when we were looking over the place to buy, nobody knew that the building on the property was… on the property! let alone going with the house. once we got an old copy of the survey done in 2005 (we couldn’t afford to get a new survey done and there was some problems about not knowing what exactly came with the house), not only did we get more property than we knew of, but also a storage shed facing AWAY from the property.

this building is being turned into my painting and art studio! (this was done before we finalized buying the house in february.)

because it was on the far corner of the property (on the side we actually have a neighbor) and facing away, we had it moved behind the house to another cement slab that was left behind and actually facing towards the house. this was done this past weekend by an amazing old friend i know from my theater days, Greg Carswell. because of many health problems, he wasn’t able to do it sooner but eventually said “you know, i don’t have to get off the tractor!” so he just drove his big old tractor from his farm over to our yard, and with the help of strapping young lad by the name of Alex, they moved my shed for me! not only that, but while he waited for me to make sure nothing inside the shed would break while he moved it, he mowed my lawn. bad.ass.

here is the view from the spot the building was moved to, you can see how far it had to travel. (this was done before we finalized buying the house in february.)

steel rod’s dad knows a good number of people, some of whom are electricians. being one who wants to help out and make the home a better place for his son to live, my not-quite-my-dad-in-law broke the news to me on sunday that he is going to come over and dig in the yard, bury me a line, connect my studio to power, put in some outlets, and even hang up some lighting! go, not-quite-my-dad-in-law! how awesome is that? i can be painting as early as the fourth of july!

i have to go in and paint the inside and a friend of mine gave me two giant boxes of tile she’s not going to use. at first i thought i would tile the floor with that, but now i’m thinking “if it’s going to be MY studio, why don’t i go whole hog?” so i am going to go on freecycle and ask for any and all tile, broken and not and maybe even mirror pieces and make my floor a tiles mosaic! no set pattern or picture, just loads of broken tile and maybe broken plates….. ooo i keep getting ideas. i think that could be beautiful since everything else will be primed white as to not interfere with me seeing paint colors for what they are when i’m working.

off of freecycle i got some windows and i want to put them into the side of the shed to get some natural lighting but am unsure of how to go about that and not mess up the shed. honestly, though… natural lighting just makes all that much more differance when painting and just feeling good about life. hrm. maybe i can find somebody to help me with that one. i did borrow a jigsaw from somebody!

i’m so excited. i may live in a shithole, but it’s our shithole and we’re very very very slowly but surely making it nonshitholey. and now i have my own painting and art studio! holy crap!

don’t EVER let anybody tell you that money gets in the way of things. if everybody pitches in and helps each other out, everything works out for everyone. i am so proud of the way my life has turned out and who it’s led me to.

and i got an art studio. HA HA HA.

pics of the haul!