the seal's cracked. Which means a steady stream of water running down my arms, through my bra, down my shorts, and eventually working it's way down to puddle in my shoes.

But it was hot as a bastard outside, so it felt kinda good :) And now my house is clean!

We did see this cute little thing sitting on my hydrangea...my sad, sad looking hydrangea.



Power-washing makes me feel like Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Except I'm not Republican.

My accent is cuter.

And I don't grope people.

Much.

13 comments:

Bub said...

Well done with the...

Wait.

Is that clear blue sky I can see in your pics? *sob* So that's what it looks like. And you have heat too?? *waaahhh*

Jayne said...

Okay - I thought I had seen it all, but apparently I was wrong. I have never seen a toilet on the front lawn... a bathtub on the porch, sure.. but not a toilet on the front lawn.
My hydrangea looks like yours - it doesn't like the harsh sun we get here, even though I have it in the shadiest area I have.

Laurrie said...

I love to see people hard at work cleaning things up, as long as it's not me. We have northside grunge too, and my neighbor's unsold (vacant) house has it ... can you come up and bring your pressure hose?

Melissa said...

I am clumsy and easily ditracted, thus I am afraid of the PowerWasher. My SIL used one and sliced a big chunk out of her foot with it. yuck. But, I am impressed by your Prowess! Nice job.

Steve Asbell said...

Wow, that terlets fer real? Couldn't they at least made it into a planter? Congrats on pressure washing.... it must feel pretty rewarding, or at least muggy.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I love pressure washers. It's one of the most rewarding jobs ever and it's not that hard either. We have one too because my husband takes any opportunity he can to buy any type of new power tool.
My hydrangeas are looking crispy too now. After so much rain they couldn't handle the 90 degree days and the flowers are dried up and crinkly :(

Laura said...

Cleaning the side of my house was on my list this year. Somehow I think it got skipped!

Kyna said...

Bub: Clear blue sky and heat is all we've had since May 1 :P The sky I like, the heat I like, but the humidity kills me. It's like someone just poured water over the rocks in a sauna...bleah.

Jayne: Maybe they're more sophisticated out in Texas? ;)
My hydrangea is actually planted in the only place that it could be planted on my property lol. That little niche there gives it the perfect amount of sun. Usually. This year has just been so cloudless and rainless. It's getting a little better weather wise, but it's too late now lol.

Laurrie: Sure! When we were done, Chuck was like, 'What else can we power wash???' And he actually searched things down to do. lol.

Melissa: Well, usually I'm clumsy with power tools too. Chuck bought a leaf blower a few days ago and told me to try it out. Ha! I felt like I was holding an out of control fire hose :P The only thing I was worried about was Chuck getting up on that wet ladder. I really had the urge to get up there for him. A friend of ours fell from one last year and hurt himself badly. And my uncle died when he fell from one earlier this year. But Chuck's up on scaffolding all the time at work, so I can't protect him all the time, can I? ;)

RG: Actually, that isn't the toilet in question. I have a feeling it wouldn't go over well if I went down the street and took pictures of the trailer I have in mind with the actual toilets in the yard. The residents might come out throw their meth at me :P And notice I said 'toilets'. Because there are TWO. And they're that 70's drab green colour. This pic was a nice substitute for the real thing.

Catherine: You've been having that kind of nasty heat up there too? Bleah. Yeah, the only place I felt the strain was in my shoulders. They felt like rocks the next day. Chuck and I split the powerwashing, usually he just does it himself. But I had a lot of fun. When else does one get the chance to get soaking wet with all their clothes on? :)

Laura: Ours got skipped last year. Well actually, we did do the front of the house. It's east facing and gets some of the scum on it. And that side is smaller to do.

Noelle Johnson said...

Hi Kyna,

I love learning about the different things people deal with in different climates. Slime and mold is not a problem here, but we have our share of other problems just the same. But, I do know how it feels to get wet from the garden hose.

PS. Thank you for your kind comment on my last post :-) My husband loved it especially...

Shyrlene said...

Kyna - your posts are always such a fun read! Love the hook - I couldn't help myself; I had to stop by! Toilets in the front yard adds a whole new *twist* to "yard art".

Maybe you could submit the photo to: http://www.theyardartgame.com/ (Dung Hoe's post was such a hoot to read.) Catch you soon! --Shyrlene

Jayne said...

Haha, so you terminated that siding mold, eh? Good for you! But will it be back? Should I stop with the Arnie jokes? Perhaps I should. :)

Al said...

I've lived with similar problems in Oz, only we get things back to front here. Our hot humid places are in the north of the country and the slime growing walls are on the south side.

Al said...

I should add my mother in law has an old toilet in her front yard. She uses it as a planter!