Another Lifetime to go

16th March 2022

Another trip out to purchase timber, ready mix cement and a load of compost.

I want to make a start on all the big outside jobs whilst Kelli paints and prepares other pieces.

On my journey back I was waiting at traffic lights opposite Bob Evans, otherwise know as heaven’s waiting room. I can see how it got it’s name, there was a constant stream of old dears shuffling towards the front door. It must be the only restaurant to have a walking stick rack. I used to go there with Dave, he was an older guy, but most of the waitresses were older than him, but he used to flirt with them all the time, I miss that.

I have often thought that I should go there once a year as a tribute to a great chap.

On the way back, I passed a house with a flagpole that had a large Trump flag flapping in the breeze. It must be an absolute nightmare when you want to sell the house next door to it, and that was what they were trying to do.

The sudden devaluation of your home is bad enough when there is an economical downturn, but to lose value due to the person next door being a douchebag is unbearable. I will be checking on progress.

Kelli was busy spraying and I was outside working on the base for the greenhouse and building the bottom frame for the raised bed. That extra hour of daylight is a great incentive to get things done

15th March 2022

This was the first day we could comfortably have the garage doors open without freezing our assess off. The sun was shining, a really pleasant day.

This was just as well as we had to do some spraying of the mid century style dressers. Kelli was keen to get them on to Marketplace today.

The race was on. A rub down with some fine sandpaper and wiped off with a tack cloth and it was ready for the paint.

I tackled the tall unit, it was going good until a drop of paint dripped out of the sprayer landing onto the freshly covered surface.

I mopped the blob with a piece of shop towel, then had to let it dry. In the meantime Kelli successfully painted the rest of the tall dresser and the long unit.

Once the tall unit top had been resprayed and fully dried in the sun we carried them both inside to take the pictures.

The lady turned up to collect the child’s kitchen, a good one to get rid of, and it did surprise me that we sold it so quick.

I now hope these two dressers get snapped up just as quick.

14th March 2022

It makes a change not to see snow covering everything, what is left will be gone in a couple of days.

We had someone interested in the toy kitchen, they were expected at around five, so that got the day off to a good start.

We had a lot to get going, Kelli wanted to make a lot of progress on the two mid-century dressers, and I had to repair three drawers.

Mid afternoon Kelli had a doctors appointment, consisting of the usual tuning fork and some joint manipulation. I’m still on the fence regarding the body tuning, but I sort of understand how we respond to vibrations in other people. I used to think of it as “chemistry ” but it make a bit more sense that if our vibrations don’t match we won’t get on.

13th March 2022

The clocks went forward so there is only four hours time difference with the UK.

There was more snow last night, another two inches, by lunchtime it was beginning to thaw.

According to the weather forecast it should start to get warmer now, I hope so, I want to get my outside work done.

Kelli didn’t have a good night, her sleep was disturbed by the next door neighbour playing music rather loud. I sure didn’t hear anything, but it was my job to go round and ask the to turn it down in future.

I put on my bulletproof vest, as you can’t be to sure how people react to this type of complaint, people have been killed for less.

Fortunately they were okay about it, so I didn’t die, which is always a good result.

We worked on some of the new stuff. Kelli had mixed up a good colour for the two mid century dressers, so we ploughed on with those. However there were a number broken drawers which is a drag, but it will keep me busy.

12th March 2022

Well more snow came, not the quality stuff, this was fine farty dust that settled on the frozen ground.

By rights, this should be the last snow of the winter, you certainly won’t get any complaints from me.

Kelli finished the toy kitchen, it took longer to revamp than the full size installation of the kitchen in my cottage.

We took pictures and posted it on Marketplace now we await the deluge of inquiries.

I wasn’t in the right mood to do much in the garage, it happens sometimes, I’ll get over it.

I recently re-connected with someone from my old school, I now know it was probably a mistake because most of her correspondence has been rather right wing conspiracy bollocks. I had a tenant at the cottage once who used to spout the most outrageous claptrap, I had to hold my tongue because, to me, was absolute rubbish, and I couldn’t believe anyone could take it seriously.

Of course being in the US there is all kinds of crap flying around about everything, I try to just smile and ignore it.

11th March 2022

There was more bloody snow to wake up to. The poor garden doesn’t know what going on, the small glimpses of green that had appeared has another blanket of cold stuff.

With the roads white, I ventured out alone to pick up more timber and other supplies. I’m fortunate to have a very warm coat, that makes this place tolerable, but by the time I got out the sun was out and the snow started to melt, seems nature goes to all this trouble, then it turns to water.

When I returned, we had to leave again to collect more furniture, this time another dresser and a set of drawers.

The dresser was set in the garage so an easy pick-up and go, but the other house was in a posh neighbourhood where house were set around a man made lake.

The lady of the house recognised my accent which I alway seem to emphasise when I meet people for the first time, and we chatted for a while. Luckily the drawers were in separate units that stacked together like a giant toy, which made it easy to fit into the available space left in the back of the truck.

Once back home I worked on the tops for the side table whilst Kelli re-assembled the kitchen. By the end of the day most of the snow had melted thank goodness, but be warned, there is more expected tomorrow.

10th March 2022

I made sure I paid the utility bills for my cottage in Bradford on Avon. This was a particular high one, mainly for the last three years the electric was estimated even though it was supposed to be a smart meter.

When I queried an earlier bill I was told (after a while) the smart part of the meter was not functioning. I asked my son Ryan to send me the reading which I then submitted hence a large catch- up bill.

As the property is being run as an Airbnb whilst I’m in the US I’m not panicking.

Back in the USA we had to drive to Grandville to collect three pieces of mid century furniture that, based on previous experiences should sell fast.

However when I saw the pieces they were a horrible colour. I’m not sure what you call the effect, but it was awful.

We managed to squeeze all three pieces into the truck and drove back.

The good old trusty Toyota just clocked over two hundred and sixty thousand miles, enough to get to the moon plus a bit, so I’m impressed with the reliability of the vehicle.

We unloaded the pieces straight away, the true horror of the colour became apparent. The reason for the swift unloading was we had to pick up another piece from an address close by.

The piece was hidden under a tarpaulin to the side of the house. Underneath was an odd dresser with glass panels in the drawer front, similar to a display cabinet found in clothes shops where the goods are visible.

It sure was a bloody heavy bugger, poor Kelli struggled to lift it on to the tailgate, but with superhuman strength we pushed it inside, that will stay in the back of the truck until we have some space to put it.

9th March 2022

I didn’t know it was Wednesday already, the only clue I had was Larry’s wheelie bin at the side of the road. I checked with Kelli, she wasn’t sure, but did confirm what day it was.

Damn! We must do more things.

I started assembling the glasshouse shelf frames, I need more wood to complete it, but I intend to recycle some material to make the slats.

I also built up the raised bed frame, although the growing season is slower here I want to get most of the outdoor woodwork projects during March so I can start on the back garden projects in April.

There are pieces of toy kitchen scattered around in various states of finish. Kelli is getting quick on her mobile stool, spinning and racing about from a seated position.

8th March 2022

We sold the mid century dresser this afternoon. A young lady who was very pregnant loved it, and paid us the full asking price. Her husband came to collect it after he finished work, however we had kept the garage door open so I could keep an eye out for him.

I started cutting the desk pedestals to size ready to start the painting. I need timber to add to the top to neaten it for when the top is fitted.

I also started cutting the timber for the glasshouse shelf. The place looked like a snow storm after I’d finished, which was ironic, as yesterday there was snow outside.

Kelli was working on the child’s kitchen, not sure if it was a good idea to get, but we sold the last one for a good profit, but there was a lot of time spent doing it.

7th March 2022

The front and back garden was completely clear of snow, even the compacted stuff by the road had gone. The only snow left in the area was the steep bank that a guy across the road had made into a toboggan run from his porch to their driveway. That is due to last until June.

Imagine the horror when I looked out of the bedroom window to see more bloody white stuff, an inch all over the freshly cleaned deck, damn you snow maker!

We had to deliver the large buffet to an address in West Olive, about fifteen miles away. Fortunately we had loaded it into the truck yesterday, good thinking on our behalf.

When we got there it was in a trailer park, our favourite places, because they are laid out like a maze, and the numbers don’t make sense.

It was amazing, it was be easy to find.

Getting it into the place was a challenge, the piece was heavy, and the doorway was narrow. I find it hard to climb steps backwards, because of my old knees, but somehow I found the strength to do it. For a mobile home it was quite deep, and of course it had to go right down the far end.

I stopped off at Menards to purchase some timber for a job I’ve been commissioned to make, not a big job, but it’s actually making something.

Around four in the afternoon we had someone come to look at the monolith. A lady and her daughter looked over it, opening all the drawers, finally she asked if we would take a lower figure, at this stage we might have paid her to take it, but instead we agreed on the lower figure, and it was collected later by her husband.

Monolith gone, thank heavens, good riddance.

We finished the mid century dresser and it looked amazing. Hopefully we can get a good price for this, we need to make up for some of the dogs we’ve sold so far this month.