Another Lifetime to go

11th November 2023

I was helping Kelli trying to close up the greenhouse which wasn’t going very well.

The zip started to rip away from the plastic cover, which illustrated what a pile of crap it was. As I struggled with the zip, I stepped back and fell over a hanging basket that wasn’t hanging, it was on the ground. I lashed out and kicked it

If it wasn’t for my training in “stunt work” it could have been painful.

Of course it could have been worse, I could have fallen on dog poop.

The whole episode was a big joke for Kelli who laughed for the rest of the day.

After the entertainment, we got back to working in the garage.

I knocked apart the drawers from the small dresser we rescued from a neighbour’s loft.

We had a buyer for the dresser we posted yesterday. There were several interested people, one would have travel four hours for it. Kelli evidently sold it to someone local who also paid up front.

They were in a bad state, I sanded them clean of the paint and re-assembled them.

Kelli was busy painting another dresser that I had stripped the top revealing a walnut veneer.

After doing a few repairs, I stained stained it with a dark walnut stain.

10th November 2023

There were more leaves on the front lawn, it’s a never ending task, at least for the next few weeks. The piles I had heaped by the side of the road had reduced considerably, mostly now all over Larry’s front yard. Poor chap, he must have used gallons of petrol in his mini tractor sweeping them up.

I unpacked my mower from the shed, slotted in the batteries and headed out front.

I had decided to mulch rather than collect the cuttings hoping to save a bit of time and effort.

It would have helped if the batteries I had used were fully charged, I got a couple of length in before they petered out. Walking back into the garage to get the fully charged units used up all my energy.

9th November 2023

Aldi have started to get all the wonderful cakes and biscuits for Christmas. These are tempting, because it makes a change from the mundane things usually on the shopping list. I was prepared to sacrifice, say, the toilet paper for a box of stollen pieces.

Luckily we didn’t have to make the compromise, and were able to get both.

Getting back home we took the hounds for a walk, the sun was shining through the leafless branches, a carpet of fallen leaves covered all the front gardens.

We finished the dresser that we had concerns buying. It turned out okay, it may not command a high price, but it’s finished.

8th November 2023

Oh, the old git music was playing loudly today.

Kelli was spending the day with Greer, roughly translated, they were going to shop at Goodwill.

Having the day to myself was a treat, I had plenty of things to do, and the dresser we had refinished was being picked up this afternoon.

Now that the garage is clean I know where everything is and it’s a treat to work.

The paint scrapings were flying about to the music of The Grateful Dead when the chap turned up for the dresser, he was the distribution manager for Steelcase, so I expected him to be all over it looking for flaws, instead he could get it into his truck fast enough. He even had a sponge roller to help slide it into the back.

Once that excitement was done I got back to my scraping.

My solo day was cut short when Kelli returned, with a free dresser she had picked up, in the back. It was obviously a project piece because the stripping had been partially done.

I got out of the truck by myself, loaded it onto a trolley, I’d had enough excitement for the day, so I packed up, and finished for the day.

I was keen to fire up the laptop and try to remember how to use the 3D CAD software again. For many minutes I stared at the screen trying to remember what to do, after all it had been six years since I had used it last.

With the aid of the user handbook I managed to find how to start a model, it started coming back to me gradually, if I do a bit a day, I should be proficient again soon, I hope.

I had been concerned about the aging of my body particularly the arms. I had noticed a measurable loss of arm strength, in fact they have started to look like a pair of plucked chickens. I mentioned it to Kelli, and she set to work looking for exercises to build upper body strength. She came up with videos that use hand held weights, and as we had some, we gave it a go.

Yes it was hard, but we decided to do them every other day, and see if my chicken arms grow into turkeys.

7th November 2023

I made my first visit to Menards since I got back, things were pretty lean in the garage. We were reduced to using dead squirrels to sand the furniture, and we were running short of those.

The old place hadn’t changed much except for the abundance of Christmas decorations.

The world always need more inflatable Santas and reindeers.

I wandered around collecting the items I needed working diligently from the list on my phone. I was on my own this time and not distracted by Kelli who always finds other things to buy, usually animal related, but not this time. Like a cruise missile I targeted on exactly what I needed, picking up a room filter for the central air system that wasn’t on my list, and also oil and screen wash that wasn’t noted, so I didn’t do a particularly good job myself.

But these were essential. As the truck is old I alway like to have a quart of oil ready, and as I had been away for a month I thought the vehicle needed a drink.

I keep forgetting to change the filter in the house, and I’m always shocked by the amount of dust trapped, I’m supposed to change it every three months, and it is noted in my phone but I alway forget.

After clearing the checkout and a hundred bucks lighter I was able to join the massive queue at the traffic lights. There is a lot of roadworks going on at the moment, meaning months of congestion and long waits.

6th November 2023

The call of Plato’s was too great, Kelli had more clothing she needed to sell, so I was able to spend time at Starbucks waiting for her.

However the place I usually use was closed for renovation, so as an alternative I had to go to Target where they had a Starbucks inside.

Unfortunately the espresso machine wasn’t working leaving only the filter machine working. That severely limited my choice, however with a slice of walnut and pecan cake I made it work.

As I enjoyed my snack I watched as an old guy was attempting to repair the broken coffee maker. He seemed old to be doing this work, not that age was the issue, he looked like he should be sitting with his feet up enjoying his retirement.

He was brushing, and cleaning out the machine occasionally stopping to think of what else he needed to check.

Eventually, and by now I was down to the dregs, the old guy was ready to reassemble the grinder and test. The manager patiently waited for the sound of success. Just then Kelli messaged to say she was on her way to pick me up, and I would never know if it worked, fortunately I did hear the sound of something working, so the old guy rocked!

5th November 2023

The clocks went back an hour this morning so we had breakfast, and a walk with the dogs all before 11.00am, unheard of normally.

We did our usual around the block and around the lagoon stroll. On the way back we saw a Buck and Doe in a garden standing motionless, almost mistaken as statues watching us, after a standoff for a couple of minutes, they both took off disappearing into the nearby woodland.

I used the sunny weather to plant seventy-five bluebells bulbs in the front wild garden. These were sent as to me as replacements for the previous batch where half came up as daffodils.

I cleared a space of long grass and loosened the soil and buried the lot. Now I will wait until spring to see what comes up.

We had someone come to collect a headboard the Kelli had painted whilst I was away. The guy bought it for his daughter who was decorating her room, the dark paint of the headboard would fit in with the moody decor planned for the room.

I cut the grass in the back, it was a bit long and as winter is coming the grass won’t get flattened by the months of snow covering.

I packed away the lawnmower and pulled forward the snow blower, getting prepared.

We then drove round to a neighbour to collect a dresser that we had been promised provided we got it down from the attic.

The entrance to the attic was by a fold down ladder, not the most secure structure to climb.

I climbed up with trepidation not sure what I might find. I struggled finding the light switch, but once the area was illuminated I could see the small dresser in one corner.

I removed the drawers, each filled with old VHS tapes which I packed into dustbin bags.

I had to lower the drawers one by one down the ladder to Kelli who didn’t want to step on it.

Finally I had to lower the carcass down the same way, fortunately it wasn’t heavy, and Kelli did venture on to one step to be able to receive it.

Then it was back home to work on various dressers in various stages of repair.

Kelli made a start on the repaint commission, getting the sanding and priming done before the darkness fell.

4th November 2023

I like autumn, the leaf colours are fantastic, that is when they are still attached to the branches, when they are on the ground, that’s a different story.

Since I had been away the front lawn was covered, Kelli had been too busy keeping the business running to have time to sweep them up.

It was a good day for leaf clearing, it was sunny and warmish.

It was hard work with the big rake. Larry was doing the same, but he was sitting on his lawn tractor. I feel I’m more ecological by not using a petrol device.

I managed to move the leaves into large piles in the road awaiting pick up by the city.

We had a customer arrive to collect a queen size bed frame that Kelli acquired as a freebie.

They had asked if we could refinish a dresser for them, and they brought it with them.

This was a well made piece with a little bit of damage, but it should turn out good.

3rd November 2023

We had a dresser to deliver to a trailer park in Zeeland. This piece has been difficult to sell, Kelli had already re-finished the top from a light wood to a black stain.

Finding our way around these parks is alway a trial, the numbering never makes any sense, and we end up driving up and down the various roads in a hope of finding the correct address.

Luckily we found it, and unloaded the dresser to an excited customer.

Finding our way out was a little easier, we headed back home.

I had started work on a black dresser that needed help.

2nd November 2023

It was back to normal, that is driving to Aldi to do the shopping. My cold was still hanging on, and although I didn’t feel bad, my tired eyes made me look it.

I had to force myself to walk into the garage, but it was a pleasant experience because it was so tidy.

It even forced me to return things to their correct places, up to now an unknown concept.

My first job of this new era was a large black dresser that needed some veneer repairs to the top. Luckily I had some veneer that was similar which I spliced in. The drawer fronts were also in a bad way, but they needed to be stripped so that I could see the extent of the damage.

All three had veneer damage ranging from minor edge area to seriously large patches. There is still the decision on what finish the fronts will be.

My evening was much the same as last night with my eyes closing during a TV program.

I expect a couple more days of jet lag before I’m back to normal.

Whilst I had been away one of the under cabinet lighting units had come away from the double sided tape attachment, Kelli had solved the problem in her most pragmatic way, it did make me smile.