The Saturday Story

I woke up at 5:30 AM on Saturday (big surprise). I got a cup of coffee, wrote the rather extensive Blog post and turned on the news. I warmed up two of the egg cups for my breakfast.

Then I shaved, showered and got dressed. I went outside and dragged the trailer up front and hooked it up. I had a mission! I needed to get enough wood to make the base cabinets for the chop saw and the router table. I also needed to make my version of a baker’s cart.

I threw the bedding and the towels into the washer and headed out to Home Depot. I had to load a ton of shit and buy even more stuff (like locking casters, bolts, nuts, washers, lock washers, deck screws and so on). So much so that I could barely push the damn dolly to the checkout.

But, I got ‘er done. Then I got ‘er paid (after almost fainting at the cost, LOL!) Finally I loaded everything up and headed home.

I swear there was more weight on the trailer with the wood and MDF sheets than when I hauled the bikes home. But, it was only a two mile+ drive and I took it slow (much to the annoyance of several drivers behind me). I got it in the driveway and then unloaded it. I had to move all those coffee cans, first.

I put the car under the big maple, with the sunroof open to keep it cool, and dragged the trailer out back again. Now, you may be wondering why I didn’t just drive it back there. Well, I didn’t want to make any more ruts than I already have.

I went in the house to get a drink of water and the phone rang. It was Jake, from State Farm. No, no, it was Jake from South Carolina (I get those two mixed up all the time). I filled him in on the progress (or lack of it) of the bike restoration to date and he talked about work-related issues.

I told him I was gonna try and take a nap (I was already bushed) and, after we hung up, I did try. But, it didn’t work.

So, instead, I went out and set up the table saw and the chop saw. I taped up my crude drawings to the wall (I always do that with any project) and got to work.

The first thing I need to build is a rolling cabinet for the route table, as its now sitting right where I want to put the baker’s cart. So, I took my time and got it cut out. I secured it with glue and 2 1/2 nails from the nail gun. Then I pre-drilled all the holes and screwed it together with 2 1/2 inch deck screws. 

I took a break and went inside to get my supper on the stove. I put a bag of sauerkraut in my Dutch oven, then about half a bag of baby Yukon Gold potatoes (the small ones I cut in half, the bigger ones I quartered), a package of Polish kielbasa cut into thick rounds and a small yellow onion, peeled and cut in half (what can I say? I like onions!) I took that to a boil and then turned it to simmer until suppertime. I put the wash into the dryer and then got back to work.

I cut out the top and the bottom shelf from 2 x 4 sheets of MDF. Then I used the saber saw to notch out the bottom shelf. I glued it, tacked it into place with the nail gun and then screwed it on. But I had to take the screws back out. They don’t dig into the MDF like they do in wood. So, I had to countersink them.

I cut and attached the top the same way. Then I flipped it over and screwed on each locking caster by hand. It was a pain in the butt, but I didn’t have a nut driver that big.

Finally, I set the router table on top, marked the holes and drilled them out. Then I bolted it down with bolts, washers, lock washers and nuts.

It was getting late and I was getting hungry, so I decided I’d put the sides, back and face on the cabinet some other time. Then, of course, I will have to make the doors. The idea, you see, is to be able to roll my equipment out of the way until I need it, and to keep all the various “stuff” that goes with each tool in its own cabinet.

So, I moved the car back in front of the garage (and under the watchful eye of the security lights) and shut the sun roof. I secured everything and secured the garage for the night.

I went in and dished up a plate of my sauerkraut and sausage. It was delicious, and the onion was a nice touch.

I caught the rest of the news and then started cleaning up the kitchen. The phone rang. It was my friend B___ and we caught each other up on our prior week’s activities. After we hung up, I realized I completely forgot to tell him about my cat bite and hospital adventures!

I watched the movie “Ronin” with Robert De Niro until 10:00 PM. Then I switched to reading, but this time I moved to the living room and sat in the lift chair. It was very comfortable and I don’t know why I don’t do that more often.

I went to bed around midnight.