Year 13, Week 5, Day One (week 681)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
02-16-13 Saturday
   
    61 degrees, light breeze and wet in the morning, lots of blue sky in and the sun came out a bit in the afternoon, tempered by a strong breeze in the afternoon and quicker cooling. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Department Of Tourism.
   
    Today was originally planned for the local Renaissance fair (Ren-fest). As the weekend got closer, I saw it was not going to happen. It looked like it might rain Saturday. Also it looked like it was going to be bitter cold.
    I also saw that if I did not do laundry soon, I would be going to work in a polyester Seersucker suit.
    Then I saw that I only have three weekends to get ready for my art show. I have some stuff at an antique shop and needed to let him know that at the end of the month, I was taking my stuff out for the show.
    Together, that killed my woodworking plans for Saturday.
   
    Because of the wetness before the sun came up, there were no yard sales. It almost looked threatening yet after the sun came up. No one was going to set up if there was a chance to get their stuff wet.
   
    After breakfast, I petted the cat. Mom showed me that the neighbor had his Mango tree trimmed and she got several pieces. The biggest piece was about the diameter of your forearm. I put them in the shed for now. I plan to make some projects out of them.
   
    We settled down in the recliner and I looked at the clock. I had several hours before the antique shop would open. I left mom and did laundry at the laundry mat. I found out late in the evening that my cell phone case had broken and fell on the laundry mat floor. The guy who found it, had called several people on the phone to find out who might know where I was. He had called Mom while she was asleep and did not get her. He called in the evening and got her. It was only then that I learned that I had lost my phone case.
   
    After the Laundry mat, I went to the antique shop. I walked around and drooled all over the place. In one section, he has blacksmith and wooden implements. There was a big kettle that caught my eye. I looked at wooden hand planes and examined a shoulder plane. This one has the blade go to the very edge so you can plane a shoulder straight down. A normal plane has some material between the edge of the block and the blade so you cannot cut straight down. I touched my wallet pocket. I set the plane down when it dawned on me that I will never use it as I never do that kind of work. I also don't need more dust collectors laying around. Drats!!!!! I hate being at the age that I understand that concept.
    He has some blacksmith tongs and kitchen tools made by a blacksmith. There was a leather thing that at first I thought might be a bra or some kind of girdle. I read the tag and learned it was a blinder for bulls who are under harness. Half the fun is figuring out what they were used for, and then seeing if you are right.
    It was fun looking around. We talked a bit and let him know when I was coming in to get my stuff.
   
    After the antique shop, I stopped at a thrift store I always visit. I saw several things that were interesting, but walked out with a stainless steel bowl for two bucks. I did not need it as I have nearly a dozen of them and they don't get a whole lot of use. The thrift shop is for charity. I joked that I give my all money to charity and she was very expensive to date.
   
    When I got back to Mom's house, I relaxed in the recliner and added a bunch of rows to my newest scarf. I am doing a stitch I had not done before, but read about many times. A couple tips from people prevented me from making some common mistakes. I do two double stitches, then chain two, then drop two double stitches, then chain two again. It ends up giving you blocks and spaces through the entire piece. When I got home, I measured what I had and it was three foot long. I did about a third of it at stop lights, early mornings when waiting for the gates to open at work, and waiting for meetings.
   
    Mom mentioned she was going to something tomorrow in the afternoon. That will cut short my wood working. I am thinking of doing something simple such as another spin-top.
   
    I will see what I actually do tomorrow.
           
   
Year 13, Week 5, Day two (week 681)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
02-17-13 Sunday
   
    45 degrees early morning, 58 in the afternoon. sunny strong breeze. The wind blue my hat off a couple times even though it was scrunched down on my head. The cool breeze took the heat out of the sun. It is supposed to be just as cold tonight. This weather report is brought to you by the City of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.
   
    Having lost my cell phone yesterday, I had to wait for the person who had it to come by her place of work. She was an hour late. I was happy to get it back. The phone case had two straps and a metal clip. The threads holding the straps broke and the cell phone lifted off the clip because of something I was doing at the time. My cell phone is called a GO PHONE. My ATT contract is a dollar for the first call of the day. then it is unlimited on calls to any ATT cell phone. Calling land lines and other company cell phones costs a little bit. For how few calls I make, it is a good plan. He had called a lot of people in an effort to find me. the amount available was lower. I was not worried about him racking up high bills on the internet, mainly because once the money is used up, he would not be able to make any more calls. The phone was only twenty bucks, but the chip has some numbers I have not recorded elsewhere and those would not have been a happy loss.
    I crocheted while waiting. when I left there, I had lost a lot of planned working time at Mom's house.
   
    I have a cane that has a chair attached to it. The "back legs" are supposed to clip to the main shaft and stay put while using it like a cane. It would not clip. I almost got it right with some pounding and pressing. I failed to get that sweet spot where it will stay put but is easy to open. I plan to use that next weekend as it will allow me to sit anywhere to rest.
   
    My brother showed up while I was checking something on my truck. We went out back and talked for a while before dinner. He is reading books on sheet metal bending and bending metal for boilers. He said that with his books, he could make a boiler for a steam engine. He is learning things that will work for his job too.
    After dinner, we went back out and found it too cold to stay out. I don't think the temps dropped that much, but we were warmed up from dinner. I went out front with the idea of sitting out in the sun, but the wind took away any sign of heat the sun was giving.
   
    My brother is planning on digging up Mom's and the Neighbor's yard to put in sewer hookups next weekend. That kills woodworking as he will have the mess right where I usually work. It will be a long project.
   
    ON the way home, I picked up a phone case at Home Depot that is not going to break. It cost more but It is going to last a very long time. I like the horizontal design case. this is vertical. I will live with it.
   
    I am hoping to go to the Ren-Fest next weekend. I am glad I did not go this weekend as my leg is having a bad day. I would not have been happy at walking that distance. My walk at Home Depot showed me that long walking would not be the most fun thing there is.
   
    I will see what I actually do next weekend. A lot of plans can well change at a moment's notice.