Hi Everybody!

Life is zipping along here in a glorious fashion and as usual, dull moments are hard to find. I have noticed that when you walk and take public transportation everywhere, your day fills up pretty fast with stuff that used to take you half the time or less. I helped a friend start packing for a move today and I stepped onto the train 4:30pm. I was on that train for approximately 10 minutes but after ducking into the grocery store, waiting for the next train, and walking home from the train station, it was 6pm before I got home. However the roads are apparently hideous so this is actually the fastest way for me to get home. The ones that I have experienced in a car are so confusing, one way, twisty-turny that only someone with Garmin-like instincts could make it from point A to point B. I suppose you eventually get used to it, but I’ve never seen anything like it.

However I am not going to complain about my lack of automobile because not only is the train a fraction of the cost, but I am in the best shape of my life since I was a young wood nymph in the mountains of Vermont. Plus I get a lot of reading done. You do have to be careful to not load yourself up to heavy, when grocery shopping however. I learned that valuable, back breaking lesson the first time and now stagger purchase dates of items such as detergent, dog food, or a bulk bags of potatoes. On the weekends, I have JD with me and I load him down like a rented mule.

A few days ago I was taking a movie back to Civic Video and I came across a table that someone had put to the curb for the trash man. It was dark but it looked serviceable to me so upon my return trip, I hoisted, puffed, dragged, pulled, cursed, and carried that table back 4 blocks. When we first moved in here in January, I had asked our landlord if we could have a table in the kitchen so we could maximize our counter space. It was promised but never delivered and I have given up asking. This seemed to be the perfect size so I took advantage of my opportunity. Ladies and gentleman, I am officially a trash picker. But now I am a trash picker with a table so that makes it ok in my book. JD wanted to know what my plans were for it and when I said I wanted to fix it up, he said “You can’t polish a turd, baby”. I wanted to try anyhow and bless his heart, he helped me.

I should have taken before pictures but didn’t think of it. The top was stained and had various amounts of paint on it. It looked as though perhaps it was used for plants with all the water marks. The bottom part was metal tubing that was rusting and painted that horrid institutional tan paint that you see on the old metal teacher desks. Well they were old metal teacher desks when I was in high school and that wasn’t exactly yesterday, so I am sure that they don’t even exist anymore.

JD spent about a half hour sanding the metal part to get rid of the rust and helped me sand down the wood until most of the marks were gone and wood grain appeared. We painted the metal part black and rubbed wood oil into the top. I was given a great table cloth from Indonesia today when I helped my friend pack and I think the whole thing looks great. The table isn’t going to be auctioned off at Christie’s or anything but I am delighted to have a place to put all the dog treats and other things that don’t need to be up on the counter.

Stay Classy America