Another Lifetime to go

1st December 2020

I don’t get people sometimes, this evening Kelli invited the person who wanted the pair of dressers that we had been working on, to come over and view what we had.

She arrived with her mother, and within a short time the tall dresser that we picked up yesterday was ruled out as it wasn’t of the right quality. Then attention was paid to the long unit that we had finished. The mother was concerned that the drawers weren’t thick or heavy enough. The piece was well made with a manufacturer’s name on the back, so it was typical of the quality of domestic furniture.

For some reason she was suggesting to her daughter that she should wait and see if we could find different pieces. I wanted to be sure that the long unit was off the table, and not that we would have to hold on to it until a taller one of more acceptable quality was found.

Having established that, we brought the piece into the house even before they had left the driveway.

Kelli posted it straight away, and it sold an hour later.

We broke our quarantine rule on the first day, firstly we had to deliver a small item that Kelli had posted yesterday, and then went to the “Habitat” outlet to find handles for another dresser.

I have been meaning to string the lights that we got last year, along the front of the berm to brighten the house in the dark winter nights.

Yet again I was distracted, and forgot all about it.

I worked out the remaining materials I needed to complete the decking, I also discovered that Menards have stopped their 11% rebate offer.

This would have been a significant amount that I would have got back, so maybe I will wait until it returns before putting my order in.

30th November 2020

Kelli found a dresser that could be made a match for one that we had a potential customer for. It wasn’t made to the same quality but could work. We collected it from the north side of Holland, so whilst we were over there we stopped at Goodwill to see what was about.

A quick look round resulted in a big fat zero, on the way out, my attention was drawn to a life size Santa in the doorway rotating its hips in a suggested manner, I went up to it and told it to stop, Kelli, embarrassed, ran out to the car. I thought it was funny, I explained because I was wearing a mask no one would recognise me.

There was the same bleak result at the other Goodwill, so we headed back to await the arrival of our buyers of the grey dresser.

During the communication with the customer for the other dresser we learnt that she didn’t want the top drawers in the stained wood finish that I had done, instead they had to be painted to match the other drawers. That pisses me off as I had spent a lot of time on those fronts, but if it meant a sale of two dressers, it would be done through gritted teeth.

The buyer for the grey cabinet turned up and after he inspected each drawer, he phoned his wife to tell her to send the payment through.

This way of payment is very popular, and in this current climate it works perfectly.

29th November 2020

On the whole, people in Holland are sticking to the Covid measures pretty well. I went to Menards to buy some stock that should tied us over for a while, and all customers were adhered to the mask wearing , although some just covered their mouths leaving their noses free.

I picked up the last of the timber I needed for the deck area, this was to make a small bed between the paved area and the deck, once it warms up a little I’ll finish it off.

Kelli was moving like a painting machine finishing one of the free ones and starting on the priming on the other.

We had someone interested in buying the grey one that had been posted over a week ago. This one was a bit concerning because usually they sell immediately, however it looked promising for tomorrow.

We had someone interested in the buffet for a couple of days, Kelli was answering questions, agreed to hold it until Monday.

Then communication stopped, this is often a danger signal, when they might chicken out.

There was also another open conversation with another potential customer who missed out on the matching units we sold last week.

We had one unit finished and Kelli was looking for another taller unit that we could grab and finish them in the same colours.

This can be a blessing or a curse, often it means that we are committing money to two pieces hoping the customer comes through with the cash. I usually want some commitment to buy, like a deposit, just to save us the hassle of tailoring the finishes to one person, and then refinishing if the sales falls through.

But that is me being pessimistic.

28th November 2020

Off loaded the free dresser from the truck, it was a heavy beast even without the drawers.

It was originally an oak piece but had been painted really badly, however with a lot of scraping it should be a nice piece.

Kelli was working in the garage on another free piece whilst I worked outside on the decking frame.

I had another go trying to get sound out of the TV through the stereo.

I looked on line to see if it was a common problem. There were a number of forums with similar issues, but nothing gave me a Eureka moment. My last resort was downloading a user manual, there had to be something there.

I found the page dealing with connectivity and there it was in black, white and colour.

The ports that I thought were outputs were inputs, to plug in a video camera and view through the screen. The only output was an optical one, so in order to get sound though the amplifier and through the big speakers would be using an optical lead into an analog/ digital converter and into a tape input on the amplifier. I have so many little boxes with wires everywhere Kelli rolls her eyes at the thought of another, but that technology for you.

27th November 2020

Mixed up the last bag of concrete to set the last pile for the deck frame, I’m glad that’s done. I have come to realise that a sixty pound bag is my limit, in fact a thirty pound bag is heavy enough. But with just some noggings to add to complete the frame, it can then be covered over for winter.

Kelli’s cousin died last night, yet another painful November reminder to have every year to look forward to.

I completed the repair to the drawer front, lovingly matching the stain to perfection,only to be told that it was getting painted.

The election aftermath continues, the news channel reporting on Trump’s misguided attempts to overturn the results are really pathetic, and it has highlights all the flaws in the constitution and electoral system that they hold so dear.

I plan to stay home for the next two weeks, avoiding people at all, hopefully I can make that work.

Kelli did find another free dresser in Zeeland that we did have to collect. Thankfully it was left outside so no contact with anyone.

We have had a lot of free stuff lately, always the best for profit.

Tomorrow we’ll off-load it to see how bad it is.

26th November 2020

It was non-thanksgiving day, in other words an ordinary day for us.

We lifted out the free dresser that we got yesterday, from the truck, and had a good look over.

It was in quite good condition except there was a bit of damage to one end and a bit missing from one of the drawer fronts.

I plodded on with the repairs whilst Kelli was baking some savoury muffins and some bread.

Once my jobs were done I worked outside fitting in the last few joists into the secondary decking frame, but as soon as that sun chows down the temperature drops, and that is the signal for me to stop and have a cup of tea.

This time of year is difficult for the family, with the anniversary of Dave’s passing, and Brenda quarantined for the next two weeks pending further tests.

We had someone interested in the buffet who intends to give it a look over on Monday.

I’ve been trying to get the audio from the television through the stereo system on and off for the past year, but given up, mainly because the amplifier does not have many inputs. I found this when I tried to wired up the turntable, I ended up having to get a pre-amp to boost the signal. I bought a switching box to add four additional inputs, but I didn’t have the correct cables, meaning another Amazon order.

When they arrived, I quickly plugged everything in but still no sound, it must be another impedance issue, I’ll have another try tomorrow.

25th November 2020

I seriously did not know what day it was. I have no real reference point, other than my phone, when I turn it on.

I was a day out, much to Kelli’s puzzlement, but that didn’t matter as we had a customer coming to collect the two matching dressers we posted yesterday.

They had to make two trips as their truck wasn’t big enough to carry both pieces.

This was a good sale that sent us over the top of expected sales with a few days still to go.

The buffet was also finished today, it was longer than I thought at five foot six inches making it difficult to photograph in the space we had, but it came out pretty well.

As it started to get dark, Kelli announced that there was a free dresser in Grandville, so as our stock is low we piled into the truck and headed off.

The dresser was covered by a tarpaulin, and it was dark, so we have no idea what state it is in. We have left it in the truck overnight because we couldn’t be bothered to lift another heavy weight.

24th November 2020

The harsh reality of the Covid 19 pandemic finally hit home today.

Brenda, Kelli’s sister in law tested positive.

This is a concern, mainly because certain parts of the family were taken in by Trump’s denials, and considered the whole Covid thing to be a hoax.

This has meant that we have stayed away from them as much as possible.

No one knows how serious she is affected, but we will not take any chances, and have now a total exclusion zone around the house.

It makes me really angry that they had been so thoughtless, as she works at a chiropractor, so should be used to the cleaning procedures, and protocols for personal protection, and still she gets infected.

We had a day of snow, it started to settle early as the ground was so dry, it did melt away as it turned to rain, but it stopped me working outside.

We finished the matching set of dressers, and got them posted on Marketplace getting a bite within an hour.

Kelli got wind of a coffee table going free, from the picture the top was marquetry, but it must have got damp, well it was pretty damp when we picked it up. Some of the panels had buckled, so it will be a challenge to get it looking good again.

23rd November 2020

I managed to get some work done outside. I cut all the joists and fixed the hangers on to the frame. I had to make some adjustments to the way the frame was sitting on the piles, but that wasn’t that difficult other than taking time and allowing the temperature to fall. I wanted to get a couple of joists fitted before I called it a day.

Earlier I was putting the final coats of finish on another of our free dressers, and one in the buffet. By the end of the week we will have three pieces finished and posted.

We have been taking the dogs for a walk in the evening, not just for their sake, but also for ours. The cold air fills the lungs and reinvigorates us. It gives us a chance to change pace after being stuck in the garage with sawdust and paint fumes in the air. I don’t think the dogs gives two hoots that we take the same route every time, it’s wonderful to see the house lights on the opposite bank shimmering on the calm water of lake Macatawa.

We walk past cottages that have been closed up for the winter, now unloved until spring when the owners venture back to their weekend retreat.

Christmas lights have been wrapped around some of the trees bringing much needed light to the street, we walk past house with giant flat screen tv’s flickering, some so large we could stand on the pavement and see everything.

The warmth of our house welcomes us back.

22nd November 2020

The light over the dining table has alway contentions point. Because the shade is glass it required a lamp that was decorative, so we had one where the coil glowed warmly. The problem was, even with the largest wattage you still had to check the switch to see if it was turned on.

Kelli decided enough was enough, and style over function was no longer acceptable. So over the past few evenings she had been looking on Marketplace for a replacement.

Frequently I was shown a variety of designs that made me grunt if it was okay, and groan when it was not. Some originally were really expensive, as the seller included a snapshot of the catalog page.

I didn’t want a cluster or chandelier, just a simple arrangement that would show me what my food looked like.

After gaining my approval on one, or that is what she called it, we made plans to collect it from Hamilton.

We set off in drizzle across the flat agricultural landscape still adorned with Trump flags flapping despondently.

“Loser!” Kelli would shout as we sped by.

We arrived at a small cluster of houses, most of then had the flags, fortunately the one we wanted did not.

The lamp unit was in perfect condition, so I loaded it into the back of the truck and headed home.

Today was a sad day for Kelli’s family because it would have been Dave’s eighty-first birthday.

We stopped off to buy some flowers and arranged to meet at the cemetery. November is not a time to be buried in Holland, if you weren’t already, you would freeze to death.

We also have the anniversary of his passing on Wednesday so there will be more tears shed.

Thanksgiving has been cancelled this year, and Kelli is delighted. She has wanted to ignore the celebration for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity.

I was happy to go along with her decision, as I didn’t like the part where I have to say what I am thankful for. I would bound to change the mood of proceedings by saying something political and send the relatives into a tailspin.

All this distraction meant that I couldn’t do anything outside, which was a drag as the weather gets a little colder as the week progresses.