Author: peterb51

15th February 2023

I thought it was about time to start drawing up the kitchen cabinets mainly to get sizes for the doors.

The biggest unknown was the size for the new oven. I found the specification sheet that had dimensions for the oven and cabinet.

I began to print them out, not knowing that there were fifty two pages, and as paper and ink was in short supplied I decided that I only needed the English translation and no other. The printer started to spew out pages , but they were in Spanish. I didn’t realise that it printed the last pages first. I got to where all the diagrams were, and stopped the print. All I now have to learn the language to understand what it all means.

I got my pencils out and started laying out all the cabinets.

In between that, I had doors, drawers and tops to stain.

Kelli had two pieces to prime and the repainted television cabinet to take pictures of.

We also manage to sell the tall narrow dresser. That was a relief, it was getting close to repaint time, although it was done in a safe white, I expect she would have done something to the colour of the knobs.

14th February 2023

It was Valentine’s Day and Kelli got me a very apt present. We had to drive to an address a few streets across to collect a dresser.

Kelli started the truck and immediately there was something wrong, there was a misfire.

We made our way to pick up the piece sounding like a London taxi.

Once we were back home, we checked with Larry to see if he fit enough to take a look at it.

He was happy to check it over, so I it drove over.

Within minutes the bonnet and spark plug cover was off and the faulty plug identified.

Now in this vehicle each plug has it’s own HT coil module, and one of those had failed.

All I had to do would be to drive to the nearest auto parts store and buy a replacement.

So off I drove, on three cylinders to the closest store.

The lady behind the counter knew what the part was, and after checking the correct unit for the vehicle, I handed over a hundred notes, and I was set.

Next what happened was a nightmare that I had feared ever since I have lived in the US.

I left the store, still on three cylinders I headed to the first set of traffic lights and a major intersection when the engine died.

Panic took over, there was traffic building up behind, I was scared that a frustrated motorist would shoot me for delaying them.

I found the hazard warning switch, so at least I could avoid looking like a real saddo.

I didn’t have my phone so I was on my own.

Then a young chap pulled up behind and offered some help.

I explained what had happened, and the part I had just bought, hoping that it would ‘spark’ an idea. I suggested that I fit the part in a desperate attempt to fix my problem, that is what I did.

I turned the key, my bottom puckered, the engine burst into life, and firing on all cylinders.

I thanked the chap for his moral support and headed home, my bottom unpuckered.

I drove straight to Larry’s to refit the bolts that fix the coil and the plastic cover, that done the job was finished, and I could get back to furniture.

13th February 2023

There were no bites on the dresser last night, maybe everyone was watching the Super Bowl.

But, we had a buyer for the dining table, so not a complete dead loss.

The lady arrived at 3.00pm in a black open bed truck, she was not a small lady.

She had a tattoo on her lower back that looked like it was stretched to infinity.

She eagerly opened the tail gate to expose sacks of salt and assorted crap and rubbish.

Kelli and I carefully carried out the top and carefully laid it on a area of clear space in the back of the truck.

She laid a blanket down on the top and we placed the base on top of it.

The cover was then pulled forward to restrain it.

We were a little horrified at the lack of care that she was taking, but as I placed the two leaves into the back of the extended cab, I knew that care was not this lady’s mo.

I had to move a load of crap from the seats before I could lay the leaves down.

As the truck disappeared down the road, we both were happy to see it go, but wished it had gone to a more appreciable person.

I had been to Menards earlier to get a refund on a pack of brass hinges that I had bought a few days ago.

I had discovered that some low life had slit the plastic covering and one hinge was missing and I hadn’t noticed at the time of purchase. The returns assistant gave me a store credit and I scooted round to where the hinges were displayed. I picked out the required size and made my way to the check out.

I paid for that, and some other items that I needed. As I was walking out I put the new hinges into the front pocket of my bag.

That is when I discovered the missing hinge in the bottom. The original pack must have been split and I didn’t notice, therefore I was the low life the whole time.

12th February 2023

What a night that was, Kelli couldn’t sleep, so nether did I.

It was long and full of frustration, she craves at least seven hours, which is not a lot to ask for, but as the hands on the clock register another lost hour things get desperate and her temper explodes.

Every person has their own way of falling asleep, so my method doesn’t translate to hers and visa versa.

Finally around five in the morning there was some peace, I’m not sure when I got some sleep, but I awoke just before ten with the sun streaming through the window.

We had planned to go up to Kelli’s mother for a family lunch, but that bit the dust.

I spent time working on the dresser that was in a bit of a state. I had made a new drawer because the original was twisted.

I also found the front was twisted also, so although I had drastically reduced it, there was still a slight one after all.

Fortunately this didn’t really effect the way the drawer fitted in the carcass.

Kelli was busy painting the television cabinet that I had painstakingly stripped the dark stain from the top.

It was a day that won’t go down in history as anything to remember, although we did finish the tall dresser and took pictures, it turned out quite well.

11th February 2023

We had the best delivery experience ever today.

We had to deliver the ten drawer dresser to a repeat customer who lived close to Marigold wood off of Waukazoo drive.

Because of the size of the piece we had to make two trips, one to take the carcass and the other the drawers.

We had to take care loading the beast into the truck, there was very little room to play with.

The sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky when we arrived.

We careful unloaded the monster, and set it down on the pathway.

Once the front door was opened, we carried the dresser down in the entrance way.

I did volunteer both of us to get it upstairs, but were told the room wasn’t quite ready.

As we turned to get back into the truck to go home to collect the drawers, the lady handed us a box with the money tucked in the lid.

Inside the box were an assortment of donuts.

Apparently they ran a donut shopping Grand Rapids.

I haven’t had a donut in years, and my mouth was watering at the thought of being so close to so many of them.

We got fifty yards down the road before I had to taste one. This of course was for medical reasons, and was conducted under scrupulous observation. I chose a long one covered in chocolate, inside was a custard like filling.

It was delicious, I could feel the sugar rushing through my body, that was enough, anymore and I would probably fly back home.

We collected the drawers and returned, she still wasn’t sure where it was going, so I gave her instructions on how to refit the drawers.

I warned her that some of them were a bit stubborn, but to give them a hard push.

She seemed pretty confident that her and her husband could handle it, so we said our goodbyes and left with Kelli making a real dog’s breakfast of reversing down their curved driveway.

It had been expected that someone was going to collect the dining table, Kelli had been messaging all the time we were out telling them when we were due back, but the texts were viewed but not answered.

As we sort of expected they didn’t turn up.

10th February 2023

We took the finished ten drawer dresser outside to take pictures. We probably spent too much time on it, but that’s what we do, polish the turd.

I’ve been working on another piece we paid more than we should have. It has taught us to look more closely at things before we buy them.

This was a prime example, it was old, and proper wood, it wasn’t until we got it home that we found that it had been badly repaired, and quite frankly it was a wreck.

Most of the drawers were warped and useless, so I made the decision to repurpose it.

It has been a back burner project, a thing I pick up when I get the urge.

I scrapped the two large drawers and made doors to replace them.

This morning I discovered that one of the small drawers, that I had intended to keep, was badly twisted.

The next part will be to make a new drawer box, at this rate it will be summer before it’s finished.

We’ve had several inquiries about the dining table, two of them thought that the 48” diameter was too large for them, too large! This is bloody America, everything is supposed to be big here.

However we managed to sell the big dresser, the challenge now is how we can deliver it without scratching the paint.

9th February 2023

The downpour today certainly melted a lot of the snow, I had forgotten that there was grass under the white stuff.

I had fun trying to trim all the drawers on the ten drawer dresser. I can’t see how any of them ever fitted correctly. There was up to 2mm difference from one of the drawer sides to the other. I tried adding a strip of wood to the offending side, that worked up to a point, it was certainly better than they were, so I drew a line under it and said “ Sod it! That’s the best I can do”.

This took most of the day, I would have preferred something more rewarding, but it swings that way sometimes.

Mike the English guy from down road had to have a colonoscopy today. He had described his pre procedure routine in graphic detail, and it was something I wouldn’t want myself.

8th February 2023

Back on the road for another furniture collection adventure. First stop was Jenison, a place that looks just the same as Hudsonville. The two blend together, it’s hard to distinguish between the two.

Anyway, we were there to collect a black dresser. The GPS guided us to a new housing estate that contained the largest man made lake I have seen. These estates gobble us so much green land that I guess the developers have to put something of beauty back, well it certainly isn’t the buildings. They are all the same arrangement of styles, subtly changed to avoid being boring, but that failed.

The dresser was outside in a porch. Money was placed under the mat, then we loaded the piece into the truck.

We then headed back to Zeeland for the next part of our trip.

We were there to collect a desk that had been made by the seller seventeen years ago as part of a craft class at school.

This reminded me of my school years when I made my first piece of furniture. It had dovetail joints that were the best my woodwork teacher had seen during his time at the school. All the rest of the class must have been jealous because most of them couldn’t be trusted with anything sharp.

Anyway, there were two possible ways this desk episode could end.

First it could be a masterpiece, with wonderfully crafted joints on beautiful figured timber, or a piece crap, which is why he was happy to get rid of it.

So it was a piece of crap, it was better then any of my classmates could have done, but it will need a miracle to make something out of it.

7th February 2023

I cancelled my flight this morning, I am optimistic that by May America will have sorted themselves out.

The disappointment is still with me, but I have to remain positive and focus ahead.

I had a few jobs to do on my own, but some involved Kelli. I had to take two packages to the Post office just down the road and I had to collect a package at the main Post Office in the town. Kelli had expected the delivery yesterday but it must have fallen down between the seat in the van, anyway it was traced, and I had to retrieve it.

I parked outside and walked inside. It was the same as any post office in the UK, manned by people who didn’t want to be there, hated the public, and ate a bit too much.

I went to the window the had a young black girl who didn’t fit the usual profile meaning she was friendly. I explained what I was there for, of course she asked for identification to check that my address matched the package.

I showed her all the identification I had and none had the address, anyway she asked me to write it on a scrap of paper, then she disappeared around the back hopefully to find the package.

After a bit of a wait, just enough to read every poster in the place, she returned, package in hand, my quest was complete.

I stopped off at an stationarys to buy a sketch pad. I have wanted one to draw up the kitchen doors, and as my laptop with CAD is in the cottage back in the UK. I will have to resort to the old fashion method of using pointed wooden sticks.

I got home to see a disaster. The television unit that Kelli decided to paint was all blotchy where either the stain, or wood tanin reacted with the primers. So the quick and dirty project has significantly changed into a rescue mission.

6th February 2023

The thaw here takes a really long time, the temperature improves this week but the progress is so slow, I’d rather watch paint dry.

The dining table is finally finished. It was awkward to move around so we decided to take pictures outside.

We used two pallets to create a stage over the snow. We then assembled the top to the base and added a few props then took the pictures.

The customer of the tall dresser came to collect and was happy with the purchase, good news.

We have three pieces going through the garage.

Kelli decided to paint the television stand as she didn’t have any takers, and little patience.

She attempted to remove the doors by unscrew the screws holding the hinges, but the wood was so hard most of the screws sheared off. That is going to be fun putting the doors back on.

The piece originally was made in India and sold through World Market, a store that specialises in third world furniture, that in itself is a problem.

From my experience a lot of Indian made stuff is made from whatever is laying about at the time. They are masters of recycling.

It is going to be a challenge painting this bugger, or how the so-called stain blocking primer did not do its job very well.

The whole piece had tanin showing through, this is going to take some heavy duty primers to stop this, so much for a quick job.