Author: peterb51

4th October 2017

“Quick! There’s a dresser on twenty seventh”

I had just settled down to my first coffee.

“It’s just been posted twenty minutes ago, let’s get there quick”

Kelli emerged with her “nazi” cap firmly pulled down on her head, as she rushed towards the truck. So leaving my coffee I followed.

“It’s this side of town, really close”

That was an understatement.

Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, where has twenty-seventh gone? The GPS coughed into action, its miles away. That only heightened the tension, would it still be there? Was the car in front going to the same place? it was like a gold rush.

I was prepared for a violence confrontation, Kelli can be a formidable opponent when there is something going for free, and she wants it. I would gladly stand back and hold the car keys.

As it happens no-one else turned up, and after a quick assessment we loaded it into the truck triumphant.

Today was delivery day for the dining table and small bench, both turned out well, and heading for Lakeshore Marketplace.

On the way back we stopped off at Goodwill to see what treasures were there. Kelli eventually purchased a small table that I had been resisting. ” it only needs a bit of glue to repair it” she said. Reality is the panels had split due to humidity, but I gave in, and we loaded it into the truck. There was another stop to pick up another dining table from a private seller. The price was good, but once we got it back, I realised the bases were held together with screws, and I would not be happy letting that go without extensive repair.

3rd October 2017

Visiting Grand Rapids for the annual Art Prize exhibition. When I was asked if I wanted to go, I thought they were saying “Our Price”. Therefore my response was ” Wow! You have Our Price here” which was met with strange look.

It appeared like most of Grand Rapids was involved in the Art Prize event, with street art as visible as those in the exhibition halls.

Even the river had a role to play.

There was even a collection of begging signs that an artist “bought” and displayed along a corridor. It was an illustration of the different worlds that co-exist in this so-called land of opportunity.

2nd October 2017

Temperature back to the 80’s for the next few days, so short sleeves it is.

Took the new things to Hudsonville and refreshed the space. 

On the way back we went to the usual haunts, but there were slim pickings.

Still shocked at the new from Las Vegas, when will people here realise that automatic weapons are for killing people. No amount of prayers can help those poor victims, but stronger gun control could reduce them.

There is no easy answer, like most things here there is a financial aspect to it. Let people have their guns, but charge them a thousand bucks per bullet.

I might get into a serious rant about this subject again in a few weeks, when there are more killings.
Poor Tom Petty popped his clogs as well, that was sad news, he was a rock icon, and someone who influenced my musical taste. We are slowly running out of these great rockers.
Kelli sold her two bedside cabinets this evening, yay for her.

There is a bit more space in the garage at the moment, so room to work on Fido’s coffin.

The big round table base has been painted, so I must start staining and oiling the top.

1st October 2017

Another day of rest sacrificed to finish the few furniture pieces we have. A dresser, and bed were finished and loaded into the truck for delivery to Hudsonville tomorrow.

I completed the grey staining to the bedside cabinets, it’s okay, but there is not much grain to show through.

We took a bike ride to the beach to break up the day a bit. There are very few people about due to the change in the weather, which makes it more fun. 

Following the undercover surveillance, (well checking with the mail delivery person again) we found out that the English lady’s name we couldn’t remember was Lesley. That will make future conversations less embarrassing. I must get a stock of beers in, Mike looks like he could handle a few.

30th September 2017

“We’ve sold more stuff at Farmgirl” Kelli shouted from the truck, “What is ready to go?”

It was good to squeeze in some last minute sales to boost the month’s takings.

I looked around the garage, not much was finished. I still had to stain the large dining table, make a top for the sewing machine table. Fido’s coffin was still in pieces awaiting some inspiration, and although the Apocalypse was nearly complete, it was not ready enough to see the light of day. I could complete the side pieces of a bed frame where I had to strip off the veneer, so that went to the top of the list.

Trying to build a stock of stuff has proved a complete disaster. No sooner do I bust a gut to finish something, it’s gone, and I haven’t even started on anything new yet.

Kelli picked up a simple bench, that needed a bit of glue to stiffen it up.

Had an invite to a new store in Zeeland, well actually Kelli had the invite, I just free-loaded, and tried to look cool and knowledgeable. The place is called The Porch, and has great upholstery and interior ideas.

Walking around the Zeeland streets, I felt that I should be singing hymns, dressed in black with the ladies in bonnets and clogs, adding “Thee” and “Thy” to every sentence.

I remember the first time I heard about Zeeland. I had just joined HM, and saw the name on a print, I tried to imagine what the place was like.

Now I have seen it, and like Holland, it had become part of my life.

29th September 2017

Up at the stroke of dawn, well that’s what it felt like, Larry and I set off in his smoke-filled Mercury for the parts store. I tried to hold my breath for as long as I could, but as my vision became blurred, I had to gasp for as much clean air as the small gap in the window would allow.

We arrived at an anonymous looking building called “Auto Value”. It was the kind of place I expected Larry to frequent. It had no frills, just a sign and a door. I was nervous, not knowing if they’d heard of credit cards yet alone use them. I was thinking of things I could trade, but the only thing of value in Larry’s car was his pack of cigarettes.

However my worries were unfounded, the place was fully stocked, and our order was on the counter waiting. There were two really helpful guys chatting, and pretty knowledgeable.

Now that we had the brake parts he could at least get that part of the job done, whilst we sorted out the shock absorbers issue.

I went back to my projects, removing old tops and laying up new wood.

Kelli was away, so Larry had to resort to shouting to me while I was working in garage. 

Larry is not used to shouting, as he then has to cough, and struggle to get his breath back.

He showed me that the driver-side disc was in good condition, and the pads were like new.

I can’t understand how anyone would only do half the job. So I had a spare disc to take back for a refund, hurray for me.

28th September 2017

“It’s the wrong part, it won’t fit” Larry said down the phone, although he lives within spitting distance, it seems the mobile phone is essential here.

The truck had been making a knocking noise from the back end when driving over the rough roads, so the diagnosis was the “shocks” were worn out. 

We found a set on e-bay, brand new in a box, and they arrived in a couple of days.

Larry, is the neighbourhood car fixer, and he agreed to do the work. He is a character, smokes like a chimney, but has a heart of gold. 

We dropped the truck off in his yard, and walked back across the road to the garage.

It was twenty minutes later that the call about the shock absorbers was received. We walked over, saw the problem, asked him to put back on the one he took off. We walked back to the garage. Ten minutes later another call, walked over. “The brake rotor is bad, and the pads are worn”.

“Okay Larry let’s replace them” I said, then walked back to the garage.

Ten minutes later another call. By now a path had been worn on the grass.

” The sway bars are badly worn” he demonstrated “Replace them Larry” I said, worn down by the experience, I walked back to the garage in a daze.

This is a typical scenario, start one job, and find ten others. 

As we investigated the problem with the incorrect shock absorbers, the vendor texted that we had ordered parts for a front wheel drive model, and not the four wheel drive model.

So now the process begins to replace the parts or re-coop our money.

Larry ordered the parts he needed to replace, so something was happening.

All this activity hampered progress on the furniture. The other thing that was hampering my progress was Kelli’s choice of music. She has set specific playlists on an internet music station. From the start of the day, to the end, she has the music of Justin Hayward. Every single piece music he ever worked on including the sounds from the womb! This is okay for a while, but having heard “Nights in white satin” at least ten times throughout the day it looses its appeal.

27th September 2017

So yes, it was noticeably colder, long sleeves and socks. Things on the agenda were two tops for the bedside cabinets, glue up side panels for the apocalypse unit that is progressing slowly, and to start on Fido’s coffin.

“What have you done to my cabinet?” Were the words uttered as the destruction was discovered.

I think I calmed the situation, by saying “trust me, it’s going to be unique” God! It better be, or it could be my coffin.

Kelli started the undercover operation to find out the name of our British neighbour.

She stopped the post lady delivering the mail, and asked her, she couldn’t remember either.

One of the chairs the we delivered to Lakeshore Marketplace suffered a breakage.

I hate it when something I have worked on breaks, although this was more about how the chair was made than what I had done to it.

We collected it, along with the broken piece, and I set about the repair.

Kelli started a closed group on Facebook to promote buyers and sellers of craft and repurposed furniture. It’s been interesting watching the number of people joining and posting stuff. Within the first forty eight hours over two hundred people had found it and joined.

26th September 2017

Four weeks gone, and still things to do.

There seems to be a problem with the garage door. Part of the stiffener attached to the door sheared off causing it to kink and jam. Mmm another thing to add to the list.

The big round dining table top has been sanded ready for the new stain.

This is supposed to be the last really hot day, and everybody is talking about it, in every household all the woollens are being aired.

Whilst I was working in the garage, a couple walking their dog asked me what I was doing. I started to tell them, “you’re English?” they interrupted, I realised they were English too. They had recently moved into the area from Canada where they lived, and worked for many years.

They introduced themselves as Mike and ?( I instantly forgot her name) desperate to remember, I was hoping she, or he would repeat it. My chance came when Kelli came out, and they introduced themselves again. We talked for about half an hour, and finally, as they explained where their house was, we parted. “Did you get her name?” I asked Kelli, “No, I can’t remember ”

Now we are on a quest to find out.

25th September 2017 

I am still having problems with Aviva, that bunch of assholes are still not giving me access to my funds, I will have to deal with them when I get back.

Today we took the big bastard to Painted Farmgirl, on course it meant moving all the stuff around AGAIN, but it looked pretty good.

I completed the stripping of the oak dining table, now the sanding starts.