Author: peterb51

27th November 2020

Mixed up the last bag of concrete to set the last pile for the deck frame, I’m glad that’s done. I have come to realise that a sixty pound bag is my limit, in fact a thirty pound bag is heavy enough. But with just some noggings to add to complete the frame, it can then be covered over for winter.

Kelli’s cousin died last night, yet another painful November reminder to have every year to look forward to.

I completed the repair to the drawer front, lovingly matching the stain to perfection,only to be told that it was getting painted.

The election aftermath continues, the news channel reporting on Trump’s misguided attempts to overturn the results are really pathetic, and it has highlights all the flaws in the constitution and electoral system that they hold so dear.

I plan to stay home for the next two weeks, avoiding people at all, hopefully I can make that work.

Kelli did find another free dresser in Zeeland that we did have to collect. Thankfully it was left outside so no contact with anyone.

We have had a lot of free stuff lately, always the best for profit.

Tomorrow we’ll off-load it to see how bad it is.

26th November 2020

It was non-thanksgiving day, in other words an ordinary day for us.

We lifted out the free dresser that we got yesterday, from the truck, and had a good look over.

It was in quite good condition except there was a bit of damage to one end and a bit missing from one of the drawer fronts.

I plodded on with the repairs whilst Kelli was baking some savoury muffins and some bread.

Once my jobs were done I worked outside fitting in the last few joists into the secondary decking frame, but as soon as that sun chows down the temperature drops, and that is the signal for me to stop and have a cup of tea.

This time of year is difficult for the family, with the anniversary of Dave’s passing, and Brenda quarantined for the next two weeks pending further tests.

We had someone interested in the buffet who intends to give it a look over on Monday.

I’ve been trying to get the audio from the television through the stereo system on and off for the past year, but given up, mainly because the amplifier does not have many inputs. I found this when I tried to wired up the turntable, I ended up having to get a pre-amp to boost the signal. I bought a switching box to add four additional inputs, but I didn’t have the correct cables, meaning another Amazon order.

When they arrived, I quickly plugged everything in but still no sound, it must be another impedance issue, I’ll have another try tomorrow.

25th November 2020

I seriously did not know what day it was. I have no real reference point, other than my phone, when I turn it on.

I was a day out, much to Kelli’s puzzlement, but that didn’t matter as we had a customer coming to collect the two matching dressers we posted yesterday.

They had to make two trips as their truck wasn’t big enough to carry both pieces.

This was a good sale that sent us over the top of expected sales with a few days still to go.

The buffet was also finished today, it was longer than I thought at five foot six inches making it difficult to photograph in the space we had, but it came out pretty well.

As it started to get dark, Kelli announced that there was a free dresser in Grandville, so as our stock is low we piled into the truck and headed off.

The dresser was covered by a tarpaulin, and it was dark, so we have no idea what state it is in. We have left it in the truck overnight because we couldn’t be bothered to lift another heavy weight.

24th November 2020

The harsh reality of the Covid 19 pandemic finally hit home today.

Brenda, Kelli’s sister in law tested positive.

This is a concern, mainly because certain parts of the family were taken in by Trump’s denials, and considered the whole Covid thing to be a hoax.

This has meant that we have stayed away from them as much as possible.

No one knows how serious she is affected, but we will not take any chances, and have now a total exclusion zone around the house.

It makes me really angry that they had been so thoughtless, as she works at a chiropractor, so should be used to the cleaning procedures, and protocols for personal protection, and still she gets infected.

We had a day of snow, it started to settle early as the ground was so dry, it did melt away as it turned to rain, but it stopped me working outside.

We finished the matching set of dressers, and got them posted on Marketplace getting a bite within an hour.

Kelli got wind of a coffee table going free, from the picture the top was marquetry, but it must have got damp, well it was pretty damp when we picked it up. Some of the panels had buckled, so it will be a challenge to get it looking good again.

23rd November 2020

I managed to get some work done outside. I cut all the joists and fixed the hangers on to the frame. I had to make some adjustments to the way the frame was sitting on the piles, but that wasn’t that difficult other than taking time and allowing the temperature to fall. I wanted to get a couple of joists fitted before I called it a day.

Earlier I was putting the final coats of finish on another of our free dressers, and one in the buffet. By the end of the week we will have three pieces finished and posted.

We have been taking the dogs for a walk in the evening, not just for their sake, but also for ours. The cold air fills the lungs and reinvigorates us. It gives us a chance to change pace after being stuck in the garage with sawdust and paint fumes in the air. I don’t think the dogs gives two hoots that we take the same route every time, it’s wonderful to see the house lights on the opposite bank shimmering on the calm water of lake Macatawa.

We walk past cottages that have been closed up for the winter, now unloved until spring when the owners venture back to their weekend retreat.

Christmas lights have been wrapped around some of the trees bringing much needed light to the street, we walk past house with giant flat screen tv’s flickering, some so large we could stand on the pavement and see everything.

The warmth of our house welcomes us back.

22nd November 2020

The light over the dining table has alway contentions point. Because the shade is glass it required a lamp that was decorative, so we had one where the coil glowed warmly. The problem was, even with the largest wattage you still had to check the switch to see if it was turned on.

Kelli decided enough was enough, and style over function was no longer acceptable. So over the past few evenings she had been looking on Marketplace for a replacement.

Frequently I was shown a variety of designs that made me grunt if it was okay, and groan when it was not. Some originally were really expensive, as the seller included a snapshot of the catalog page.

I didn’t want a cluster or chandelier, just a simple arrangement that would show me what my food looked like.

After gaining my approval on one, or that is what she called it, we made plans to collect it from Hamilton.

We set off in drizzle across the flat agricultural landscape still adorned with Trump flags flapping despondently.

“Loser!” Kelli would shout as we sped by.

We arrived at a small cluster of houses, most of then had the flags, fortunately the one we wanted did not.

The lamp unit was in perfect condition, so I loaded it into the back of the truck and headed home.

Today was a sad day for Kelli’s family because it would have been Dave’s eighty-first birthday.

We stopped off to buy some flowers and arranged to meet at the cemetery. November is not a time to be buried in Holland, if you weren’t already, you would freeze to death.

We also have the anniversary of his passing on Wednesday so there will be more tears shed.

Thanksgiving has been cancelled this year, and Kelli is delighted. She has wanted to ignore the celebration for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity.

I was happy to go along with her decision, as I didn’t like the part where I have to say what I am thankful for. I would bound to change the mood of proceedings by saying something political and send the relatives into a tailspin.

All this distraction meant that I couldn’t do anything outside, which was a drag as the weather gets a little colder as the week progresses.

21st November 2020

I removed the two bags of ready mix concrete that had been in the back of the truck for the last couple of days. I wanted to fix the last piles into the ground to support the secondary decking frame. Once these are secured I can finish attaching the joists thus completing the frame build.

I had to remove a lot of soil from the decking area to reduce the height and allow space below the joists, then move it down to the bottom end of the garden where the wild flower beds will be.

I was backwards and forwards with the little trolley chasing the dogs when they happened to be out, you would think they would be used to it by now, but no, they run away like they’ve never seen it before.

I had a rest from furniture for the day although I had a problem with the top of the buffet where it was sticky, I left it much longer than I usually, but to still wasn’t right, not sure what is happening.

Sometimes it is best to leave it and do other things.

20th November 2020

I have been around the sun sixty nine times and my arms are tired.

Every year I reflect on the road I have traveled, ticking off the good and the bad aspects of my life. Some I had control over and some I did not.

It’s a time that I think about my mum and dad wondering if they would be proud of what I had become or critical of things I could have done. In the same way I look at my own children’s voyage of discovery, and how I am proud of them for how they turned out.

I think about my working life, the people who inspired me, gave me opportunity and let me prove myself.

I think about the places I’ve been lucky enough to visit, I remember standing on the side of a wide road in India thinking how I got there, and how indeed I was going to cross it.

I never thought about retirement, it was always one step away, and such a long way to go.

I think about my school friends that I’ve re-connected with, I’ve learnt about their paths, their achievements and if life turned out well for them.

All this might seem over sensitive, and self- indulgent, but it’s something we all need to confront.

I have been living my new life for three years, and it’s been so exciting, each day is new and challenging, I have my list of jobs on the house I want to do, and a garage full of furniture that needs my help. I continue to learn new skills, and still make mistakes, but I don’t care, I have time to put it right.

Kelli gave me a head mounted spotlight, a great device for seeing in dark corners, it makes me look like a Dalek.

For my birthday treat she made me a blueberry pie. I had never had one, but I alway use to say “Blueberry pie Ma” in my worst American accent, it was wonderful.

Because of the restrictions re-imposed on dining out, we opted for a take out delivery, I had fish and chips, and inhaled them, savouring each mouthful.

Later that evening, as I was resting and reading my book, came a cry from the kitchen.

Kelli was filling a carafe with elderberry juice, freshly stewed when the bottom fell away, spilling a good pint of the juice all over her and the kitchen floor.

We have a spoonful of the juice every evening because it is known to help our immune system, unfortunately we will have to go without until a new delivery arrives.

19th November 2020

It was a windy night, blowing over the wheely bin and spilling its contents over the driveway.

So my first job was to tidy it up, fortunately since we compost most of our rubbish, all that I had to collect was the bags of recycling.

I had a bit of catching up to do, I had some wood sealing to do and try to get the watermarks out of the buffet top.

I wasn’t confident that applying oxalic acid would do much as the top had already had a stain applied, but it was worth the try.

Adding the crystals to boiling water makes for a toxic mix, carefully applied to the complete surface and allow to dry. I switched on my work lights to add some heat to the proceedings and waited.

As the liquid dries it leaves a white frosting over the surface, this has to be washed off and allowed to dry.

The results were, a success! I was able to re-stain it and get back on track.

Kelli went off to do some shopping, and came back with a bag of savoury scones that she had a friend make especially for me in advance of my birthday.

Now at my time of life, food of any description is welcomed, well that goes for wine equally.

That was a fantastic surprise, and another good reason why I married her.

I did a bit of leaf clearing, the city still hasn’t sent round the boys to remove the piles of leaves that house owners have swept on to the side of the road. It has been weeks since people have started doing that. That is why I kept complaining that it was all blowing back.

I have used our yard waste bin to get rid of a lot of ours.

Most of the trees are now bare, but somehow I still find piles of leaves tucked around the corner by the front door, I guess the wind creates a cyclone effect and sucks all the remaining debris there.

I filled a couple of plastic sacks, compressing them with my foot, like I was putting on a giant sock. I know tomorrow there will be another pile to collect.

18th November 2020

There is nothing more annoying than finish staining a top only to see a watermark appear.

I know one was there, but I thought it had sanded out. I usually apply oxalic acid to a surface when there is a mark that I can’t remove by any other method, but this time i should have done it anyway, bloody annoying.

It was the day for staining, I did the top and drawer fronts for a dresser that we had for a while, at least that went well.

I fitted the knobs to the quirky dresser to finish that one, Kelli sent a picture off to the person who wanted it, and she was delighted, so this will be collected at the weekend.

I was disappointed that there was no Stein night, this had become our regular night out and one that I started to look forward from Thursday morning.

I have been seeing pictures from the HM Refurbished London showroom, most of which show a lot of the Hay products. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I know the working office has changed a lot, but now everywhere will look like a DFS warehouse.

I’m impressed with the products that Bisley have launched to support home working, I’m not sure if it will be profitable unless companies stump up the cost of them for their employees.

Homes in the UK are usually tight for space, which has alway been the problem when scaling down office furniture. Even a chair that doesn’t seem so big in an open office, is enormous when you try to carry it up the stairs.

In the US most homes have more space than they know what to do with, except us, who have a relatively compact house, I want to make a home office piece to fit our place,it is on my list to make, once I clear the one thousand and one jobs already on it.