Monday, November 15, 2021

two steps forward and one step back


I mentioned the last few days have been busy. I'm still taking Robin to and from work 4 days a week, about a 35 - 40 minute round twice a day. Thursdays are my volunteer day and Friday is one of my days to fix dinner and last Friday it was also my turn to do the dishes plus we went and got our boosters so neither of those days allowed me much personal time. Saturday though, I had all day. It was such a gorgeous day, clear blue sky, warm, not humid. I did my yoga routine, I managed to get a post up, I emptied the truck full of downed branches again and the burn pile is getting bigger and bigger. Rocky came by with his table saw and cut the plywood for me. He had bought a brand new saw blade just for that purpose so he would get nice clean cuts. He's going to get a 6-pack of his favorite beer for his thoughtfulness. Then I set up the wax pot and set up my forms to pour the bases for the next two models and while I was waiting for the plaster bat to finish absorbing water I washed all the little cups from the last mold I filled. Then while I waiting for the wax to cool I scraped the foamy parts off the wax that's been piling up from steaming out molds and added the clean wax discs to the wax pot.


Then I got out the chop saw and miter cut the trim pieces that will go around the plywood bases that Rocky cut for me in the morning for the trumpet flower pieces. 


Then I dismantled the forms around the cooled wax blanks, cleaned that up and then trimmed up the wax blanks and then cleaned up after that. And then I walked the dog and of course she wanted the long walk, and then finally I caught up on all the posts I've missed the previous three days. Finally fixed myself a drink and sit down with my book. I didn't realize how tired I was until I had sat for about 15 minutes.

And the night was full of dreams. I went on a tour of some city. There were only three of us, the tour leader, and her daughter. When we got to the first stop after getting to the city, the two others left, apparently they just wanted a ride home. We stopped at a beach of some sort but we weren't to go in the water but then I looked up and the tour guide was neck deep in it. After she got out I stopped at a group of faucets to wash the sand off my feet and then I had to go to the bathroom and the toilet was on a steep slant and then slid out from under me. Another stop was to see some jute (?, something coarse) weavings piled up in a big attic that we had to clamber up into on a precarious ladder of sorts and then through a hole in the wall and I took a bunch of pictures to show blogger weaver Joanne. There were some other stops that I don't remember now. We drove past the tour guide's house which was a big three story tudor looking place and finally we had to slog up a steep sandy hill to get to the parking lot where the van was for the ride back and I didn't think I would be able to make the last three or four steps but then I was at the top.

As productive as Saturday was, Sunday was not, and in fact I took a step back. I did get the plywood and trim pieces sanded, sprayed two cut off pieces with matte clear coat for testing. Then I decided to construct one of the shadow boxes but first I got the cut off piece of pine, cut a mitered trim piece for one edge, applied wood glue to the edge of the plywood, positioned the piece of trim and after It had time for the glue to set I tacked in three 5/8” little brads through the trim and into the edge of the plywood. Worked great.


Started on the real deal for the pine shadow box, glued a long and short trim piece on at the same time and the first little brad I tried to nail in split the trim. Well, fuck. I took that one off, I had enough left to cut a new one, and attempted to nail in a brad in the other piece and that one started splitting too. Well, double fuck. I gave up. So today I'm heading back into Lowe's to get a new piece of trim and will probably have to cut all four pieces again. But, I know what to do to prevent the trim pieces from splitting. I'll have to drill tiny holes in the trim before hammering the brads in. Anyway, I closed up the shop, walked the dog, and that was the end of my day.

The desert willow vine/shrub is blooming. It's not really a vine in that it doesn't climb on anything. It blooms on the ends of long branches it sends out. 






22 comments:

  1. Yes, Saturday was hugely successful. :) Thanks for the kind words about the Blue Quilt. I like it too.

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    1. I love days when I get a lot accomplished, when the energy is just right.

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  2. Argh! That's frustrating! Hope you get that problem solved.

    I love that you dreamed about taking pictures you knew would interest another blogger. That's awesome!

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    1. I think I know what went wrong, didn't wait for the glue to set. I also plan to drill little holes in the trim first just in case.

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  3. I love that you dreamed about taking pictures for Joanne! (After I typed that I read Steve's comment - ha!)

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    1. I know right? I just wish I actually had the pictures to show her!

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  4. I think that many of us do dream about blogging friends. We can be as real to each other as if we knew each other in the "meat world" as Rebecca likes to say.
    Woman! You are busy! I hope that Granddaughter Robin can figure out a way to get a car of her own soon. That's a lot to ask of you and although I'm sure you are graciously doing it, you sort of have to plan your days around that.

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    1. She has sort of a plan. There's a car that needs work that she thinks her brother will fix for her after she buys the parts but it's a waiting game with him. Also she still needs to learn to parallel park to get her driver's license.But of all the grandkids, she's the only one who never asked me for help of one kind or another (usually monetary which I was happy to provide) so I'm glad I can help her now when she needs it. But yeah, my gas bill has doubled and it takes a big chunk of my day.

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  5. Frustration is just not a very good friend. I agree "double fuck". Blogworld Dreamworld meatworld ingredients in the same soup I reckon.

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  6. I posted a comment and it's gone. Hm. Anyway I was saying the chauffeuring takes a big chunk of a busy day, and I hope you get relieved of it soon.

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    1. She's saving her money to buy the parts for one of the many cars that need work that her folks have and waiting for her brother to fix it. But first she has to learn to parallel park to get her driver's license. And while I've enjoyed spending time with my grandgirl, my gas bill has doubled.

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  7. Your days are so full of creativity and all kinds of stuff, and you dream such interesting dreams. I love reading of all you get done there, even the frustrations are illuminating.

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    1. I used to be full bore every day. Those days are past.

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  8. I have a friend in the hill country who has a desert willow tree that has to be 25' tall. It's a gorgeous thing. Now I'm wondering if it's the same as what you showed here. This is what the flowers of my friend's tree look like.

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    1. All smiles here -- isn't that the most beautiful bloom ever?? And for a tree that might be considered ugly to some. Thanks for sharing the photo. Read my reply to Ellen's post further down.

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    2. I know the desert willow tree, there's one that grows in front of the library here. This isn't actually desert willow but pink trumpet vine, Podranea ricasoliana. Desert willow vine is just what the nursery where I bought it called it because of the similarity of the flowers. Mine never gets bigger than in my picture because it freezes back every year and doesn't climb on anything like the orange trumpet vine does to which it is related. It might grow taller if it was planted against a wall or fence but where it is it's really more of a shrub.

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    3. Oh, thanks! I do know the orange trumpet vine; it's one of the most persistent vines we have around here. I couldn't believe how long the seed pods on the desert willow are. On my friend's tree, there were some more than 12" long.

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  9. Thanks for that photo of the Desert Willow. When Robert's father passed away, we paid to have a Desert Willow tree planted at the resort where he lived for half of each year. Nice to see the blooms... I'm impressed that you think nothing of cutting wood trims, using a mitre saw and all of the other things that you do. Felt bad about the split trims... wonder if the brads hit a seam in the wood. Drilling a hole should help set the brads the next time around.

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    1. It's not really a desert willow but a pink trumpet vine. See my reply to Shoreacres.

      Not so surprising, they're just tools, learn how to use them. I had Rocky cut the plywood for me because I don't have a table saw and I didn't think I could get straight cuts with the power hand saw. And yes, that's what I plan to do, drill little holes. I think the reason it split and not on the test is because I didn't use enough glue or let it set first. The glue is probably what kept the test piece from splitting.

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  10. It is nice to help your granddaughter and you get to spend some time with her too. It is worth it! So many details to putting your art work together! It will look amazing!

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  11. Your life is full of lovely people and pursuits. I love nothing better than to be exhausted when I fall into bed at night. Even your dreams are busy!

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.