The Fence, Cloudbursts and Cooking Tools Opinions

The fence saga continues ... I can see myself posting similar posts well into the Fall the way the weather simply isn't conducive.  Yesterday was supposed to be dry (all week is supposed to be dry). Nobody told that to the Weather Gods, however, who decided to capriciously toss two major cloudbursts over our area in the afternoon. The soaking was great for the plants, but not so good for the fence which needs a 24 hour dry before it can be stained and sealed. If it was just a stain, it wouldn't be a big deal at all (and we're really not looking to change the color, anyway). It's the "sealed" part that requires a dry surface, and we haven't had that yet. The Frozen Northlands in the summer become the season of mosquitoes large enough to carry off a horse, and rain - lots of rain. *sigh* Hopes continue, but reality keeps intruding. 

We had two separate cloudburst over the shop 
yesterday. The clouds just DUMPED rain for 15-20 
minutes, then stopped and the sun came back. Weird! 
And a bit frightening in many ways. These are 
tornado days, but fortunately, all we got were the 
cloudbursts. 

Because of the possibility of painting on a non-rain day (when the fence has dried out), I have to be flexible in my own days off too, ready to go into work at the drop of a "dry day ahead" hat. I really hate that - my schedule for my days off are pretty set and I might end up doing a lot of cooking during my two-and-a-half hours of available time after I get home from work, just to have my lunches of alkagizers available, and my dinners of whatever to eat. *sigh* One of my great joys is being able to spend time in the kitchen on my Wednesday and Friday daytimes. That may not exist over the next two weeks while we dodge rains to get that fence completed. 

I can get a locally-sourced Corian cutting board in 
either of two sizes for a reasonable price. I'll have 
to measure the space I have and the size of what I'm 
currently using for my cutting board, but I'm leaning 
towards the 11.5 x 15 inch size. What do you think? 

I'm also thinking hard about that Corian cutting board. I would rather not lug it around the State Fair, and as I recall, the prices at the vendor were good ... but not THAT good. I think I can get one, locally sourced, for a similar cost, without having to carry it on my back for a full day of walking and experiencing the State Fair. I'm looking into that. 

I'm thinking about a straight rolling pin, but 
what do you think? If you use a rolling pin, 
does yours have handles, or do you use a 
straight one? I'd be interested in your 
viewpoints. 

I'm also looking into a new rolling pin (see yesterday's post). For those of you who use a rolling pin, do you prefer the straight bar style, or one that has separate handles? I've never used one of the straight bar styles before, but as I watch cooking shows, it seems to be a quite common style, and there are some that appeal to me on Amazon. Do you have a preference for materials of the rolling pin too? It seems that there's everything from metal to wood, and they're not expensive. 

I have always owned and used the traditional style, but the 
handles get loose and control disappears. I've never quite 
understood how to get a level surface with the French style, 
although the French certainly know how to cook 
pastry. I'm thinking more of the center one, but would 
appreciate your insights if you have used rolling pins now 
or in the past. 

So, after having peppered you with enough questions - LOL - I'm off to the pool. I don't think we're expecting any showers this morning, so I should be able to get in a good swim. At least, that's the hope. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow for my "day off" if I'm lucky. Slava Ukraini.