Year 18, Week 46, Day One (week 984)

Year 18, Week 46, Day One (week 984)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
11-22-18 Thursday

68 degrees early morning, 81 late afternoon. Mostly cloudy all day with a little bit of broken clouds. They repaired the clouds a bit later. Some storm cells appeared over the Everglades, started east, dissipated, and reappeared over the ocean. Low humidity and a light breeze kept things comfortable all day long, making it a true pleasure of a day. Even people who live in air conditioning loved it. This weather report is brought to you by The City Of Pompano Beach Department Of Tourism.

We were having a BBQ for Thanksgiving this year. I intended to just do a little bit of work and leave it to others. Yeah, Right!!! I was up and down, from one side of the house to the other, fetching stuff as I knew where they were.  We had eleven people and everybody enjoyed themselves, having their fill of just about anything. We all ended up with loads of leftovers. 

I did do some crochet. I took out a small ball of yellow yarn and started on a zig zag dish cloth.  With the zig zag dish cloth I made for mom, I made a mistake and then messed it up really good trying to fix the mistake. On this one, I put a good dent in the ball of yarn when I realized I made the same kind of mistake. I had skipped a stitch where you jump several previous stitches and pull them together to create a Vee in the fabric.  
I started correcting it and it was looking ugly, so I removed a bunch of rows until I got to where I made the mistake and started the rest of it right. I did not get to the point I was before as I ran out of time. I had to wind the rest of the yarn around the ball. The ball was one I had rolled to allow it to draw from the center. I will have to do a lot of stitches to get back to the center pull. I intend to finish this roll up, which was small, and then change colors to complete it.

Of course, I was involved in putting things away. I had help, but still I was running back and forth.

When I went to bed, I was hobbling. I had fun over-doing it. 

I hope to do some wood working tomorrow. I will see.

Year 18, Week 46, Day Two (week 984)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
11-23-18 Friday

72 degrees early morning, 83 late afternoon.  Lots of blue sky, puffs thin enough to where I don’t remember the sun being blocked. A nice breeze kept it comfortable. This weather report is brought to you by The City Of Pompano Beach Department Of Tourism.

We headed out to a rummage sale (church yard sale). Everything was priced right. It was so tough to avoid getting things I already have too many of. They had a coffee grinder (I have four), a meat slicer (I have three), a air popper (I have three air poppers (one looks like a cart) and a popper with the wire that moves the popcorn around in the oil).  If I knew for a fact these things were not going to sell, I would have rescued them with the idea of passing them on, but since I cannot see the future, I left them.
This church made two mistakes. One was they did not put their address in their notice in the paper and we first went to the wrong church, and they chose Black Friday to have it. Everybody is out in stores buying new stuff on sale.  If they had it Saturday, they might have done better but still the wrong weekend..
People were walking out with a lot of stuff. They gave us free cloth bags to hold our  finds while shopping. I was somewhat good. I did have a bag full of stuff, but I feel I chose right. Later in the afternoon we drove by and they had a couple trucks they were loading. I think the stuff was going to be donated to something like the Salvation Army. 

I worked on my ornaments today. One spout on the tea pot popped off and went to the ground. I could not find it among the shavings already there. I cut a piece off a tea pot blank I had not started on, and glued the piece on as the spout. After the glue set some I carved some excess wood off. It will look good when done, but I need the glue to set more before I get aggressive. Most of the tea pots are close to being done. 
I hunted all over for a sanding disk I have for the lathe. I had rounded and flattened a two by board, mounted on a small face plate, and sized it for the 9" stick-on sanding disks. I also glued a strip of emery cloth around the outside. I could not find that disk. I have no idea where it went. It should be easy to find, but it was not there.
I decided to take the plate off the dead disk sander to mount it in the lathe. The screw, acting like a pin, holding it to the shaft, would not come out, damaging the screw driver and the screw slot. I even tapped (banged) on it. Then on a lark I plugged the sander in and the motor started.
I sanded each roof and base of the gingerbread houses to eliminate the bowing and roughness of the jig saws cuts I had made, and corrected some of the really bad walls (like when a knot was in the way). One I messed up house a little by holding it at the wrong angle and lost the eve on one side. I just cut back on the wall to create a new eve.  The peaks of several of the roofs are not centered, but that, I think, will add to the charm (hope, hope, hope).
The disk needs a new sandpaper but I have no idea where the replacements are so this will do for now. 

Later in the day, mom needed to pick something up that she ordered so we headed out. After her stop, we went to Wal Mart. We have many Wal Marts in our area. I am not exactly sure how big this one was, but it was wearing colored tights and had a cape waving in the wind.  I am pretty sure it was the biggest in the county.
I walked across the store several times and then around the outside. My legs were not happy when we finally headed home. Mom had a trainee for a cashier and that girl had serious problems getting things to ring up properly. It took a very long time. Wal Mart really only has seats in their deli restaurant. I was at the other side of the entrance. We were lucky that we found a parking place right near the entrance at the store end of the parking lot. Somehow, I do not know how, I avoided buying anything.
I had to go out back when we got home and put everything away before I could go home. Talk about wore out. I did feel it when I laid down to sleep. 

I hope to get more ornaments finished before the weekend is over. 

I will see what I actually do tomorrow.


Year 18, Week 46, Day Three (week 984)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
11-24-18 Saturday

68 early morning 86 in the afternoon. Nice breeze kept things feeling cool, along with low humidity.  Blue skies, mostly sunny,  some high clouds and low clouds but few times where the sun was blocked by them until late afternoon. This weather report is brought to you by The City Of Pompano Beach Department Of Tourism.

After breakfast we looked to see if there were any yard sales in our immediate area, but there were none. We came home and I got to work. I needed to work on the ornaments, but decided I really had to find some stuff buried in the shed. 
I dug deeper than I intended, but did not check things out below knee level, which included a couple bins. I left some battery drill stuff alone. I was not in the mood to deal with them.  Most of the batteries are dead and some of the chargers are also dead. That will be a good long day on finding what works. 
I found the “chowder box” which has raw materials for metal turning and machining projects. I also found a lot of partial projects and materials for future projects. I found loads of tools and boxes for tools. I found my sand paper, and sanding accessories.  I have a couple cloth bags of partially made platters. I was practicing making platters for a demonstration for the club. A close passing hurricane stopped that and then all sorts of stuff happened later to prevent me from getting back into it for the past few years.
After moving stuff around, I ended up making loads of room in the shed. I got some power tools closer to the door so we can get to them. I have an idea where a lot of stuff is now.

Last week, I noticed that the center hasp for the metal tackle box, that I keep my dremmel in, was broke. I decided I would have to replace the box. I dug out all the tool boxes and cases with the intent of swapping boxes. I had consolidated a couple tool boxes and was ready to start moving dremmel stuff into a new box, when I noticed there were two latches to the lid of the dremmel tool box, one near each end. I slapped my forehead. How blind!!! the center hasp which is used for locking the box, was likely broken before I first got this box years ago. I always used the side latches to keep the lid locked so I could carry it. Somehow, I forgot they were there!!!! Sheesh. Talk about getting old!!!

I did find another box that can be used for dremmel stuff and moved some dremmel motors into it and a few items that go with them. More will be done later.
When I am completely done, I will have two boxes of dremmel stuff, one for at home and one at Mom’s. 

All the walking back and forth wore my legs out. I never did work on the ornaments but found a lot of stuff I have used for decorating ornaments.  I have glitter, fabric I used for snow man scarves, thread, just to name some of the things I have used over the years. I will have to go through that stuff with more care later.

I have an idea for my Christmas Cards. I will have to do a couple quick “sketches” to see if it works. It might also be good for another ornament. Not for this year, but for next. Will see how that goes. This year, I will only have the gingerbread house and the tea pots. The rocking horse and this other idea will be made for next year, at best.

I was done for the day, leaving a mess under Mom’s awning, but everything safe from the weather for a day. Tomorrow, I will have to finish getting everything put away, and then finish the last of the tea pots and detailing the gingerbread houses. I will paint them during the week. Both will need a couple colors so I will add a color to all of them and let that dry, then do another color until they are all done. 

I will see what I actually accomplish tomorrow.



Year 18, Week 46, Day One (week 984)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
11-25-18 Sunday

66 degrees early morning 84 late afternoon, super high pebbled cloud cover with chem trails from the Fort Lauderdale Air Show crisscrossing the sky. I finally figured out why it feels so good these days at these temperatures. The humidity is low enough that it feels good. During the summer, when the humidity is 80 to 90 percent, it is oppressive. You get wet without doing anything. At below 70 percent, it begins to feel nice.  This weather report is brought to you by The City Of Pompano Beach Department Of Tourism.

When I got out to work, I had to put a bunch of stuff away, sort some others and put some in new containers. Zipper baggies rotted, cardboard boxes slumped from the effects of years of humidity. 
I found another dremmel, this one has a flexible shaft attachment that allows the motor to hang and one handle a smaller end of the bit. Somewhere, I have no idea where, I have a FORDUM which works with a flexible shaft. I found the bit set for it, but not the fordum. I know mom has an off brand one also. 
In machining, they usually have what is referred to as a CHOWDER BOX. This has bits of metal that can be used for many projects. I located mine and emptied it out and had a look at what I had. Wow. I have a couple pieces that are on the idea of half inch, by three inch by two inch. They are likely smaller, but they can be made into a number of things. One looks like I or my brother was machining it to size as there is a pass with a bit on one face, partly in from the side. I have a lot of interesting metal working projects to do. Some will be points for tail stocks or for drive spurs. I did not have the ability to make them the way I wanted at the time. I now have the tools and knowledge to make them.
I found some basswood and some partially done projects my dad had. I located a lot of great tools and had to put most of them away.  I also found some blanks for Christmas ornaments I made year before and did not complete the set. 
I will have to, at a later time, completely empty out the shed. I found traces of some bugs eating wood and tossed out several pieces. I will have to examine all them and get rid of some of it. Everything will have to be stacked properly so that stuff I will not need will be buried the deepest. 

I touched up the tea pots and sanded the bottoms to level them out. I then did all the windows and doors on the ginger bread houses. I have some “feathers” where bits did not cut separate properly, to remove, and then I can paint them. These will work nicely.

Mom gave me an idea for an ornament. I won’t be able to make them for Christmas this year, but can make them and the rocking horses for next year. I will eventually make the horses.  I do have an idea of how to improve the design. I want to carve them once I have blanks made. It will require a bit more cutting and gluing of wood to make it work.

I have this weekend to get everything done. I don’t have to have the complete dozen made, but I want to have some to show after the first. The rest can be made as opportunity allows.
I intend to pick up some card stock for my Christmas cards during the week. I also will start painting the ornaments. I am hoping they will look good. One thing I will do is leave the bottoms bare wood, other than a varnish coat, so there is no question of what they are made of. I will also sign the bare wood before the varnish coat. 

I will see what happens next weekend. 

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Mom put some of those light projectors up as her Christmas Display. Pictures seldom show colors other than green

The book in back is one I wrote and got published with the help of my friend Nancy, who also posts on this blog. It is available on Amazon along with other book sellers as either an E-read or a paper book.

My knife is in front.  My unpainted ornaments are on display for the picture. 

The gingerbread houses are across the back except for a short one in the middle. Then there are 8 tea pots (one is really a coffee pot) in the middle group and then there are four tea pot blanks along the left.