Kat, don't you just love it when one of those ideas comes along and works so well! I have a kind of hybrid workspace now that involves several lower levels and keeps me from filling the entire wall in front of the window. It happened in much the way you describe - an evolution that results in an epiphany.

Rags, a coat of a good primer on top of the oil paint would let your latex work on top of that. Three coats instead of two, but don't toss it all out! Here at my house someone painted over a high-gloss paint on some ornamental dowels (on top of a half-wall my contractor called a "pony wall") with a latex. The latex peeled off quite easily. I either have to peel the rest off or do something about it. I may paint it all over with a primer then put on a semi or flat latex paint.

In more adventurous news, I was headed up to visit my daughter this evening when I had a pretty impressive blowout on my rear driver-side tire. I was charging up the fast lane on the freeway this afternoon when I heard it, thought it sounded like a flat, but it didn't FEEL like a flat, until I started to brake. As it happened I was abreast an exit, so I kind of muscled my way across three lanes (having a pickup does have some advantages) and headed down the ramp to park on the side of the frontage road. I could have changed this tire myself, but it was very hot out and I pay AAA $75 a year for this kind of thing.

A very nice fellow arrived about 45 minutes later and tomorrow I'll go declutter my wallet and buy new tires. I did the math - these have just over 32,000 miles. I'm getting ready to make a trip. I could rent a new car and drive my son to school in that relative safety or I could put new tires on the truck and drive my son to school safely. Might as well do the thing that will benefit me longer.

When I got home tonight I took a hammer out and knocked the top slats off of that cedar box that used to hold the bear rug. A couple of slats had always been loose (taped in place with duct tape during moves), and a couple others were still nailed in place. It's a beautiful rustic box and has some nice supports inside. I stopped with taking the top off - maybe I can use this in a decorative manner in the house. This is such a strong dark red wood, it's too pretty to become kindling. :) I know, this is how we become pack rats.

SRS