Dot`sThoughts

What to do today? That is my question.

Here I sit resting at the comp and also watching the soaps on TV.
I know I want to do more wood cutting in my shop as I have started
working on Christmas gifts for my kids. Since my Uncle loaned me
the small table he made so I could make myself a pattern from it,
I did make myself one. Then I got the idea that they would make
nice gifts. So, last week I made two trips to our local Curtis Lumber
Co. for wood. Since I carry the wood in my Mazda car, I often make
more than one trip.This time I could have carried all the necessary wood
in one trip, but felt it would be less wear and tear on my old 80 Mazda
if I did it in 2 trips.

When I had my 83 Plymouth totaled by some crazy truck driver I was so
upset. I had owned this car since it was new in 1983 and after driving it for
12 years and keeping it looking like new, to have some driver cross onto my side of the road and hit me head on really was irritating. I cooled off some when I figured that driver crossed to my side of the road to miss hitting a car that was backing out in front of him causing him to go around it or hit it.Just a couple weeks before this accident, I was visiting a friend when her husband told me " Dot, I sure wish I could afford a new car like yours" I told him that I wish I could afford a newer car like his. His was just 2 yrs old. You should have seen the shocked look on his face when I told him my new looking car was actuslly 12 yrs old. Last fall I had a few rust marks touched up on my Maxda so it now looks like a new car again- no dents anywhere, no bad scratches, so maybe I should knock on wood, or thank God for my good driving record, or just be very grateful I have been able to avoid those dangerous crazy drivers on the road. Who knows, maybe this trusty car will last as long as I do if I just keep taking good care of it. It is already older than my Plymouth was and I have owned it almost as long.

I had origionally gotten this Plymouth especailly for carrying Scout items. It had the back seat that could lay flat , so when I removed the trunk cover I had loads of room for carrying everything I needed with me at the Round Table meetings that I helped run every month where we taught Scout Leaders - both Cub leaders, Webelow Leaders, Den Mothers and even had some Boy Scout leaders attending to learn. That was fun, but I also carried things needed for the summer scout cub camps where I also worked , and for the monthly Parent/ Cub meetings. I stayed invloved for over 15 years and loved every minute of it.

So, years later, when I went looking for a new car, I still wanted one where the back seats went down to carry things better. When I found this Mazda that the police chief from the neighboring town was selling, I rushed to look at it. Didn`t take me long to decide I wanted it. I still miss the Plymouth because the back seat of the Mazda doesn`t go down as flat as the one in the Plymouth did. But, it still had the back trunk cover to hide whatever I was normally carrying and with the seat dropped I could still carry more than I could with a reg. car. So. I seldom need to have anything delivered or ask anyone to pick up boards for me. I like this. I go to Curtis so often that they are forever asking me what I am working on now.

Yesterday my future son-in-law ( next spring or summer) came out to the shop to ask me what I had been working on the past few days. I guess they had heard all the saws going so much. I showed him a couple boxes of already cut boards and told him I was running a small table factory. I am cutting out enough pieces to make at least 6 or 7 of those small closeable tables. I only have a few slats yet to cut before I can do a finish on all the boards and put them together. I still have sanding and many screw holes to drill also. Each table requires 12 top slats, 8 shorter support slats, 4 legs, 2 leg support boards, one piece of wood dowel, plus a few minor pieces. So, for 6 tables, I need 72 longer slats, 48 shorter slats, 24 legs- each with the slanted bottom end to fit flat on floor when opened, 12 leg supports, 6 dowel pieces, plus the minor items. All the legs and leg support need the top end rounded off so there are no pointed edges. I did this on the scroll saw. I started cutting the bottom slants on my Band saw, but ended up finding it easier to also do this on the scrowl saw. Then back to the table saw to make the slats. To make the thinner slats take a lot of cutting. After cutting each slat the correct width, I then have to run each slat back thru the saw to cut them in half to get the right thickness. This is where you really need to concentrate as they are smaller boards that are being cut in half. So now you know why I called it a small table factory. :):)
I have just 12 more of the shorter slats to cut out and the cutting will be finished.
I will probably do those today.

Next is to decide exactly what type finish I want on them. I could just leave them the origional wood color and add a good protecive coating to protect them from spills or dampness. With luck, I should get them finished long before cold weather gets here. Gee, last week we felt like the heat was going to do us in, and here I am talking about the colder weather that will be here again in just a couple months.

Guess I will need to start cooking again. A couple days ago I made a boiled dinner style, only I cooked it in the pressure cooker so it would be quicker. I cut the small cabbage in half, cut the small ham in half, and froze the rest of the ham. Rest of the cabbage is still waiting for me to decide what to use it for.
To get back to the meal, to the cabbage and ham, I added some uncooked carrots, 2 potatoes cut in half, and an onion. The flavored ham/ vegetable water left in the pressure cooker made a delicious gravy. I had this for dinner for two days. Today it is cooler, so I will add the last half potato and cut up the rest of left over ham and add some more fresh cooked veggies and make a stew using the gravy for flavoring. This way I get a change and nothing goes to waste. If I don`t eat it today, it just might go to waste. Can`t let that happen. It has been a long time since I have made a full meal like this one in the pressure cooker. I have been getting lazy and using either the microwave or the electric cooker so I wouldn`t heat up the house more.
Guess I should get off this comp and get the stew started so I will still have enough time to play around in the shop.