Author: peterb51

14th June 2021

Another thing happened today that questioned whether America is a bright as it’s always said it was.

Last Thursday I went along to the post office to send a birthday present to my son Damian.

I had purchased an original print of Porsche 718 spyder from California. When I ordered it, I requested it sent direct to my son, just to save all the messing about. Well that didn’t happen, so it turned up here, hence my need to go to the post office.

I carefully relabelled it with my son’s name and address in bold at the top, and my address at the bottom.

I handed it over to the post man, he stamped it, then I went on my merry way.

Over the weekend I thought that it must be wending it’s way across the Atlantic.

What a surprise I had when the postman delivered it back to me.

It had taken three days to travel two bloody miles for the cost of three gallons of bloody petrol!

I showed it to Kelli, and the first thing she said was” Oh you got the order of the address wrong, you should have put who it was from at the top, and who it goes to at the bottom “

“So the fact that I had “TO” and “FROM” meant nothing” I answered sarcastically.

So now I have to go back to postman Pat and straighten the whole thing out.

13th June 2021

I finished tamping down the base using up most of the hardcore, not sure what to do with the rest, probably bag it up and find another project to use it up on.

It was again too warm to do much in the garage, and if I’m honest I haven’t got a lot of enthusiasm. Kelli didn’t get much sleep last night, which does effect the rest of the day.

Apparently she was disturbed but a firework display that occurred quite late. Normally displays have to be approved by the city if they are not part of a national holiday. Reading a local resident website the display was to celebrate someone’s eightieth birthday. With all that noise, and duration, I wonder if they survived?

Normally this is the time of the month for NeoCon, most of the big boys are scrambling to get new products ready for the show, but this year it has moved to October. HM has moved out of the Merchandise Mart into its own showroom, from the pictures I’ve seen it all looks amazing as you would expect.

12th June 2021

I was outside working before 10.00am, it was perfect temperature for moving hardcore by the bucket.

The Americans don’t use the term “hardcore” they call it “crushed concrete”. The first time I asked I asked for “hardcore” the man behind the counter said, “ Sir, we don’t have that, try Blockbuster next door”.

I learned an important lesson that day, but out of spite, and for my own amusement I still ask for it.

Anyway, I worked outside until the perspiration on the front of my tee shirt joined up with patch at the back. I would then change and continue to work in the garage.

Kelli was a lot more cheerful, her smile came back, and I told her so. She takes great delight in showing me her clothes from last year, and how big they were. I guess I will see more on-line purchases turn up at the door a couple of sizes smaller.

By midday it was too hot to do much outside, it was almost too hot to work in the garage. It was difficult to do any painting as it dried on the brush almost before I spread it, so I collected dog poop instead.

11th June 2021

It is true you do get weaker as you get older. There was a time when I could carry two bags of ready mix under each arm, and walking up a hill whistling a happy tune, but now things are different.

I went to Menards to buy bags of ready mix mortar to be used when I lay the slabs.

I had my cart, and found my way to the builders material, there on the floor were the bags I wanted. Each bag was eighty pounds, and I thought “pah! Easy job” and went to lift one, it didn’t move an inch, I checked to see if it was bolted to the floor, it wasn’t, that’s what eighty pounds feels like in 2021.

I managed to slip my fingers under one corner and pulled on the bag with the other, it moved.

The next task was to get it on to the shelf of the cart which was four inches from the floor.

In the old days these bags were made from multi layers of paper that somehow retained its shape, but these were a slippery plastic that morphed into whatever shape it came into contact with.

The only way I could lift this bag was to give myself a running commentary.

It started by saying words of encouragement.

“Come on, you can do this”

“It’s only four inches”

Anyone listening to this must have been slightly intrigued.

“ After three”

“One, …..two…. threeeeeeee”

With superpower strength I humped it onto the shelf.

Now for another bag!

This time I had to lift it eight inches.

With more talking, cussing and brute strength I managed to get the bag loaded, now it was checkout time.

With one hundred and sixty pounds on the cart, it sort of dictated how I was able to steer it.

American carts steer from the front wheels, English ones steer from the back, for which I’m used to, so most of the time I’m forcing the trolly to move sideways by scuffing the wheels against their will. Eventually I made it to the checkout, paid for my purchases, then headed for the truck.

That was when I realised I would now have to lift each bag nearly twenty four inches, my personal best so far was eight, I would have to do something extraordinary to make that happen.

I looked around to see if anyone could help, but typically there wasn’t a bodybuilder when you needed one.

I called on a power deep inside to give me strength, and with a ear shattering grunt, I got one into the truck, I swore in triumph.

The second bag was even harder, but shouting loud that I hated Toyotas worked, and with my gentleman parts still intact I headed home.

10th June 2021

Kelli buys a protein powder that gets made up into a smoothie with fruit, yogurt, and any old stuff that is festering in the fridge. It is often my job to mix this concoction together ready for when she needs it.

This is the stuff where my hand got stuck into the container a week or so ago. When I’m faced with opening a new bottle, the pain and anguish is almost the same.

Getting into the container is like a test on the Krypton Factor, it has a shrunk wrapped seal around the cap and the only way of removing it is by finding the place where the seal in joined. If you try any other method, the seal just stretches without yielding. Then it is down to an axe or a thermal lance to cut through it.

Then there is the cap to unscrew. Something or someone with tremendous strength tightened this bugger, offering another challenge to break through. Finally there is the seal into the bottle itself. Normally there is a small tab that can be gripped and torn off, but no, it is never that easy. It has been sealed to perfection, no excess material to grip, a perfect lesson in high security. This is where a sharp, pointed blade must be used to gain access.

Now I have to find the scoop. I should have kept the old one, but it is around somewhere, I just can’t be bothered to look for it.

I gave the container a good shake, and I was able to see part of the scoop sticking out of the powder.

I stuck my hand inside the container, instant panic attack, calmed myself down, withdrew my hand covered in protein powder, and the scoop, now all I have to do is mix all the ingredients together, that’s the easy part.

9th June 2021

Still a bit unbearable to work outside, not that I’m complaining, but recently it has been all over the place. I would prefer that it was a little cooler especially with the hard physical slog that I’m doing. I hope that we will be able to get the pool out once it’s finished.

I have to move the hardcore by the bucket and that is heavy, I will end up with arms like Popeye. The thought of manhandling sixty slabs one at a time is even more daunting, but that’s next week’s challenge.

I headed out to my favourite man heaven, Menards to pick up a few things to finish the prep for the hardcore base.

I have been drinking more water than I have in a long time. It is not the substance of choice, but as I sweat so much I need to drink a lot just to keep up.

The dogs are alway lapping at their bowl, I don’t know why they drink so much, they don’t do anything. The most activity I see them do is run to the door whenever I come into the house to be let out.

8th June 2021

The humidity was up to 98% this morning, a mist hung around the trees, making it look like a autumnal scene.

I continued on the hard labouring moving the turf and dirt to under the pine trees. I had filled the yard waste bin with as much as I think it could take, and didn’t want to risk tipping the collection truck over.

There was an abundance of ants in the soil, and they climbed up my shoe and bit my ankles, the little bastards.

Early afternoon the truck arrived with my crushed concrete. I set out the area I wanted it poured with sheets of cardboard and a plastic sheet. The driver took care not to damage the trees as he reversed up the drive.

He started the pour, he was close, he almost emptied it in the right place. I thought it was funny, I’ve just took out two cubic yards of soil from the garden, now I’m going to fill it with two cubic yards of hardcore in the heat, I must be crazy.

7th June 2021

There are times during the past year when I felt trapped, first it was the pandemic and now with Kelli’s illness. I try to remain objective, but when I fundamentally disagree with the treatment she is taking, it’s really difficult and I get so angry inside.

It has been four months and there hasn’t been any change to her condition. Applied Kinesiology cannot diagnose any serious medical problems, so what use is it?

She keeps saying all she needs is a good sleep, and it has got to toting up the hours she managed to get, she remains weak, and unable to do much at all.

Today she took an appointment from her mother to see a different doctor at the same surgery. I didn’t go into the room, I rather wait outside than be in the same room and listen to all the bullshit. Yes I’m not having a good day, I’m a “I need to see improvement” kind of guy.

If sleep is the key to feeling better then treat that first. That can easily measured, all these other supplements could be messing things up.

With Kelli in this state, I wouldn’t be able to fly back to the UK and leave her here, because she is in no fit state to go anywhere. This all adds to my entrapment, yes, I am still tied here with the residency bollocks, and heaven knows what I would do if an interview date came through whilst we are going though this nightmare.

I had to tackle unloading to the truck on my own. I inched the dresser out far enough to remove the drawers. Each of those was really heavy, but made the carcass easier to handle.

I lowered it on to a trolly, then loaded back in the drawers.

Wheeling it into the garage one of the castors hit a slight ridge in the floor, and fell off. The weight of the dresser and the obstruction, was enough to shear the fixing bolts. Now I had to fix that, after I removed all the drawers again.

Luckily I found two replacement and quickly fixed it.

I had to finish digging up the grass in the area where the pool will be, that was hard work, lucky it wasn’t as hot as it was, so a little more bearable.

We sold the project piece that I had been working on for ages, or it just seemed to, but they were repeat customers who are the best.

6th June 2021

“Can you pick up two pieces of furniture at Holland heights” requested my wife. We were off to another good start as it was going to be another hot day.

I knew the area from when Kelli lived there, in fact there is nowhere in Holland that she hasn’t lived at. Between her and her brother, who has nearly worked everywhere, they’ve had the city covered.

I set off with my GPS bleeting in my ear, of course it set me around the houses, once I deviated from the prescribed route it went into “Redirection” mode. Luckily I remembered the house number and street, and found myself outside a children’s playground. There was a trampoline, a bouncy castle, and an assault course. I decided the best thing to do was reverse into the driveway, being careful to miss the arrangement of vehicles.

I have noticed that I have a restricted neck movement when I’m driving on the left hand side, it feels unnatural, so as I swung round, I over steered slightly ending up on the lawn, I quickly pulled forward and made a better job of it. There were two young girls sitting together they obviously saw my feeble attempt, but I greeted them with a happy sounding “Hello”

Both of them looked at me expressionless,

I said what I was there for just as the mother came out of the house.

She pointed to the two pieces of furniture just outside their garage. I worked out the best way to get them both in the truck. The first was a small desk, just the right size to fit across ways, the other piece was a dresser that was the heaviest I’ve encountered. If felt like it housed their rock collection and they had forgotten to empty it.

With our combined strength we managed to load it into the back and close the back door.

I headed home with no intension of unloading them today.

5th June 2021

In this time of recycling, of which I’m a supporter, Holland has recently issued wheelie bins purely to put cans, bottles(glass and plastic),cardboard and paper. The rules are that bottles and cans are washed.

That is okay for most things, although washing out the dog food cans is a challenge, but trying to clean out peanut or almond butter jars is by far the worst.

This stuff does not dissolve in water easily, even hot water. All you can do is scrape it off the inside of the jar with fingernails. This is most disgusting, and feels like scratching a blackboard, only slimy.

The only fun thing I do with peanut butter is feeding some to the dogs, it’s the only time you can see just how long their tongue is.

Poor old Dhama, it looks like she swallowed a whip.

Continuing on the patio project, I dug the ditch to sink the wooden frame into, I had to chose the hottest day to do it.

I had this large brimmed hat that had a reflective surface on the top supposably to reflect the heat back to the sun, guess what? It didn’t work.

Apart from blocking microwaves, it made my head sweat, then my eyes were stinging from the sweat, it really wasn’t the right day to do this.

I had been careful making the frame square, checking the diagonals and fixing a piece of wood across the corners to hold it all square.

As soon as I lowered it into the ditch, and shimming it level, it wasn’t square any more.

So with my head hot, eyes stinging I gave up for the day.