Author: peterb51

17th September 2020

Kelli had bought a string of lights for our anniversary party, all ninety-six feet of them.

My job was to find a way to arrange them in the back garden.

First task was to unravel them. Somewhere in the world is a person who has the skill to coil them in such a way to make it impossible to straighten it out. It’s just like our hose, the un-tangle-able, un-kinkable these are things that are sent to try my patience.

Eventually I managed to lay the light string out on the grass. I had made some wooden posts to put into the ground to support the lights.

Unfortunately the ground is so sandy I couldn’t get them to stay upright, I had to clamp them to the wooden bench I had made for the large cushions, this worked, as long as someone doesn’t move the bench.

Together we hooked all ninety-six feet of lights around the garden, when we switched them on It lit the garden up like an airport runway, job done, I hope no low flying aircraft will be in the area.

Kelli had a problem with the start time of the party, first it was four in the afternoon, then she changed it to six, then later she changed it again to five, talk about indecision, so really we don’t know when people will turn up.

I won’t mind I will start drinking at four, and be well greased when the other turn up.

16th September 2020

They say there is no single rail trucks in Michigan, the reason is they are all connected together to make a train that’s five miles long.

We know this because Kelli had an appointment at the Secretary of State, and on route we hit the train crossing.

Normally after twenty minutes it will pass, and people go on their merry way, albeit a little older and greyer.

On this occasion it got so far and stopped, which is just a little slower than it usually goes.

Now we were on a time crunch with the clock ticking down we had to take action. It had taken months to get this appointment, forced upon us because, since Dave died nobody could find the title of his truck, and it can’t be sold without it.

Kelli had tried repeatedly to apply for a new one online, but there was some problem with the validity of the information she was trying to input, so the only alternative was to do it in person.

So with this appointment so precious getting to the office on time was imperative.

As every minute passed Kelli was getting more and more impatient, we debated alternative routes, but first we had to get out of the traffic queue we were in.

With the train still not moving, Kelli took control and managed to turn the truck around, thank goodness for wide roads. We managed to drive through the post office car park and on to another road, burning rubber as we went.

You should never get wheel spin in a Toyota Highlander, but some of the kick-downs were the most savage in the vehicle’s long life. Most of the cobwebs had been blown away along with a couple of pints of oil.

In a wild about route we got there a few minutes late, but with most government buildings there are always delays, meaning we were still on time.

Kelli was back in no time with a form that has to given to the new owner, and that was that, months of waiting resulted in a small sheet of paper.

We were back home to continue working on the large green dresser that has become a lot different with black stained top, wood drawer fronts and a splash of orange to startle the senses, lets see what Holland thinks of that.

Tonight was Stein night again, it’s become a regular institution, and I make no excuses for it, we both work hard, and we sold the peachy dresser this morning.

15th September 2020

We dragged the newly finished dresser into the living area to take pictures.

It still needed more coats of finish on the top and fronts, but it was good enough to take the shots.

This was the dresser we found at the side of the road that had a drawer missing.

With its new feet and fresh paint it looked good. The colour was different from what we have done before, but it made a change, and soon after it was posted we had someone on it very soon.

We had to get some sandpaper from Menards, so while we were out we stopped off at Goodwill. Whilst Kelli was rifling though the clothes section, I wandered around the furniture section. There are always odd numbers of chairs on display, one must have been broken by fat uncle Chuck, and three is not worth keeping, so donate!

I saw a dresser tucked away, someone had obviously had a go at stripping the finish off, and got bored with it.

There were a number of people looking at it, and I was pretending not to take any notice, all the while wishing them away from it. The appearance must have put them off as it had no handles and the bad finish. As soon as it was clear I ambled up to it and peeled the price label off. This is a trick I had learned from all my visits to this place. Taking off the price ticket stops others from buying it, or that’s the idea. I rushed to find Kelli buried deep in ladies garments to tell her of my find. I was pleased that I didn’t have to fight anyone for it.

She agreed that we should get it, so off she went to pay.

We drove round to get it loaded into the truck then back to the house to finish more furniture, we had a backlog of things to work on, it could be a good month.

14th September 2020

Larry walked across to remind me about a snow blower that he thought I might be interested in.

Yes in the deep mid winter a snow blower is a must, and I had been seriously thinking about getting one.

I looked into the gloom of his workshop, I saw something that I mistook for road digger. He wheeled it out into the light, this was the snow blower.

He muttered something about the electric start not working, and showed me where to hit it with a hammer to get it working, the demo was not going well. Even that failed to get it working, but at least it had a pull cord start that fired it up, but It still looked a big machine.

I told him I would get back to him in a couple of days once I’d found a place big enough to store it.

The lady called round to collect the new bed side panel for her bed, it turned out pretty good and she was very pleased with it.

We had a few jobs going concurrently, and in between doing them I quickly knocked together a large bench for extra seating for our party, Kelli had three floor cushions that will sit on top. There was certainly no design intent in this piece, just using up old bits of four by two I had lying about.

We also moved the deflated pool and gave it a good clean ready to pack away until next year.

I had a letter from the USCIS arrive, a heart stopping event. It informed me that I hadn’t sent my medical information with my application. That was correct because I didn’t know I had to. The letter explained that I should make an appointment or a medical with a USCIS approved doctor, in other words someone who will charge me the Earth for a few knocks and a cough.

I will be able to bring the results, in a sealed envelope, to my interview.

It shows that I am moving down the long road towards that glimmer of light.

12th September 2020

I have no idea what day of the week it is. Everyday looks and feels the same. There is no smell that tells me “ it’s Sunday”

It must be what dogs feel like everyday, wake up, go outside for a piss, get let back in to eat, then get let out for a shit, get let back in then hang around in case any food falls on the ground, and sleep.

I share the same concept as dogs, but with music, and much better food.

We had a buyer coming to view a tall dresser that we finished a week or so ago and had very little interest in, even when we dropped the price.

We were keen to get it looking good, so I wiped the thick layer of dust from the top, always a good thing to do, nobody likes to see a field on top of their furniture.

Kelli noticed some staining leaching though the painted side panels. Panic stations, as she scuttles around for more primer and a brush.

Within minutes both sides have had a sealing coat and a final cover.

“I hope he doesn’t turn up just yet” I said with trepidation in my voice, “i don’t think I could keep him talking until the paint dries.”

Fortunately everything was fine. He inspected the piece, Kelli went through her spiel about it being a handmade piece, full of character, and it worked, he bought it. He handed her a pile of notes and five dollars in small change, it was like he raided his kids piggy bank.

We loaded it into the back of his flatbed truck. Why do so many Americans have a double cab truck with a flatbed. It’s like they always have to buy furniture, and have to be prepared. Usually the flatbeds are in immaculate condition, as if nothing has ever been placed inside. I believe they are bought so that can occupy space on this planet, because they think they are entitled.

We did work in the garage on two other pieces that we have in progress, including the remaking of the veneered drawer front.

Kelli then announced “ I have a brilliant idea”

This usually means she had a good idea, or there is something I will get stuck with.

I responded with interest, expecting the latter, but no, this time she announced “ Let’s go to eat at New Holland” it was not a question, and I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t even have an excuse lined up, therefore I fell completely for that one.

Of all the tables we could have had, we had to be sited next to a loud talker.

This is my textbook American, someone who likes everyone to hear what he’s got to say, which was mainly bollocks.

We heard everything about his hairstyle, and his obsession with athletics.

It would drone on for most of the time we were there, there was cause for celebration when the party left, certainly for our ears sake.

12th September 2020

It was a sad day, a day when the pool had to be emptied, it was the end of our summer indulgence, and it was like losing a dear friend.

I got the pump out and started the process going. Then it started raining.

For a time the pump had a job of keeping up, there was more coming down than going out.

I finally had to call a halt to the draining as we we due up to Mom’s for a birthday celebration. It was Brenda’s birthday, so all the family gathered to have a slice of cake.

I was not feeling my best, the changes in humidity plays with my head and I wandered around in a fog all day.

The humidity effects everything, from paint drying to adhesive curing.

I had my first veneer failure, probably because I took it out of the clamps too soon.

Damn and blast, I had to remove the veneer with a heat gun and scraper, and start all over again.

I glued up another drawer front, this time I was planning to leave it clamped up all night.

Kelli had a fall tonight as she came to inquire if I wanted a cup of tea. She entered the sunroom, her foot landing on top of a dog chew. Her leg buckled, as she lurched forward, and landed in a heap on the floor, I was thankful she wasn’t carrying my cup of tea at the time, what a waste that would have been. Fortunately she wasn’t hurt other than her pride. I assured her that nobody had seen the incident, and promised her that I would not tell anyone, other than the one person who reads my blog. I have always said that Kelli has very small feet and it’s a wonder she can walk on them at all. I call them “half full size feet”, because compared to mine they are tiny, or maybe mine are large.

11th September 2020

We had a man from the boiler company coming round to quote for fitting a heating vent in the sunroom.

This is the only problem we found last winter as the sunroom does not have any heating other than an electric heater.

As the house uses the crawl space as a giant heating duct, we should be able to punch a hole low down in the wall and allow the warm air to enter.

The man said it should be possible and only cost $150 to fit two vents, which I thought was a good deal.

The alternative that we’ve looked at is an underfloor electrical heating pad which, to be effective has to be switched on all the time.

The additional vents should give some take the chill off the air, and be warm enough to stop the plants from dyeing.

I managed to get a drill bit suitable for the size of insert to finish the bed side rail repair, now it just needs painting.

I decided to add a veneer to the drawer fronts we were having problems with yesterday.

I sent time laying up the strips of veneer into sheets to bond to the fronts.

I quickly tried one out to see if I could clamp it well enough.

I was quite happy how it came out, so only another three to go.

Donald Trump continues to dominate the new with his crazy actions, this time an audio recording of him admitting that he purposely played down the severity of Covid 19 is all over the news networks.

With the death toll nearly at two hundred thousand he has a lot of blood on his hands.

Every day there is something more unbelievable, I don’t know why I’m not going mad.

10th September 2020

The weather continued to be grim, the sky grey, it was like being back in England.

I had to work on the bed side panel, aiming to get it finished by the weekend.

I did all the machining, but was unable to finish as I need a drill bit for the holes to fit inserts.

I still had plenty of other work to carry on with.

We’ve had two dressers that had a really tough paint finish, even with a heat gun it was difficult to remove.

Normally it is quite satisfying to peel off the strips of old paint, but this finish just smeared with the heat making it a horrible job.

Kelli was not happy with the way some of the drawer fronts had taken a stain. Some of the old paint had sunk into the soft grain of the wood, this is impossible to remove, and of course the dark stains does not penetrate.

This is very demoralising, so a new creative approach is needed, more evenings of head scratching.

9th September 2020

There was a break to our usual routine, instead of “Stein night” we went to an Indian restaurant for a curry with Mike and Lesley, our English friends from down the road.

They suggested it knowing how much I missed my curries.

The place was Pind in Grand Rapids, somewhere they had been several times and recommended it.

This was a pleasant end to a frustrating day. There are days when creativity has a day off, and today Kelli experienced it.

We had been working on a dresser that we picked up from the side of the road. I had cut off some rotten wood and made new back legs, Kelli was experimented with different stain colours and none seemed to inspire her.

I was busy making a new top, and I could see she was a bit fed up.

This was the time to walk away, and work on something else, and we had plenty of things to choose.

I was messing around with another roadside find making new legs for it.

This dresser had a drawer missing, it was easier to cut the height down and add some legs to it.

We drove to Grand Rapids to meet Mike and Lesley who also brought a friend of theirs to join the party.

Pind is a small restaurant, that wasn’t very full, although it was was six thirty, a bit earlier than we normal book, but it was a change.

Kelli had been to an Indian restaurant before, but a long time ago. The waiter helped her to negotiate the menus and found a korma that was not too spicy. I chose a vegetable biryani, which was superb, and massive, even I couldn’t finish it, thank goodness for doggie boxes.

Kelli worked her way through her korma, nose running, she made good progress.

As we drove back, I was trying to decide whether to have my left overs for supper, or leave it for tomorrow’s lunch, choices, choices.

8th September 2020

What a difference in temperature today, it was too cold for shorts, so I guess the tan on my legs will start to fade now.

We traveled about today picking up some folding chairs for our forthcoming party, and another dresser.

We continue to corner the market in the damn things, so the garage is now full again.

It was a dull rainy day, the right kind of day to start new jobs. I needed to make a start on the replacement bed side rail. Part of the job was to repair another part that had inserts that had torn out. The only way to do a good repair is to set a new piece of wood in, do that is what I started to do.

Then I had to make a new top for the dresser that Kelli is working on, and while the adhesive was curing I had to fill old handle holes on the drawer fronts, by six thirty I had had enough, I needed a cup of tea.

The sad fact is tea does not taste the same here, it has to be the water, the teabag or even the cup, whatever it is, it’s not as good.