You know, mossy green is not a bad color.

People are just learning stuff all over the place. Don't believe me? Just check out What I Learned This Week over at Musings of a Housewife. You'll see.

But what about me? Did I learn anything this week? Oh yeah. I did. I learned that paint sprayers are evil. EVIL!

Oh sure, the paint sprayer may look like an unassuming little tool. And what's not to love about a tool that can save you so much time and energy? I used to think that way. But don't be fooled! Hear my tale of woe, people.

Now I've done a lot of painting in my day. White walls are not to be tolerated around here. I can handle a brush and roller like the best of 'em. But I started on a project that was driving me a bit batty. Shutters. You see, I live in the Pacific Northwest and things around here get mossy. My one time white shutters were all looking a bit green. Not exactly the statement I wanted them to be making. So my husband took down all the shutters on our house (28 to be exact) and I started to paint them black.

Using a paint brush.

Do you have any idea how long it takes to paint shutters with a paintbrush when you have all those nooks and crannies to deal with? It takes a long time! And with so many shutters to do, I thought it might be nice to have the project finished before the end of the year. My brilliant idea was to go rent a paint sprayer. Always using my head, this one. So off I went to the rental yard to secure my sprayer. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have seen the problems to come. But no. I forged ahead. Here's where the learning comes in...

I learned that if they send out Tweedle Dumb to come out and explain the sprayer to you, the information you receive may not be accurate. No, he tells me, the spray is not adjustable.

I learned that if you go with that notion, indubitably the sprayer will be pre-set to come out in a needle thin spray. Said spray will puddle all over whatever you're trying to paint. This is extra special when you're dealing with all the crevices on shutters.

I learned that you will have to go back with a paint brush and try to fix the damage done by the paint sprayer that you rented to save yourself some time.

I learned that if you fiddle around with the paint sprayer long enough, you will figure out that the spray is, indeed, adjustable. Of course, you will not find this out until you've blown through the only gallon of paint that you purchased for this project. And you've only done 4 shutters. Poorly.

I learned that once you return home with more paint, you will realize that there is another problem with the sprayer. The motor will start giving out and the sprayer will go between spraying nicely and sputtering out. You will need the paintbrush again at this point.

I learned that my language can become very colorful. In a drunken sailor kind of way.

I learned that the second gallon of paint you bought for the project that should have only taken one gallon will still not be enough. But if you could just scrape off all the excess that's puddling up on the shutters you've been trying to paint, you may just be able to finish the job. By hand. Someday. When you're able to look at your shutters again.

Now how about checking out my blog carnival, Life is Funny? It's much more fun than renting a paint sprayer. Trust me on this one.