Meandering Thoughts (#18)

Along the section of wall, from the wooden door on the left,
to the third bike hanging up on the right,
took an entire day to clear out and organize.
It may not look like much, and I wish I had a "before" picture,
but I promise you it constituted a huge step in the right direction.
Finishing it became motivation for starting the next project. 

I almost skipped tonight's post. This introduction may sound familiar. That's how I began it last week. But tonight's excuse would have been different. While today's event involved my daughter's dance team, unlike last week, it began at 10:30 am, and ended around 4 pm. The whole time spent entirely on my feet. And surrounded by hundreds of people. With only two hours of sleep. My body is aching, and my social battery is drained. Currently, my mind keeps telling me to fall asleep right here on the couch. Yet, a little voice in my heart whispers, "Write what you're feeling at this very moment, even if it is only one or two paragraphs long. At least one person will read it and enjoy. Also, you keep that one habit going." So, that's what I am doing.

This past week, I made progress with a woodworking project, partly by sucking at it, and accepting the results. Also by overcoming my usual anxieties about dealing with Lowe's lumber department.  Finally by enduring my unheated, disorganized garage. Standing around on cold concrete for hours, cutting, shaping, and sanding wood can numb you down to the marrow of your bones, despite thick socks and layers of clothes. 

I sucked at it, because several strips of plywood that I ripped on my brand new table saw, were uneven. There are solutions to the problem. Adjusting the fence, or making a better one. Or, a new saw blade, which I purchased, but have not installed, yet. However, I lacked the time and patience to see it through. Also, this particular unevenness will not affect the final product. All that much. So, I have accepted the imperfection for the sake of expedience, and to see the project through. 

Getting the plywood in the first place, was no easy task, for me. Alone, I trekked to Lowe's. Upon arriving, I found one of those big, blue metal carts for hauling lumber. Of course, the one I picked had to make a ton of noise as I pushed it about the store. Then, finding the plywood itself, because none of it was labeled properly. Also, pulling it off the shelf, and loading it onto the cart, alone. A four-by-eight, three-quarter thick piece of maple plywood is quite heavy. Plus, an incident with a sheet of MDF board of equal size (but heavier weight), has left my right elbow screwed up for years. So, I always have some trepidation whenever I move these things around. Upon loading it all, I have to push it back to the register, hope that there is a sticker on it somewhere (this time there was one), and load it into my car. The whole time making enough noise to wake up the dead. Yet, I did it, got it home, cut it up (I messed up the first pass--measure twice, cut once I did not), and moved the project along.

(I promise to post pictures of the final product.)

Finally, my garage. While there is room to fit one car easily (it is my wife's requirement), and another with a little finagling, the walls remain a mess. Which is fine for storing the cars on snowy days, but not for doing wood and craft projects efficiently. It is overwhelming, and has remained an obstacle for some time. However, the current project, an extension for my dining room table--one that will allow me to go from seating six people comfortably to twelve people snuggly--has forced me to act. So, section by section, I have begun throwing out stuff, organizing things, and, in some cases, building new storage solutions.

As for the lack of heat, I willingly suffer through it, because woodworking makes me happy, and this table extension needs to be completed soon. Suffering through it now will allow me to have a better organized, more open environment for all the furniture I have planned for the spring. And, maybe, just maybe, some day I will be able to insulate my walls, install new doors, and add a heater. That last one is a long shot, but the insulation will go a long way to warming up that space.

Wow, look, I wrote seven paragraphs instead of two, and despite the exhaustion! However, I am going to stop here, it is more than enough, and because I am beginning to nod off at my laptop.

See you next week!