Bird's Yellow House: One More Pandemic Project

The Colonel and I used to have a hot tub. We purchased it shortly after we built our home. We originally thought that we wanted a pool in the back yard but then wised-up (thank God) and decided on a hot tub instead. I was able to have the sales tax waived on the hot tub because I had a doctor's note stating that the hydro-therapy would be beneficial to the arthritis in my neck (and it was).

We used the hot tub quite a lot in the early stages of ownership. We often used it in the evenings and would star gaze as the very warm water bubbled all around us (usually with an adult beverage in hand). Our kids made us of the hot tub too, especially when they had guests visiting (minus any adult beverages).

As happens with many things we humans acquire, the newness wore off and we used the hot tub less and less. The cleaning and the chemical upkeep began to far outweigh the pleasurable use of it (again, thank God we did not get a pool). Eventually, the only ones enjoying the hot tub were the many frogs who discovered its steamy-oasis-like allure and so, permanently camped out under the hot tub's cover.

We had not used nor cleaned/treated the hot tub for a few months. We had ailing, aged and dying parents to take care of and all of the maintenance went by the wayside. The Colonel and I decided it was time to be rid of the hot tub.

We drove to the hot tub supply store over the bridge and spoke with the owner. How does one divest themselves of a hot tub? Could he help us in this, our time of need? The owner, a very nice and older gentleman, said he would come out to our place and check out the hot tub. We said it works fine and that we just did not want it any longer and he could have it for free.

The Colonel and I went home elated with the news from the gentleman and began to drain and clean the hot tub (in spite of our neglect, the water was still crystal clear). The frogs would have to eventually find a new party palace (the nasty looks they gave us).

A couple of days later the gentleman and a couple of young helpers came to our house and took away the hot tub. He said he could probably resell it for a thousand dollars or so. We were just happy to have it taken away.

The hot tub pad looked a lot larger without the hot tub on it. I had forgotten how large of a pad The Colonel and I dug (footers and re-bar included) before we had the concrete guys come out all those years ago.

The Colonel power washed the concrete pad. Once it was clean and dry, we began to paint it. I wanted to paint the pad to look as if it had a rug on it (I drew up a pattern on grid paper and then laid out the design on the pad using The Colonel's chalk line). In the garage, we searched through all of our paint cans and came up with three that would work nicely together.

The first color was a tan color. That was the base color.

The second color was gray and it would be the outermost color on the pad.

The third and final color was a pretty blue (chosen mainly because we had a lot of it left in the can). It would be the "rug's" edge and stenciled design color.

I looked online for a pretty stencil in which to decorate the pad. The one I finally chose reminded me of some type of Colonial American design (I would stencil a few blocks before the afternoon rains and oppressive heat set in and some days I took off. It took me a couple of weeks to finish the stenciling).

When I finally finished the stenciling, The Colonel and I sealed the painted pad with a wet-look, clear sealant. I think the pad came out just as I had imagined and designed. I also think the tan color reminds me of a jute rug.

The Colonel and I ordered a fire pit to place on the pad and we will use the red, outdoor furniture we bought back in 2018 for the seating. We will place these on the pad once rainy season is over (around the first of November).