If I'm not complaining about my house, I'm not breathing. Lately, I've been short of breath.

I started the scraping portion of the painting project last month at our 103-year-old Ocheyedan home. This nightmare is something I've been putting off for two years. One month in, I know why.

Basically everything is coming off the ancient cedar siding. I know you're not supposed to be too picky when scraping, but if I can get it off, I'm going to. It's rather maddening – progress is slow and the square footage is great. I try not to think of the scale of this project too often, but it's literally right there in front of my face.

Every shortcut I've taken has amounted to jack squat. I tried power washing it, but that didn't do much. If anything, it curled up some spots and made them easier to scrape, but results were marginal. A buddy of mine said to try a heat gun, but last weeked I was too annoyed with the project to even make an attempt. Rather than scrape, I decided to mope.

I'm somewhat resigned to the fact that this project is going to be a two-year endeavor. There's just so much to do and I'm the only one doing it. I find marginal solace in remembering this house has always been multi-colored since we've owned it: Green from the old paint and brown from the chunks of it missing.

To give you an idea of how bad the paint situation is on our house, I once used a picture of the siding in a story I wrote about Hartley's paint program. My house is about as bad it gets on its south and west sides, so I didn't have to look far for a picture to accompany that article. I'm sure some folks thought I used a photo from some decrepit old barn.

I'm hoping to accomplish some progress this weekend. Getting this project done will be a one-ton weight off my back, as pulling up to our house each day is a constant reminder that it's not done. We've completely redone the interior and this is one of the last major checkmarks. I don't think renovating a century-old house is ever "done," but it will be a relief when we don't have to tell people, "The outside looks like trash, but we swear the inside is nice!"

Nick Pedley is the news editor of The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News.