Author: peterb51

1st December 2019

It was a day off from jobbies, usually that doesn’t mean anything, because things call to me from the garage asking to be finished.

I clear coated the small table one more time, and brushed a sealing coat on the re-paint dresser. Then I dug into the pile to see what other pieces can be worked on.

I came across a small dresser that looked like it had been rescued from the Titanic. The plywood sides had delaminated due to some serious water damage, and it was in really bad condition. I am not a miracle worker, and this piece would need completely dismantled and re-built.

I ventured deeper into the jungle of furniture until I found the drawer-less dresser. I had some thoughts around what I would turn it into, but the blinding flash of inspiration took me by surprise. The drawers from the Titanic fitted height wise into the top part of the drawer-less dresser. I could cut down one drawer to fit in the middle part, and Bob’s your uncle. This will be my side project.

We took a trip out to Goodwill on our side of town and found a small dresser that we snapped up to possibly sell on as it was.

We heard from Matt that the church that Mom and Dad attended raised a considerable amount towards the funeral expenses. That surprised me that in this capitalist country there is a socialist element to it, I wonder if they have made the connection yet?

Later in the evening, as we were watching something on the TV, I put my hand on Kelli’s nose and gripped the end like I was holding it. She immediately started to cry, this was one of the gestures her dad did when she was a kid. She had never told me of this event, and I had never done it before, this was bazaar, I had no idea why I did it.

30th November 2018

I needed to get things finished in the garage.

The events of the week, plus thanksgiving changed our priorities. Kelli had to go out, so I had a good opportunity to move things along.

The top I had laid up the night before turned out good, so I cut it to size and machined the edge. I was impressed that I didn’t mess up the final corner.

The timber took the stain really well, that was a relief, so I was well on track to get that finished.

The next project was the dresser re-paint, that needed the sides and front stripping of the old paint.

Out with the heat gun, and within an hour all the paint was gone.

I sanded the top and applied the dark stain to that, just as Kelli pulled into the driveway.

She had gone to Goodwill and found a tall narrow dresser.

Really, we should have teleportation between both Goodwill and home to save all the bother of going there and fighting for things

29th November 2019

Black Friday hit Holland but Kelli and I couldn’t give a stuff.

We had to join Kelli’s brother Matt and his wife Brenda at the funeral parlour to go through some of the arrangements. This is when the the term “ Dying trade” really means something. There is this casket or that casket with the super gull wing doors, in metal or the finest wood veneer. At the bottom end there is the cardboard box if you take the Amazon option.

With some tentative arrangements made we set off to do some shopping.

I had to get some wood to replace the table top that didn’t work as well as I wanted.

I also bought a router and a set of cutters to machine an edge to the top.

Kelli dropped me at Harbour Freight, a man’s toy shop. I spent a while looking at what was on offer. There were several different router specs, but also did I want a stand including a router? I was going back and forth trying to decide. I remember reading a review on this which was not favourable, so I put the separate router in my trolly. Then I wandered around the store for ages waiting for Kelli to arrive. There was only so many times a person could walk around the place before I get tagged as a looney just wasting time, which is precisely what I was doing.

Eventually Kelli pulled up, and I then went through the checkout as a normal person would.

We had to meet Matt again, this time at the nursing home to collect the chair we had delivered just a few days before.

We had planned to use the same trolley to transport the chair to the truck, but this time Matt was going to lay on the lower shelf and wave at the residents as I pushed it towards the car park. However that idea went down the toilet when an orderly volunteered to move the chair on a dolly for us.

We took the chair back to the family house and set it back in it’s original position.

There doesn’t seem a desire to move all the reminders out of the house at the moment, maybe closure will come much later.

28th November 2019

It was thanksgiving, and we were the hosts.

For us it was the best place to bring the family together. Our home had no reminders of Dave, except what was in our hearts.

Kelli set out the table, which was the first time it had been extended since we moved in.

As always Kelli did a great job of dressing it with multi-coloured plates and her crazy wine glasses of every shape, style and shade we had left from the wedding.

She then made a shepherd’s pie using lentils instead of meat. The other guests brought all the food for themselves.

We had decided to make this a happy event, and to use it to celebrate Dave by telling stories of some of his crazy exploits.

There were some tears, but the laughter was louder and more meaningful.

By 9.00pm everybody was leaving, from my position, I thought the evening went better than I had hoped.

27th November 2019

The day started good, we sold a TV cabinet first thing, then Kelli had to leave to work at the florist to deliver some pre thanksgiving bouquets.

I worked in the garage on a couple of projects until Kelli’s son Cameron turned up.

He was upset as he received news that his grandfather, who had just been transferred from the hospital to the nursing home, had taken a turn for the worst.

He stayed whilst Kelli drove from Saugatuck back home.

There are many ways that people deal with the dying. Some want to be at the bedside at all times, others want to remember the person as they always have, in the best light.

Kelli didn’t know what she wanted to do.

We went out to get some bits for the shed door and some wine for thanksgiving.

Once we returned, Kelli received the news she was dreading.

We arrived at the nursing home, all the family were there, the grief hung thickly over poor Dave like a winter cloud. This was very appropriate as there were high winds howling around the window frame.

At last his suffering was over, he lay peaceful.

Later in the evening, when we settled back, Kelli sat and wrote this Facebook post.

It sums up the father daughter relationship in a way I couldn’t better.

“I’m not sure why I am posting this on social media, other than the fact that I had the best dad a girl could ever ask for, and I lost him tonight. He was always a big teddy bear, one that spoke softly but carried a big stick. His sense of humor was drier than the Sahara desert, and he always gave good honest advice. The most important thing I learned from him was this: it’s better to err on the side of mercy than to do nothing. I know he’s in a better place now and he has slain the demons that I know he wrestled with mentally, but this is something I wasn’t ready for at only 49. I saw him Sunday night when he was still sort of alert, but not really talking much. I held his hand, which felt so tiny in mine, and told him I loved him. He whispered back “I love you too.” I always knew how much he loved me, but he rarely told me, so that is a memory I will cherish forever. Fly free, dad. I hope to see you again. Who knows… maybe I’ll find your spirit again in my lifetime. I love you so much.”

26th November 2019

I laid up the new top for the table, and set it on the flood to dry. I broke open the heat gun that I bought recently to try it on a dresser that had to be re-painted. I tried sanding the top, but the surface was very hard, and the progress I was waking with sandpaper was slow. At the rate I was going it would have taken a week.

I was hesitant to use the heat gun as I didn’t want to damage the veneered surface under the paint. I tried to just heat the blade of the scraper which seemed to work well. I a short time i managed to strip 80% of the old finish before we were called to Kelli’s parents house to help with moving her father’s chair.

He had been moved to hospital as his condition had worsened, and he was due to be moved into a nursing home for his final days.

I helped carry the special chair out and deliver it to the nursing home. This chair was vital as he could lay in a bed because of the pain it would cause to his legs.

Kelli’s brother Matt drove back and forth along 32nd Street trying to find Hallmark Nursing Home, eventually finding it hidden behind a hedge.

After going through rigorous security systems we were let in. I could see their point, I wasn’t looking my best in my work clothes and unshaven, I probably looked like the patient. I guess I was grateful that they didn’t try to get me into a bed.

The place was warm and bright, but that was its best features. The staff were friendly and some had the “ I’m so sorry “ look on their faces.

We borrowed a trolly and off loaded the chair, pushing it alone a corridor to room 404.

This was a grim space, the bed had been moved out leaving an emptiness that felt cold and desolate.

These places are not cheap, a room at a chain hotel would be less expensive, although the quality of food would probably be the same.

We had to carry the chair in through the back entrance (not passage). There were two doors that we had to pass through, the short passage in between was really warm. We did jokingly ask how much would it be for Dave to use this space, instead of the gloomy room, it was light with a good view, but they didn’t take us seriously, nobody jokes in this place.

25th November 2019

I went with Kelli to Fennville to collect a cabinet that she had seen on Marketplace.

Fennville is a place out in the wilds, with dirt roads and very bad phone reception.

The person’s house was pretty decent, set in acres of wooded land.

The furniture piece had a top section with a heart shape cut out in it. Kelli does not like hearts, so she told the seller that she plans to change that (she was meaning that I would do something). As I was carrying the thing to the truck I noticed that it had two bloody hearts shapes on each side panels. It looks like a more complex job than we thought.

On a previous project I had to do the same thing, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t disguise the shape. I used Bondo, and sanded it with every grade of abrasive paper I had, even several coats of paint would not cover the shape shadow, so the prospect ahead was quite daunting.

In the evening, a lady brought round a dresser that she wanted painting. I was a fine oak piece that seems a shame, but it’s what people want, and we advertise that we can do customisations, and I am currently working on two re-paints now.

One commission piece is a small table, we had an inquiry from a past customer if we could find, and finish one to match an existing piece.

Kelli has found one in Goodwill, although not made from good wood, and painted in a sand textured paint, it was similar to an image we had been sent, so I set about transforming it into something decent.

The top was just painted MDF, so the only alternative was to bond a piece of plywood, that would look better, and could be stained dark.

24th November 2019

I used the loppers for the first time to cut up some branches that have laid since last year.

I got a fire going and burnt the bloody lot.

Greer and her boyfriend Dylan drove down from Grand Rapids to bring us a wedding anniversary/birthday present.

Each of us received sachets of loose tea and a novel infuser that hung on the side of the cup.

Mine was a narwhal, which I was ashamed to admit I had never heard of.

We were later joined by Kelli’s son Cameron, then we all trooped over to Van Wieren Hardware to pick out Christmas tree ornaments. This is a family tradition, every year there is a new piece added to the poor tree, there must be nearly a quarter of a ton hanging on the branches.

23rd November 2019

We used the day to push a number of projects forward.

Don came to collect the first of his dressers, it was good to see that one out the door.

I took advantage of the good weather to rake the back garden. I still managed to scoop up a sizeable amount of leaves to add to the piles at the front. The neighbours have followed me by raking more leaves on to the road, I hope I was correct in my assumptions that the city with make a second collection.

I fitted up the new squirrel feeder, and within half an hour a curious critter was checking it out. One design flaw I have identified is the animal has to squeeze through a hole where he has access to the food. If it eats away, it might get too fat to get out again. So I might have to make a trapdoor at the bottom to get the skeleton out.

Kelli is continuing with her green initiative. She already makes her own laundry soap, now she has branched out into toothpaste, mouthwash,

hand soap and oat milk. The kitchen now looks like a Meth lab with bottles, measuring jars and scales. With her librarian style glasses, she just needs a white coat to complete the look.

We did the rounds of both Goodwills, but there wasn’t much good stuff at either place.

22nd November 2019

I completed the hole plugging and filling. Kelli was off delivering flowers, so I finished the squirrel feeder.

The bird feeders are a great success, we are now attracting a lot of little critters, much to the dogs frustration.

We headed up to Hudsonville, Kelli had some things to return, and I would sit and enjoy a coffee and collect more stirring sticks.

We were having dinner with our friends John an Patti at the Win Tavern. Not the best venue for non meat eaters but we managed to nibble at something.