elbow grease, a tired back, an intact box, and a monster

We picked up the table and chairs Friday, moved the old table and chairs to the shop until Jade can take possession, and set up the new table. Later Marc pointed out that the top of the table was sticky. So I got out the Murphy's oil soap and cleaned it. Oh man, was it dirty, didn't look dirty, but the cleaning rag said otherwise. Cleaned it again with the oil soap. Still dirty and sticky. Wiped it down with a wet cloth, dried it. Still sticky. Damn, they must have decades of Pledge on this table. Switched over to Simple Green, twice and then wiped it down with water. Much much better but still a little tacky. Back to the oil soap and a scrubbie, twice. Wiped it down once more and dried it. Success! But I removed any finish it might have had (most of it anyway). Next I oiled it down with lemon oil and it looks and feels great but it's going to take several applications of lemon oil. We're not going to leave the leaf in as it is nearly twice as wide as the leaf in the old table and horizontal surfaces in this house soon become covered with stuff.

Today I went out to run some errands...get more pecans cracked (I picked up almost 6 more gallons yesterday and another gallon today and there are still many of the ground and they are still falling) and get more lemon oil among other things. So of course, the grocery store didn't have any, plenty of choices of Pledge though, so that meant a trip to the Evil Empire aka Walmart, the store of last resort, where they did have it but which gave me another reason not to shop there. On a busy Saturday they had two checkers, two. But they have at least 6 do it yourself stations with something I have never seen before...a conveyor belt like the checkers have. I had one item, there were lines at the two stations so I used the DIY which I prefer not to use because I don't work there and the machine shorted me four cents in change. Pissed me off. Since there was no attendant I had to go to the customer service desk. Four cents wasn't going to break me but it was the principal of the thing.

The weather has warmed up and we've had a couple of really nice days so I went out to finish my weeding and got it all done except for some nut grass in two small spots but while I was digging up nut grass in the bed where the poppies grow every year I unearthed this monster...

That's an earthworm, at least that's what I think it is, and it was about 24” long and nearly as big around as my pinky finger. I have never seen anything like this before and I'm wondering where the fuck it came from and it's lucky I didn't accidentally chop it in half with the trowel. It was one of those Whoa! What the fuck! moments as I initially just unearthed a four inch section.

The heron box came out of the kiln Monday and I just now cleaned it off after letting it sit all week.

The cracks appear to have mended though you can see where they were in a few spots plus the mold cracked in front so there's a bit of flashing (a raised line where the glass oozed into the crack) which will have to be ground off, the bottom will have to be ground flat again though not nearly so much as the first time, and the recess for the inlay has three blobs that will need to be ground out where there were bubbles caught in the investment. So we'll see if it survives the cold work.

Well, it's getting on to couch time. I have to brave the gauntlet and drive into shopping mecca tomorrow to get another one of the frames and another trinket box and a small piece of plywood and get serious about finishing some stuff for the open house.

Maybe Monday.