Author: peterb51

9th February 2022

It was not a good night for sleep. Both Kelli and I had a restless one, not sure why. This effects Kelli more than me, meaning it was not a good morning for her.

For me, once I’ve had my first cup of coffee makes me invincible and ready to tackle the day.

I was working on the dresser that had a missing drawer. I had the carcass up on the bench to work on. It was made up of a number of common wood pieces that did not contribute to the strength at all. There was a large sag in the centre that had been tackled before with a screw through the base facia board. Using my long sprit level I was able to eliminate the sag and reinforce the vertical post.

The last job to do was to machine two drawer guides that were missing.

Routers are not my favourite tool, the spinning cutter, the ear piercing whine sets my nerves on edge. I clench my buttocks so tight you wouldn’t be able to pull a five pound note out of my cheeks.

So with that in mind, I always have guards and guide in abundance, and I often make jigs to do even simple tasks.

I passed the wood pieces through the cutter and made perfectly shaped guides, so all that preparation was worth while.

We learned that we sold the coffee table, now I have to get some fixings to fix the top to the base.

8th February 2022

There are many people over here that do not care about the state of where they live. We had to drive to Hamilton to collect a dresser and on the way we passed a typical mid century style house, but it was in a terrible condition, it deserved better.

One can only imagine that the inside had been neglected also.

There are many examples of this style of house in and around Holland where the owners have kept them in perfect condition. I would have loved to have found one when we were house hunting.

Other places are set in a beautiful landscape but with rubbish piled up at the front of the house. There is a thing about leaving old cars to rust in the gardens, I know that can be a thing in the UK, where a burnt out Ford Cortina is almost a status symbol.

I have watched YouTube videos of Barn Finders who come across properties with wrecks of classic American nineteen fifties cars everywhere. The owners don’t think anything of it, it’s sad and pathetic at the same time.

We had to deliver a pair of side tables to an address in Saugatuck. That was great result, as we had been sitting on them for a few weeks. We thought they would fly out the garage within minutes of being posted, but that didn’t happen, so there was huge relief when they were sold.

I had the pleasure of carrying them up some really steep stairs, as the buyer could lift anything heavy, but he seemed a fun guy, and he gave up $20 for delivery.

Later in the afternoon the old school friend of Kelli’s came to collect the second piece that he had bought from us, the small dresser. That was the one that was minutes away from a repaint.

We also finished the coffee table that went on to Marketplace even before the wax had dried.

7th February 2022

More snow was forecast for today, not much, but it started mid morning and lasted all day.

Kelli finished repainting the headboard, so we carried it into the house to take pictures, again.

Let’s hope we get better luck. Brighter news on the small dresser that was due for a repaint, we sold it as it was, yippee!

I worked on sanding the coffee table we picked up for free. By the end of the day my fingers were really sore.

Of course this is the season for split thumbs, no matter how much cream I rub into my skin nothing seems to help. I have to resort to applying liquid bandage to the splits. This is the medical equivalent of superglue and is designed to seal the cut allowing it to heal, but it doesn’t half sting when I first apply it.

6th February 2022

It was off to Hudsonville to collect another piece of furniture. It is alway a risk buying more things than we sell, but as I have said to Kelli ( and she to me) sometimes you have to get things when you see them.

We arrived at the house before twelve, the time stipulated by the seller, what what reason? I have no idea. The seller was holding an estate sale which usually means clearing out of house after someone has died, or simply someone selling off furniture prior to moving house.

Luckily for me it was stored in the basement, with a steep set of stairs up. Removing the drawers helped a little, but with some help I managed to get it upstairs and into the truck by walking backwards all the way.

The piece had drawers one side and a small wardrobe the other, a neat arrangement that be have sold easily before.

I have already mentioned that sales are a bit slow this month which always concerns Kelli. If something hasn’t sold, or had any interest within ten minutes of posting, there needs to be drastic action taken. This usually means a repaint. The pieces lined up for attention are the single headboard and the small dresser we re-photographed yesterday.

They are to be repainted white, because that is the “safe” colour, it is always taking a risk stepping outside this zone, sometimes we’re lucky often not.

She did finish a small bookcase and drawer unit, hopefully we won’t have to change that colour.

5th February 2022

Another four inches of snow fell last night, that meant I had to be up early clearing the driveway because we were expecting the owners of the dresser we refinished to come and collect it.

I was cursing that maybe I should have bought the rechargeable snow blower I came across on the internet. Knowing my luck though there would be a rapid thaw in the time it took to deliver, and the driver would be sniggering as he carried it up to the house.

So instead I knuckled down and got on with the job.

Kelli had found a free large round coffee table on Marketplace that we had to collect from the Waukazoo wood area. This will be another mammoth stripping/sanding session that I can’t wait to start.

Finally the dresser owners turned up a few hours late. The lady was not the usual type that almost burst into tears at the sight of the piece, she waddled over and handed over the money to Kelli in a secret handshake manner because she didn’t want her husband to know how much she had spent. I helped him load it into the back of their truck, he was more complementary about the top finish than his wife, but it was done and out of our life, leaving a bit more space in the garage.

4th February 2022

I finally finished the re-paint/refinish dresser.

The last act was to slide in the shelf which had been a problem area from the start.

The top had to be fitted as the fixings were covered by the shelf. The shelf had to be finagled into the narrow slot including the blocks on the underside of the shelf to stop it pulling out.

Bottom line it all went together and looks great.

Kelli was busy sanding the small shelf unit that she picked up yesterday. Now she doesn’t like sanding, especially the fillers, so I flit around doing all the jobs no one else wants to do.

3rd February 2022

Another doctors appointment for Kelli, but before that was a visit to Plato’s Closet for her to dispose of four bags of clothes that she no longer needed.

She didn’t get the cash she was expecting, therefore a bit disappointed, but at this time of year retail is a bit slow, of course the snow doesn’t help.

Her time with the doctor was better, he suggested she drop one of her supplements, which is alway a good sign.

Then it was off furniture collecting deep in the south of the town, well it was a long way south.

It was into the flat lands where the snow was drifting across the roads.

The address we wanted was on a farm that was at the end of a very long drive. We missed it the first time and had to go round a very long block to find the entrance.

There were three small pieces, a bench with a disgusting fabric seat, a little side table and a shelf unit with two drawers. These would be ideal for Kelli to work on leaving me to continue on the larger jobs. We decided on the bench and side table, the shelf was not wood, therefore not suitable for refinishing.

I’m getting near completing the refinish project. I’m hoping that will be collected at the week end.

We have a number of finished pieces that haven’t sold yet stacked in the corner of the garage, a little bit concerning, but February is alway a slow month, slower than January, but I’m confident they will be sold soon.

I went on Amazon to but some spray walnut toner, a great product to blend in colours where the finish is a bit blotchy. I found the exact can but the price was quite high. So I went on the web site of the company that manufactured it. and found the exact same can at half it’s price. Happy at my find I set about ordering it only to find the cost of handling and shipping cost much more than the paint itself. That pissed me off, but I went back to Amazon and reluctantly ordered it from them. I hope the stuff will last a long time, it better.

2nd February 2022

I spoke too soon about the thaw, we woke up to a fresh layer of snow, and it continued all day. That meant clearing the drive once again. The prospect for the rest of the week isn’t that good.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding Larry who lives across the road. For as long as we’ve lived in this area he has never used the garage for his car. That was because it was always full of junk or old wrecks that he’s working on.

Recently we have observed that he has been using it all the time. He spent time snow blowing his driveway , another rarity, now he’s in and out like Batman.

We know he’s not fighting crime, although he’s alway on the move often down to the local shop to buy his ciggies.

We have made it our mission to find out if he’s hiding from someone.

1st February 2022

It started to rain, along with a rise in the temperature has started to thaw the snow. Now everything will be soggy and horrible.

Kelli finished the headboard, we took some pictures and posted it on Marketplace.

There are a number of pieces nearing completion meaning I have a number of stained tops laid out drying. This limits what else I am able to work on because I dare’t create any dust.

I fixed the legs on to the small dresser and did a test stain on one of the drawer fronts from the mid century dresser we picked up last week. I had finished repairing the drawers that were in bits, so this piece is ready to start.

31st January 2022

Facebook has been bombarding me with advertisements for cordless snow blowers.

I had been searching for one when the snow first fell and couldn’t find any, now there are at least three on the market.

It’s now too late, because the snow is frozen and not suitable for these machines. They work with freshly fallen stuff, I have decided to wait until next Autumn.

Our evening entertainment consists of watching BritBox, a provider that shows programs from the UK.

We also watch a lot of home renovation series on US channels which, quite frankly have people with annoying voices, or the format is so predictable. It is quite refreshing watching programs where people speak properly. They may be old, but it is the connection with my home country.

The wild turkeys strutted past the window looking for food. These are our turkeys, they walk about like they own the place. One has a limp, so it’s walk is so different. We have watched them since they were chicks under the watchful eye of their parents, soon these will be doing the same in the spring. Some will say daffodils are the first sign of spring, ours are the baby turkeys.