Archive for May, 2009
Squeezed for Time
Well, another week gone with very little accomplished in the shop. My #3 kid graduated from high school last Friday. Since we had 15 relatives coming in from out of state, I spent most of last week getting the house cleaned, the yard mowed, flowers planted, and enough food bought to feed an army. The last group left on Tuesday. This week was spent staining and clear coating doors for the basement remodel I am trying to wrap up. Today, daughter #2 graduated from AirTran flight attendant training, so my wife and I spent the afternoon down below Hartsville airport going through these festivities.
Tomorrow, my wife and I are leaving for Gatlinburg Tennessee to celebrate our 28th anniversary. We go to Gatlinburg every year because we love the mountains. I lived in this area for 34 years, so it’s like a homecoming every year. I also love visiting the Glades Road Arts and Crafts area in Gatlinburg. This is an area of artists and craftsmen that live and work in an area dedicated to arts and crafts. We spent four hours out there last year browsing through the shops and talking to crafters. It always rejuvenates me to network with these dedicated individuals.
One of my new products for this year is bookmarks and I have been making quite a few different styles lately. I hope to get pictures taken next week to post. Thank goodness it’s the weekend!
Keeping Busy
I miss working in the shop. All last week was off site work where I have been working on a basement remodel. The bar and various bookcases are finished, the drop ceiling and carpet is done, and Friday I went with the homeowner to pick up about $4000 worth of electronics which included a 65” flat screen TV and 800 watt sound system. Saturday, we watched the golf tournament in HD with some of his friends in the new basement. Now, my customer wants more custom bookcases, which is great, but whew!
Sunday was spent helping my son replace some parts on his truck. It’s been about 35 years since I have had to clean grease out from under my fingernails. This exercise reminded why I have my truck serviced at a shop. I just don’t get the enjoyment out of working on my vehicle that I use to get 35 years ago. Part of the problem is that I can’t bend like I use to.
Today reminded me again why I don’t like working in condos. I had two custom closet installations in Marietta. Actually, there are three closets, but I only got two done today before I ran out of time. Condos always involve a lot of stairs which translates into carrying tools and material up and down all day. It’s great exercise, but by the end of the day, I am just worn out. I have to go back tomorrow and finish the third one, but it is on the garage level so it will be less intense.
On top of all this, online craft sales have picked up, so I am packing cutting boards late at night and dropping them off at the UPS store on my way to morning projects. It’s interesting that I have a lot of different board styles, wood combinations, and sizes. But everyone seems to be buying the same style board. I just had an order tonight for the last one in stock, plus I am out of 6/4 maple so I have got to get over to Kennesaw and pick up more lumber sometime this week and make another run of them, hopefully before I get another order. I hate making customers wait for a week while I make up a board.
Hopefully, I’ll get some time back in the shop in a few days.
