Author: peterb51

26th January 2024

Stacy, our interior designer final came round to see the finished kitchen. This was the project she did little of apart from finding the worktop supplier that messed that up. Anyway she came to have a “nose” which was okay, of course we had to tidy everything away so that she could see the worktop.

We did some work on the long dresser, Kelli painting the carcass and sealing the drawer fronts.

The snow is slowly melting, some of the piles on top of the patio furniture have shrunk by about twelve inches. It will be just our luck that just as the last bit of snow disappears, more will come the next day.

25th January 2024

The two pints of Old Speckled Hen went down a treat with Bangers and Mash. Talk about an English meal, although it was an Irish themed pub, it was still great.

We finally arranged an evening out with Scott and Karen from down the road. Scott often stops to see what we are doing, sometimes he brings me stuff from his mother’s house, that belonged to his father. He is over six feet tall, and has a few health issues.

“I died last night” he once told us “but my pacemaker kicked in and I didn’t know anything about it”

Now I didn’t know that a pacemaker was supposed to do that.

“ The only reason I knew” he said “was the doctors office phoned me up and told me”

Apparently they monitor his pacemaker, wow! They do that here, what else do they listen into.

Some say that fridges send information back to the manufacturer sharing details of food usage.

I think ours should, but as we don’t speak Italian it doesn’t understand us.

Scott has other issues, like the time he passed out in his car and crashed into a tree, that was the start of his heart issues.

I’ve asked him to tell us when he’s out and about again so that we can stay home.

Karen is a graphic artist, she sketched all the time and some of he drawing are so detailed, if you stand still long enough she’ll draw on the back of your head.

It was a fun evening, Kelli managed to find out their political leanings, alway a good idea avoiding treading on dangerous territory. Of course once you start the conversation, you can’t stop them, so it’s time for, another beer.

24th January 2024

The conditions outside are pretty awful, with rain and melting snow it’s very wet. The roads have deep puddles and it was unpleasant going anywhere, so shopping day was a trial.

But we got through it, although a lot of the shelves were empty. Now I’m not sure if it is the apocalypse or just the weather, but it was depressing. There were no grapefruit, our staple breakfast treat, the Black Forest bacon was gone, and the shelf for the thin salmon slices was empty. All in all our food mission was dismal.

We did manage to pick two bags of Ein flour that were still on offer. I was surprised because Kelli had told everyone about it, but there were only six bags left, then what will happen?

Kelli had more things to take to Plato’s, another two bags of things she no longer wears, but she did find some jeans for me, so I got three pairs for a lot less than a new pair.

Whilst they were sorting through her stuff I went for a coffee. I usually have a blueberry scone with my drink, but this time they didn’t have any that thawed out from their freezer, but they gave me a muffin instead free of charge!! Today America was the land of the free.

With all the various excursions, most of the day had gone, I managed to finish the last drawer front and Kelli was in the kitchen making a fabulous Lasagna soup with freshly baked buns.

That made the day worthwhile.

23rd January 2024

Well a thaw is underway. The gutters were dripping and the roads and driveway is all slushy, this is the worst time.

We didn’t plan to go anywhere, but that meant I could get on with the sanding of the drawer fronts.

We have re-started our weight training this week after the Christmas break, and Kelli’s injury.

I have been using the new eight pound dumbbells that Kelli got me for Christmas which means that Kelli had moved up to the fives.

Although each session is only ten minutes long, a lot of the instruction commentary is drowned out by our groaning. I am drawn to the smugness of the instructor, not an ounce of fat on her, but the smile on her face shows that she is imagining what sad saps are trying to keep up with the routines. I can tell you we use a lot of expletives directed at her.

22nd January 2024

There is one thing that gets my goat, when someone beats us down on price then asks for change.

Kelli accepted a much lower figure for the pair of matching side tables that we had for a while with few takers. We needed the space and she accepted and offer of ninety dollars. When the couple arrived they waved a hundred dollar bill and asked if we had a ten. Stupid me said yes.

As they travelled from Grand Rapids, I should have said no, would they have passed on the deal? I should have tested that.

We made a start on a large dresser that we got free a couple of days ago. It’s not a particularly quality piece with a label “Made in Malaysia” all the drawers had ball slides in various stages of disintegration, some had been replaced, but the cost of replacements would not make it profitable. We had some roller slides that, I hope will be good replacement. The drawer fronts we heavy, they were made up of three shaped blocks that were nailed to an MDF backer. The idea is to strip each piece and re-stain them, so a lot more sanding to come.

21st January 2024

I did another driveway clearing job after the big snowplough had cause a huge bank to close off our entrance. I’d also made a cutting so that the post man could get to our box, the snowplough man laughed at my pathetic attempt, and filled it back up with snow and ice. After many passes, and some replacement batteries I recut it. Now the bank is nearly two feet tall, but I felt better that I had made the job of the postie a lot easier.

I had to walk to the corner store to buy toilet paper. Now was my chance to get the good stuff and not the thin cheap stuff Kelli gets. There’s so much choice, from transparent (the kind Kelli gets) right up to paper you can make clothes from, that’s a little too thick. I chose the kind in the middle. The walk there was exhausting, I don’t know if it was the weight of the boots I was wearing, or the uneven surface of the in ploughed pavement, but it took a toll.

The walk back was even worse, and at the end of it Kelli was offended that I carried the toilet paper WITHOUT A BAG for all to see. Everyone knows what toilet paper is used for, clogging toilets.

We had Gill, Chris and Morgan over for dinner, always good to see them. Kelli made a chicken stew and baked some bread rolls to go with it. It was so good it was almost a shame to share it with them. Of course I don’t mean it, well, maybe a little bit.

We did sell the dresser that we posted yesterday. I had the pleasure of clinching the deal, which wasn’t difficult. Well I didn’t do anything, she said she’ll buy it straight away, job done.

20th January 2024

It started snowing early and continued all day. It was light flurries followed by heavy falls.

We had a customer coming to collect the double bed frame that we have been sitting on for a couple of weeks. This meant getting out early to clear the driveway, there was about two inches, so only taking ten minutes to do it.

Just after 10.00 a truck turned up, not the best choice considering the weather, but what can I say.

Once loaded, they set off with the bed frame open to the elements.

There was a couple more snow blowing bouts, must have been twelve inches throughout the day.

I ventured out in the truck, which was daring, there were a couple of”whiteout” sections where the road hadn’t been ploughed and the snow blizzard was in full force. Most sensible people stayed home, I don’t blame them.

When I got back home I was greeted with the aroma of freshly baked bread, there is nothing that beats a slice of a warm loaf with butter, yum!

19th January 2024

We had something different for breakfast, German pancakes. I never heard of them, but Kelli trawling through Pinterest found a recipe, and decided to try it.

She mixed up some batter and poured it into a heated dish lined with butter, after twenty minutes there was a German equivalent of a Yorkshire pudding, but lighter and a little less crunchy, but absolutely delicious.

That was a great start to the day.

During breakfast we catch up on the latest news via the alternative media, get a little depressed, and then get ready to do work in the garage.

There was one dresser that needed finishing and another the paint.

We did venture out into the tundra with the dogs to go to the corner shop, thank goodness for warm clothes. I could feel reality on my face, it was cold, my nose froze but kept running.

Once we got back we took pictures of the new dresser and posted it.

18th January 2024

This is the kind of weather that Tesla owners hate, the cold drains batteries and therefore reduces their range. Therefore the big burly bushy bearded Trump supporters in their gas guzzling V8 trucks laugh in deference.

I’m reading an autobiography of Elon Musk at the moment, and although he has a brilliant mind his empathy with his employees is shit.

His record of investing in startups, pissing everyone off, then taking over the business is legendary.

Thankfully I’m not like that, which is why I’m not a billionaire.

Talking of which, we delivered the large dresser to a place in Jenison, it was the second time in so many days that we had loaded it into the truck, but this time it was a firm sale.

I helped move it into the house, down the stairs into the basement, my favourite place.

Fortunately there was no damage to the walls or to me, so I call that a success.

On the way back Kelli had arranged a pick up of a free dresser in Zeeland. This, like most freebies this comes with challenges. The drawers operate on ball slides many of which are slightly buggered.

Kelli managed to give another coat of paint to a dresser, she had the garage door open, and it was cold. It was a case of spraying as quickly as you can and straight away closing the doors. It is still cold but more bearable, then it was into the house to warm up.

17th January 2024

There was blue sky this morning, making the snow scene beautiful, it was a bit warmer than yesterday, but still bloody cold.

Breakfast was a bit sad as we had run out of everything, but this is something that happens every week.

Wednesday is shopping day, that is a trip to the bank, and then on to Nature’s Market which is conveniently next to the bank Kelli had forgotten the list of things she needed, so we had to go all the way back to collect it. We then retraced our steps, and collected all the required produce. We picked up two pack of the flour that Kelli uses to make the amazing bread.

Then on to Aldi for the bulk of the shopping. The contents of our trolley looks pathetic against some of the other shoppers, but we pride ourselves on quality not quantity.