Author: peterb51

6th January 2024

Well I finally succumbed to America and the Wild West.

I have been reluctant, but many friends have advised me to think about protection and home security. I alway thought that having two dogs in the house would deter any trespassers, but our two are not what you would call dangerous.

Any violators with a pocket of dog treats would be their best friend.

This whole thing has been brought into sharp focus by the problems at the southern border where many thousands of people have been let in and dissipated into large cities throughout the states. Many of these are undocumented, but are almost given residence status, which annoys me because I had to pay a lot of money for mine.

Anyway we went to the Graafshap Hardware Store that has been around since 1860, and some of the people that work there were originals.

It’s a great place that I have been many times for stuff, but part of it is an armoury. They have weapons of all descriptions. Often there are guys hanging out checking out the rifles and shotguns, talking about calibres and kickback and other military speak.

I told the assistant that we were looking for a small handgun, that was it, off he went listing out a whole lot of things I knew nothing about.

Hand size, foot size, inside leg measurements(not sure why), but anyway, we went through, background checks, eligibility checks, we had never been checked this much before. Eventually we settled on a small 9mm handgun that would be ideal for target shooting which we intend to do so that we would know how to use it.

That is the next thing on our list as soon as I buy a cowboy hat and chapps.

5th January 2024

There is always a problem with going back to sleep after an early morning awakening.

Generally Kelli’s sleep pattern had improved there are still nights when awaking at 3 or 3.30 happens. Thankfully after a time we go back to sleep, but then it comes as a shock when it’s 10.00am. Which is just what happened today.

This means by the time we get breakfast, eat it and wash up it’s nearly midday.

I had more scraping to look forward to, but that was going a bit easier, and Kelli was painting the bed frame.

She had already prepared a shepherds pie soup, which may sound strange but it is fabulous on a cold winter’s day.

As we were preparing the dogs for a walk, a large red truck parked opposite, it was there for quite a while . I noticed the driver walking to the end of the road carrying, what looked like a for sale sign, that made us even more curious.

We got the dogs ready and closed the front door, and locking it, just to be sure.

We took our usual walk, dogs sniffing everything in sight, and as we walked back along South Shore Drive we noticed a board placed in front of a Realtor’s sign. On this board was written in big letters was “SUE” with an arrow pointing to the lagoon. We knew there was a house for sale down there, so maybe it was something to do with that.

As we walked back towards our house the red truck was still there, but this time there was a silver van. Still thinking it was something to do with the vacant property, we thought nothing more about it.

But the truck was there all evening, and still there when we went to bed.

This was making Kelli feel uneasy, so she placed a call with the police for them to check it out.

4th January 2024

We had food for a wonderful breakfast, which was just as well because we were starving.

There were a number of things on our list to do plus a dinner out.

First stop was to collect another piece of furniture that Kelli had been trying to finalise for the last three days. Luckily it wasn’t far to drive, and the piece was solid wood in good condition. This may have a stripped and refinished top and a painted carcass.

Back at the ranch Kelli got on with preparing the headboard and foot board for painting whilst I got on with more scraping of the cedar chest.

We were later picked up by Debs and Don a couple from the next road that we got to know last year. She had an amazing garden, and has so far given us pound cake, a Christmas cake and some almond topping biscuits, so I’m glad we know them.

We went to New Holland and straight away they were on the hard stuff, no Nancy boy craft beer or fruity cocktails for them, just vodka martinis.

We had a blast they were good company, Debs and Kelli did most of the talking with Don and I filling in when they stopped for breath.

3rd January 2024

We heard today that Milly had been put to sleep.

The Humane Society has accessed her for ten days and decided that the risk of hurting more people was too high.

There was a moment of sadness for both of us that this was the conclusion, but we had to accept it. Kelli will bare the scar for the rest of her life, and that is a warning of the risks that can happen in taking a rescue animal.

It was a busy supermarket day with a stop at Menards to get some supplies.

By the time that was done there was little time do do much in the garage, although I did manage to finish scraping the finish off the top of the cedar chest. Boy that was difficult. The finish was aged wood effect laid on a thick base coat. the top coat came off but the undercoat was bloody difficult requiring continuous scraping over the same spot until it came off.

With another four side to do, I should be done by Easter.

2nd January 2024

We picked up a couple of things today, one was the cedar chest that needs to be stripped and refinished, the other was a kidney shaped desk that had seen better days.

Originally we were going to pass on it because there wasn’t a good way to use the pedestals as side tables as they were an odd shape, but Kelli had an idea to refinish it in dark academia style.

Personally I think it will need divine intervention.

We got up really late, the dark mornings really mess us up. We scratched around for something to eat for breakfast, as tomorrow is shopping day, we’re going to be really scraping the barrel in the morning.

I had to rebuild the foot board of the bed frame.

I cut a new plywood panel that had to curve around the side part, and slide in a groove. Although the ply was very flexible in the flat, put it in a curve, it isn’t anymore.

With difficulty I managed to do it, but the hard bit was assembling the side panel to the main foot board, every surface was curved with little surfaces to fit clamps to.

After several attempts and a lot of bad language I managed to concoct a way of clamping the damn thing.

We picked up the cedar chest from a lady quite close, she had painted it when she was eighteen, so it had lasted well over the last fifty years or so.

It had been made by her grandfather so there was a lot of sentimental value in it.

1st January 2024

So it’s started, we had our first delivery of the year, and the first dresser delivered to us.

This is rare, but the seller needed it out of the way today, and offered to deliver it.

There are a number of new pieces in the garage ready to start on.

The delivery of the buffet was to the Waukazoo area (the wealthy part) we do not discriminate where we deliver.

There was a gathering at Kelli’s mums for a game involving items that we might want, but might not get. It involves moving the items around the table according to the rolling of the dice where the gift can move closer or further away. There is a time limit, and things get more frantic as the clock ticks down. When the game is over you are left with whatever gift is in front of you. It usually ends with things being exchanged anyway, so what was the point? Don’t ask me.

31st December 2023

Oh another rip roaring day, New Year’s Eve.

It started off with a walk to the corner shop for a loaf of bread. “Can you get a tub of yogurt “ I just wasn’t quick enough to get through the front door.

Getting to the shop it was practically deserted apart from a young girl cashier. I found some almond milk yogurt and opened the safe to get the bread. It’s so damn expensive, and small. Each slice is the size of a cream cracker. I have to gnaw it carefully making sure my fingers are out of the way. I made my way to the register, but was pipped to the post by a lady in her jogging gear who appeared from nowhere.

She packed her energy drink and protein bar into a back pack and ran off.

I made my way back nibbling a snickers bar, just to give me energy of course, carefully hiding the wrapper in my pocket.

Now we were set for breakfast.

We went to Mike and Lesley’s for the evening, with sausages rolls and mince pies and other wonderful food that a year ago we wouldn’t have eaten, oh how things change.

There is always high expectations for what the new year will bring. With conflict in Ukraine continuing, and the war in Israel and the US Presidential elections it’s going to be an inexhaustible supply of lies and censorship.

I still find it difficult to believe that we have reach this point, the super rich always want more, if they can’t have money they want power, and the people give it to them.

One day there will be truth again, we will find out about when Covid originated and what the long term effects of the vaccine does to people. But it will take us all to open our minds and read between the lines, and hold those who have deceived us accountable.

30th December 2023

We finally got the buffet finished and took pictures, and Kelli posted it on Facebook.

She also put a post of a “items for free” site asking for any old furniture items that people don’t want we would collect and recycle. During the day we had two requests, one was to refinish an old cedar chest and another of two matching side tables, which we collected.

There is alway a chance that we will get some crap pieces, but we would have to deal with that when it arises, but getting free stuff is good.

We did our usual walk with the dogs in the morning sunshine, but we are now in winter, and when the sun hides behind the clouds, the cold hits the face.

I started the reconstruction of the footboard.

This is going to be a slow laborious job using a lot of Bondo to fill holes and missing bits.

We had the customers come and collect the dresser we had been holding, they were happy with it, it’s alway a tense moment when they see it for real, but so far we’ve had very few people change their minds.

29th December 2023

I had to drive to the nearest ATM to get out some cash. I go to a credit union because they don’t charge a fee like the other banks do.

But like most ATM’s there are other customers using them. I position myself so I can slip in once they are finished. My transaction usually take about a minute and a half, but these people were taking ages. They first check their balance, then that have to contact the cashier, then they chat for ever, all the time I’m trying to guess who has less to talk about. Eventually one moves off very slowly and I drive really close to the machine, so I can open the window and reach across to slip my card into the slot. If you don’t get close you then have to open the door and lean across, but of course the seat belt is holding you back, so that has to be unbuckled. It is always advisable to put the vehicle into park or you could move forward and not be able to reach the money or retrieve the card, all of which I have done in the past.

Most of the time Kelli is driving so I have to get out and walk through the drive thru, I have not done that at a fast food place, but I would love to try it one day.

We continued work on a bed frame, I had removed one part of the foot board because it was loose, but now I tried to do the same with the other end as it to was also coming apart.

I was hitting it with a mallet and prizing it with a crow bar, but it wouldn’t budge. I had to get more physical with it. Kelli was on the phone to Greer but looking a bit concerned at what I was doing. I was also concerned at what I was doing, but I was committed. Finally there was a cracking sound as the curved plywood panel snapped, “Shit” I uttered, Kelli rolled her eyes as only she could, this was going to take longer than I thought.

“Well it will be a much better job when I finished” I announced, as I set about cleaning out the splintered plywood.

28th December 2023

The lure of the dollar store was too strong for Kelli, she went off on her own this morning to get more stuff. I had other things to do that were far more important, like watching birds eat seed, or something equally absorbing. I was able to have my music up nice and loud until she came back and then the speaker mysteriously dropped to half volume. Now it wasn’t anything that she did, it just decided to run out of battery power. The Bluetooth speaker I spent a lot of money on has only two hours of battery storage, what a pile of crop. If Elon Musk manufactured it, it would have lasted a week, come on Elon get your finger out.

Kelli still has a love hate relationship with the Dyson, it is either full of crap or out of power, now that is HIS fault. I know it’s not the best design in the world, it’s a case of form over function, but at the end of the day it needs emptying or bloody charging.

Today was the first full day of Kelli’s wound being exposed to the air, well it should have been, she was nervous that it might catch on her clothes so she insisted on covering it up for a bit and then exposing it for a short time, a bit like a flasher. Anyway she wasn’t listening to me, she kept saying to me “well you’re not a real doctor”, and I have to admit that the only medical experience I have was watching Casualty.

But there is a long road to proper healing, and with Kelli it will be a bloody long one.