Author: peterb51

5th June 2024

Always expect the unexpected, they say, well we do, and we did.

We were setting off to do our shopping, Kelli could hear a “tick, tick” from the driver side wheel, she pulled over and I got out to look.

Embedded in the tire was a large industrial fastener, I was amazed that it hadn’t gone flat.

We decided to drive on carefully to do our shopping.

Once that was done we drove back, unpacked and had some lunch, then I set off to get the tyre fixed. We had been running around for a while without a spare, due to another puncture, but I planned to have the front tyres replaced, now I had no choice and to get it done.

I got to the tyre centre and was served by a cheerful black guy called Ben. He had braided hair tied in a bun. I explained the issue, so he came out to inspect the vehicle. He looked at all the tyres and informed me that they were seven years old, and there was normally a ten year life. The spare was the one with the fastener in it was twenty four years. After a bit of a discussion, and a bit of bartering I agreed to have all the tyres replaced, you can’t put a price on safety.

There was supposed to be a buyer for the small dresser turning up whilst I was gone. I had moved it out of the storeroom to outside the garage to await them.

However that didn’t happen, Kelli called me to say she had a call from the buyer saying that she didn’t realise how far away we were. What a load of crap, she lived in bloody Zeeland!!

Needless to say she has been blocked from ever seeing our stuff in the future, we don’t need those lightweights.

4th June Tuesday

Selling reloved furniture is not easy, there is no buying pattern, therefore no predictions for if, or when we sell something.

We have a small dresser that hasn’t sold, it’s been a couple of weeks and one change of handles, but no bites.

There are the side tables that haven’t sold either, so the month is looking dire even though it’s still early in the month.

I’m working on two dressers hoping to break the sales famine.

Just as dissolution starts to set in there is some action.

A lady that has bought from us before wanted a dresser for a holiday let so she drove over to look at the walnut top dresser we finished yesterday. Although that one was not the right colour for her room, she was keen on the mid century piece I had started on. A quick discussion on finish and it was sold. She handed over a deposit, and now it was down to me to prepare it for painting.

Later we sold the walnut top dresser to a person who also wanted a second piece that Kelli found in Muskegon that was very similar.

Near the end of the after noon Kelli announced that the small dresser had been sold at a knock-down price. That hurts, but having it sitting in the storeroom is no good to us.

We had to run out to pick up a free desk that was very close, this will be converted into another pair of side tables.

So in reflection, what started out a bit bleak ended up a bit more positive, I guess it’s all about thinking positive.

3rd June 2024

Oh goody, it’s a trip to Grand Rapids to collect a gardener’s bench. Now Kelli loves old things which is why she married me, but when we arrived at the address, and saw what was waiting outside I had my doubts.

It looked like it had spent its entire life outside. That wood was cracked and weathered grey, the areas that was painted was chipped and sad looking, the only redeeming features was it had potential to look cute.

This was the topic for the drive back. Kelli wanted to keep it exactly as it was and put in the sunroom. I suggested that it be stripped down and refinished and rebuilt, replacing all the rotted timber, remaking the top and adding an oil finish, then it could go in the sunroom.

We went back and forth trying to find a compromise, I was insistent that I wouldn’t want it in the house, but it could go in the greenhouse.

By the time we got home we still hadn’t agreed.

I unloaded it from the truck and looked at it. It’s held together with nails, large rusty nails, I have burnt better things.

So the dilemma continues, I know Kelli will try to sneak it into the sunroom, but I don’t believe there is room, but we shall see.

We decided that today was pool installation day.

We pull out the large tubs from the shed and laid everything out on the paved piazza, and started the filling process. It does take a long time to fill, however I did notice a leak. There was a small puncture in the side wall with a thin jet of water spurting out. I tried to find the waterproof tape that I bought a couple of years ago, could I find it? No I bloody couldn’t. That made me angry, it’s in the garage somewhere. I did manage to find something that I slapped on the inside and relied on the water pressure to keep it in place, which worked. Tomorrow I will try to find the proper stuff and get the job done properly.

We’ve started doing some new arm exercises, my chicken arms still exist, so this was another attempt to strengthen them.

So for ten minutes you have to keep your arms up and perform ten different arm movements. It sounds simple but it’s harder than it looks.

I’m interested to see what happens after two weeks of this.

2nd June 2024

The smell in the morning can be the best thing I experience living here. It still is crisp and unlike when summer kicks in and everything gets baked. It still feels like a holiday, I hear the sound of the boats on the lake, and when I catch a glimpse of the water, it sparkles.

I had plenty of things to do, a top to stain, a dresser to unload and more free stuff to collect.

We set off for the north side following Kelli’s GPS that seems totally off. For example the time was noted at thirty four minutes, then it dropped to ten minutes, then five, then “You’ve arrived!”

The pieces were set out on the driveway. There was a low dresser, if you can call it that. It had just two drawers, so for anyone with restricted height, it would be perfect. Then there was a coffee table, usually the kiss of death for resale, and finally a child’s mid century style dresser/wardrobe. Kelli was excited about it, so we stuffed all of it into the back of the truck, and drove back home.

After staining the top of the long dresser, I started scraping off the top of the new dresser. It had been painted black, but underneath was a red wood grained effect coating, and underneath that was a birch veneer. Thankfully the surface was good and should stain well, now just the drawer fronts to do now.

Kelli finished the dresser that was already sold to a customer, but as she also wants another to match.

The search begins.

1st June 2024

Another new month, and more challenges ahead.

We removed the dresser we bought yesterday from the truck to see what we were up against.

We needed to unload because Kelli found another free dresser in West Olive. As we were on our way she caught sight of some terracotta flower pots at the end of someone’s drive. She quickly did a u-turn and I was the unfortunate person who had to get out and collect them, and placing them in the back of our vehicle, then we proceeded to do the purpose we intended to do.

Some areas of the West Olive are pretty, spoilt by those that live there, fortunately with all the leaves on the trees and hedges, a lot have been hidden.

After a small detour, caused by the driver missing the turn, and the navigator not passing on the instruction, we found the place.

It was painted blue and white, and very heavy. It was a case of removing the drawers. As we lifted it the kick board remained on the ground, n it a good sign, but we would probably discard it anyway.

I never sure if the owners are hiding in the house watching us struggle, with the piece of junk that must have, at some time graced their home. I guess that embarrassment keeps them hidden, I know I would.

Once we got back I started scrapping the top of the new dresser, it was a thin veneer, looking like pine, but more likely to be an Asian softwood.

After an hour that was done and sanded, there were a few marks that I dare’t sand out, but once stained should be okay.

Then it started raining, and it did for the rest of the day. Kelli managed to finish the dresser she started yesterday, should be ready for picture tomorrow.

31st May 2024

I can only believe that the city trash collection drivers have a practice range that they can hone their bin grabbing skills.

They can drive at a breakneck speed approaching the bin, then almost without stopping grab the thing with a pair of giant claws, then flip it up to empty the contents.

It then deposits the bin back on the road severely battered. Then it’s on to the next house repeating the procedure.

I find it fascinating, to watch, the driver has little expression, mindlessly staring out of the windscreen, like a train driver, he’s seen it all before, and just wants to stop for a burger.

We had to drive to a car park to collect a dresser that we had bought. Of course I didn’t take my glasses so I could fully identify what it was made from, I think it was a veneer, I guess I will find out when I offload it.

We managed to finish the pair of matching side tables that came from an old desk, hopefully they will sell quickly. Another dresser was also painted, hopefully ready tomorrow.

News of the Trump guilty verdict was all over the media, this will decide America even more that it is already. I’m trying to stay out of the discussion, as I have said before, I don’t like the man, but what the Democrats are trying to do is wrong, and the country will pay dearly for it in years to come.

30th May 2024

I enjoy seeing a furniture piece leave, and the buyer delighted with their purchase. I like it also that we get so many return customers. It give validation of what we do, although it won’t make us rich, it give us purpose. As I have written several times, and I believe wholeheartedly that life requires that purpose, I still have so many things to do both here and in my home in England.

It was a perfect day for a bike ride, we first went to the cemetery to see how the flowers we planted were looking. Dave’s grave is sheltered by trees that border the cemetery, Kelli talked about his love of the sun, so it was a bit unfortunate that he wasn’t buried under it.

We took a different route back, nice to see different scenery now that the trees are in leaf. The road took us right to the end of point west, then we came back along south shore checking if there were any eggs outside the house, but there wasn’t.

We needed to get some furniture finished, having to work on the garden took a bit more time than we anticipated, but there were three pieces ready to be painted.

The frog seems to be happy in the pond, it is regularly checked throughout the day, we need to find a mate for her.

29th May 2024

It was another crazy Wednesday, places to go and stuff to do.

I had a bill to pay at my dentist, apparently he bills separately, and as he is so quick at his inspection, I kept him waiting for payment, I think that’s fair.

There was another visit to Plato’s, ( I really don’t know where she keeps all this stuff, it’s only a small house, I’m sure there are no secret rooms that I don’t know about) she took in two large bags crammed full.

Oh now it was a drive to the UBS store so that Kelli could return a load of returns to Amazon. I mean there was a lot, parcel after parcel came out of another large bag, each one scanned and labelled. I stood in amazement, I know our house is a regular stop for the Amazon van, but I didn’t appreciate how often they delivered.

We did our usual food shopping before returning to Plato’s to collect the cash and any clothes they didn’t want.

By the time we returned home it was lunchtime.

I had some jobs on my list to do which did include scraping and sanding, so it wasn’t a total loss.

28th May 2024

Sustainability is a word that often gets thrown around, and even mixed into environmental and climate change discussions, but I have always believed that it is vital to conserve and replenish the resources we have.

Sustainability’s definition is:-

“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

I was brought up at a time when I had to clear my plate before I could leave the table. Rationing had just finished, but the idea of wasting food was not acceptable. It had stuck with me since, I hate waste and try to conserve as much as possible.

I had just watched a film about a young furniture designer who has made sustainability the core of his business. He uses coppiced timbers extensively in his designs and uses the waste to make into brickets that he sells for log burners. He is also experimenting with a fungus that he adds to wood chips to “ Grow” products.

Most woodworkers rarely throw away off-cuts until they can’t move, which is my case.

In the US the thought of driving fuel efficient automobiles never crossed their minds, although today’s prices has made them think.

Electric cars are not the answer, there aren’t countries that could generate enough electricity to power them. We seemed to be coaxed into believing that it’s the only alternative, but there are thousands of vehicles parked in fields awaiting customers.

Industry is trying to follow sustainable principles by using reprocessed plastics in furniture and textiles, but often this costs more than virgin materials. I am excited that plastic waste from the oceans are now being used, and communicating the message in their marketing material.

I was always concerned with the amount of chipboard that was sent to landfill, I even suggested developing “Green line” products that utilised board sizes better and minimised waste.

Worktops would have been smaller, and cheaper. The idea was poo pop’d, as not practical, but it saddened me to see the bins still full of usable material.

Both myself and Kelli get a kick out of what we do, sustaining the life cycle of a simple dresser may be a small thing, but keeps our conscience clear.

26th May 2024

The first of the vegetable planting happened today. There were four plastic pots of onions and a couple of dill to set into the large raised bed.

It was great to start this years crop, hoping that everything comes up. The asparagus that we planted a couple of years ago are still delivering, every day there seems to be a new batch to pick.

Kelli has a planting plan, something about what gets grown together to protect everything from insects and other undesirables.

We went to the cemetery to plant new things at Dave’s grave. It’s never easy going there, he went too soon, and we miss him. As it was Memorial Day tomorrow we planted a flag, he was a Korean veteran, so it was a fitting tribute.

Many graves had flags making a colourful site. The Stars and Stripes is still a symbol that Americans are proud on, regardless of their political views, and that is were the sadness lies.

It is still a divided nation, and it’s getting worse as the election gets closer. The only thing that is common is fear. No one is talking about unity, the democrats will stop at nothing to stop Trump. I have stopped watching any of the main stream media, it is so totally biased, I hate it.

I don’t care who wins the election, as long as I can still travel when I want, I don’t give a toss.

America will get the president they deserve.