Another Lifetime to go

12th October 2018

Okay it’s cold. The bookstore is cold, the only heat comes from the books themselves that have stored warmth during the hot months. The store is only open for a couple more weeks so it will be warm cardigans and gloves until then.

From my place on the sofa I observe the entrance of the customers, each one greeted cheerfully by Kelli, and I can categories them by their response.

Some enter, and immediately stare around, not really knowing what the store is, like they have been transported from another planet. They have been guided by the “open” sign.

Others burst in and home in on Kelli ” have you got this book?” Blurting out the title, and expecting an instant response. “It is a used book shop for Pete’s sake!” I want to shout, finding a specific book would be like winning the lottery. Sometimes Kelli finds it, and the customer reacts like they just won it.

There are those who have children and they just want to find something to shut their little darlings up for the day. A few minutes of childish wining and I am prepared to suggest War and Peace, not to read, but to hit them over the head with.

Many are friendly, and just want to tell you everything they’ve read, in chronological order, stating if that book is better than this.

Sometimes there are the Japanese tourists who wander in, maybe thinking that there might be volumes of Japanese literature, mmmm, no, not in Saugatuck.

Often this is the only time I have to read books, and I have learnt a bit of American history, some human psychology and humour. I listen to the banter between the Kelli and her customers. She is the bartender that everyone tell their problems too, and she give her full attention to everybody. This is another reason why the place is popular, it is a place of culture and peace, if it served coffee and scones I wouldn’t have to leave it, and it would be perfect.

11th October 2018

Today was the official end of summer in the household, noted by the removal of the air conditioner.

Russian funeral music played as the cortège slowly made its way down the stairs into its winter resting place.

In tribute to the striking Dagenham car workers of the seventies, I lit a fire and stood rubbing my hands to gain warmth, before starting my jobs.

We already have a buyer for the side tables so all the stops have been pulled out to finish it.

We had to stop at Dave’s to off-load a washing machine from his truck. He is the Mr Big of Maytag washing machines. These machines are from the 1950s and are very popular with the Amish. Some are in good condition, others a bit rusty, but his buyer takes them in any condition. Dave has regular excursions to Indiana with his truck weighed down with these prehistoric appliances, driving back with a wad of dollar bills in his wallet. I went with him once, and witnessed a very unusual business transaction. Dave is not the most active of people, his buyer is almost identical, they stood about grunting at each other, there was a bit of foot shuffling and the deal was struck. The barn was stacked floor to ceiling with these washing machines looking like robots awaiting the order to destroy mankind.

The new ones were manhandled off the truck to join the Maytag army.

Walked along the beach with the dogs, it was cold, the wind whistled though my teeth. It was more a test of endurance than a pleasant walk in the sand. It made the hot coffee and Kelli’s lasagna soup such a pleasure.

10th October 2018

The draw of Goodwill is as effective as a tractor beam on Star Trek. Kelli gets locked on and drawn in, nothing is safe, nothing is spared.

We needed more things to work on even though the garage is full, but any useful furniture was not there. Some of the things are downright ugly and would require sorcery to make them attractive. That doesn’t stop Kelli trawling the isles in search of cool things. I have developed eye rolling as a means of visual communication. This indicates whether I think the piece is worth considering, although whatever I signal is immediately ignored. This doesn’t bother me as I am crap at recognising potential sales.

The visits are not brief, it is impossible to make a quick trip, and I know the pattern off by heart. First the furniture section, a quick scout around, crap! Move on to the next section, frames and pictures, then glass and crockery, not so necessary now that the wedding is over. Then the small wood and basket things, stopping to look at funky leggings, in colours that burn my eyes. It is difficult for Kelli to pass any clothing racks, if the place was burning down she would still want to check things out, at least until the fire trucks arrived.

On to the next one on the other side of town. This is such a regular place they should reserve a parking place for us. Not much luck there either, except for a clutch of candles that were particularly cheap today.

We both like candles, the living room is like a Buddhist temple, there are so many burning that it effects global warming.

We went to Lowes to but a detail sander, and bumped into Manchester Dave. He was the English guy I met several years ago when I needed some boards cut down. It was a bit of a shock this time as he was being pushed around in a wheelchair by his wife. He and Kelli had been friends on Facebook for a while but he dropped off the grid, and we didn’t know why.

We learned that last week he had surgery to remove a growth from his liver, and this was his first time out. He looked like he had been kicked around a field ten times, and was in a bit of pain. That answered a lot of questions for us, so we wished him a quick recovery, and went back home to start out work.

9th October 2018

Stuff has been selling wildly at Painted Farmgirl, meaning we had to deliver the dresser that was just finished yesterday along with a small table that we had taken out a few week ago. It was not really enough to fill the space, but we made it as good as we could.

I had arranged to meet Tom Newhouse at the booth to catch up and introduce him to Kelli.

Tom was a designer, and had spent a couple of years in Bath working on some products for HM. He was there when I joined the company, and it was my first experience of working with a man of his energy and passion for design. We went to the Hudsonville Winery, which was a great place, and just down the road, and within staggering distance. It was a fun talking about the early days, of the drinking sessions at Orgatec, in the eighties. Tom has just about retired, and was turning his attention back to sculpture. What I didn’t realise was he had done pieces in the seventies using polyknit fabric stretched over timber shapes. These had been used in HM showrooms, but now unfortunately lost. The new work he showed pictures of is remarkable, and beautiful, I can’t wait to see it in reality.

The evening was completed by meeting John and Patti fellow furniture restorers for dinner.

8th October 2018

It’s in the eighties again, tee shirts and shorts are being worn, but not by me. I looked out of the window and decided it looked cold, so I chose a sweatshirt and jeans. I had to go out for food and almost died with the heat. I expected people I passed to say “are you English?”

We spent a couple of hours at the bookstore before driving back to work on our projects.

Kelli has ideas for the French provincial dresser that entails a lot of sanding of the drawer fronts. This means that I will end up doing all the shitty fine sanding, and wearing out my fingers.

The stink bugs fly around buzzing my head to distraction, I was planning to make a bat to hit the buggers back to where they came from.

This totally sums up the weather pattern for the week.

7th October 2018

Kelli had to work in the bookstore from 11.00am to 3.00pm, so I had another chance for a coffee.

Today the town was invaded by the bonnet girls. All dressed in long dresses and sandals with white bonnets. They all had the same expression of seriousness, no smiles as they lined up for their hot beverage. Kelli informed me that they were Mennonites which sound like something you would spread on toast, but no one here would understand that.

The bookstore was bustling with people browsing the shelves or just getting out of the cold.

Apparently Monday is a holiday called “Columbus Day” and they say the English have odd bank holidays. To the average American this holiday is as exciting as constipation, and is just to give bank tellers a rest from counting money.

We spent the afternoon at Dave and Georgia’s (the in-laws) for a late dinner. This time is fun as Matt and Brenda were there. Matt has good toilet humour, so we get on well. Matt wants to bring the continental style toilets to America, he is fascinated by the shelf built into the bowl. For what reason, I don’t really want to go into it, as I have just eaten. Although I am intrigued by it myself.

6th October 2018

We offloaded the dresser, and I cleaned it down and sanded the finish off the top surface. A couple of the drawers needed a bit of repair, so I used the last drops of glue to fix them. We were also down on our most useful material, Bondo. All that was left in the tin was a lump of thick stuff, not any use for anything.

After finishing the work on the dresser, Kelli had found another old desk that could provide another two side tables. These are always a quick seller so we set off to collect it. The place was on the other side of Lake Macatawa deep in the woods. As we drove up, and I got out of the truck I was struck by a strong small of wine and damp soil. This came from four large oak barrels stacked in the yard. The trees provided shade and held the dampness from the previous days rain.

A tall guy came to the door, and led us down into the basement. This was a typical man cave, a large flat screen television, and large couches. The place had a smell of dog piss, or worse.

The desk was set in a separate room and looked to be similar to the one we got recently. It also came from Detroit and was made in the forties. We just got it into the truck and made our way back, stopping off at Lowes to get some supplies.

“Can we go to Aldi to get a few things?” Kelli suggested. Food shopping is my idea of hell, but as a “good” husband I relented.

A “few things” quickly turns into a lot of things, trolley soon buckling under the weight. To make the experience more tolerant I counted the number of big people. The place is full of them, it’s not that the store is heaving with shoppers, there are very few, but they are big, and they take up all the space. The doors are difficult to open because they suck up all the air. My mind then wanders to what their beds are like, and whether the floors are reinforced. Kelli shouts at me for being disrespectful, but that’s how my mind works, I look for problems to solve.

When we got back we off-loaded the shopping and supplies, I decided to dismantle the desk whilst still in the truck. The desk was made of oak, but had been painted in a wood grain effect paint. After removing the obvious screws I discovered the pedestals were held on by screws from the top, I can’t believe it was manufactured that way. This required special care and a crow bar to remove. Now the restoration begins.

5th October 2018

It’s Friday again, Saugatuck, and coffee at Uncommon Grounds. The season’s end is in sight and it’s a lot colder.

It is mark-down time, and from my previous posts, a subject that angers me every time.

The local gallery is offering seventy percent off everything. There should be a sign in the window at the beginning of the season that says ” Prepared to be ripped-off until October ”

Art is difficult to place a value on because it is a matter of taste to the individual and if they are prepared to pay the price that is placed on it. If the cost of the materials, and the time it takes to paint is added up, there is a cost, take it to a gallery and they will double it. I get it, but does it help the artist? It looks good on the wall for five months, but they have starved to death waiting for it to sell.

I know if I were to build a piece of furniture from scratch, I could not sell it at it’s material cost, yet alone with a profit, because no one values the skill or talent behind it, they want a deal.

That is one of the many things that is wrong with America.

Manufacturing companies, like Herman Miller have always used “Design ” as its driver, and have been very successful at it. Today’s market is different, there is more talk about “Appropriate value” so the bloated price tags of the past, are in question now.

Would the gallery sell more paintings if the price tag was more modest, or would it put pressure on the artist to produce more? I can’t say, but it might give more artists and craftsmen greater opportunity, and not have their work consigned to the bargain bin.

I had just put my feet up for the evening, sipping a hot coffee when Kelli announced that a dresser had just come up, and we had to drive to Saugatuck to collect it. Off into the dark we went following the instructions from the GPS. We found the place set back in the trees, and obviously being cleaned out. The dresser was in reasonably condition, so could be a quick restoration. We loaded it up and drove back, I then resumed my position in the chair, drinking my lukewarm coffee, and preparing to finish my relaxation before I was so rudely interrupted.

4th October 2018

Off to Hudsonville to bring the new stuff. Kelli decide to change most of everything. So my job is to take things down, take out screws, put new screws in a slightly different place, and re-hang. Just a few changes can make all the difference, as was illustrated when we moved a metal screen out of the window and placed it against the wall. A customer went straight to it, our pulses raced, was she going to buy it? Unfortunately she didn’t (I cursed under my breath).

We returned home and I spent time on the radio cabinet, trying to get inspired.

The garage is getting full of crap, and moving about is becoming a health hazard, it’s getting close to fire lighting when I can burn all the off cuts.

3rd October 2018

I continued work on the large dresser, fitting the central section that slid in like a dream. Usually everything fits perfectly as a dry run, but as soon as I glue it all together, and try to fit it, I find that it has grown a millimetre.

Kelli took Greer to take her driving test (which she passed) then had to wait at the Secretary of State to get her licence. This gave me plenty of time to work of my projects.

We heard earlier that we had sold the kitchen island that we delivered last Thursday, a great result for October. That, of course started the panic to find replacements. The dresser would not be finished until the weekend, so another visit to both Goodwills was necessary. This came up zilch, except for a mobile trolley that could be painted. However it never stops there. No matter how disciplined I try to be she will always find the weirdest crap, usually it sells and sometimes not, but we never leave that place empty handed.

It had been really hot all day, way up in the eighties, so the sweat was dipping in pools. The humidity brings out the mozzies and the stink bugs that fly around like brown drones. The evening was disturbed by Kelli shrieking from the bathroom as she discovered one on her back.

The evening ended with a bowl of fruit pieces and a glass of sparkling wine, perfect.