Author: peterb51

3rd July 2019

Kelli’s day at the bookstore was moved from Monday to today, so that’s where we were until 3.00pm

I enjoyed watching the people wandering around, answering their questions, eavesdropping on their conversation, and sharing in their celebration at finding the book they had been searching for.

One lad was desperate to find something that interested him, but his father had little interest in his choices.

Even when he found something, his mother decided what books he should have. His little face looked so forlorn and his lips quivered as he left the store.

Larry came over to the house to tell us that he had fitted the new radiator to Greer’s car. He just needed antifreeze to complete the job.

We learned that we had sold the yellow dresser, and we had to deliver it on Saturday, a good start to the month.

2nd July 2019

The heat hit me as I entered the garage, even opening the door did not have any other effect. I had a list of things I wanted to do, so the heat was appreciated.

I was working on the two desk pedestals which needed a bit of filling. I mixed the “Bondo” with a small amount of hardener, I only managed to fill part of the area before the chemical reaction and ambient temperature made the stuff solid.

There was a lot of noise from the street. Contractors were busy cutting down a couple of large maple trees by the side of South Shore Drive. This was sad to see as we had lived in the shadow of these monsters all the time we were in the other house. There were cranes, cherry pickers, mechanical movers, and a mother of all shredders. This machine’s hunger was insatiable, taking huge boughs and turning it into chippings.

The place had the aura of a slaughterhouse, we were watching the destruction of a wonderful statue, with the cold precision of a death machine. I had seen the red dots painted at the base of the trunk a few weeks before, so I was expecting the worse, but it still shocked me to be witnessing the event.

Within a short time they were gone, the only evidence remaining were the trunks stacked on the grass. We asked one of the guys if we could have a slice from one of the trees. Kelli explained that we had lived in the house, and offered some ice poles in exchange. A little later were were looking at our piece of the tree, I’m not sure what we plan to do with it, but it will have a place in our home.

Kelli left me to get on with my jobs and went

off to do some errands, and scour the Goodwills. She returned triumphantly with a dresser that needed a bit of love on it.

Later in the afternoon the sky got dark, a storm was coming in from the lake. It got so dark that I had to put lights on in the garage.

Then the rain came, a quick burst, and then it was gone along with the black clouds.

The air was fresh and cooler, and hopefully all the fertiliser on the lawn would have soaked in and started to do its job.

1st July 2019

It’s a wonderful hot day as I get a bit of sun at the bookstore.

We are watching the clock till be can head back.

We have some things to pick up, and new pieces to deliver to the new place, then back to the house for the collection of the commissioned piece. Although this was just a strip and paint job it took a bit longer than we thought, but it was good to get it out of the garage to start its new life in a child’s bedroom.

I continued to work on the two desk pedestals, doing a bit of repair work, and more sanding.

I had bought some more garden fertiliser for the back lawn, so that had to be spread.

I carefully measured out the quantity I needed, and loaded the spreader. The instructions stated to distribute the mix evenly to avoid “stripes” so I was conscious of that as I tried to follow the tracks left by the spreader, which was not always possible. As it happened I had to go across the lawn to use up the stuff, so I will expect a chess board effect no doubt.

30th June 2019

We finished painting the desk and bookcase commission, so that is ready to be picked up tomorrow.

We had to drive to Byron Centre which I thought was a church hall, to pick up a desk. This was a part of Michigan I had not seen, but it still made me ask the question “why do people live so far out in the wild?”

There was an endless straight road ahead of us, and the odd house in between the trees.

We passed the town of Drenthe, or D’eath would be more appropriate name. Being Sunday there was no sign of life. Even the place we were collecting the desk from was deserted, apparently the seller fell asleep, leaving us to load the furniture piece ourselves.

The desk was covered in bits of maps glued to the drawer fronts, where an attempt was made to up cycle it into something attractive, but failing dismally.

On the drive home we tried to find a roadside stall selling stuff. We each had a different idea where the place was. Kelli thought we had passed it, but I was certain it was further on. I was right, so we pulled in to view the sorry arrangement of flowers and fruit. There was a handwritten note from the seller about a girl in a red car that had taken a small bouquet without paying for them. Therefore wracked with guilt we felt we should buy something to make up for the gutless thief from yesterday.

We decided on a punnet of strawberries and a banana cake with chocolate bits in it. These were a little expensive at $5 a piece, which made me think about making a fast getaway myself, but being good people we left the money and drove away happy that we were helping someone carving out a living.

I had fun trying to separate the desk top from the pedestals, I spent more of my precious life fishing for the slotted screws hidden deep inside a space no bigger than the height of my wrist with a dumpy screwdriver. I muttered a collection of really bad words as I scraped my knuckles on every sixteenth of a turn. There was only one that defeated me where I had to resort to a crow bar for the final release. Of course the thought of rebuilding, and re fitting the new top did occur to me, but that’s another day.

29th June 2019

Today was a special day in two respects, one the opening of our new space, the other the birthday of Kelli’s son and mother.

We got to “Our Collected Homes “ a couple of hours after it opened hoping to see utter chaos, and most of our pieces gone. Reality was we only sold a few small items, nothing big. That was a bit of a letdown, but not undeterred, we found some small items at Goodwill.

The weather is at last warm and sunny, which causes me to perspire at the drop of a hat, especially if I have any work to do. The merits of air conditioning come into their own when you walk inside the house, that cool air hits you, and my damp tee shirt suddenly feels like an ice pack, brr, that’s cold.

The Bulthouse family birthday tradition kicked off at 7.00pm with presents and cake, washed down with a couple of glasses of Sangria, or for the Christians, a glass of cold water.

The celebration is a collection of laughter and tears. Then it is over, and everyone disappears, all we have left is the remains of the cake and drink. I think curfews last longer, it is a race to see who can leave the earliest .

That takes a bit of getting used too (like not being offered a cup of tea when you visit people) most of the conversations are conducted in the driveway or over fences, but that is their way, and I don’t think I can change them.

We rounded off the day around the fire pit, burning some of the low hanging branches I had cut off from from the pine trees. These had made cutting the grass around them so torturous. It was like being whipped (not in a good way) every time I was dragged by the mower under them. My revenge was watching them erupt in flames, although they got revenge by showering us with airborne ash.

28th June 2019

You get all sorts coming into the bookshop. There are the friendly type who like to be friendly with everyone, and the miserable ones who hate everything. There are those who sit and read most of the book before they buy it, try doing the same in a restaurant buddy! Often there are families where the parents just want a rest from their demanding children. I usually sit up front with Kelli reading my book of choice. I don’t ring up customers, I can’t be trusted. I can’t make sense of the coinage, I never use it, my pockets are often full of loose change clanking about, dragging my trousers south. Kelli is expert in finding it, and placing it is a pot on the dining table. This stash comes in handy when she needs to tip someone, although their appreciation disappears when she hands them a stack of pennies. They walk away with their pockets weighed down to their knees.

I was faced with a dilemma as I was leaving for my coffee. I was going to walk out of the door, but I waited for a mother and daughter to enter. The daughter came in but the mother, of ample proportions stopped in the doorway looking at some bargain books. There then followed a difficult pause, as I waited for her to create some space to allow me to pass. I had to pretend that I was just standing there minding my own business. At one point I was afraid she would pick a book and start reading, then I probably would have slapped her.

Greer had a problem with her car. The radiator had a leak and she was stuck on the other side of town.

We finished work a little earlier so that we could go to her aid, although there wasn’t much either of us could do, we waited in moral support for the tow truck.

We arranged to have the car dropped off at Larry across the road. He had a look and established it was the radiator that was leaking. He couldn’t find a supplier that could get a replacement for such an old car, so I guess it’s the internet again.

27th June 2019

We were desperately trying to finish a dresser to take to the new space. Kelli was trying to decide what knobs to fit. One idea was to make them out of old wooden cotton reels. I mocked one up, “Nah!” She said. Next were some I was crafting out of wood. I had made six and was ready to make the last two. “Could you stain one dark?” I immediately did it. “Nah!” She said. It was as if someone had said to Michelangelo who had just finished his sculpture of David, “ It’s nice but I wanted an urn”

Eventually she settled on some knobs she had used on the old house that the landlord had returned, guess they were too outrageous for “normal” people. Still, we reused them to great effect.

When we got to the store and unloaded the dresser, I wandered around looking at pieces other vendors had supplied. I rub my hand across the top surfaces of the various dressers, desks and tables and gauge how smooth they are compared to ours. This is important to me(in a smug way) it is a feeling of quality, and it gives me a feeling of inner most joy when I scrape my hand over a surface that is rougher than the sand paper I used.

I spent the evening painting the commission pieces, with the occasional distraction of weed collecting.

Since we got the composter, it has drastically reduced what we put in the bin. “How long before we can use the compost we make?” Kelli inquired.

I didn’t have a clue, most people who have them never use the compost, they just keep filling them up, the level never changes, it’s like they’re sitting above a sink hole.

“About five years I think” I eventually replied.

Kelli’s eyes rolled.

“By then we’ll have somewhere to use it on”.

26th June 2019

Just another day of painting and staining.Kelli was not very well, so I pottered about doing stuff, and keeping production going. One of the garden chairs we picked up recently broke when I sat on it. Not due to my weight,may I add, this is a vegan household so I’m constantly hungry and thin (just joking).

The weather is hot and sunny, I have been able to expose my legs to the sun and mosquitoes. These must be stealth mozzis, because I don’t ever see them attack, I just know that they have.

I think I’m becoming obsessed with weeds. As part of my daily routine of dog shit collecting, I can’t pass a weed without pulling it out. They are so easy to pull because of the sandy soil. I can get lost for hours, bent over pulling and bunching the little critters, I must look like a question mark.

I haven’t experienced any noticeable difference in the front lawn, I was expecting thick green luscious grass, but no, not yet. I’m probably a victim of a fiendishly clever hoax convincing me to spread a sackful of black grit over my grass.

25th June 2019

Took more things to the new space, plus the usual stop at Goodwill to pick up any gems that might be there. We found a television stand in a light wood, and in good condition.7

During our chill out time we have been watching The Great Interior Design Challenge. Kelli is obsessed with the word “Bespoke”. It is used many times during the same episode. It drives her nuts.

She went on google to find out its meaning and discovered it was used to denote made to measure suits where the fabric had “been spoken” for. I did not know that.

Now she just shouts at the tv “It doesn’t apply to furniture!” I now cringe every time I hear it.

24th June 2019

Another day at the book store, anxiously awaiting that time we finished because this was the day that we made our first delivery to the new store, Our Collected Homes. This is a much scaled down operation, compared to Painted Farmgirl. It is housed within a much larger business called Not So Shabby. This has been around for quite a few years, so building a new outlet within the larger “Mothership” could be an advantage.

It is due to open on Saturday, so everyone is excited, and hopeful of it’s success.

Back at the ranch, I splashed a bit of paint around on our commissioned piece.