Author: peterb51

20th April 2022

I decided to take a risk and deliver the jewellery drawer to the customer, normally we would phone to check if it’s convenient, but as Kelli had deleted a load of old messages from her phone this was one of them.

I remembered where the house was, but unfortunately the customer was not in. That was a big drag, however I wrote a note explaining what had happened and attached it on the front door with a piece of masking tape.

As I was driving back I wondered how long it would be until it was found and read. A front door is just one entrance into the home, the other is through the garage. It is common to open the garage door remotely as they approach the house, drive in, close the door then enter the house though the second entrance. The front door is just a status symbol, so who knows when the note will be found.

I stained the top I was working on yesterday and because it was warm outside it dried quick.

We finally finished old frostbite complete with new legs and a fresh paint job and top.

The rest of the day I spent repairing the second dresser carcass. Most of the joints were loose and needed gluing, I covered it with clamps, so it should be good in the morning.

No sign of my letter from the USCIS.

19th April 2022

Kelli received a letter from the USCIS informing her that her petition had been successful, as she was my sponsor and been approved that means I should soon receive my green card, that is a great relief.

I spent all day scraping and sanding drawer fronts a top for one of the dresser we collected on Monday. It was a tedious job as the paint did not remove easily, in the end I resorted to sanding with a course grit and even that was laborious.

There’s still no sign of the warm weather that has been promised, Saturday is supposed to be in the seventies, but the temperature is all over the place.

18th April 2022

Snows back! Would you believe there was more snow on the ground when I awoke. It is the middle of the month and it should be much warmer then it is. I keep saying to Kelli that I’m was only here for the warm spring time, and since I’ve been here, there have been none.

But it is due to get warmer soon.

I had another appointment at the dentist to have my right side of my mouth deep root cleaned. This time there wasn’t much pain involved, it would have helped if I opened my mouth, but anyway, I have to go back in three months to have another session.

Then we had to drive to Hudsonville to collect two dressers that Kelli had found. It was snowing all the way there. The dressers were the cedar type that we have had before, but these were painted black. The drawers were in good shape which means little work of me.

On the way back, instead of taking the highway we headed towards Chicago Drive which meant going into Hudsonville itself. We arrived at the main junction, but couldn’t turn left leaving only straight ahead across the railway lines open to us. As we drove across, the lights began to flash and the barriers came down. Rather than waiting for half an hour for the train to pass, Kelli decided to do a three point turn and make the left turn. I was unaware of her plan, all I saw was the train heading towards us. The truck was now in line with the tracks, with a flick of the wrist she managed to make the turn and we headed to safety. The train hooted in anger but we didn’t care we were on the way home.

17th April 2022

It’s Easter Sunday, and it’s still freaking cold. I certainly wouldn’t want to be out in this weather for long.

We had an invitation to Kelli’s mum for dinner. This meant we would have to prepare something that we could eat rather than sharing what the rest of the family were having.

I managed some work in the garage, fitted the legs to the frostbite dresser whilst Kelli fitted the slides and fronts to the drawer boxes.

Once assembled it looked okay, certainly from the piece of crap we collected to now it is a different animal, but the material it is made from is still cheap, so realistically we can’t expect to get much for it.

I had an early morning call from my friend Martin back in Herefordshire. He is now suffering from a heart problem, he really has suffered all his life, and this is just another problem he has to face.

The dinner at “Mom’s” went well, Kelli made a quiche and a Mediterranean salad, and we had to endure a reading from the bible, but a small price to pay I guess.

16th April 2022

The cold breeze cut through me like a knife as I went to the post box to collect yet another package for my darling wife.

We had someone come to collect a bookcase that had been posted ages ago. It was good at a bargain basement price just to get rid of it. I have said many times that there is no way to predict what will sell quickly. We have been fortunate in what we’ve sold quickly and that makes us think we’ve learnt the secret. Then something we think will fly off the shelf stays there. April so far is a quiet month, what doesn’t help as the pieces we have requires lots of attention

I’ve finished the commissioned jewellery drawer, and started on the repaint of the small corner unit. Kelli finished spraying the Frostbite dresser, so tomorrow it will be reassembly time.

We dressed up warm to dig the trench for the asparagus plants. We had driven to the garden centre to get some cow manure that we had to lay in the bottom of the trench, setting the plants on top with the roots spread out before covering them over with soil. There are ten of the beauties spaced at sixteen inch centres, now we wait for signs of life.

15th April 2022

So it’s Good Friday, not that anyone over here ever mentions it. I miss the Easter holidays, and hot cross buns

I thought I would have a good sleep because all the pressure of the interview had gone, I should have slept soundly, but I was still restless.

We did more spraying to old “Frostbite” ready for the top coat. We have spent way over what was realistic in terms of hours, although the piece was free, and we haven’t put any money into it, I’m hoping we get a good price for it.

I did some yard work, digging a patch to become part of our vegetable garden.

We read up on the proper way to plant asparagus and it was not the way we had planted them, so part of the new patch will be dedicated to them.

14th April 2022

The day I had been waiting for had finally arrived, all that stood before me and a green card was a drive to Detroit, and the interview.

We set off at 7.30am, climbed into the big Nissan and started rumbling down South Shore Drive. It was a long and tiring one hundred and eighty eight miles. When we eventually arrived, there was a car park, at a government building?. I slid the Huge beast into a parking slot breathing a sigh of relief having got here unscathed.

The appointment was set for 11.15am and we were about half an hour early. By this time poor Kelli needed the bathroom, she had managed to hold off for all of the three hours journey time, but first we had to go through the security. That complete, she rushed off to the ladies, and you could hear the big sigh of relief echo though the hallways.

We were called through to a large waiting area, and once checked in we waited our turn.

The officer came out to meet us, he called out “ Peter Bute”, Kelli jumped up and dragged me along. “ Did I pronounce it wrong” he said, “Yep!” She replied, putting him right

He led us into a small room, warning us that there would be another person in the room. He explained that he was a trainee and the other person was a trainer . So basically he was an apprentice, so it could horribly wrong. For one, he could be strict, trying to impress his trainer, or, be a complete beginner by which it could be a doddle.

Fortunately the atmosphere was light and friendly, and the questions were easy to respond to. The main theme was about us as a married couple, and we had to tell them how we met. I began to feel a little better and not so nervous, although we were told at the start to turn off our phones, which was a blow as we had lots of pictures and documents stored on them. But we didn’t need them as Kelli had brought her scrapbook with lots of dates and photos which seemed to satisfied them.

There were two minor hiccups, Kelli got my birthday date confused with her dad’s which was two days later than mine, and I got my mother’s names mixed up, but we rescued those pretty quick.

Secretly I was concerned that I didn’t have my original birth certificate. I took it back to the UK on my last return trip. I feared that if they asked to see it again it would be curtains for me and my chances of a green card would vaporise.

Imagine my relief that the subject didn’t come up. The knot in my stomach untied itself, it was like having the world’s greatest dump.

The interview lasted about an hour, which was quite long, but as we were led out by the trainer lady she hinted that there shouldn’t be a problem getting the card.

Now it was the long drive back, the sun was out, a wind was blowing and we were smiling and high fiveing each other.

One we got back to Holland I had to fill the beast with fuel, $72 later I dropped it back to the rental office, once home again I just wanted to sleep, there was a huge weight off my shoulders.

My rest was cut short because we had people coming to collect a dresser, a welcomed sale at the end of an epic day.

13th April 2022

We picked up the vehicle for our epic journey to Detroit tomorrow. It was a Nissan “Gigantic” a huge beast of a machine with really wide seats to cater for large American booties.

We were originally signed up for a Toyota RAV4 but another person got to it first, this would have been ideal, but hey ho, shit happens.

Up to now I’ve been very cool about the whole residency process, I knew it would happen eventually, I thought it would be a simple case, but tonight my stomach has been knotted. I hate these things, it’s been such a long time to wait, at times I had forgotten about it, but the harsh reality of all those forms that we’ve fill in and the money I’ve spent all comes down to a short interview.

We did a bit of work in the garage, working on old ‘Frostbite’.

It had turned cold again, so the garage door was only open long enough to allow us to spray the carcass and drawer fronts.

12th April 2022

Another warm start greeted us, overnight we had interest in the dresser, so we removed it from the storage room to spruce up.

But first we drove to Enterprise car rental to organise a vehicle for our trip to Detroit on Thursday. I felt that to make a trip of that distance might be expecting a bit much of the old Toyota, although there is nothing wrong with it, the last thing I want to worry about is it breaking down.

With that arranged for pick up tomorrow afternoon, we set off to get some dirt to fill the raised bed.

There are a few signs of life in some of the seed trays, you have to look really closely but there are tiny traces of green amongst the mass of brown.

Another job I wanted to do was modify a bit of fencing and turn it into a gate so that I can bring through heavy stuff without trudging it through the garage or the small gate at the other end of the garden.

We also had a FaceTime session with my son Ryan because it was his birthday.

We then waited for the people interested in the dresser.

Well they never showed up, so another time waster. Kelli was mad, so she sent them a message, and then blocked them from ever seeing our posts again.

11th April 2022

Just when we thought we would have to sell the dogs into slavery, we managed to sell the mid century dresser. It had been heavily reduced, but it’s gone to a new home.

All the loving care that went into re-veneering the top and drawer fronts only to be put in a kid’s room and abused, oh well.

We dragged the newly finished dresser and bookcase into the house to take pictures, who knows how these will go?

I cut the top for the jewellery drawer unit, it had to be square and dimensionally accurate.

I had bought a three foot by two foot pine panel which wasn’t square in the first place.

Therefore that was my first cut. I had large framing square to draw the first line. I clamped my cutting guide and took my first cut. I had checked everything a few times but after the cut, the squareness was a little out, frustrating.

I’m annoyed that I haven’t got a track saw, but rest assured I will get get one soon.