Another Lifetime to go

24th June 2018

I continued on with the big cut. I had Supertramp blaring out, so I was in the groove, or on the line. I had cut through the vertical panels, with just the shelves to go. My mind went into “I think I have a better way” mode. I removed the oak frame around the front, this was relatively easy to pull off. Then I proceeded to lever the shelves out of their dowel locations. This worked, so I was able to lift out the subdivisions and set them aside. I was going to pat myself on the back, but first I wanted to reposition the main carcase, I had set it on an stool to make the cutting of the end panel easier. As I lifted it back up to vertical, the whole structure collapsed like a pack of cards.

I was left standing alone amongst a stack of panels. “Mmm,” I thought, ” I didn’t want that to happen”.

We drove over to our friend Bethanne because I had been volunteered to change some light switches out for new ones. Also there was a problem with the bathroom light and fan operating from one switch as opposed to two.

My electrical knowledge is a little limited in the UK but it is zero here, but I could give it a try.

First task was to find which circuit breaker controlled the supply. Twenty trips up and down the basement stairs finally nailed that one. I was happy that Kelli and Bethanne could sit at the bar and munch through a salad as I passed them multiple times. I managed to sort the problem out after some head scratching. The rest of the jobs were simple, so when we left, I was still alive.

23rd June 2018

I made a start on the monolith, the plan was to reduce the depth and turn into a hutch. I had done a similar thing before, and it sold pretty quick. So with my saw in hand I made a start on the long cut. Quite quickly I discovered that cutting through veneered chipboard was not so easy as plywood, it was harder to keep the blade on line. There were also more partitions to negotiate, but I carried on regardless.

We decided to move out of the Holland store and concentrate our effort on selling direct.

What swayed our decision was the comment that the person who had bought our island gave us. We asked her why she bought it direct from us rather than visit a store to buy it. Her answer was, she could see the piece more clearly from the image on-line, if it were in a store there would be more clutter and distractions. That was the point I had made. In the Tin Roof some furniture was lost in a mass of stuff piled on top, especially things like coffee tables which get covered in all sorts of crap, so much so that it become a display support for other items.

We went to Bethanne’s for dinner, and to listen to the problems she has with her daughter, a lot of this is familiar to Kelli who has had issues with Greer, but not to the same extent.

This was definitely a wine drinking time, unfortunately I had to wait until we got home, the a glass of white went right down the throat without touching the sides.

We usually wind down the evening watching Grace and Frankie, a series that had a thousand episodes, or that is how it seems.

22nd June 2018

Larry brought the truck back, the droning sound from the front wheels has been replaced by a groaning sound from my wallet. I feel I am rebuilding the vehicle one piece at a time. In all fairness it’s a small price to pay for what we expect it to do for us.

Kelli put on line a new piece that we had just finished. It was one we called “tobacco road” because it stank of smoke. The end result looked good, and in a short time someone bought it, or at least asked us to hold it until Monday. We had no shortage in people interested, so we could have sold it several times over.

This has made us think about how we sell things in the future. The two places we sell at currently have not been that successful, and as we have rent plus commissions taken out, consistent sales are essential.

Selling direct would be more profitable for us, so it will give us something to think about.

I just settled in for my evening cup of coffee when Kelli announced that she found a free furniture piece on Craigslist. It was 9.15pm, so gulping down a mouthful we rushed off to check it out. This is like a gold rush, the first to get there takes it, and god help anyone who gets in our way.

The address led us up to a place at the top of the world,to a house that was obviously being cleared. The piece stood like a monolith, tall, and effing heavy. It didn’t look heavy, until I tried to move it, it just didn’t budge. We both struggled to get it into the back of the truck, and with the aid of a bungy to hold the rear door down we made our way back.

21st June 2018

The start of summer and the clouds were blocking out the sun. We were working in the garage as the truck was with Larry having the front wheel bearings replaced. I could hear a lot banging and crashing that went on for an hour or so. Finally we walked over to take a look. He had managed to remove one disc, and was still trying to remove the other. There were piles of rust everywhere, and Larry was drawing heavily on his cigarette, preparing himself for the next bashing session.

We threw ourselves into furniture mode, I had a couple of tops to make, and Kelli put the finishing touches to the island unit. She then posted it on her Facebook market place, and within an hour she had inquires, by mid afternoon it was sold, and by eight thirty it was collected. The girl who bought it was excited, her and Kelli hit it off immediately, within minutes they were talking about the TV series “Friends” I stood opened mouthed as the two jabbered away, and laughing. This could only happen here.

I managed to finish a top for a metal frame that had been in the garage for ages. I used some old weathered wood from an old table, and strips of poplar bonded together. The finished effect worked well.

The final job of the day was to build a piece of rustic art from some of the wood we acquired last week. Kelli laid out the colours in the correct order, and I did everything else.

We mounted the piece on the wall in the dining area, I hope the attachment method holds up otherwise I could KO’d over breakfast.

20th June 2018

The music of the Moody Blues and Justin Hayward features largely in the house, as I have mentioned on numerous occasions. This is fine, and it is music I like, fortunately. So just for a change down at the Book Nook Kelli put on another internet radio playlist on her Pandora station. She chose the Simon and Garfunkel listing, and lol and behold what song came to air? Nights in White Satin, I smiled, I was reading my book on the comfy sofa. Around me I could hear the faint sound of someone singing the words, and it wasn’t Kelli. An older lady, well into her seventies came into view, aided by a walking stick, she sang alone with her voice as shaky as her walk. The next song was Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver, and she was off again, word perfect.

A book store with music is a perfect mix, both are timeless, and stir long held or lost memories. I doubt if the lady knew she was singing along, it is often sub-conscious, but for her, she was somewhere different, in a different time.

I finished my book, a comment on Trump’s America from a British point of view. The author, Jon Sopel is a BBC political correspondent, and one who received the “Here’s another beauty” from Trump himself.

It delves into the crazy world of America post 2016 with clarity, I think a lot of people here should read it.

We went back to Saugatuck for dinner, then on to “Music in the Park” a series of free weekly concerts throughout the summer. The guy on stage was pretty good, and of course Kelli knew all the songs. It was a fun evening, well attended, and the young kids were up on stage dancing about, not sure what was the most entertaining.

19th June 2018

There was another sound outside that has become familiar, and that is the chainsaw and chipper killing a tree. This is sad, but an all to common sound as land is cleared for yet another mini mansion.

It is common for a large plot is stripped bare of green to be replaced with an ugly structure that would incorporate every architectural cliques in the book. The one thing that a people lack who can afford a house specially designed, is taste.

It is all about size, the bigger the better. It’s got to have turrets with castellations, hundreds of square feet of glass, to keep the window cleaners in business. The gardens have to be extensive, and Eden like complete with snakes.

Everything is trimmed, polished and honed too perfection for the few weeks it is occupied.

P.S

The actual tree being cut down was just up the road, and was being removed because the roots were lifting and cracking the driveway. Does this soften my rant? Absolutely not, the rape of Holland continues as long as greedy developers are allowed to take the greenery away.

18th June 2018

The lawnmower chorus sounded out as we climbed into the truck ready for the drive to Saugatuck. The temperature was already up in the top eighties, so pretty fantastic as far as I was concerned. Kelli was already regretting her choice of top, but I reminded her that the bookshop had air conditioning so she would probably be okay. Some places have it on so cold you need a coat, I can never understand why places have the air set on “artic” and leave the doors open, like they’re trying to cool the whole outside.

Kelli managed to get a coat of paint on the island unit.

A neighbour had shown interest in it as she walked past walking her small dog. She didn’t balk at the price, although I wished I had made it higher to test her real interest level. I have lost count of the “firm” sales Kelli has had only to be let down. At the weekend there was someone interested in chairs we had, needless to say it was a no show.

17th June 2018

It’s father day today in England and the USA. I received good wishes from my sons, and a card from Greer. This was a little emotional, as I have known her since she was young, and although I dipped in and out of her life, I alway considered the daughter I never had, so to be acknowledged as her “step” dad was very moving.

It was a very hot, at least in the nineties, so any real effort doing stuff turned me into a dripping mess. In the evening we took the dogs down to the beach, which was a little breezy, so perfect.

We got there to see a five hundred foot freighter sail up the estuary into Lake Macatawa. The horns freaked the dog out, but it was the first time I ever saw a boat of that size make that trip. A flotilla of small boats and jet skis followed the freighter’s progress, like flies following a large turd. No normal person would race to join a traffic jam, but then there are few normal boat people here.

16th June 2018

I had to do a lot of catching up to do, output was down and we were desperate to get new stuff out there.

I made the back panel for the island unit out of the timber I planed yesterday.

Everything is very hand to mouth, we have never had a backlog to fall back on. So we are taking this opportunity to try to build up a stock, I know this will change when things start moving, and Kelli will want to re- fill her spaces.

Now getting back to this wedding thing, we needed to check out cake stands. Now this on my scale of interest is pretty low down, but I forced up the level, because it is important to Kelli to get everything right.

She went to someone she knew who rented out dinner ware, and found some glass stands that would be perfect.

I suppose if it were left up to me I would serve them direct from the paper bag they came in.

15th June 2018

Saugatuck is a typical resort town. Lines of shops with immaculate window displays with products that very few purchase. It could easily be a film set of a place of perfect people, looking cool and doing nothing.

Taking coffee at Uncommon Grounds I see the imperfects, sipping their drinks and doused in the glow from their laptops.

Families feeding their offspring with unfamiliar food where they make the expression of a punched face. YouTube is full of these moments.

I am an observer, this is Small town America, I can blend in, until I speak. I make sure I pronounce all my vowels, slow and precise, just to let people that there are spaces between the words. Those that know me make those allowances, but often I sense, like at the traffic lights, they want to accelerate at top speed as soon as they can.

As you can guess Kelli is working at the bookstore, so I have a bit of time off to soak up the atmosphere.

This was Neocon week in the busy world of office furniture. My alerts, (yes I still have them) kept me up to date with the new products that HM are showing. Some are cool, as you would expect, others are classed as WTF products, who would buy those, and others are “sponge” stuff, new acquisitions to pad out the portfolios.

It is a clear indication how the market is becoming blurred, and soon products will consist of just the boxes that furniture used to be packed in. Now that might be a good business opportunity!!.

I helped Dave move a wall cabinet in his garage in the afternoon, it was as hot as Hades in there. It was held up with long nails that made me hotter, trying to get those buggers out. Eventually with sweat dripping off my nose I got it down. I had to move a tool cabinet that was so heavy I swear the casters were locked. This was the best king of jobs to do on a hot day, but it got done, and I was happy to help.

I Cycled back and started work planing the wood we found yesterday. All was going well until I hit a nail buried in a plank. I had just replaced the blades a few days before, what a shit!