Author: peterb51

16th May 2021

Kelli had a bad night, she woke up suffering from dizziness which upset her for the rest of the day. She has had BPPV vertigo before and we cured it using the Epley manoeuvre to reposition crystals in her ear. We tried this on her left side, but have to wait till tomorrow to see if it worked, then do the other one.

She contacted the kinesiologist trying to understand what caused it, and determined that it was probably the result of her sitting in the swinging egg seat, what a bummer, that was her idea to get one.

I started taking apart one of the Adirondack chairs for repainting. Kelli had found them on the side of the road a year or so ago. They were a little scruffy then, but the paint was flaking, and just needed some care and restoration.

14th May 2021

It was going to be a sunny day and a high of 57 degrees with a prospect for higher temperatures next week.

I needed more materials, including some white paint to complete the project dresser, and possibly a re-paint of the “blue” dresser.

I planned my shopping expedition to include going Meijers to get my digestive biscuits and Branstan pickle.

First it was Menards to get the paint, and whilst I was there I picked up an off-set patio umbrella, that should complete the furniture for outside.

Then it was off to buy another fifteen gallons of river rocks for the deck.

Kelli spent a bit of time outside sitting in the egg hanging chair watching me putting together the new umbrella.

The umbrella was from a Chinese manufacturer, like everything in America, however it was substantially made and went together easily. It boasted of its 360deg adjustment, but this was a design fault and i didn’t want 300 degrees of it.

Even with the clamping screws fully tightened, the breeze would cause the post to rotate as there was no other way stop it. I will have to get out my file and shape a detent in the flange that the location pins rest on, that should do the trick.

I did my second cut with my new lawnmower, I felt as cocky as a Tesla owner in a fuel crisis.

13th May 2021

The customer for the stripped oak dresser finally came to collect. It had been a month since she put a deposit on it, and I had been using it as a table, stacking it with cushions, and any other thing I needed.

We both went out to collect a piece of furniture this morning. Kelli had seen it on Marketplace and snapped it up. The sun was shining, and she had a decent night and felt that it was something she wanted to try.

The item was a well known manufacturer and in good condition, it might just need a good clean and a dab of scratch cover.

I cleaned out the shed, it was full of crap we might have to give away. Since we have new seating on the deck there is a few things subject to requirements.

A couple turned up to view the light blue dresser that we had posted. It turned out better than I thought, but the girl thought it was white from the picture in the ad. That meant it was a no-sale, and a lesson that we should do everything white.

12th May 2021

There was a person interested in the latest dresser, that pushed me into working on some chipped veneer on the inside of the drawer front. I didn’t have any to match, so I used the closest I had. It took most of the day to cut out the damage and bond in a new piece, but although it is different in colour, at least there are no rough edges to catch any clothing.

In between doing that, I worked on the old project piece getting it ready for sanding and priming.

Kelli had a better night sleeping which made her more lively, managing to do a few things around the house before retiring in the afternoon.

11th May 2021

I was a bit of an errand boy, collecting medication for Kelli, buying more rocks and sand for the deck. I’m finding my way around the town quite easily now, although driving around on my own is not much fun.

I have finally resolved the issue with the patio furniture. After much correspondence with the supplier about the way it went together was explained to me, and I feel a bit dumb that I didn’t work it out myself. The corner seat was not in fact in the corner, it was positioned at the end, after the second left hand sofa was positioned ninety degrees to the first.

So I had all the pieces all along. The only compromise I have to accept is a join to the corner unit that is visible. Oh well I’ll have to put up with that.

10th May 2021

The start of another week, and a visit to the kinesiologist for yet more supplements I guess.

I was working on the project dresser, planing up timber I salvaged from the pallet that the paving slabs were deliver on.

I laid up several panels letting them dry in the sun whilst I went on with a bit of groundwork.

This for all intents and purposes this is working on the garden, but because I see “Groundwork” and the side of many trucks driving about, so I adopted it, it sounds more impressive than “gardening “ anyway that’s what old folks do

I watered the area that I reseeded, nothing much is happening yet.

There were many shoots of grass growing out of the decorative stones at the front of the property which have to be cleared all the time, so the thought crossed my mind that I could transplant them into the bare patches of the lawn. If it worked for Elton John why wouldn’t it work for my lawn.

I decided to give it a try, I gathered up the shoots and made a hole in the ground with a screwdriver pushing the clump into the hole, pressing the soil around it.

If I dared to mentioned it to Kelli I’m sure she would just roll her eyes, and make a squeaking to indicate that I’m tight, I guess I might be, squeak squeak!

9th May 2021

Well it didn’t take long for the table and chairs to sell. I had just finished touching up some of the areas I had missed when the couple turned up to collect.

We have had those pieces for about a year, cluttering up the place, so it was a huge sense of relief to sell it, and give me more space.

It was Mother’s Day over here which meant visits from Kelli’s children, it was good to see them again, although with my short and brushed hair it was a wonder they recognised me.

I tackled the side part of the front lawn, which wasn’t completed last autumn. I had bought this lethal looking tool for tearing up the ground, an hours worth of that rendered me useless for the rest of the day. I managed to collect up all the debris, and sowed some seed, I’m eager to see if old death fingers can manage to grow any grass.

I have started work on a dresser that we were given as an unfinished project piece. I know why it was a project, as some of the drawers were missing, which means we have to reimagine it as something cool.

It is nothing special, a chipboard carcass painted using a roller, and not very well. The top had blown patches all over and was not salvageable, this meant a new top, which was the only money I was prepared to spend on it.

The rest of the cool stuff will have to be made using material I have in the garage.

8th May 2021

I was sent off to have a proper haircut, this will be the first for over a year, and I’m scared.

I expect the stylist to shriek in horror with what had been done to it, but that’s their job to put it right, hopefully.

I arrived right on time, there were all the Covid procedures to go through, temperature, contact phone numbers, and the usual waivers so that the business doesn’t get sued.

I sat in the chair, I had to keep my mask on, I thought this will be interesting. The lighting was particularly bad, so not only did I look like I was wearing a burka, the lines on my forehead were deeply furrowed and my eyes all dark and sullen, it was as if Keith Richard was looking over my shoulder.

My hair was falling in piles all over the floor, I’m sure she sheared sheep in her spare time, it was a good thing she didn’t trap my head between her knees, I would have nightmares for a month.

I survived, outside the cool breeze blew through the remnants of my hair, “that’s me done for another year”.

I had to search for dried dog food, that stuff goes so fast, I would save a lot of time just pouring it down the poop hole, and not have to collect the dog pellets everyday.

I managed to find some at the Aldi on the north side of town, I grabbed two bags with a frenzy that would make a seasoned hoarder proud, rushing back to the truck in victory.

Next stop was the landscaping place to buy another fifteen gallons of stones for the deck.

7th May 2021

I got to try out my new lawn mower, it was great. There was no panting, wheezing or swearing, just the hum of the electric motor. It was like I was saving the planet, if you don’t mention the plastics and the lithium batteries.

The front lawn looked the best I have ever seen it. There are a couple of thin areas that Mike was going to treat, but has not yet turned up to do it, you just cannot get dependable staff these days.

I tipped all the cuttings into the yard waste bin and resisted giving the whole machine a wash and wax.

Now I have to make space in the shed to store it. There are already two push mowers in there, one I bought last year, and one Kelli bought the year before, but that had a missing roller, Damn Marketplace!

I think I will make a sign to go outside the shed that says “Mower house”.

Well the table and chairs were finally finished, I fixed down the seat pads and reluctantly admitted they looked better than the previous covers, but the fabric was hard to work with, and typically, my left handed sissors turned up today.

The dresser was also finished apart from fixing on the decorative veneered panels, I’m still not convinced that they should be there, that’s Kelli’s call.

6th May 2021

I DON’T BLOODY BELIEVE IT!

The replacement replacement part for my patio set was delivered, and it was wrong again. I knew immediately it was yet again another end panel.

Straight on the phone, this time Kayla answered, I explained the problem again, led her through the history, and generally sounded my frustration.

She saw for herself the problem even before I finished my rant.

She saw that the previous person had sent detailed instructions of the problem, and the part I needed replacing, so it was some dumb shit in the distribution who picked the wrong part.

If the place wasn’t so far away (San Bernardino) I would drive over and pick the part myself, and at the same time shove the two replacement end panels up someone’s arse.

That got me really pissed off, and I concluded that if they are incapable of getting me the piece I wanted I would demand a refund and get the whole lot returned.

On the good side, my new cordless lawnmower arrived at the same time, what could go wrong with that?