New Furniture at the Aerie

When our 40th Anniversary rolled around last August, Terry and I decided to do something we had never done before to celebrate. We went out and purchased a brand new diningroom table and a set of chairs. Our previous table had been a hand-me-down from Terry's Grandmother. We also had a round, four legged, white oak table that was a hand-me-down from my cousin who had scratched its surface badly when he and his wife moved. The white oak was in our lives from day one back in 1972. The Grandma's table (a red oak,  pedestal affair) first joined us when we moved into our Morristown home. Chairs were mix and match from not very valuable antique saloon/captain's chairs to inexpensive oak chairs from Bradley's. (Remember Bradley's?)

We looked around at what was available at furniture stores in the area but couldn't find The One we wanted. A good many of the table sets today are of the bar stool height variety that is--to me-uncomfortable to eat at unless you're, you know, at a bar. And forget about Terry using one of those high stools! She needs ropes and pitons--or at least a step stool--to climb into one. We ended up going down to The Morris Chair Shop to have them build one for us. We had been there once be fore to look around and loved the craftsmanship and styles but had no need for any new furniture at the time. Hey, things change, ya know?

Today we took delivery of our new, made to order--as in you place the order and they will build it--diningroom set. It looks great! The color matches our kitchen cabinets perfectly as does the Mission style. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving when we have some folks in for dinner.

 

Diningroom table and chairs.

The set consists of the table--which has two leafs that will expand the surface considerable--and six chairs. It's just the right size for the two of us or for an intimate dinner for four yet it can grow when we have company to accommodate six or eight very easily.

Thursday's Activities

We had a line of thunderstorms move through during the night. There was some booming and banging and enough rain (0.26 inches) to make it worth while in a gardening sense. (Maybe that's why this morning's ground hog--the dead one--was out feeding on the grass and not the tomatoes.) Things were cooler this morning and the overcast sky kept them that way through the morning hours.

Terry and I took advantage of the cool, overcast but dry skies to visit the Morris Chair Shop and purchase a new table and six chairs. Delivery will be in about 8 weeks as they do not keep any tables "in stock" as it were. Much too bulky and item for a small company to keep laying about. The table is 54" long and 36" wide with two 16" leafs on the ends. It's Mission style (or Prairie, if you will) and made from quarter-sawn white oak. The chairs are of the same style and materials. As Terry said, "We've been married 40 years, and this is the first table of our own we've ever had." (Previous tables were hand-me-downs from Grandparents, cousins and aunts.)

On our way back, we stopped for lunch at The Landing Strip in Liberty (excellent meatball sub with fries) and then at the bank to replenish our wallets after putting our deposit on the furniture. (Heh. I didn't know the Morris Chair Shop didn't take credit cards.)

The sun has struggled to come through the clouds and the temperature has risen to a muggy 85 degrees. The national weather service has put us under a severe thunderstorm watch until at least 10 PM. Areas to the north in New York have a tornado watch. Currently there's a thin line of yellow and red stretching from the western Finger Lakes southwest to Pittsburgh and on nearly to Charleston, WVA. That line is inching it's way eastward and is likely to reach us in a couple of hours.

Sur-prise, sur-prise!

A week and a half ago, Terry and I went to Lowes to order an 8x10 area rug for the dinning area. (We had been using the 6x8 carpet that once was part of Jessica's apartment at UMass many, many moons ago.) We found a nice one for under $400 with free delivery. The pattern on the carpet is Mission style and goes well with most of the furniture we have purchased. The color is a sage green and matches the sofa and chairs we bought last year.

Yesterday it got delivered. No fuss, no muss, no door bell ring or knock. The thing just magically appeared on the front steps. Although wrapped in plastic, if it had rained it would have gotten soaked. Someone (me mostly) was home all day yet never did we hear a truck pull up or a carpet get dumped on the front steps. (I guess, it could have come while I was behind the house cutting grass behind Terry's sewing room. The lawn mower noise could have masked the sound of the ruck and delivery.) If Terry hadn't gone out to sweep the steps in preparation for company coming today, we would not have known it was there.

I stopped at Lowes today to mention this little faux pas to the customer service desk. They looked at my sales receipt and told me that it wasn't one of their deliveries. Since we arranged to have the carpet direct delivered, it was probably delivered by the Big Brown Box truck. That I believe, he often backs into the driveway and puts packages on front porch with out ringing the door bell. But, this was a huge freakin' carpet left laying on the steps half out under the sky! This guy (or gal) will get an earful the next time we get a delivery and snag him or her before they run off.

Tomorrow we go shopping for a new dinning room table and chairs at the Morris Chair Shop. They had a nice one on display when we visited two months ago. Probably should have bought it then, but we were about to head for Cape Cod and then Portland, OR. Delivery would have been a problem. Hopefully , they don't change their floor models too frequently.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

That's the new Three H's around here. Although, Hazy and Humid are still about. It was a farookin' hot, hot day here at the Aerie. The temperature reached the 90 degree mark and the blazing sun made it feel even hotter when you ventured out. Still no rain today or in the near future. Everything is drying up. (Who was that sonfoagun who prayed for the rains of April, May and early June to cease? Can we get him to work on praying for an economic recovery?)

Naturally, with everything dry as a bone, the town (or maybe the gas company) decided it was time to grade the dirt roads around the Aerie. Don't get me wrong, the roads needed grading. There were clusters of potholes numerous enough and large enough that you might think the AF had sent a drone to bomb. Dust has become a regular thing. You hang back from any vehicle in front of you because the dust cloud might clog your cars air filter--and you cant see the leading vehicle if you get too close anyway. All you can be sure of is that it's there--somewhere--ahead of you. Once they (whoever "they" is) finish grading a section of the road, they spread calcium and water on it in the hopes that will keep the dust settled. Sometimes it works.

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We did our best to help boost the economy in these parts today.

After I watered the garden this morning, Terry and I did venture out. First we stopped at Grandma's on Rt. 15 in Mansfield for a hearty breakfast and then we went over to Murphy's Blueberry Farm to pick. And pick. And pick. We picked for about two hours and, when all said and done, put 19 Ziploc packages--each containing 2 cups--of blueberries into the freezer. Nine quarts of berries for two hours work (and $23.50) isn't so bad. It was too hot to think about making BB jam so they all got froze. This time. Next time--next Monday, weather permitting--may be a different story.

Then we went shopping. The new furniture didn't come with a recliner, but I didn't need one since there are two upstairs in the loft in my TV zone. Nor did they have a matching ottoman which would allow me to put my feet up and relax with my laptop, so we went looking for one (ottoman, that is) at Beiters in Mansfield. We also were in the market for and picked up two new window air conditioners--one 8000 BTU unit for our bedroom so we can semi-retire the 10+ year-old machine that's been doing yoeman's work for us (it will get moved to Terry's TV/sewing room which is smaller in size and lacking a cathedral ceiling) and a second smaller 6000 BTU unit for the guest bedroom. They also had a couple of swiveling stools on clearance which I picked up for my workshop. One is just the right height for working on the scroll saw and the other is perfect for the workbench. (And, should it stay this hot much longer, I'll be spending lots of time down in the (relatively) cool, cool workshop/basement--or in bed--with the AC running.)

Next we stopped at Lowe's to pick up some wooden woven rollup shades for the French doors in the living room. During the summer the late afternoon sun comes in that glass and creates a greenhouse effect. While the glass above the doors will still admit sun, the new shades will cut the amount in half and, hopefully, that will result in a little cooler conditions.

Back home, I installed the new AC in the guest BR and the shades in the living room. (The other AC installation and movement will be done tomorrow AM.) Only bad thing about the shades is the pull cord is on the right side and can not easily be switched to the left because the manufacturer used rivets and not bolts to attach the hardware. This makes things a little dicey for the one over the left side of the French doors. I might have to thing about drilling out the rivets at some point, but, since we seldom open those doors, the shades will do just fine as they are for now.

I also picked string beans, cukes and zukes. We've now got five quarts of beans in the freezer and will probably get a quart a day for the next week or so--unless another ground hog shows up. The zukes we've been getting are just the right size for grilling or steaming--with one exception which will become zucchini bread soon. There are currently half a dozen little zukes (about 4-5 inches long) on the plants. They will be ready for harvest in a day or two. I can foresee a day in the near future when we will allow them to get into the 10-12" range on purpose so they can be used for breads. A fella can only eat so much zucchini before crying, "Enough!" but there there NEVER comes a time when there is enough zucchini bread!

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Driving around today, Terry commented on how picturesque the hay fields look with their rolled up bales of hay sitting there ever hundred feet or so. We saw a few places where the farmer had recently cut his hay bit had not yet baled it. The stuff was laying in the hot sun drying nicely. Other fields showed signs of recent plowing but no growth. That made me think about how tenuous things can be for a farmer. Earlier this these guys couldn't get into their fields to cut hay or even plow for planting. Now, while they can cut and bale and plow, they're concern is the need for rain to make that hay produce a second and third crop or for the newly planted seeds to germinate and grow. Farming's a tough and unpredictable livelihood.

Bolt Hole, July 8, 2011

I've now got a working gas stove and oven again. I had to run down to Tractor Supply for the propane hose, regulator and gas tank; and went next door to get some necessary hardware and tools (all but the most basic tools are in the boxes in PA, of course). Got the gas tank filled up on the way back. It took me longer to go down to the store and back than it did to install the stuff once I got home. I had some 12-24" angle iron laying around that was predrilled for 1/4" bolts. Two long pieces got attached to the wall with lag bots and I used five of the shorter ones to create a platform on which the gas tank rests. A 1" hole drilled through the wall allowed me to pass the hose from the woodshed (where the gas tank is located) to the kitchen behind the stove. A little teflon tape on the joints and it was ready to be tested.

Aside from the little wait for the propane to get through the line for the first time, everything works perfectly. I can now fry up things (eggs, bacon, steaks, chops...Hey! I'm getting hungry here!) to my hearts content. I'll also be able to do a roast or bake some cookies. All I need do now is restock the larder with the necessary ingredients.

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Did a quick walkabout in the orchard but could not determine what was out there last night. There were deer tracks in the sand at the end of the driveway, however, so deer is the likely answer. No new branches bent or broken that I could tell, but the leaves and lower apples have been gnawed at.

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Terry just called to say that the furniture we bought on Monday was delivered. Well, the sofa and chairs were delivered. The cocktail table will be coming next Wednesday. They forgot to mention that or call to tell us about that change. Terry says the color is perfect. The "Thistle" shade of green goes well with the carpet and the stones in the fireplace. Being lighter than the furniture we took out should help brighten the room, too.

Sunday...Home again. Monday the 4th.

Terry and I headed back home again after church services (Terry attended with her cousins) and breakfast hosted by the bride's parents.

We back tracked our route and even stopped at the same diner for lunch. (Yeah, it was that good the first time.) being Sunday, July 3rd, traffic was light and the weather cooperated until we got on I-88 in New York State. Just south of Cobelskill, we ran into some torrential rain and thunderstorms. They really limited visibility and traction on the roadway, so it was a good thing there were so few other vehicles with which to share the road. We hit two such storms that lasted 20-30 minutes each and by the time we were approaching Binghamton, it was over. The roads were dry as a bone as we moved west on Route 17 and then back into PA and home. It hadn't rained here on Armenia Mountain at all.

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Having indulged myself with the purchase of a new GPS unit, I took Terry out today to get some new living room furniture. The loveseat, chair and ottoman we have now are 2530 years old and starting to really show their age. We went up to Horseheads and the nearest Raymour and Flannagan outlet and picked out a sofa, two chairs and a cocktail table that will look and fit nicely in front of the fireplace. Best of all, they had a sale on so we saved some $$$ and delivery is promised for Friday of this week. Just in time to entertain a couple of cousins from South Carolina who should be here around the 15th.

Now here's an idea...

As I put together the base of the workbench I was struck by how much it reminded me of some furniture we bought for the Bolt Hole back in the late '80s. That furniture came from a store called This End Up which I believe to have gone ...well, that end up. Suffice to say the stores are no longer in the malls where I used to see them.

Basically, the furniture was constructed of 3/4 inch thick southern yellow pine. All of the furniture, chairs, sofas, love seats, beds, etc. was solid as a rock yet easily made by gluing and pinning 4 and 6 inch wide boards together. We still have al the furniture,. Some of it is at the Bolt Hole but two pieces (a love seat and a recliner) are here at the Aerie. The only problem I've ever had with it has to do with the springs of the recliner. The metal mounts snapped some time back. (Probably when I was up there in the neighborhood of 255 pounds.)

The end of the love seat gives an idea of how
the furniture was made using 3/4 thick boards.

Compare that construction to the appearance of the workbench base.

Workbench base.

The two look a lot alike. The workbench uses posts for the legs while the entire side of the love seat (or chair or head/foot of the bed) formed the support with only the addition of gliders on the corners to prevent problems with uneven floors. That and the seat support of the chair and love seat is angled slightly downward toward the rear.

This could easily be done in Douglas Fir or any other dense wood. It could even be done using pressure treated lumber for outdoor use. (Most pressure treated is southern yellow pine.)

I'm getting some serious ideas here....