Author: peterb51

5th February 2024

Determined to get the dining table and chairs finished, I started early on the chairs getting them ready for a second coat. The table just needed assembling.

Just after lunchtime we set everything up and took the pictures, that was the extent of our activity for the day.

However we had driven over to the north side to collect a free dresser. This has a lot of things that need work, the top had been cut to fit against a wall, so a bit of repair needed there.

We took a couple of walks to the corner store, the dogs always know when it’s walk time, and run around in circles until I unhook their leads, then they line up so I can fit them over their noses. Phoebe nearly always does a poop along the way so it’s important that we have bags at the ready.

We stopped of at the local hardware store to pick up some ammunition for tomorrows training session, this could be fun, never thought it would be me doing this.

4th February 2024

I re-sanded the last chair, and sprayed it, it was another sunny day, and I didn’t mind having the garage door open.

We had done our weight training earlier, which usually makes it difficult to lift a fork at breakfast, but I got through that as well.

Kelli was in the kitchen all morning preparing the dinner for later and getting the dough together for yet another loaf of bread.

Over breakfast we listened to an interview with Whitney Webb a journalist who was the most amazing person, she was a walking reference book. The interview covered the Epstein story, and how all American and British politics all seemed to merge into one, complex but fascinating.

Then it was a walk with the dogs along by lake Mac, it was like a spring day except of the banks of packed snow along the roadside.

Then it was up to Kelli’s mum for ice cream.

An odd arrangement, but fun to see Matt and Brenda for a while. I was given the task of changing the filters in her furnace which meant going into the basement, once Dave’s workshop, now an empty shell, that was the most difficult feeling, I was glad to climb the stairs again.

3rd February 2024

Oh joy another sunny day, but a cold night.

We took a walk around midnight, the folks over the road were sitting around a campfire. The smoke lay low compressed by the solid air above.

We both had trouble getting off to sleep, so taking a walk seemed to be the best answer rather than feeling sorry for ourselves. Even at night it’s a great neighbourhood, some were still up watching late night television, others were asleep I bet.

We walked in a loop, through a small park with children’s swings and climbing frames, equally as cold as we were.

When we got back the smoke was still trapped, but the people were gone. The house was the warm retreat we needed. Quickly we went back to bed, and thankfully we drifted off.

There had to be a reason for our irregular sleep,could it be the extra supplements she is taking? She racked her brain and came to a conclusion that she had been on tablet that should have contained vitamin D, but she had ordered, or was wrongly supplied one without.

Vitamin D is essential to good health, including sleep. Normally we get it from the sun, but in winter it had to be supplemented. So part of our day was to buy some. I should be taking it as well, I need to keep a strong immune system and the prescribed dose is between 5000 and 10000 thingys.

The stuff we bought were gummies, each one was 5000 so I had one and Kelli two.

“How do they get 5000 Dees in one gummy? it must be really small”

That led on to a long debate about the size of one vitamin D which led to no conclusion, and a strange look from the wife.

2nd February 2024

After an interesting night, Kelli continued to have troubled sleep, or more precisely, getting to sleep, she had to face the day.

I thought we had got though this stage. Many weeks had passed, her sleep had improved, and she had been keeping a log as proof. But this past week the bad times had returned.

I wasn’t that supportive, I needed sleep as well, and the thought of another period of nap taking was not received well by me.

Even the sun didn’t help, it still shone down on a frozen lake, and didn’t make it less frozen.

I had planned a lot of things to do, but didn’t want to do any of them, instead I sat in the garage sanding off paint from a chair that we painted yesterday. A bit of a wasted effort because there was some contamination that the paint didn’t cover.

1st February 2024

Well I didn’t spend the night on the couch. However both of us had another restless night, and even my breathing wasn’t the cause.

We tried to figure out what might be effecting our sleep pattern. I know there are waves and depths that we follow, and once we reach a certain point our brains say “ okay, it’s time to pee”.

But we didn’t let that ruin our day, I was glad to be alive, I did think that I might have to hold my breath all night, that is not a good look.

There is alway a voice that says “Are you awake?”

I answer “ Yes”

“ were you sleeping?”

“I was dozing”

“ you were sleeping”

“No I was just dozing”

“What’s the difference?”

“Okay I’m wide awake now” it’s a lot easier to say that than to answer twenty questions.

I eventually get up to let the dogs out, that burst of cold air hitting my warm body shocks me back to reality.

The dogs know when we’re awake, they have us trained well.

We concentrated on getting the parts of the table painted, carrying them into the house to dry, then it was the chairs.

There were a few paint issues that require further work, but that’s for another day, I was cold, and needed warming up.

31st January 2024

Last night I spent it on the sofa, not that we had an argument, but I kept Kelli awake, not with my snoring, just my breathing. I did offer to stop, but I thought it was detrimental to my life.

This doesn’t happen often, but Kelli can have bouts of super hearing, like when she can hear me sigh when I’ve been asked to do something. The trouble is I can be in the next street, it’s like living with a super hero.

She also has a keen sense of smell. We can be in bed when she will say “something smells” it can’t be me because I alway try to sleep downwind. Then it’s hunt the smell, usually it the rubbish under the sink, or the dogs have farted.

Ether way I’ve grown out of all those things, I only hear and smell what I want to.

However we both managed to sleep, and I must say my hair was not as ruffled as it usually is every morning. It must have been that crack at the back of the sofa where everything gets sucked into, I came back out with ten dollars in change, and decent hair.

We did our weekly shopping hoping that the shelves were full, unlike the Russian supermarket scene we had last week.

We did finally manage to sell the large dresser that had given me so much grief, however the buyer wanted the carcass painted black. I had no problem I would painted it sky blue pink to get the sale.

30th January 2024

Now that a lot of the snow has gone, the next task is collecting all of the dog poo. For a number of days it was impossible to find them as the snow fell, but magically they appear in a halo of receding snow. It’s like they emit heat to melt the surrounding area, fascinating.

It was a miserable day, it was misty over the lake, it felt cold but the thaw continued.

There were branches and twigs appearing on the front lawn, broken by the weight of snowfall.

Everything looks a mess, the grasses flattened, the bamboo bent, I can’t wait to go out and tidy the place up, when it’s warmer of course.

Kelli made a start on the dining table.

The thing in itself was heavy and awkward, I had sanded the legs, and under frame. The top was a laminate, so we agreed to paint that, and then seal to protect it.

29th January 2024

I hate that bloody dresser, I had been wrestling with that bugger for two and a half days.

Fitting the drawer fronts tested my patience and my ability to remember bad language.

I finally got them finished as best I could, and we dragged it outside to get pictures.

Kelli had attempted to remove snow from the area next to the fence, but bless her, it was way outside of her comfort zone.

I made a large cleared space with the snow blower, but moving that beast was difficult. The solid wood drawer fronts made it impossible to carry it, so we reverted to the trolleys that was a bit of a risk, but we did it, took the pictures and posted it.

Next on the list is a table and chair set that has been sitting in the garage since October, hopefully it will be less taxing and a darn less work.

28th January 2024

It had been eight days since I contacted O2 regarding the unlocking of my old iPhone, and I hadn’t heard anything.

This morning I thought to myself self that I should try to find out why it hadn’t happened yet.

I hit the app on my phone, and straight away I regretted it. Dicking around I eventually found the chat section and clicked on that. Up came all the conversation that I had all that time ago, but was that any use today? Bloody no!

I had to repeat everything again, phone number, full name, what the problem was, I had blisters on my fingers. I had two people trying to help me .

First it was Manisma he/she was on there long enough to see all my information, and then after a long time Siddhesh appeared.

He/she asked me all the same questions and after an hour announce that my unlocking would occur within Seventy two hours. This was the same timescale I was given eight days ago. I am truly annoyed at O2, the customer service sucks, and their app sucks, so as soon as my contract ends I am considering changing providers.

In between all this time wasting we had a couple come to collect the mid century style dresser he seemed to have for ages. That was a welcome relief.

I was then attaching the drawers to this other large dresser with the strange drawer fronts, boy that is a bastard. First I had to reassemble each front that was made up of three separate pieces then I had to position it within the carcass.

I was hoping to finish it today, but this is definitely a two day job.

27th January 2024

We had to collect a free dresser, I have started to shake at the thought at what we might find.

There it was outside waiting for us. the owners didn’t have the courage to come out and present it to us.

“Welcome to our home, here is the dresser, it’s a family heirloom, built by my grandfather, sorry about the missing drawers and broken rails, got drunk last night”

What was left seemed okay, it had bad paint, but nothing that can’t be fixed with a lot of prayers.

We managed to get it into the truck and headed home.

The dogs were pleased to see us, Kelli has started putting cosy winter scenes on the TV. They have snow falling and fires crackling with cool relaxing sounds, sometimes jazz or lounge music. I would love to see the dogs greet us wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigarette, it’s that kind of vibe.

I started to rebuild the large dresser. I had to fit roller slides instead of the broken ball slides, that was not as easy as I thought, but I resisted rushing and made some jigs for consistency, wow, I’m talking like a professional.

It was fortunate that I had four pairs of the roller slides from a previous piece that we had to scrap, but I had to use two ball slides to complete the job.