Power Tools and Primer

After haircuts this morning, we both had a quick bite for lunch, and then Rick went back outside to work on the chairs.

Lots of sand paper, a few power tools, and a couple of files resulted in him getting the worst of the paint, rust, and solder-splatter off the first chair.  (Apparently, the artist who welded the chair together was an the neatest nor the best welder.) Then Rick wiped the chair down with mineral spirits, and it was ready for primer.

The wind was blowing quite briskly this afternoon, but our back yard is spacious enough that Rick was able to find a place to spray a brown primer on the first chair.  He used one whole can just to cover the first chair, so I foresee a trip back to Lowe's tomorrow to buy more paint.

Brown primer covers the first chair...and the boards
used to hold it out of the dirt... and the grass around it.

The warm sun will help the primer dry quickly.

Eventually the chair will be white.  For now, we are happy that we have sunshine and warm enough temperatures to actually paint something outside. The poor grass may never be the same, but it was not all that healthy anyway.  We need to re-seed the whole back yard, but that is another story...

We still are trying to figure out what to put on the bottom of the rockers so that the paint does not wear off the minute they are used to rock on the cement patio.  We also do not want the bottoms to rust and to leave marks on the concrete. Steve suggested a patio rug, which would be great.  Rick though some clear, plastic tubing might work.  That certainly would be much cheaper! We'll have to try it and see if we have any success.

Suggestions always are welcome!

Selections and Sandpaper

Since we now have two beautiful (albeit rusty) chairs in our possession, we ventured out yesterday to find some fabric that I could use to make cushions for those chairs.

We knew we wanted outdoor fabric that would hold up reasonable well in the sun and would not "run" or disintegrate should it get caught in a rain storm.  Although we plan to bring the cushions inside when we are not using the chairs, one never knows what may happen.

We started at Leaderer's.  They are a well-known outdoor/ patio furniture store with several locations in Florida.  We actually had purchased our tropical-looking bedroom set from them a few years ago, and we knew that they sold Sunbrella outdoor fabric by the yard.

Once in the store, we were directed to the back wall on which their samples of fabric hung.  The saleswoman was less than enthusiastic about spending too much time with us since we only were seeking fabric, not the $1000+ furniture on which to put it.

We knew we wanted something that would coordinate with the yellow house, the dark green doors, and the white chairs.  We rejected some prints that had ivory backgrounds instead of white.  We considered two different prints, but rejected them for reasons below:

We liked the pattern and the greens, but the light stripes
were very dark ivory which would have looked "dirty"
on the white chairs.

We liked this print, but it was on the "discontinued" rack,
so we had no guarantee that they could get it in.

When we struck out at Leaderer's, we decided to try Joanne's Fabrics.  I knew that they carried a variety of outdoor fabrics (at less cost than Leaderer's), and we had to go there anyway to get the cushions to cover.

My idea of a cushion was a light, 1" cushion that would easily follow the contours of the chair bottom.  Rick's idea of a cushion was a 3" slab that would cushion his fanny from the cold, hard metal of the chair.  We ended up with an outdoor cushion about 2.75" that will stand up well to the weather. I don't know yet if I will add ties in the corners to fasten them to the chairs, or if I will just count on the weight of the user to settle the cushion into place.

Our next task was the fabric.  Joanne's had probably 30 bolts from which to choose.  We finally decided on a leafy print complete with leaves, small flowers, birds and toucans. It has subtle orange accents and a white background which should coordinate well with the white chairs.  Now I wish I could snap my fingers and have the cushions finished!

Of course, they were out of white "outdoor thread," so I told the woman I would just use the white thread I had at home.  I have never HEARD of outdoor thread, and since I probably will bring these cushions inside when not in use, I think that the thread I own will work just fine.

Birds and flowers will cover the new cushions for the chairs.

Rick worked for over two hours today sanding down one of the chairs to get it ready for paint.  He still has a way to go on the chair, but it should be wonderful when we get it refinished.  He is longing for the sand-blaster that he had at work.  That would have made short work of the rust and the slopped-on finish of these chairs.  Ah, well, this will give him something to do.

Rick gives his hand a rest as he sands down
one of the chairs.  Temperatures in the mid-60s
were ideal for working outside.

While he worked on the chair, I took time today to work on a scarf for Stephanie that I have on the loom.  I hope to get it completed in time for her to take back to Minnesota this spring.  She had selected the tencel yarn last year, and I am happy with the results so far.  I hope she likes it and will wear it once it is finished.

The scarf is grey, navy blue, and a light
mauve.

The chairs are far from complete, but at least we have the materials in house so that we can make them comfortable.  After all, those beautiful spring days where we can sit outside and enjoy a good book are right around the corner.

Food, Finds, and Fingers

We travelled to Sarasota today because Rick had to see a hand specialist, and while we were there, we had quite a day!

Before we came back from Wisconsin, Rick developed a trigger finger on the same hand on which he had surgery this summer.  His hand surgeon gave him an steroid injection; however, he told him that Rick may need a second injection if the first one did not solve the problem.  The doctor said that he had completed a fellowship with a doctor who currently was practicing in the Tampa area, and that if Rick needed the second injection, the Wisconsin doctor would make a referral.

Rick's finger still gives him lots of pain, so last week he made arrangements to get into the doctor down here.  Rather than practicing in Tampa, this doctor has opened a practice in Sarasota.  OK.  No problem.  That is only a drive about 75 miles from here.

We actually got excited about going to Sarasota because they have a pasty shop called 4to24.  It is owned by an English couple who makes authentic English (Cornish) pasties.  We had looked at their menu and decided to take a cooler down to pick up a bunch of pasties.  Then last night Rick read their Web site again and noticed that they were closed on Sundays and Mondays.  Drat! There went our plans for pasties.

However, Steve and Chris told us about two places to visit while in Sarasota.  The first was Yoder's.  Yoder's is an Amish farmer's market, deli, and restaurant.  Since we arrived in Sarasota just a little before lunch time, we did a bit of shopping in the market.  I bought some Amish noodles with which I can make chicken soup and a loaf of freshly-baked Amish bread.  Then we went into the restaurant to have lunch.

Rick ordered the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, and I had the "small" order of chicken fingers.  Yoder's, we learned, is known for its "generous" portions.  Rick's sandwich must have contained at least a half a pound of pork, and my plate held three huge chicken fingers with a side of cinnamon baked apples. Before our meal was served, the waitress brought homemade Amish bread and homemade Amish apple butter.  Both were delicious, and the meals, also, did not disappoint.

Yoder's is known, also, for their Amish pies.  On the way out of the restaurant, Rick bought a double-crusted blueberry pie.  We plan to share that with Steve and Chris.  They sent us to that place, so they get at least half of the calories!

Before we left, we went back into the market and bought a jar of the apple butter.  It is that good.

From there, we ventured to the second place Steve recommended: Sarasota Architectural Salvage.  (For TV fans, think Black Dog Salvage.)  The place is a wonderful place to browse.  Steve told Rick that he bet we would buy something, and he was correct.  We had viewed some of their wares online before we left, and Rick had found an outdoor metal rocking chair that he liked.  As we wandered around the yard, we came upon a set of these chairs.  Since we both are rather short, many chairs are too long in the seat for us.  These chairs, however, fit us well.

They were priced $129.00 each.  "I wonder if they will come down in price," I said to Rick.  He said that we had to measure the back of the Honda to see if they even would fit before we talked about them.  He measured once and said that he thought they would fit.  Meanwhile, another couple came around and talked about how the chairs were kind of neat and had drink holders in the arms.

I told Rick that I was going to talk to someone about the price while he went back to the car to take one final measurement.  I approached one of the workers and said, "I am interested in two of the chairs that you have out in the yard.  They are priced at $129 each.  Would you sell the pair to me for $200?"  He looked at the chairs and said, "I would, but I better check with The Man.  Let me talk to the boss and get back to you."  He left to talk to the boss and returned a couple of minutes later.

"The boss said he'll sell the pair for $200, but he will have to charge you tax, so they will come to $214," he said.

Our two new chairs will be our next project for Gladys. Once
completed, we will have two chairs that we can leave out on the patio.

I love that the chairs are rocking chairs and that
they have drink holders in the arms.

"OK," I replied.  "As long as they fit in the car, I will take them."  Long story short, they fit, the salesman helped us load them, and we got a good deal.  We really don't want to use them just for decoration, so Rick will sand off the rust, we will repaint them, and I will make cushions for the seats.  Then we will have two heavy, functioning chairs for the back yard.

After the Salvage yard, we were off to the doctor's office.  The doctor was great, the injection was quick, and we were back in Pinellas County before the evening rush hour. We'll see in the next six weeks if the injection is successful.  If it is not, Rick will face a further procedure to repair his hand.

If a second trip to Sarasota is necessary, I told Rick we have to go on some day other than a Monday. I still want to pick up some of those pasties!

Organized Again

Do you remember that good feeling of spending time organizing a closet, a basement, a shed, or a garage?  You threw out what was broken, dirty, unneeded, or just unwanted, and what was left you put in its place so you could find everything you sought.  What a great feeling!  Then about a year later, you opened that closet door or looked in that garage and through, "What happened?" as everything somehow morphed into a tangled, heaped-up mess.

Blue tape marks the layout for the components
we needed to expand our elfa shelves.

Rick and I have been waiting for January because that is when The Container Store in Tampa has their 30% off sale on elfa shelving.  We have used elfa in the past to organize our closets in the bedrooms, and we started a set of elfa shelves last year in the garage.  Of course, one can never have too much storage, so we waited for this sale to add on to our storage capacity in the garage.

The components were easy to hang.

We actually did not have to buy much because elfa is designed to connect, so we were able to connect the new shelving system by using some of the components of the old system.  We actually added two 48 inch shelves and four 24 inch shelves to one wall.  We added hooks to hold our bike helmets, and purchased more clear boxes (actually men's shoe boxes) to hold all of the items we want to store on the shelves.

We hung the bike helmets, put work shoes in boxes, reorganized
the "extra" wood, stored the lawn blower, and actually have empty
boxes and spaces available.

We bought a hook to hang the lawn blower but decided that we did not like how it fit after we brought that home.  The lawn blower does fit nicely, however, on the top shelf.  We'll take the other hook back to get a refund.  The Container Store is excellent about taking components back.

We ordered the components yesterday online.  We set up a "pick-up" time for today at 12:30, but Rick received a text about 9:30 this morning that our order was packed and ready to be picked up.  Great! I would rather drive to Tampa at 9:30 in the morning (after the rush hour) rather than during the noon-time traffic.  We were home by 11:30. We took time out for lunch and still had the whole system up and organized by 1:30 p.m.

The opposite wall holds the other necessary
garage tools.

We purchased a couple of smaller hooks yesterday at Home Depot to hang a small step stool and a clothes drying rack,  so by moving our broom hanger to the opposite wall, we now have everything hung to the side and ready to use.

This full view picture shows both our new shelves and the
elfa workbench that we added to the garage last year.

In fact, we actually have room to spare on our shelves!  I know that will not last long, but we are going to enjoy it for as long as we can.  I love the feeling of being organized.

Happy New Year

My title reflects my hopes that this new year will bring peace, contentment, happiness, and good health to us and to those who read this blog.

I have not written since mid-December because we traveled during the holidays and I did not have access to the Internet while we were away.  So I will use this blog for a brief update on our lives.

I never can fully get into the Christmas spirit in Florida because we receive no snow and the weather is always too sunny and warm.  Once we flew home to Green Bay, though, I longed for at least the warmth part of that statement.  We certainly were greeted by a white Christmas once we were in Wisconsin. We had to travel three times while in the North, and thankfully the roads were clear each time that we had to drive any distance, but snowbanks lined those roads no matter where we went.

We spent Christmas Day with Lindsay and her family.  Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a four-year-old child made much of the magic of the season come back to us.  Thanks, Owen, for helping us recapture the anticipation and joy of the season.

A couple of days after Christmas we stopped in Wisconsin Rapids to see my mother, my sister, and my brother-in-law before driving on to Rochester to spend time with Stephanie.  Lindsay and her family joined us the next day.  We had a relaxing, enjoyable three days, although Stephanie's two cats may never be the same!  The only downside to that trip was that the weather -- which was unbearably cold -- seemed to get even worse.  We awoke to negative degree temperatures with wind chills in the -35 degree range.  Temperatures that cold are dangerous and uncomfortable.  The wind actually HURTS a person's face, and taking a deep breath is painful and paralyzing.  Imagine gulping down freezing cold water too quickly.  That's how a deep breath feels. Needless to say, we stayed indoors for most of that visit; thankfully, Stephanie has a large house that easily accommodated company.

While the snow was pretty, the aftermath of that snow is slush and dirt on the roadways.  Everything was filthy and covered with salt.  Sadly, the temperatures were still too cold for us to even wash the salt off the Lexus before we had to leave, so it will sit that way until we return in the Spring.

Before we left for Wisconsin, I had been battling a cold, and it caught up to me in the frigid North.  I was able to get some medication for a sinus infection, although I am not sure how much it has helped.

I also had bumped my knee over two weeks ago.  It swelled up, and I have been watching the swelling (which strangely never bruised) since that time.  Two days ago, back here in Florida, I got out of bed and almost fell over.  A trip to MedExpress and three x-rays later revealed a severe contusion to the left knee.  Add heat, an Ace bandage for compression, and Prednisone to get the swelling down.  I actually was able to take a short walk yesterday, so I took a longer one today.  My knee let me know that it was not entirely happy with that decision.

The cold weather followed us south, so we are spending more time indoors than we really had anticipated.  Last year when we returned to Florida, we spent the evening on the beach.  This year, if we had done so, we would have been met with temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s.  The beach will wait.

We want to get a new warp on the loom and to order out some yarn to try a few other projects.  Stephanie picked out yarns last year that she wanted us to make into a scarf, so that is first on the agenda.  Then I would like to try some tencel, linen, silk, and/or cotton to make a shawl.  I have never woven a shawl before, so that might be a fun challenge.

I still have a small phone-holder project that I started before Christmas to complete, and we are spending the rest of our time reading, planning trips, and just relaxing a bit.  I also have to seriously work on losing the three pounds that I gained while home in Wisconsin over the Christmas season!

When the weather warms, we will think about getting back outside to wash down the fence and to add to our very-bare landscape around the house. That work is therapeutic and certainly will give us more badly-needed exercise.

We hope all those actions will bring us peace, happiness, contentment, and good health in the new year,