Another Lifetime to go

5th May 2022

Well the Red Devil has been completed and it certainly isn’t red anymore. The bright teal drawers and side panel really standout from the walnut stained carcass, we have certain reservations, but we’re bored with white, and this is very different, time will tell if it sells.

We drove to Hamilton to collect the piece that Kelli found on Marketplace last night. It would have helped if the seller gave us the correct address, but we found it in the end. We were in deep Trump country, very evident when we stopped at a house to get directions.

Eventually we found the place, and there it was, a long white painted mid century record player. It was similar to one we sold last year, but that was just a clean and polish, this will require much more work, but could’ve worth it.

I ordered the turf for the back garden, and I mentioned that I was thinking of starting a pottery with all the clay that was in my top soil, I could make a few pots.

They were apologetic and promised to make up any shortfall if I needed it.

I carried on laying the dirt to level the area for lawn using wooden peg knocked into the ground to give me a level point. Once covered I used a wooden plank to firm it up.

I have divided the ground up into workable/ manageable areas, so it should be finished in time for the turf to arrive.

4th May 2022

I had no idea what six cubic yards of top soil looked like, but I do now. A mountain of black dirt features prominently in the driveway. Dark and menacing it waits patiently to be deposited over the back garden, levelling the ground waiting for the rolls of turf to finish the job.

First I had to cover the area at the front with enough of the black stuff so we could spread the contents of all the packets of wild flowers seeds that we had accumulated.

There is nothing technical about spreading tiny seeds that are nothing more then specs of dust, but not knowing how few, or if any will germinate is frustrating.

Kelli finished painting the transformed Red Devil whilst I started moving dirt into the back garden.

With all this activity we still found time to pick up some free furniture, we can never pass that up.

During the evening Kelli showed me a picture of a mid century style piece on her phone, I thought it looked pleasant, but I also noticed it had “Sold” on the page.

“So you bought it then” I said smiling, “Mmm” she replied. So I guess we have another pick up tomorrow.

Oh the big new is I got my green card in the post, fantastic, I’m no longer an non-resident alien, just an alien.

It’s been a long two years waiting, and then Flash, Bang! It’s all over, now I don’t feel trapped anymore.

3rd May 2022

We had to stop the top soil delivery because it was due to rain all day and I didn’t want it washed away. Kelli made a call and rescheduled it for tomorrow when it will be dry.

We finished a dresser today, took pictures and posted it, and sold it straight away, collection on Thursday, May is getting off to a good start.

The Red Devil is going through a complete metamorphosis, all the red paint has been removed and I’ve stained the frame and top in a Mocha stain whilst Kelli has painted the drawer in a bright aqua, it really pops.

2nd May 2022

I wanted to move the mountain of dirt I had accumulated when I excavated for the decking. I had stored it at the far end of the garden under the pine trees. I wanted to use it to level the area in the front garden that will be turned over to wild flowers.

Each shovel full had to be sifted to remove all the dead grass and roots. It was exhausting work, barrowing from the back to the front and tipping it into heaps then back again. Nine times later it was all done and ready to be mixed into the existing soil, ready for the delivery of top soil tomorrow.

Once settled down in the evening watching a bit of television, Kelli saw the friend of Larry stumbling from his van ( like he often does) but this time he fell to the floor and appeared to flounder trying to get up.

I put my shoes on and rushed over to help him. It was pretty clear that he was drunk, I could smell it across the road. I tried to help him up but he complained that his legs didn’t work, I was pretty sure the rest of him wasn’t either.

I managed to get him to his feet using Larry’s truck to get purchase on, he stood but when he tried to walk his legs buckled under him and he hit the ground, banging his head on the path. So my intervention didn’t help, but rather set him up to get injured. I tried again, finding a spade to act as a support, he wanted to go back to his van to rest. I lifted him up again and we slowly moved one wobbly leg after another getting him to his vehicle, I guess he would stay there until he sobered up.

It was a small insight into someone’s troubled life where alcohol can seem to be the remedy but is often the cause.

1st May 2022

One of the last things I do in the evening is washing up. Even though we have a dishwasher I find hand washing a nice peaceful thing to do.

However it does amaze me the amount of stuff in the sink. There are just two of us, but the number of things to be washed is totally out of proportion. No matter what we eat at mealtime the sink is still full. It appears that every knife, fork and spoon we have is used everyday, including the grotty ones that I avoid. Every measuring cup and spoon along with a large and small whisk finds its way from the drawer to the dirty pile. It’s like deja vu and Groundhog Day everyday. Thank goodness that all the sauce and frying pans don’t follow the same pattern.

As I am busy up to my elbows in suds, the dogs take up positions at my feet looking up with those pleading eyes “any scraps for us master?” It is my fault, of course, I throw them the remains, equally divided that they inhale.

The worse job is removing scrambled egg from the large saucepan. Since we’ve been eating eggs this is the one thing Kelli likes to do. She aims to get closer to the eggs her father used to make. Occasionally I get “ these are very close” but to me they taste great anyway.

But trying to clean the residue is incredibly difficult, I should use it in the garage to glue things together, along with essences of fly that adheres to the trucks windscreen, I wouldn’t have to buy adhesive ever again.

30th April 2022

I had every intention to work on the front garden patch that will be transformed into a wild flower paradise, well anytime will be better.

I have tried to reseed it several times but the ground is not good, and there is shade from a tree.

Whilst I had the ground muncher I went over this area, but now I had to remove all the chunks of weeds, moss and grass.

But, we had to drive to Zeeland to collect three raised bed frames. For what I paid I could not have bought the material and the time to make them myself.

Then the rain came, with all the exposed dirt in the back garden I was dreading letting the dogs out and getting mud everywhere, so I quickly rigged up some barricades out of anything I could find. That confused the little buggers, they just stared across land they would normally chase squirrels.

We got on with some work. Kelli coated the tops for the two side tables, whilst I continued to sand the top for the Red Devil.

Then we both turned our attention to stripping the red monster. Kelli with her heat gun and I with my scraper. Soon the floor was covered in red bits, it looked like a murder scene.

Later in the afternoon a truck turned up with a huge covered trailer in tow.

The buyer of the dresser had come to collect and deliver to us the queen size bed frame that they wanted stripped, stained and refinished.

Now the garage is totally full, and I’m starting to freak myself out.

29th April 2022

Kelli had a doctors appointment this morning. She had her notebook with lists of questions she bombards him with. He checked her over and was delighted that her residence reflex was strong, with no need to change, or add to her supplements.

Next stop was the landscape supplies to order six cubic yards of topsoil, this will be delivered next Tuesday.

No trip out would be complete without collecting furniture of some description, and that’s exactly what we did. We picked up two pieces that barely fitted into the truck. We now have a full garage, and no room for anything else.

We finished a small nightstand and took pictures, this went on Marketplace straight away.

Kelli painted the two side tables that we made from the desk whilst I finished making the tops.

I started scraping the paint off the Red Devil, boy who thought that was a good colour?

28th April Thursday

There was a constant “Beep beep” all day from a house down the road. They were having some landscaping done, but the small digger just made this annoying noise. Normally it only sounds when it goes in reverse, but this did it in all directions.

Fortunately we had to go to Goodwill, they had moved premises, and this was the grand opening day. The car park was full, Holland folk love an event.. They would attend the opening of a crisp packet if they could get any crumbs.

I was disappointed, they didn’t have any furniture, this was the main reason for going. That didn’t stop people from filling their carts to the brim with every piece of tat available.

We left there with a few highly coloured flower pots heading towards the real reason for going out, collecting a dresser.

We pulled up at this house in a tasteful area, and I saw a bright red painted piece of furniture appearing to glow in the dull light of the garage.

Yes, it was bright, but the design was pleasant, that with extensive sanding it could be a lot less red.

A Young lad seemed to be in charge of the sale, he was also selling a classical guitar that Kelli was keen to learn, but that was not red.

We struck a deal and loaded the dresser into the back of the truck and drove back to the wonderful sound of “Beep bloody beep”

There were plenty of things to get on with, Kelli finished a small side table, and I did a bit of repair to the two pedestals from the desk we got yesterday.

I had to do a repair to the screen door that separates the garage from the entry way.

Over the winter, the joints sagged so it didn’t fit in the opening, that was annoying, so I had taken it off a day or so before, but today I knocked it apart and rebuilt it adding adhesive to all the joints and clamping it up.

27th April 2022

Now it is the long rake, removing all the tufts of grass and crap from the churned up garden.

This is a tedious task, but if I want to get turf laid before the weather gets too hot I need to get a move on and get the top soil ordered.

We had to go and collect an old desk from a local address. It used to belong to a former mayor of Holland, but now it is being cleared out by the daughters following the passing of their mother. We showed them some of the other desks we have repurposed into night stands and they were glad we could make something useful.

I was able to strip it down quickly, it was a good quality piece, and with the addition of new tops it will be great.

I checked on the USCIS website this evening not expecting to see any updates, but there it was, notification that my green card was being produced and should be with me soon.

This has been a long two years, at times I thought I had been over looked so often. Covid certainly caused a delay, and there was always doubt that we should have had an attorney, but we didn’t think we had a complicated case and decided to go it alone.

It looks like that paid off for us

26th April 2022

The land muncher was collected from the rental company. A quick tutorial and I was on my own. I had to also rent the towing hitch as the truck has a tow bar but not the ball thing.

I spent quite a while trying to get the part into the receptacle but as it has not been used in ten years it was full of loose rust. I wiggled away trying to achieve full engagement, but no luck. Eventually with squirts of oil and a hammer the docking manoeuvre was complete and I was on my way.

Once I got home I off loaded the muncher and drove it into the back garden.

I was instructed to run it in first gear which was painfully slow, the digging things dug into the sandy soul leaving a trail of dirt and grass tuffs. I really had to think quickly and knock it out of gear to avoid crashing through the fence, then it was the case of a hundred point turn to make the return run. The whole experience was exhausting, made worse by me forcing the diggers deep where I was almost horizontal.

In a relatively short time I had transformed the green of the back garden into a sea of dirt.

Now the next job is to remove all the dead grass and roots then level the site.

I managed to get the machine back to the rental company two hours early giving me a sizeable refund.

I will give myself a bit of a rest and start the raking tomorrow.