We had several leftover bottles of paint in the backyard, and when my wife asked me to paint one kitchen wall, I said sure. I painted a few swatches of colors on the wall for her to decide on her preference.
Fast-forward a week, to today, a rainy day. I painted the kitchen Since I was having so much fun, I decided to paint three hallway walls. Since that still was fun, I decided to paint the big wall opposite the computer in the study.
Painting the computer room wall involved a big decision. What will I do with the five large framed photos of my kids and family, taken 22 years ago – photos that have graced that wall for so many years?
Since I had taken down all the family genealogy photos from the hallway walls, and because I wanted to redesign my genealogy photos anyway, I realized I could make the large computer room wall into a large genealogy mural of sorts, something I have dreamed of for a long time.
I chose the family photo with all the kids to hang in the hallway. The individual kids’ photos will go somewhere. I am sure they will forgive me.
What About Storage?
Some time ago I decided to store my leftover paints in empty large plastic juice bottles. The advantages of doing this are, (1) I can see the paint color through the bottle, and (2) I can pour two or more paints into a bottle, fill it three-quarters of the way, and then cap and shake the bottle to mix the paint. After that, it is just a matter of pouring the paint from the bottle into a plastic shoebox, dipping the roller, and watching the room change before my eyes.
How will I create my genealogical masterpiece on the wall? One idea is to laminate individual photos, and then use my glue dots to fasten them to the wall. This way, I can easily rearrange the photos to suit my needs.
Come to think about it, my kids (via their photos having been removed from the wall) have given their space to their ancestors. It’s kind of the opposite of ancestors dying and giving their space on this planet to the kids. If my wall could talk, it might say, “Thanks, kids, for moving over.”
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com