Another Lifetime to go

9th August 2023

I had a quick ride down south shore to see if there were any eggs out, and yes there were.

Then it was into turbo for the ride back.

We were able to have breakfast outside, a treat that for the last two days the weather has been wet and miserable.

I had a drawer to make, I had laid up timber yesterday that needed to be thicknesses, cut to size and machined.

Dragging the saw outside, setting it up and doing the work I realised that I hadn’t zipped up the dust bag, so all the crap went all over the drive, not a good start.

I started assembling the cabinet door pieces trying to keep everything square, and I also applied a final coat to the desk top.

Kelli was painting the latest dresser that we bought from Zeeland, it was an unfinished project, it also must have been a piece where someone who had never used a sander before.

It was a bloody mess. There was only so much we could do to make it decent, but even after spending more time than it was worth, there are still areas that need more work.

We did take pictures and get a potential buyer, so the pressure is on to improve it a bit.

8th August 2023

It was old git music time, I was in my element and Kelli was off doing a taxi service for Dylan who was in Hudsonville having a hearing test.

I was slicing through my jobs even managing to cut components for two doors for a repurposed dresser.

There was fire in my step, new enthusiasm and it wasn’t raining.

There was a bit of a mix up at Kelli’s end when she tried to drop Dylan off at his home.

Greer had arrived home after her shift ( because she works at night at a hospital) she had locked the door (which had overridden the combination lock) gone to bed with her phone on silent and ear plugs. He had no chance of getting in as he had no key of his own and relied on the combination to gain entry.

There was no alternative but for Kelli to bring him back to Holland until Greer awoke.

Well it was my job to take him back to Allandale which was okay, and I didn’t get lost.

7th August 2023

I had another dental appointment (I hope it’s the last one for a while) this time it was a crown preparation.

As usual it was a fast session with the assistant taking the flexible cast and the dentist doing the grinding. Then he is off, leaving the assistant to do the scanning and making the temporary crown, trimming and bonding, one hour in and out.

I have another appointment in a couple of weeks, this is expensive, over a thousand pounds for a crown, I really don’t want anymore thank you.

When we got home there was the familiar sound of trees being ground up. A house a couple of houses up was having several trees removed. It is a shame that it happens, the haven for squirrels and birds are disappearing and not excluding what they do for the environment. Sometimes it feels safe living under a canopy of green, although in the storms it can feel scary. There is just the sound that attacks my ears, the buzz of the chain saw and the grinding of the tree muncher offends me.

What really got be mad was the supervisor who drove across my front lawn, as if the road wasn’t wide enough. I would really like to bury posts in the ground to deter these buggers.

6th August 2023

The day started off with tremendous expectations, that didn’t quite deliver.

It was wet and grey, not the best weather to move things outside to work on, so that was against us. Kelli found a free dresser on Marketplace, the trouble is, it was in Byron Center a good half hour drive away.

It is a pleasant drive out into the countryside.

We drove past one property that was covered in rubbish. There were things strewn all over the place, like something exploded. Even the landfill site was more respectable.

And that’s it, so many people cannot keep their property tidy. Farms are usually the worse, with old equipment rusting in the fields or littering the farmyard. There are barns on the point of collapse and everything just looks sad and neglected. These places are often in a wonderful location and next to an immaculate property, which must piss off that person.

We got to the address, the dresser was in the garage, a lady greeted us, she was on crutches with both legs heavily bound, I did mean to ask her what happened, but thought better of opening up that can of worms.

The dresser had a missing drawer, but the solid wood front was still there. Guess I have to make a new drawer box for that. The rest of the piece was okay, with a unmarked laminate top, it should clean up well.

We drove back hoping to find the messy house again, but the GPS took us a different way.

It was still wet when we got home, really putting paid to any furniture work. What didn’t help was a visit from Elaine who had the sketch I had drawn of a cabinet she wanted repurposing. I needed a number of missing dimensions in order to make doors and drawers for this cabinet that was in her home in Florida. She goes there every winter to escape the harsh Michigan weather.

Then my friend Martin made a Skype call that lasted two hours, so the day was disappearing. By the time that was over there was no point in starting any work so I just started to draw up the parts for Elaine’s project.

5th August 2023

Another night with four hours of sleep, there was great expectations that with the supplements that Kelli had finally received would kick in, but they didn’t.

To try to be as normal as possible, we did our shopping a day early, it tired Kelli out quickly reducing her enthusiasm to do much furniture work at all.

We unloaded the truck with the furniture that we collected yesterday, it was not as good as we hoped, one drawer was totally destroyed, and not easily repaired, I’m tempted to repurpose it.

I did manage to stain and seal the desk top and prep the pedestals for painting.

4th August 2023

Well the lady loved the renovated dresser.

That was a huge relief, it was transformed from the wreck that we were handed.

The morning was busy, first we had to drive to west olive to collect a free hutch, that is a dresser and top shelf unit. The dresser needs some drawers repaired and a good scrape, but what was interesting was the guy breaks down old pipe organs, and there were panels spread out over his driveway. He said we could take anything we wanted, but as the truck was full with the hutch there wasn’t much space left.

I managed to squeeze in a few panels that I could convert into something.

We got home, and managed to fit in a quick bike ride, stopping to buy a dozen fresh eggs on the way. Our ride was cut short by a message from the dresser lady who arrived early. I have never seen Kelli cycle so fast, her hair was blowing in the breeze, I had trouble trying to keep up.

After we helped load the dresser I got started on stripping a desk top which is another commission piece, due in ten days.

This is another Asian made piece using pine veneer, I won’t rant on about that again, but there is a blister in the middle. I managed to strip and sand the top by the time it was pool time. That felt good, the water was warm on the top and cooler at the bottom, it was so relaxing, I just needed a beer to be perfect.

3rd August 2023

Yet another disturbed night, this is becoming the norm. Kelli called her doctor and he advised her to increase one of the supplements she is taking, I hope this makes a difference.

It was a hot day, and I was rushing to finish the commissioned dresser, fortunately the polyurethane dries very quickly so I was able to apply many coats.

I’m not totally happy with it, but it’s better than it was. The veneer on the drawer fronts was cigarette paper thin, making it hard to feather in the new patch, it obviously had been sanded before, but I hope the customer is happy with it. You certainly will read about it if she isn’t.

This warm weather has played a part in our low productivity, the call of the pool is too strong.

My Tolomeo lamp that I bought on eBay arrived today. I placed it on the desk, switched it on, it worked, but it was like moon light, I think I need a brighter bulb, but it’s a cool light.

2nd August 2023

Another restless night, and another story told to try to get Kelli to sleep. I’m not sure if it’s the content, or the mono tone of my voice that works, but I hope for better nights because I’m running short of material.

It was the farmers market at the town Civic Centre, an ideal opportunity to buy fruit that we were short of. We took a leisurely ride through the park and into the large marketplace. There wasn’t a lot of time left, so we grabbed some yellow plumbs, some donut shaped peaches (honest) and some green apples, and we couldn’t leave without getting a packet of dog treats.

On the way back we had to go to Kelli’s mums to drop off some supplements that Kelli picked up earlier.

We made the mistake of cutting across the forecourt of a garage workshop just as a vehicle driven by a mechanic came round the corner. Kelli was in front and I had to swerve to avoid an accident.

“ You should be on the sidewalk” he shouted as I rode past and started up the road.

“Shut up!” Kelli shouted back, she was ready for a fight, you should pick on a woman with hormones.

That pissed the guy off, he flew out of the car and started shouting at us.

“Oh shut up” Kelli repeated.

I switched the bike into turbo mode to leave the scene as quickly as I could, I did not want to bury my face in his fist.

Drama over, we dropped off the supplements and headed back home making sure there was no truck following us.

I worked on the commission dresser staining and finishing drawers and the carcass, trying to get it completed by Friday.

We also sold the two bed frames, after a flurry of activity it was someone from Allendale.

1st August 2023

They say life’s a game, and I’m a player. Every morning is like roulette, I’m not sure what numbers will come up.

Last night Kelli woke at three in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, in desperation I told her a story. I trawled back into childhood memories, telling tales of my childhood adventures.

In the morning I asked her if she liked my stories.

“ I heard the first one then I must have fallen asleep”.

“Bloody typical” I replied “ I stayed awake for an hour telling them”.

After fine breakfast, I went to work on the commissioned dresser project. This was the one that looked like it was in a gunfight. I had repaired the holes and patched in some veneer, now there was the sanding and staining left to do.

Kelli had more painting to do to the bed frames, but had to go to Plato’s to sell more clothes.

I was left on my own with MY music playing.

We didn’t even have time for a bike ride, maybe the trauma from yesterday hasn’t left me yet.

31st July 2023

It was one of those days when I felt like I should book myself into a assisted living facility. Maybe my attention was somewhere else, but my first experience whilst we we were riding our bikes to the tile shop where I was going to pay the invoice for the work recently done in the kitchen.

Now a bit of background. Many houses along the south shore drive are where the rich people live, they can’t be bothered to do any gardening themselves, so they hire in contractors to do the grass cutting and tree trimming. They also have vast green lawns that are kept watered by underground sprinklers. These are timed to operate at different zones.

By the time we are up and ready for our bike ride most of the watering on these lawns have finished, but today we were a little earlier.

As we rode down the pavement there were various wet patches where the narrow strip of grass between the pavement and the road get watered. Normally I see this as a challenge, timing my speed to miss the sweeping jets. This is what I thought I had done today. I should have known better because Kelli left the pavement and went on the road. I could see the wet pavement ahead, and it was too late to deviate. The first jet hit me on the leg, not very hard, quite refreshing really, the second did the same. This is when the third, forth and fifth hit me at a much higher level. I was soaked, the whole side of my body from my head to my feet was soaking. My sunglasses were covered, I could barely see out of them. I had to look as if nothing had happened in case anyone had witnessed the scene, but Kelli’s hysterical laughter would have given it away.

As we rode on and my left side started to dry out, we came across a patch of wild flowers next to the road, in the middle of which was, as I thought, an old woman dressed in black, on her knees in a prostrate position.

After passing, and to make sure I wasn’t overheard, I said to Kelli, “Do you think she’s praying to Mecca?”

“Huh?” She said, I repeated my remark.

“ That was not an old woman, it’s a carved black bear”

“Are you sure?” I said.

“Yes, it’s a carved bear”

And that’s exactly what it was, from the other side it was a carved black bear crouching down, but to me, it was still an old woman praying, although the short stubby tail should have given it away.

So on this short journey alone I had struck two embarrassment points easily gaining me entry into the mad house.

The day was not over, later Kelli was tempted by a free curved bench, I agreed to go and collect it, I think I still had water in my ear.

It was solid, made from a whole tree it was almost impossible to move. The shape also added to its difficulty to hold and to balance.

It must have been a spectacle for the neighbours to watch. We kept changing positions, lifting it, then swapping ends, it was like a wrestling match, that we weren’t winning.

Somehow we did get the better of it and the Toyota had to bare the extra weight again.

We weren’t sure exactly where we were putting it, but agreed that we should reverse the truck over the front lawn and take it in by the side gate. Now Kelli is not the best at reversing, she started off okay but started to divert, ignoring all instructions by me to correct her positioning.

I gave up and let here do her thing.

Pulling the bench out of the back of the truck, it hit the ground with a thud. It would have been easier to move Stonehenge.

Finally after dragging the monolith into the back garden, we righted it in front of the hostas, somehow during the positioning to the bench I inadvertently stepped into a fresh pile of dog shit, that was the last straw.

Kelli said I looked like I was doing a rain dance, shaking my fists towards heaven and shouting obscenities, I was mad.

Kelli suggested that I didn’t use any power tools today just in case, I guess she is right.