The Old Windmill Pump

One of the smaller projects I've been trying to complete is the old windmill pump, in front of the pumphouse and right beside the walkway up to the back door of the house.

Which is the front door to the house. Confused?

Out in the country, particularly in Kansas, almost everyone I know uses their back door as their front door. This is especially applicable to native Kansans. You can always tell if someone who comes to my house is from the area. If they come up to the back door then I know they're local (or loco, if they're a relative). If they knock on the front door then I know they're completely out of their element. The sidewalk of my house even leads to the back door. It's a Kansas thing....

Anyway, I wanted to do something about this eyesore that has so much potential. I almost forgot to get a "before" picture, so just imagine it without any primer at all. Just an unattractive, rusted old pump.



It was already looking a little better with some primer.

And the red paint really sets it off!

Because I can't afford to do anything drastic with the base yet, I got a new stall mat, cut a big hole in it and used that as the base. Add a pail I found and some cute little annuals and VIOLA!

Next up is the paint the pump house behind it.

Here's the before and after, side-by-side.

Overall I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's just a small step in making things look better, but that's all I can do--take it one step at a time as there is SO much that needs to be done! One day I also hope to find a handle for it.

And maybe find my handle on reality as well.