Author: peterb51

6th January 2023

On the road again, we had to deliver the small table and two chairs to an address in Grand Rapids.

While we were in the city we paid a visit to a kitchen design showroom to look at a particular fridge that would be the statement piece for the kitchen renovation. The appliance is European and I wanted Kelli to see it and imagine how it would be used with American sized containers. She was happy with the size, and of course being Kelli her attention was drawn to a copper sink which she loved. The particular product was more expensive than the fridge, so I gave her the choice, one or the other. Although she chose the fridge I know she will be checking on line of any used ones.

On the way back we stopped off at Hudsonville to collect a single desk and matching dresser, yet again space in the garage will be pushed, but Kelli makes good progress on pieces that do not require repair, or any intervention from me, so they shouldn’t hang around for long.

5th January 2023

At last the day had come to deliver the kitchen island.

I fitted the drawer fronts and doors as the last task, little did we know how difficult it would be to lift the bloody thing.

Having it on a trolley gives you a false impression of how easy it is to move it around, even joining the three units together wasn’t that difficult, but when it came to getting it into the truck that was a whole different experience.

At one time I thought it had beaten us, the veins in both our necks must have been bulging to the point of bursting, but somehow, through sheer bloody mindedness we got it in.

The next challenge was handling it at the other end.

We drove to the north side of town, and arrived at the address, Mary, our client was outside wrapping up her Christmas lights. Kelli reversed into the driveway. I had brought a small trolley with me to help move it to the front door.

I climbed into the back, it was my job to lift it, and then move it out, we didn’t want to drag it.

Inch by inch the island moved out.

I then got out and helped Kelli carry it out,and place it down in the garage, it was snowing and we didn’t want it to get wet.

Lifting it at one end, I could slide the trolly under making it a little more mobile.

I was able to pull it along the pathway towards the front door.

The final hurdle was the step. Now the trolley couldn’t help us, it was now down to brute strength.

I don’t really know how we did it, but I remember Kelli’s face was as red as a beetroot, I bet mine matched.

Once up the step, we carefully manoeuvred it through the doorway with an inch to spare, we then lowered it onto a floor mat, which was convenient m, as we used it to slide the unit to its final position.

There was just a quick cleanup to remove any sawdust or blood that might have been deposited, and we were done.

We left a very happy Mary, and drove back with a cheque in our hands.

4th January 2023

I responded to a cry for help from the bathroom. I rushed in to find Kelli frantically trying to open the cupboard door, but the knob kept turning and not activating the lock.

There was only a narrow gap between the door and the frame, so access to the lock was limited.

I brought in some paint scrapers hoping that they would slide into the slot, but I was distracted away by possibly removing the door from the hinges. I tapped out the pins, but there wasn’t enough movement to lift the door off, this was a blind ally.

Meanwhile Kelli somehow shoved a scraper into the gap and popped the lock.

I looked in disbelief, Kelli smiled triumphantly.

She reminded me that she had cracked many locks over the years, so it looked like I married a master lock picker.

I started on another chair, this time a fully multi layer painted version. Luckily the scraper ripped through those leaving piles of debris on the floor.

Kelli started on the cabinet we bought from the south side of town, spraying all the carcass with primer.

During the afternoon another furniture piece turned up on the back of an open backed truck.

Kelli had bought it from a lady in Hudsonville, fortunately she was in Holland and agreed to delivered it. It wasn’t a quality piece but it did have patterned thin metal panelled doors, although two were missing. This will take a bit of creative thinking.

3rd January 2023

It is dangerous for Kelli to go off on her own, which she did this morning. She had to go to the post office but it’s where she went afterwards was the issue.

She she arrived home with a piece of furniture in the back of the truck.

Now the garage is full again.

I continued to work on the chair that had been half finished.

I wanted to get it finished and reassembled but I noticed some staining on the seat that wouldn’t sand out.

The kitchen island was connected together finally, ready for delivery as soon as the doors and fronts have dried.

2nd January 2023

The chairs arrived early, the task ahead of me is significant. Each chair is solid oak and heavy. One of the them had already been started so that was the one I would begin with.

I turned it over and saw that it was made in China which did surprise me.

We also had to finish painting the kitchen island.

The carcass turned out good, but the old filled handle holes were still visible. Although flush, the filler must have absorbed the primer and top coat differently.

Once they are dry, I will go over them with a spirit based primer.

We then went to collect an old desk from Kelli’s brother, this was a classic style with a leather look inset top.

This desk is not the easiest one to convert to side tables, so require careful disassembly, unless we can find a buyer as it is.

1st January 2023

The new year has begun, what are my expectations? It is usual for me to reflect on my past, but my perspective is now on my future.

I am constantly aware of celebrities that I have grown up with who are no longer with us, but that does not drive me into despair.

I am optimistic about my life, I have made changes in my mental state as well as my diet.

Every night, before we go to sleep Kelli lists out her positives for the day. It has been good for her repair, and it’s good for me also because we share the same journey.

It is alway important to have purpose, I can never exist without something to do. I have an ever growing list of jobs I want to do, and I’ll be reluctant to fail at everyone.

I am looking forward to travelling back to the UK to finish jobs on the cottage that have been suspended since I was there last.

There is also continuing work on the garden here as well as the furniture, so my life is full and I love every bit of it.

This is also the year that Kelli finally shakes off the shadow that has been cast over her for the past two years. She has acquired so many new tools to help with this.

Good health starts with the belief that our bodies can heal themselves, and that medication only masks the problem. Understanding this will ultimately lead to her full recovery, I will keep you posted.

So the year starts with the collection of a small cabinet. We had two attempts to get the thing. The first time the guy was in the bathroom, and he messaged as we were driving home. A quick about-turn and we were back.

The piece was solid and painted red with a walnut stained top. Kelli already has ideas for what it will become.

31st December 2022

There was a lot of activity in the garage today.

Two pieces of furniture were collected. They had already been paid for, but with all the disruption due to the weather and Christmas, we had to store them. There is always the fear of damaging or getting paint splashed on them.

We are always pleasantly surprised by our customers, and how friendly and nice they are. It’s amazing how much you can find out about people in such a short time.

Suddenly they have gone, and we have space.

We are making good progress on the island, one coat of black paint has been applied, and it is looking good.

Kelli has been working on the small dining table, stripping the top to bare wood and applying sealer.

It was barely dry when we carried it outside to take pictures.

I packed the snowblower into the shed, I expect that we will get more snow during January so the batteries will be fully charged.

We finished a hectic day by taking the hounds around the lagoon.

30th December 2022

A customer for the bureau came to collect it.

It had been on for a couple of days, just long enough for Kelli to have doubts about the colour. I alway tried to reassure her to wait a little while longer, someone out there will want it. However anytime the same situation arises, and she repaint the piece, it always sells the next day.

So it was fortunate that the buyer came forward before the repaint happened.

First thing we delivered the French provincial style dresser to a local address, it was an older house with original wood floors, the buyer was happy with her purchase, that was good as we had been storing it for her for a couple of weeks.

We continued work on the kitchen island, that has to be finished soon as four chairs to be stripped and refinished arrive on Monday.

29th December 2022

It was over fifty degrees today, the snow was disappearing before my eyes.

I unloaded the table and chairs so that Kelli had something to work on whilst I got on with making the trim pieces for the kitchen island.

With the snow gone from the truck I could see just how dirty it was, I felt ashamed to be driving it. I had to go to Menards for some timber, and the truck was the dirtiest in the car park. I passed the place where the new storage units are bing built, there’s a lot of timber used, must be a whole forest, it will soon be clad in steel and full of people’s crap.

We decided to go for a meal out this evening, we invited Mike and Lesley to come along. I brought a puzzle that I had been sent from Ryan and Louis’s in our Christmas parcel. The puzzle is called “Pyramid Power Puzzle” and it contains six rows of wooden shaped balls.

The aim is to construct a three sided pyramid.

There are no instructions or at least what the answer is, so it’s left to the creative instincts of the players, mmm, not much hope then.

28th December 2022

Kelli had decided that we need more tables.

I disagreed, but she found a free oak circular table with a broken base, but it meant driving to Hudsonville to collect. On top of that she found a small dining table and two chairs. I wasn’t sure if we could get everything in the truck.

We were to meet the person giving away the table at a dental surgery. The GPS led us on a merry chase, but eventually got there. The table top was heavy, and it came with two extension leaves. The base looked sad with one of the radial legs broken along a join under the timber, the result of being mishandled during a move. This will be an interesting repair.

The second pick-up was at a mobile home park. Usually this doesn’t fill me with much hope, but the furniture was okay. The style was more contemporary with a steel tubular frame and simple table top, the matching chairs had bland seat cushions, that could be better with a more colourful fabric.

The snow had started to thaw, more ugliness get revealed as the white blanket recedes. That’s the big shame, snow levels everything, the white landscape with the tree branches against a grey sky is a world in black and white.