Author: peterb51

14th July 2021

The FedEx man was busy today, he even brought a mate to help him.

I was busy in the garage when the van pulled up. There was a bit of banging and rustling about in the back, and suddenly they emerged, one carrying a large box and the other a smaller one. I could tell the big box was heavy apart from it saying “I’m f***ing heavy” on the outside, his legs were bowing as he staggered on the drive.

He set it down just outside the garage, and the other guy put his on top.

I was excited, they were for me.

I found the Stanley knife and opened the smaller box. Inside was a dust extraction adapter for my planer. I was fed up with all the mess after pushing wood through it, now as soon as my portable extraction unit appears I can connect it up and contain all the crap that covers the floor.

I had seen a video of a person using the same Porter and Cable planer as I’ve got, and he showed how an adapter for a Delta model would fit perfectly. Both these machines were identical apart from the brand, so I ordered one.

It took precisely five minutes to fit the part to my planer, now I’m ready to chew wood.

The big box was my new all steel fire pit.

It is one that claims to be smokeless because it draws air from the bottom and burns with the fury of Satan’s arse. In the adverts for these smokeless burners there are three foot high flames, with a heat range which means you have to stand in the next garden, can’t wait to try that out.

Kelli had a good night of sleep which gave her a bit of a kick today. She was busy selling old clothes and home furnishings on Marketplace.

She also found the energy to clean the kitchen worktops, complaining about the state I’d left them, considering that I’ve been cooking meals, and keeping the business going I’ve had a good excuse.

I managed to finish another dresser today, it was not a masterpiece but it offered a few challenges. We took some pictures, and Kelli posted it on Marketplace.

13th July 2021

As an observer of my surroundings, and I am by no means a perfect example myself, I make note of things that intrigues me.

Since I’ve been in America I am more aware of the difference sizes and shapes of people that walk about in the stores I visit frequently.

There is a sense of threat when I see a very large person, often they have a mean look and not the jolly fat person they are often personified. Mostly it’s a diet thing, lifestyle sometimes dictate what food they consume.

Everything is either salty or sweet both the enemy of our bodies.

I saw an old guy, not that he was large, but he had to wear a very large shirt to cover his extended stomach, but his arms were so thin and lost in the excess of material. He looked so sad and frail.

He may have seen me in my “same shirt different day” logo (a joke that Kelli perpetuates all the time) he may have thought “Jerk! I would be seen dead in a t-shirt like that”.

As I said, I am fodder for others to observe me, and hopefully smile.

I am on day two of my antibiotics, Dhama, the oldest dog, was looking at me taking my pill and probably thinking “Oh no, he’s not on pills as well”

I have to go out and buy more chicken for Phoebe. The vet advised that we keep her on that diet for the next week, so there will be the smell of chicken boiling on the stove, a first, and I will be spending more time in the garage taping my mouth shut.

Where is this hot summer I have been expecting? If I wanted grey skies and rain I would have stayed in the UK.

I was going to get the tan back that I had for the first time last year. I now just have a water mark.

12th July 2021

I had to go to the dental practice to get a prescription for an antibiotic because I had a flare up of an infection in the tooth that I am due to have a root filling in. This should give me enough time to clear it up before the treatment.

I picked up the medication in the afternoon and started it straight away.

I finally started trials of my new paint spraying equipment. I’m sure it won’t take too long to get the hang of it. The hardest thing is to thin the paint down just enough to avoid sags and runs, I’m excited to perfect the skill.

Phoebe is a bit off her food at the moment, so Kelli called the vet for advice. She was told to feed her rice with chicken to see if it helps.

Chicken in our house? You must be joking.

We have the rice, tons of it, but thankfully Georgia came to the rescue. I collected some cooked meat from her, that smell? I remember that from Sunday roasts.

We chopped it into small pieces and mixed it with the rice. Phoebe scoffed it down, not leaving a morsel, so hopefully she doesn’t get a taste for it.

If it goes on too long, I will have to resist the urge to beat her to the bowl at each meal time.

11th July 2021

Well another day, and remarkably Kelli had a good night, maybe she took her correct medication, but I’ll take it as a good day for me.

Greer (Kelli’s daughter) and her husband Dylan invited me out for a belated Father’s Day lunch, which was unexpected but really thoughtful. We went to the Saugatuck brewing company, a place I hadn’t been since the start of the pandemic. I chose to have fish and chips for a change, it was really good, although a splash of malt vinegar would have made it perfect, but the Americans see that as odd. A bit like the English thinking that peanut butter and jelly are the perfect combination, and spread it on everything.

It was a fun time, and very odd not having Kelli with me.

We finished our lunch watching the Euro 2020 football final between England and Italy, I was explaining the rules for giving the Italians a good kicking, but unfortunately that wasn’t good enough as I learnt later that England had lost on penalties, boo!

By the time we got back, I learnt that we had sold the small cabinet and was being picked up later in the afternoon, another great result for the weekend.

10th July 2021

Well I spoke too soon, Kelli had a bad night, potatoes and all. She wasn’t sure she took the correct medication, as the one for stress was on the kitchen counter in place of her sleep one. Anyway she was in a bad mood and not very communicative.

I was working outside finishing off the shed. I had to fit a protective strip to the front edge of the new flooring I did a few weeks ago.

I also had to refit the bolt on the second door to ensure that both doors were properly secured.

We also had a customer arrive to collect the large glass door cabinet we posted yesterday, that was a good sale.

I managed to persuade Kelli to go to the local garden centre to buy plants for some planters we had.

She struggled though the ordeal and even found the energy to plant them when we got home.

I slapped a bit of paint on my planer stand, so just the casters to fit tomorrow.

9th July 2021

If someone told me that a potato could change the world I would probably laugh my head off, but this humble vegetable could be the saving of Kelli’s sanity.

We have constantly been searching for something to cure her insomnia.

She found an article on line entitled “Do you really eat a potato every night before bed?”

Apparently if a spud, with its skin, is eaten three hours after dinner it raises the body’s serotonin level that makes the brain “mellow and happy”.

This is a main ingredient in providing the brain with a calming effect aiding a restful sleep.

Well it did something, Kelli was a different person this morning. She slept longer than she had for weeks, and her smile was back on her face. Now I might be a bit premature, but she is determined to conquer her insomnia by being calmer, and if a potato helps, then I will boil a whole sack of King Edwards for her.

We will see how this night works.

8th July 2021

“Sorry your paving slabs won’t be manufactured until August” that was not something I wanted to hear.

I drove over to the landscaping company with the potential for exciting news, surely I would get a date for delivery, okay mine is not a big order (it is for me) but you can’t tell me that if Betsy DeVoss wanted some, they would pull out all the stops for her, as it happens she doesn’t need them so give them to me instead!

It was worth a try.

I knew my original paving colour would not be available until next year, but I’d hoped the alternative would be ready by now.

I drove back a bit depleted, it looks like an Autumn project now, but with the way Kelli is feeling we won’t be setting up the pool this year.

She had a really bad night, which means I have a bad night also.

She worries that she can’t get to sleep which then stresses her out meaning she can’t get to sleep.

We shared an interesting series of six lectures on overcoming insomnia. It covered the technical aspect of sleep, how you have to avoid negative sleep thoughts, and adjust your thinking about sleep preparation.

I hope Kelli puts this into practice.

7th July 2021

I decided to focus on moving some furniture project on. I finished off some repairs to a tall display unit. I had removed the back panel and painted it white to lighten the inside. I repaired the trim strip that hid the join between the back panel and the side piece. Then a quick wipe over with beeswax and it’s done, ready for pictures tomorrow.

My paint spraying equipment arrived with a lot of instructions to read I can’t wait to start using it.

With all the rain that’s been falling, the grass has shot up. Even the back garden that looks like Chernobyl’s top soil, is covered with green stuff.

Time to break out the mower.

I really enjoy using it, and I bet the neighbour’s are saying “ That Brit is showing us all up, ever since he had the front yard re-seeded he’s been out there twice a week using his poncy “green new deal” mower, I can’t stand it!”

It is true, I am out there twice a week cutting, possibly the best area of grass I have ever had.

I took a drive to Graafschap Hardware store to buy some shelf supports.

It’s an interesting place, a cross between a normal old fashion hardware store and an armoury. It has a large collection of weapons of all descriptions.

As I entered I was immediately accosted by a sales assistant asking what I was looking for.

Fortunately I knew exactly what I wanted, and told him. He led me to the place where the shelf supports were kept.

I don’t know what would have happened if I said I was just browsing, I would have been accused of being a federal spy and taken round the back and given a good kicking.

But that didn’t happen, I took my eight shelf supports to the registers.

“ Just these?” he mumbled through his thick beard. “ How much are they?” He continued.

I then walked back to the isle, pulled open the small drawer, memorised the price, and returned to the register.

“ seventy five cents each”

“ That’ll be six dollars plus tax”

6th July 2021

After a night of thunderstorms, there was the realisation that we’d left all the cushions on the seats on the deck. Once they’re wet they’re wet, so I wasn’t going to get up and scoop them up and throw them in the shed, I will deal with it in the morning.

Kelli’s copy of the Idiots guide to gardening that she left out didn’t fare too well either.

I know I should have checked the weather, but sometimes there are more urgent things to do. Not that I can remember anything urgent, maybe I couldn’t be bothered.

I decided to have a burn-up of all my scrap wood that has got in my way all the time. It’s not that I’m saving them for something useful, no, I throw them in a box, and when it’s full I start another box. It has been going on like this for a while. Finally, with both boxes stacked up with off cuts it was time to light a fire.

I pulled the fire pit into the open and prepared the wood in the best Boy Scout manner.

Of course I helped it along with some mineral sprit. It burnt furiously for several minutes as I loaded even more scrap on to the flames.

Then catastrophe struck, I didn’t see it happen, but as I went to check on progress I saw the the bottom had fallen out, the fire pit failed because it had a fire in it.

What started out as a small hole became massive, and the hot ash was now laying on the grass beneath, a kind of scorched earth scenario.

I guess I now have to look for a replacement.

I had a morning of doing chores, first it was a trip to the UPS store to return two small inner tubes back to Amazon.

It would have been so simple, I had to replace an inner tube on our water hose reel trolley.

I needed a four inch hub size, it was easy to find, so I ordered one.

A few days later it turned up, but it was for an eight inch hub, the package clearly marked for a four inch hub, but the packaging was labelled as an eight inch tube.

So I advised Amazon of the problem and requested a replacement. A few days later it turned up, THE SAME BLOODY SIZE!!.

Contacted Amazon again, this time demanded a refund, which was given. Now I had to return them.

The instruction for the first one was to take it to the UPS store, and they would pack it and return it to Amazon.

The second return was different, I had to repack it, and print off a return label stick it on the package and take it to the UPS store.

I arrived at the store with two identical products in different packaging.

I questioned the guy behind the counter, he just shrugged his shoulders as if to say “don’t ask me I just work here”.

5th July 2021

I am hoping that the madness of the 4th July fireworks has finished for another year. Not for my sake but for Kelli’s.

It’s so important for her to have uninterrupted sleep to help her recovery.

Fortunately, with the aid of some medication she got from the hospital she made it through, and as thing transpired she had a good day.

There are clear indications when she has a good night, mainly she smiled a lot, and she changed her clothes throughout the day. This was a running joke that I perpetuated. It consisted of morning wear, lunchtime wear, after lunch wear, mid-afternoon wear, early evening wear then night wear. I think we got through most of that.

She also managed a walk up the road, which up to now was unheard of, and shouted across to Larry who almost jumped out of his skin.

There is still a long way to go, but she did good today, and is a building block to improving her health.

We carried in the latest cabinet into the house to take pictures, this was a freebie, and I put a lot of work into it, stripping and staining the top, adding a shelf and completely remaking the doors.

Kelli posted it on Marketplace so I’m hoping for a quick sale.