Another Lifetime to go

27th November 2025

Thanksgiving day, the American version of Christmas but without the presents.

It was our job to roast the turkey breast. This was larger than the chicken I had as a kid.

It was a three hour beauty, covered in garlic butter with added paprika, it looked like it had been sunbathing, and after being in the oven for the duration came out looking like Bob Marley.

We also made the stuffing and roasted the sprouts.

By the time we got to Kelli’s mums place it was snowing, our food was added to things Matt had prepared and like always there was far more than any human could eat.

I carved the turkey and what was eaten hardly made a dent, so guess what we’ll be eating for the next week.

Most of the attention went to little Weston, Matt’s daughter Mandy’s latest. He was a fun little critter, gurgling and crying in equal measure.

As thanksgivings goes, it was okay, I had my wine, and even that was a struggle, I must be losing my touch.

26th November 2025

It’s thanksgiving eve, and it’s bloody cold, small white balls are falling and everywhere is bleak and grey. Just the day to go thrifting, absolutely not really, but I went anyway. The one chosen was a place I hadn’t been before, so imagine my delight when we went inside. Yes, it’s just the same as all the others, full of stuff people didn’t want. I wandered around looking for something interesting. I came across the CD/DVD and vinyl section, and I am glad to say I didn’t know any single one of them. I did spot a Kenny G CD, meaning that you cannot be considered a thrift store if you don’t have at least one Kenny G record.

To save our embarrassment of leaving empty handed we bought a gutter scoop, and a stack of note pads, they were not going to get rich from us.

I thought to cheer us up we should have lunch somewhere, and we heard the cheese shop in the town had a bistro out the back, so we decided to give it a try.

It was a pleasant experience, I had a potato soup with smoked ham bits in it and a toasted sandwich with English cheese and not the tasteless pap they call cheese over here.  Kelli had a tomato soup and a toasted Swiss cheese sandwich, I bet that cheese had never been to Switzerland, but she was happy with it.

Of course we had to look around the cheese part of the place, and actually bought some.

By the time we left, the white stuff was beginning to settle, and an excuse to head for home.

25th November 2025

I drove down to John the wood’s barn, his wife had told me he was already there, that was good because it saves me some time and petrol.

The scenery is now different, the trees are bare, like sleeping skeletons, it makes the landscape cold and miserable, and it will be here for a long time.

I arrived early and opened the door to the sound of the dust extraction, and John standing by one of the long hanging sack with his arm up inside, looking like a vet on the job.

I realised that all the bags were absolutely packed solid with crap, and he was desperately trying to empty them before they exploded like before.

That was my que to jump into action. I proceeded to get friendly with the bags scooping the chipping and sawdust out, and into large barrels. 

At least this time it was a controlled mess, I filled six of these barrels stamping the contents down by climbing on a ladder and jumping in.

That took just over an hour to get things back in order. 

I had my objectives ready, I needed to make three legs to match the one I already had, and add a low skirt around the bottom of the base frame. 

I tasked John with laying up the timber for the legs, he excitedly went off to do that while I sanded and prepared the timber for the skirt.

It is a strange relationship, it’s John’s place, but he lets me use all the equipment, whilst the runs around like my little helper. 

He tells me, when I drop him off home that he enjoys working with me, that makes me happy, because with his failing memory he gets quite lonely.

24th November 2023

What a change, no getting up early, rushing about and driving to Henry’s. My body is still suffering, it’s only when you stop you notice that every joint is capable of hurting at the same time.

But it was shop day, pulling together food required for thanksgiving. Fortunately the hoards were not grabbing everything off the shelves. 

This, and Christmas is always a chance to overindulge, often to be regretted, but this time it should be a bit more tolerable.

We had to go to Kelli’s bank to set up a new account as her’s had been compromised. The bank informed her of some unusual activity, so she had to go through the inconvenience of a new account and debit card. This ate into the available time I had to do things in the garage.

I had to fit handles to a long dresser that Kelli had been working on. Normally it’s a simple task, but the screws had to be cut down, then they didn’t match the threads. My only option was to re tap the handles which solved the problem.

23rd November 2025

It was a beautiful morning, bright sunshine welcomed me as I headed to Henry’s for the last time. Kelli is not so happy as she has to get up a little earlier, and it confuses the dogs.

I think I confused Henry, as he looked as if he had just got out of bed. I get the impression that they sleep in the basement, as I’m working on the bedrooms, and they definitely aren’t in those.

I had two additional doorways to trim, a bit of skirting to fit, plus the sanding and caulking still to do.

I plodded away while Henry said he had cleaning to do because his boys were visiting for thanksgiving. I’m not sure what cleaning he meant, it looks like a bomb has exploded everywhere. They still have a lot of stuff from the house they sold in East Lansing, but I wished him luck and got on with my tasks.

I bloody hate caulking, that stuff gets everywhere, even taking the pressure off, still allows a spurt of crap to shoot out. My fingers were covered, the floor got covered, although I did get pretty good by the end of the three rooms.

The last job of the day was to “help” fit a frame to an inset cupboard, I’m not sure if Henry is practical in any sense, art wise he is creative, but from any other aspect he is not.

As I was leaving he asked me to come back to “help” him put the shelves up in the closets, but that would be after the painters had done their business.

Driving along the wooded drive, there are a row of chairs in a line between the trees, I’ve meant to ask him what that means. My interpretation is that he likes people, but wants to keep them at a distance, if that’s the case, I’m fortunate to be let in.

22nd November 2025

I was really hoping to finish today at Henry’s, it was day seven, and I’m still not finished yet.

I had to use up most of my offcuts on unseen areas, splicing them together, I was pleased how they turned out.

There was some activity outside with the return of the roofers to fix the possible leak problem. The plasterer also showed up to sand the wall.

Later a painter Henry had found came to look around and give a quote. Henry, being Spanish spoke in his native tongue to the Mexican chap, obviously laying out his expectations.

I was rushing around like a scalded cat, but in the end I succumbed to exhaustion.

I still have the filling to sand and the caulking to do, but he agreed that I should return tomorrow.

21st November 2025

Another day older, I was back for day six at Henry’s.

I’m hoping that this was to be the last full day, but very soon I realised it was not.

There were so many areas that have to be resolved where the plasterboard was thicker than the door frame, and working inside a closet is not my idea of fun, I can see now why so many have come out of it.

There was an issue with one of the new windows leaking. The plasterer blamed the window fitters for ruining his drywall joint, the window fitter blamed the roof man, I’m waiting to hear if I get the blame for everything.

I plodded on, kneeling, getting up, searching for a pencil, looking for the tape measure, and on.

I think I must have wasted a day looking for stuff.

But when I left, I felt that one more day and it should be done.

As I was driving back to civilisation through the wooded road, I was met with a long trailer reversing towards me, as I was three quarters of the way along I wasn’t sure who was going to concede. 

In the end it was me, the man in the truck was a roofer and he was very large. Reversing back along a road I was unfamiliar with, in the dark was not a very exciting experience, but I did it.

I pulled into a wider space to let the trailer pass, no thanks from the driver, I cussed him and continued on my attempt to leave.

No further trouble ensued, I drove back to Holland stopping off at Aldi for some things we needed. By the time I got back I was exhausted, I hardly had the strength to take the cap off a bottle of beer.

20th November 2025

Day 5 at Henry’s, and more knee pain, endless miles walking back and forth trying to find the pencil that I left in a different room.

Yes more of the same.

I think I am catching up on my schedule, I estimate another two days to complete, but don’t hold me to that.

The guy who due to paint the rooms won’t be coming yet, he’s doing another job, so they won’t be ready for thanksgiving. 

The plasterer returned to redo one of the walls that had a ridge running across the middle.

It was him that discovered a leak around one of the new windows, Henry was not pleased about that.l

Today was my birthday, Kelli made me a bag/ cover for my saws, I have wanted one for a long time, and she made me an apple strudel, my day was complete.

19th November 2025 

Day 4 at Henry’s, and nowhere near finished.

I’m getting used to the journey, it’s like being back at work again. 

There is a quiet road where I can get up some speed, I can get to his house in fifteen minutes (it’s usually twenty six )

I know my way around, and what surprises me is none of the doors are locked, and he doesn’t even care about it. To him, it’s another thing he would have to think about.

He is definitely eccentric, and it’s true, some artists seem to live in a perpetual state of chaos.

He shares the studio with his son, who I haven’t yet met, who is also an artist, there are many large canvas’s which look unfinished, in fact I don’t think I have seen any that are. Maybe he gets bored, and looses interest, then starts another.

It’s all very different from how I imagined living the life of an artist.

He has a very dry sense of humour, and I have to listen very carefully or I would miss it.

I managed to get a lot done, but I feel I have two, possibly three days left, and I haven’t been slacking.

I helped him make a frame for a built in cupboard, and showed him the magic of pocket screws to hold it all together. He was impressed, as he could see the frame coming together.

I left him busily sanding, I guess I’ll be helping to fix it to the wall tomorrow.

18th November 2025

Day 3 at Henry’s.

More punishing leg activity today, I notice it when I get out of bed in the morning, but it somehow is not noticeable when I’m working.

I changed the blade in the chop saw, it now has a full set of teeth.

I had to use his battery operated table saw, that thing needs a new blade, it burns the wood instead of cutting it.

Henry is scared of that saw, he showed me the scar on his arm where the piece of wood he was cutting kicked back and tore the skin up his wrist. It was more than four inches long, enough to make me feel faint.

I think before I leave I will put the dividing knife and blade guard on.

Sometimes little knowledge can be dangerous.

I made a bit more progress, but the door frames need shims to bring the out to where the plasterboard is, that takes time to get that right, sometimes having to cut the board back.

Fortunately Henry doesn’t stand over me, he was too busy with someone from the arts council  coming to look over his work for a possible exhibition. Some of his creations are a little out there, conceptual art is probably the description.

His studio is bigger than most small factories.

What I could do in there, Kelli would never see me again.