Author: peterb51

18th May 2025

I wanted to do something different today. 

A week ago I attempted to reseed a number of crappy areas of the back lawn, but after looking at it I couldn’t see any positive changes taking place. Normally after this time, with regular watering, I would see something happening.

So today I was going to place new turf on these bad places. I had bought three rolls, each one five foot long by two foot wide, I thought this would be plenty. Rather than cutting the turf into small pieces to fill the spaces I decided to clear a lot of the patchy grass, and lay new strips. This was harder than it looked. Most of the grass had rooted well and resisted my attempts to remove it.  I hated to remove good grass and just throw it away, instead I took it to an area where  have placed other grass that I had removed from the front when I remodelled the flower bed.

That grass had established well, now I was able to add more.

I was surprised where the turf went, I only managed to cover the worst areas, there were still many patches left to do, I might try to use some of the lumps I’ve removed to fill in.

When I’d finished, it looked a bloody mess, I know it takes a bit of time to take root, and blend in, but if it fails, I’ll cover the area with gravel.

Kelli has always expressed concern over the literacy of Americans. She had showed me many examples of bad grammar and sometimes the use of completely incorrect words, but this one on Market place made me laugh.

17th May 2025

We had to collect the last piece of furniture from the house clearance place where we got the two pieces yesterday. The same crew were there again working on the upstairs. What we were there for was still in the garage. It didn’t look any better today than it did yesterday. We removed the drawers first, some of them came apart as we pulled them out. That feeling of “should we bother” came to mind, but we assured the owner that we would transform it back to a desirable piece. 

Carefully we carried the carcass through a narrow gap between the house and the trailer of the removal team. 

Before we could load it into our truck, I had to remove three rolls of turf that I bought to patch in the lawn.

The shape of the drawers made it difficult to add them inside the truck. The only was was to pull the carcass out and refit them back in place.

Once all that was done I repacked my turf and we set off home.

The weather was drastically different today than it was yesterday, it was back on with the flannel shirts, but I still managed to work outside.

Off loading the dresser was hard, the thing now with the drawers was heavy. I grabbed a trolley and with great care managed to fit it on making it easy to move.

I gave the bottom a good clean, there was all sorts of wildlife living under there.

I was keen to see what the top condition was. There was heavy staining in the middle of the top that would not come out, so saving that was not an option. I had a number of small jobs to do, like repairing  drawer from another dresser, staining a leg frame I made for another piece, and trying to unstick something I glued yesterday, unsuccessfully.

The lady from up the road came round to look at colour samples for a rocking chair that we sold her, but she could decide what colour she wanted, she is not the most decisive person.

We had no takers for the free stuff that I carried back to the end of the driveway.

16th May 2025

The fall out from last nights storm is coming out.

It was very near a tornado that moved in from Lake Michigan on the north side of lake Macatowa heading for the downtown area. 

The Waukazoo woods took the full force of the storm bringing down several trees and damaging many houses. Power is not expected to be reconnected for several days.

The only damage we saw was a large branch that fell from a tree on South shore blocking the road.

By the morning there wasn’t any sign of the activity the night before, the branch had be cut up and chipped, even the road was swept clean.

There are more storms expected tonight, but not with the same ferocity, let’s hope the weather people are correct.

Kelli received a tip off from a friend that there was a house being cleared a few streets away.

She was immediately on the phone to get more details.

After breakfast we headed off to see what was available.

By the time we got there a lot of stuff was being loaded into trucks. One of the pieces of furniture we were interested in was in the garage. It had seen much better days, the curved veneered drawer fronts were delaminating and it would take a lot of serious work to get it into shape.

The chap organising the house clearance for his deceased sister showed us a couple of other pieces, these were in various conditions of neglect, but we grabbed them.

We had to make several trips, quickly unloading then returning for another load.

One dresser had a dislodged drawer fronts. This had somehow bowed badly and popped off the drawer box, this will be challenging to rectify.

With all this new stock we needed to rearrange the garage, moving out stuff that was clogging up the place. Many of these were pieces we haven’t got to, so out to the end of the road they went. We managed to get rid of a queen headboard and a mirror.

In one of the drawers of the dresser with the broken drawer was a stack of Sports Illustrated magazines dating from the 1980’s and 90’s.

To a collector, there are like gold. It didn’t have take long for Kelli to find out the potential value on eBay, so that’s where they will go, some sell for up to twelve/ fifteen dollars each, time will tell what we get for them.

Kelli did exchange cards with the clearance guys, this could be a good source of furniture in the future.

15th May 2024

There was a tornado alert that burst on to all the mobile phones tonight just after 10.00. I had never experienced this before, and for me it was exciting. For Kelli, on the other hand, was panic mode. She rushed to collect all her photo albums as we made our way to the smallest room in the house. 

There had been a thunder storm a little earlier, and I went outside to look at the electricity in the air. The lightening was amazing, I could feel the crack as it whipped across the sky. It was like nature was showing its strength, warning us not to do anything stupid with the environment.

So the alerts were sounding and the sirens were screeching, and we were in the bathroom with two shaking dogs and a frightened wife. All I was thinking about was a cheese and onion sandwich. After forty five minutes the sirens stopped and the winds died down, the danger was over, we had survived unscathed.

I saw emergency vehicles with their flashing lights assembling on south shore just beyond our road, a tree or large branch had fell across the road, I guess the night will echo to the sound of chainsaws.

Earlier, with the temperature up in the seventies we delivered the dresser to a place on the north side, it was another quick sale. 

This might be a good way of adding to our income, we pay more for the furniture and just sell it on, adding a decent markup.

I met Lloyd for another beer session, we are now considered as regulars because the girl behind the bar knows what we are having the moment we walk through the door, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

14th May 2025

We have had shit nights two days running, last night was particularly bad. It was a three thirty awakening, and a couple of hours of disruption.

Finally a short sleep happened, but not enough to compensate for the bad night.

Kelli had an appointment with her doctor, but there was confusion over the time. She thought it was 11.45 so we left at just gone 11.00. The surgery rang as we were on the road to see why she was late. It transpired that the appointment was 11.15.

Now it was panic stations, the lights and traffic were against us. Both lanes on the highway had slow moving traffic that wouldn’t react to the flashing headlights Kelli was giving them, in fact one driver went out of his way to be deliberately obstructive. There were a lot of verbiage and hand gestures, I have not seen Kelli in such a frantic state, if she had photon torpedoes the guy would have been a goner. I sank deeply into my seat, this was the closest I had been to a road rage incident, and some of those do not turn out well, however he eventually turned off, and normally was restored.

We finally got to the surgery just after 11.30.

By this time she was in a bit of a state, certainly not helping her composure.

The doctor carried out some realignment and calming measures, and that seemed to help.

We returned home in a much more calming way, I had things to do and was eager to get started.

Later, Kelli received a phone call from the garden centre to say that they found my glasses.

She checked that they were the correct ones, not sunglasses, before rushing out to give me the good news.

She then volunteered to go and collect them. 

I had been using my reading glasses since, and they were good for close work, but I had to keep lifting them to see longer distances.

When she returned, she handed them to me, it was like getting reacquainted with an old friend, there were one or two small scratches, but otherwise in good condition. I had feared that they had been run over by one of the motorised carts the use, but no, they went straight on to me face.

We took pictures of the dresser I collected yesterday, posted it and sold it within a couple of hours, delivery tomorrow.

13th May 2025

I had a solo delivery this morning to West Olive.

It was a thirty three mile journey, but it was warm  and pleasant to be on the road.

I arrived at the house, there was an older guy working on the house, he was the one lucky enough to help me carry the dresser into the house. He introduced himself as Cal, he was friendly with a generous smile. We removed the piece from the back of the truck and carried it inside. That is where I saw an Aeron chair, I remarked about it and Cal said that he had worked at Herman Miller, retiring two years ago after forty two years. That when I told him that I worked for the same company in the UK.

Cal’s smile got wider, he worked in IT and asked if I knew Jim Vandragt, this was incredible, I replied I had know Jim for many years, Cal called him up on the phone and we talked for quite a while agreeing to meet up for breakfast soon.

You never know how things happen like that, although I live in Holland I rarely see anyone I recognise, but driving out in the wilds I find a connection from my past.

I really look forward to that breakfast meeting.

I had to drive back to Holland to collect a dresser, I was running late due to all the excitement, but I arrived at this apartment and climbed the stairs to the room. A young girl opened the door, the place looked like a bomb had gone off, there was crap everywhere. She apologised saying she was moving out, hence the sake of the dresser. I removed the drawers and she helped me carry it down the stairs.

Once that was safe on board I headed back home, a bit tired and hungry, after all, I only had a cup of coffee and a slice of toast for breakfast.

I got home about quarter to one, we had our interior designer coming round to finally see the blinds we had fitted months ago.

Kelli was after ideas how we could use a box of had made tiles that we bought a year ago. There was a lot of discussion about where they shouldn’t go, but also some positives thoughts of how they could be displayed, food for thought there.

We went to meet John and Patty at a restaurant in Zeeland. The Gritzmaker is an unlikely name for an eating house. The building is unimpressive, looking more like a clothing store with its dark one way glass frontage, but once inside it seemed pleasant enough.

We hadn’t seen them for a long time, so there was plenty to talk about, poor Kelli had reached the limits of talking, not that she’s not good at it, but her voice gauge was running on empty.

I think we were both exhausted, whether it was age or our lack of sleep, all I wanted to do was nod off to sleep.

12th May 2025

BREAKING NEWS! We decided to try another place to buy our organic foods. Harvest Health is a relatively new store in Holland. We wanted to see if the normal things we buy would be cheaper. The store is part of a chain where the buying power would be to the consumer’s advantage, however this was not exactly the case. The only positive is there were certain items that Natures Market, our normal store, didn’t stock. The building itself was very new and modern, it had that corporate feel about the place. As it was on the other side of town it didn’t seem worth the possible small savings we would make, so next week it will be back to the normal place.

It was blooming hot today, definitely the hottest day so far, and a pool day if only we had it out and filled.

This was the opportunity to break out the shorts, T-shirts, and sandals , although not the best choice when I was working, as I dropped a clamp on my big toe, spilling some of my precious blood.

I did a bit on my own project piece, and some filling on the side tables. 

11th May 2025

We had the early call to tell us that the eggs were out on the roadside. I rapidly dressed and rushed out to the shed to get my bike out.

I had charged the battery so I was ready for a rapid launch. Unfortunately I hadn’t pumped up the tyres, and the back one was soft.

With the wide tyre there was a lot of flex, the back end would move side to side, and every bump was met with a squelch. But I did get to the eggs in good time. I loaded up a dozen variable coloured varieties and headed back.

It was Mother’s Day, the temperature was in the seventies and it was a glorious day. Just the time to get in the garden and dig up grass. The beds had grass and dandelions that had to be removed. My T-shirt was soon wet and exhaustion was rapidly approaching. It was satisfying to clear an area, it will take a few more days work to finally finish, but it was a great start.

I was planning to do some of my project work, but I got distracted.

I had a visit from my friend George, he came to tell me some news about Steve Kubica’s wife who was ill, and unlikely to return to Saugatuck for the summer. George himself and his wife Kathleen had just returned from Mexico where they have a house. Being Democrats they moved there during Trumps first term, and George likes to tease Kelli about her politics.

I do like to challenge people like George about the various policies that are being implemented.

He agrees that poisons should be removed from food, that the broader should be closed, that illegal immigrates should be removed, and that waste should be removed from the government.

He just doesn’t like the way Trump does it.

I can see the pattern, the two party state has frozen the country, the middle ground cannot be crossed even though what is being proposed make perfect sense to everyone.

There is still a lot to do. The Epstein files have still not been released, weeks after they were promised. There is talk that there are too many important people would be exposed on the videos, but the American people want to see that the promises that was made, will be kept.

I don’t think they care who is on them, because they know that most of the politicians on both sides are corrupt, and evil, they just want to know.

We had our Mother’s Day ice cream feast at Kelli’s mums, we brought the plants we got yesterday along with a small vase full of flowers from our garden, I had to read the card that Kelli gave to her mother to avoid too much emotion expressed.

10th May 2025 

We went to the local garden centre this afternoon to get some plants, because tomorrow is Mother’s Day over here. It was a sunny day and the place was busy. We walked around looking for something suitable. We found some, but also a couple of plants to put in the ern at Dave’s grave. That is when I realised that my glasses were missing. They fell out somewhere on the pathways, or on the plants themselves. Desperation set in, I tried to retrace the steps we took, but it was a hopeless task. The paths were covered with wood chips, and the thin frames would make it impossible to see.

If they fell on the path I expect someone would tread on them, so I don’t hold out much hope of them being found, although we asked the staff to call us if they get handed in. 

This was really annoying as they were my bifocals and I used them all the time, I do have  some reading glasses, but I have got used to not having to look over the top of them to see distant objects.

I am annoyed with myself because I’ve not lost glasses in the past, so I guess I will have to get some replacement sometime.

There was an amusing incident that occurred outside the corner shop, and could have caused an interesting situation.

We had gone inside to buy a few bits for dinner, and as we walked towards the door I noticed a white mini van that had just pulled up, quite close to the entrance. I said to Kelli “Wow! Any closer, and it would be inside the store, that’s what your mother would do”

Imaging my surprise when she actually got out of the van.

We were laughing at the scene, I tried to lighten the mood by asking if she wanted me to hold the two doors open for her to drive right on in.

9th May 2025

I was energised to do a lot of jobs today.

I did a repair to a drawer box that will fit in the side tables. I masked the edge of the top to the large dresser allowing Kelli to paint and finish today. We even managed to do some yard work.

I dug up the area of lawn that looked like it had a chemical attack. I have no clue what happened, but as I removed the old turf it was very dry. I piled new top soil in the spaces and sowed grass seed, now my experience with reseeding is not very good, so I will wait with bated breath.

I started making new leg for the storage unit we picked up from the side of the road, it should transform it into something more appealing.

Kelli had a better night, maybe the stomach pressing did its job. All this is messing with my sleep, if I have to get up in the night to use the loo, I struggle to get back into a deep sleep. I tend to listen to see if Kelli has settled. I can see why some couples have to sleep in separate beds. 

I started to cut timber for my private job, I will have to make it in sections in order to store it, because it will take time to make, especially with all the backlog of pieces in the garage.

The batteries for the bikes are all charged up ready for our inaugural cycle ride of the year.