Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
Jim wrote: "I have chairs like that, but no arms. Take the chair apart as much as you can. Scrape off the old glue as best you can. Make sure you can put it back together, dry fit it together so you're prac..."Oh boy, Jim, wait till my husband reads all that. I didn't think it would be such a major operation. I'm not sure he's up to taking the chair apart. He'll probably just touch up the one joint with the glue and then wait for the rest of the chair to fall apart. :)
Thanks for your input. I'm sure your way is the best way.
I said 'as much' & 'as best', Joy. If just the back is coming out of the sides, you can just put those joints back in. If the sides are also coming up out of the seat, it's usually best to do them all at once. It's actually easier. I mention putting it together again as practice because sometimes the back slats look the same, but aren't or you'll find that it's better to put one set of pieces together before another. It sometimes takes a bit of tinkering to find the best & easiest way. Finding out while you have wet glue drooling around isn't fun.
My husband says if you wet the wood to make it swell when it dries you will have the same problem as you did before you started. No, our chairs don't have arms but the spindles are similiar. We purchased our set; dining table; round with six chairs in 1958 so I am sure they have a different style as ours would now be over fifty years old and still looks like when we bought it. We also purchaed a small maple footstool which I could never be without.
Jim wrote: "I said 'as much' & 'as best', Joy. If just the back is coming out of the sides, you can just put those joints back in. If the sides are also coming up out of the seat, it's usually best to do the..."Jim, the sides aren't coming up out of the seat, as far as I know. The back is just coming out of the sides. So I guess we'll just put the joints together again with the glue.
I can see that "practicing" putting the pieces together before gluing would be the smart way to do it. Good advice.
Nina wrote: "My husband says if you wet the wood to make it swell when it dries you will have the same problem as you did before you started. No, our chairs don't have arms but the spindles are similiar. We pur..."Nina, I had read somewhere that there is a liquid (not water) which will make the wood swell. Don't know where I read that. Anyway, Jim says "yellow wood glue" would be the best thing to use. So we'll do that.
I think my in-laws bought the dining room set in the early 1960s. Yes, the furniture still looks like new. The finish on the wood is beautiful.
The table they bought is rectangular and expands by pulling out the ends. It expands to 90 inches long but it's a narrow table. The table is 60 inches long when not expanded. They also bought the hutch and the server which match the table and 4 chairs (2 of them with arms).
My sister and her husband bought similar pieces of the same set around the same time.
The chairs are very heavy and difficult to move around because of that. Personally I prefer folding chairs because you can fit more of them around the table, especially when you have 12 or 14 people eating together. So I put the heavy arm chairs in our living room to add to the conversation area.
I have to admit, though, that when I go to a restaurant I like to have chairs with arms. They are so much more comfortable, especially if you have a bad back. (And who doesn't have a bad back, at our age!) lol
"It is around a table that friends perceive best the warmth of being together."
-from a plaque
Nina wrote: "My husband says if you wet the wood to make it swell when it dries you will have the same problem as you did before you started...."Actually, the problem is usually worse because the cell structure has been crushed by the expansion, but I'm sure he knows that & agrees. It's just tough getting some to understand it. Thoreau soaked his axe head. Dumb.
Our dining table is round and has two leaves so it expands to seat ten. We had six chairs to match with no arms and then we bought two captain's chairs with arms of course to set at each end of the table. Sadly, ours is now in our basement as we have acquired a number of other sets in the meantime. We also had a maple hutch but not bought at the same time as it is an antique. Oh, our table came from Gimbel's in Milwaukee.
I made it back from the grocery store. It wasn't nearly as bad as it has been at other times, although I think they lay it out for maximum confusion. - Milk is on the far end of the back wall over by the furniture.
- Tomato sauce is in one of the 3 places they have spaghetti sauce - not the funky brand name stuff, which has the noodles, nor the ethnic foods, but near kidney beans. I don't know why or how I managed to find it.
- Wild bird seed is in between the kitty litter & the canned dog food.
You can't even walk down whole aisles any more. Oy!
Nina wrote: "... Sadly, ours is now in our basement as we have acquired a number of other sets in the meantime. ..."Yes, Nina, the problem is that after we've lived as long as we have, we've accumulated so much! My son says its TOO much, but I hate to get rid of my stuff. Sooner or later it may come in handy for the family.
Jim wrote: "I made it back from the grocery store. It wasn't nearly as bad as it has been at other times, although I think they lay it out for maximum confusion. - Milk is on the far end of the back wall over..."
Jim, I know what you mean. Besides inconvenient placement of products, the foodmarkets are so huge that it's exhausting to try to cover all the territory!
Worse, it seems I'll have to dive back into that hellish maze tomorrow after work. The girls found lots of stuff that wasn't on the list.:-(
The "list" never ends. :)
About the chair, Eddie started fixing it today. He's going to use yellow wood glue on the main joint but he used epoxy on the split slats. Hope that's OK. I had to go out and buy the glue because ours, being old, had dried up.
I wouldn't glue the slats at all. They should float. That's what allows the back to give a bit. If the top can't rise up (stays in the sides) they just compress into their holes.
The slats had split. So the split sections needed to be glued back together. But I see what you mean about letting them float in their holes. I'll tell Ed about this.
I spent all day watching the Presidential Inaugural Events. The Obamas must be exhausted!I especially enjoy seeing what the First Lady and her daughters wear. Also the Second Lady. I liked their outfits and also their gowns at the balls.
PS-Of course I enjoyed the president's speech too. :)
PPS-V.P. Biden sure has a lot of energy for a man of 70. He really enjoyed himself waving and interacting with the crowds.
PPPS-Biden's wife, Jill, sure is glamorous for a woman of 61!
PPPPS-The President and Michelle Obama make a beautiful couple!
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/politic...
I hand carded & spun an entire bobbin full of Alpaca FIBERS in the past 2 days. It's not perfect, but not horrible. I was more uneven today, forgetting to go slow. While I probably should do another of the same for practice, I'm starting to card Alpaca & Speedy's fur together instead. His hair is too coarse to make good yarn on its own, but a mix seems to be pretty good. I haven't tried spinning any of it yet. It's taking a long time since his fur is full of mud & hay. Lots of picking to do before I can get some to card with.
Jim, what do you do with the fibers you spin?Where do you get the Alpaca fibers?
Most wool is too itchy, IMO.
PS-What exactly is carding?
Joy, a friend of mine used to raise Alpacas. Last year, she moved from her house into a condo & got rid of a lot of her stuff including a lot of Alpaca fiber she had, old spinning magazines, & a really nice spinning wheel. I've been knitting for a while now, but found I'm kind of limited to scarves & hats. Anything more complex & I lose track with all the interruptions. Then I heard of chiengora, which is spinning yarn out of dog hair. Seemed like a good way of remembering a beloved pet - collect their fur, spin it into yarn, & knit a scarf or hat out of it.
Carding is taking bunches of fur & straightening it out into bits that can be spun. If you have a drum carder, you get a long piece of roving. Hand carders turn out little rolags. Here's a video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC78Me...
Talked to Mom, did the bills, & plowed the lane. If the apron hadn't been so full of snow, I probably wouldn't have done the last, but it's steep & we're in the mid-20's. The few inches of snow on it just turned to ice with a foot step or car going over it, so I scraped most of it off the whole lane while I had the tractor out. There will be some gravel to rake out of the lawn before I can mow, though. :-(
Jim wrote: "Joy, a friend of mine used to raise Alpacas. Last year, she moved from her house into a condo & got rid of a lot of her stuff including a lot of Alpaca fiber she had, old spinning magazines, & a r..."Thanks for the link about carding, etc. I always wondered about that.
Gee, it would be nice to have a scarf made out of my Maltese dog, Romeo's hair. His hair is so soft right after he comes from the groomer. However, after about a week it's not as soft.
I looked up "rolag" (a roll of fibre). "The word derives from the Scottish Gaelic word for a small roll." Here's the Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolag
I see a hand carder in the picture. I have one of those! LOL Didn't know it was a hand carder. Sometimes I use it to smooth out Romeo's hair.
Jim wrote: "Talked to Mom, did the bills, & plowed the lane. If the apron hadn't been so full of snow, I probably wouldn't have done the last, but it's steep & we're in the mid-20's. The few inches of snow on ..."Sometimes, after there's a light snow, I sweep the snow away with a big broom in order to carve out an area for the dog. It's good to do it because sometimes it's a while before Eddie snowblows.
Joy, a carder does look a lot like the metal brushes for dogs & cats. The teeth are usually mounted on rubber though & a little thinner to give them more give. IF you want to spend the time brushing Romeo until you get a grocery bag or so full of hair, send it to me & I'll spin it for you & even knit a scarf or something. It probably won't be comfortable to wear, but a great way to remember him. That's why I'm trying to do this.
We're back with Rascal, the new pony. He's a good little boy & loaded just fine, although it was only his second time on a trailer. The people selling him just stood back & let us handle it, so Erin led him on with treats & some feed while Marg & I kept him straight & patted his bottom to keep him going forward. Only took 5 minutes. The apron on the lane was fine. I did put the truck in 4WD to go up it, but didn't slip at all. It's parked & Rascal is in a stall to let him settle in. The people that had him before had trouble catching him, but they didn't believe in feeding treats. Also, he's going to have a big change in his diet - we don't have the same feed or hay & won't be giving him as much grain. Having a heated bucket of water in his stall will make sure he doesn't have issues getting to the water trough & gets plenty to drink.
The rest of the boys were in the south field, so I locked them in there & the dogs in the house while the girls snuck him into the barn. The boys all tore in to greet him once we let them. How exciting! We've got a full barn now. No more! Of course, I kept saying that as we got 2 dogs, then 4 & now have 6 with Erin's 2 here. It will be nice to see them go, though.
;-)
Jim wrote: "... IF you want to spend the time brushing Romeo until you get a grocery bag or so full of hair, send it to me & I'll spin it for you & even knit a scarf or something. ..."Wow, Jim, that's a great offer! I might take you up on that. It will be an interesting experiment. Will I have to wash the hair before I send it to you?
I'm wondering what it will feel like when it's knitted into scarf or something. As I said, when Romeo comes home from the groomer, his hair feels as soft as silk.
Jim wrote: "We're back with Rascal, the new pony. He's a good little boy & loaded just fine, although it was only his second time on a trailer. The people selling him just stood back & let us handle it, so Er..."Jim, how exciting. Rascal is a great name. Was that his name before? Hope he settles in OK. Give him a treat for me. Please let us know how the other animals react to him. How did he react to them? Poor thing.
How big is he? What color is he? Is he bigger than Chip?
What breed of horse is your new additon? Hard to resist once you get the notion. I bet he'll love his new abode.
Quote for the day fits in with Jim's new pony:"Find pleasure in simple things." Just getting the pony in the trailer without much stress; simple for you and gave you pleasure. We can all recall a simple matter that gave us pleasure; even a baby's smile or a pussy cat rubbing your legs..
Here are a few pics:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...
Rascal is a Welsh cross, but no one is sure with what. We're guessing Tennessee Walker. He's registered Welsh & has a longer name, but Rascal is part of the middle one, so that's his permanent name.
He's about the same height as Chip now, 14.1h, but he's smaller overall. He's half Chip's age, only 3.5 years old, & immature for his age. He'll likely grow more in height & definitely will put on more weight & muscle. No idea how much, though. At 7, Chip is fully mature.
Jim, thanks for the pics. He's a good-looking pony. I didn't expect him to be white. Nice face.
He's not white, Joy. It's hard to tell since he has manure stains on him & the light isn't great, but he's a very light pinto (gray & tan), I think. I'll have to ask. Horse colors are weird. I think a pinto is color & Paint is a breed, but wouldn't swear to it. It might be the other way around. We wouldn't get a white horse or pony since they often have medical issues due to no pigmentation in their skin. Speedy is a light gray.
Swell looking pony; should keep you busy or should I say Busier!
Rascal is weird - not our kind of weird yet, at any rate. He doesn't like the treats I carry in my pocket, although he does like apples. Chip is just the opposite. It started to rain so I went out to take care of the goats. They hate the rain & won't brave it even for Cap'n Crunch, so I got them in their pen before the heavens opened up. I pet Rascal as I walked by a couple of times. It was tough since I didn't want to go into the stall. That meant I was targeted by the other monsters. Everyone else wanted cookies & scratching. Rascal seemed somewhat bemused by my popularity.
The bigger of our 2 solar electric fence chargers died yet again, so I had to swap the smaller one I have on the goat's paddock to Speedy's - soon to be Rascal's - paddock. Since it was raining & barely above freezing (tonight will be ugly) it was a cold job. I couldn't wear gloves, of course.
I don't know if the big solar charger is just bad or if something happens to it. The fuse is never blown, so I don't guess it's lightening. That usually vaporizes the fuse & often blows the charger up. It's rated for 10 miles & I don't have 1/10th that amount of fence hooked up to it. It was over $100 when I bought it 5+ years ago. Twice diodes have blown in it & I've had an engineer at work replace them. A new circuit board was $75 last time I checked & I've replaced the battery for about $30 once. Now a new one sells for $250, so I hate to replace it.
I have an old regular electric one that I keep for emergencies & I can run an extension cord to it, but that's a hassle since it goes in front of a gate. I could bury a pipe, but haven't gotten around to it.
Since we have a shed out there, I should probably just bite the bullet & run a proper wire & water out there. That's a lot of tough digging across the lane, though. The house water line is in between unless I take it from the back of the house & that's a much longer run, especially for the electric. I'd probably have to go up to 10 gauge copper or 8 aluminum, an expensive proposition & I'd have to go through the barrier & insulation under the house to get to the breaker box, a real hassle. Some day... maybe...
;-)
Jim wrote: "He's not white, Joy. It's hard to tell since he has manure stains on him & the light isn't great, but he's a very light pinto (gray & tan), I think. I'll have to ask. Horse colors are weird. I ..."Jim, that's interesting about white horses. Thanks.
I've always admired white horses when they're in shows or movies. I didn't know they might have problems.
Jim wrote: "Rascal is weird - not our kind of weird yet, at any rate. He doesn't like the treats I carry in my pocket, although he does like apples. Chip is just the opposite. It started to rain so I went..."Jim, good luck with your electric fence problems. We tend to take our power lines and our water lines for granted but where would we be without them!
As for treats, it's interesting about the different tastes of the horses. Our dog and our grand-dogs all LOVE Chicken Nibbles! http://www.petguys.com/-727348881010....
I give Chicken Nibbles as gifts for Xmas. Our boys' eyes light up when they see them because their dogs love them so much.
Joy, most white horses aren't. They're gray. I've read that horses can't be albinos, but a white horse has no pigmentation in their skin, so they kind of are & have many of the same issues. I don't understand all the science behind it & have never had a white horse so can't give you any real life data, either.Gray horses can have white fur, but their skin has pigmentation. Speedy is a gray, but looks white. Rascal is a pinto - white fur with some light tan areas.
Yes, it's a confusing mess, but real horse people live & breath this stuff. They can argue over whether a horse is a dark bay or brown, too. I always thought Topaz was a bay, but he's actually a roan, although the white hairs are scattered so even & sparse, he looks like a bay unless you stick your nose in his side.
Wikipedia has an article about horse colors here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_color
Rascal was funny today. While I was working in his paddock, he followed me like a dog at heel. I mean every where I went, he was right there pacing me on the right hand side like I was walking him. Marg had a quizzical expression on her face as she walked up thinking I was leading him around. Then she saw I wasn't & she started laughing. Apparently I have a new buddy.;-)
Jim wrote: "Joy, most white horses aren't. They're gray. I've read that horses can't be albinos, but a white horse has no pigmentation in their skin, so they kind of are & have many of the same issues. I do..."It's interesting that there's the distinction between the color of the hair and the color of the skin in horses. That's a new point of view for me. I'll have to think about that. :) Thanks for the link about horse colors.
PS-At the link about horse colors it says (corroborating what you said):
=============================================
"Gray: A horse with black skin but white or mixed dark and white hairs. Gray horses can be born any color, and lighten as they age. Most will eventually gray out to either a complete white or a "fleabitten" hair coat. Most "white" horses are actually grays with a fully white hair coat. A gray horse is distinguished from a white horse by dark skin, particularly noticeable around the eyes, muzzle, flanks, and other areas of thin or no hair. Variations of gray that a horse may exhibit over its lifetime include..."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_color
==============================================
Interesting stuff!
Jim wrote: "Rascal was funny today. While I was working in his paddock, he followed me like a dog at heel. I mean every where I went, he was right there pacing me on the right hand side like I was walking hi..."That is so CUTE! I love Rascal already. He seems to have bonded with you in a very short time.
The subject of "attachment" is an interesting one. There's a hormone which controls bonding/attachments. Wiki says:
"There is evidence in a variety of species that the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin are involved in the bonding process. ... Oxytocin is associated with higher levels of trust in laboratory studies on humans. It has been called the "cuddle chemical" for its role in facilitating trust and attachment."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_bo...
At the link above, I found the following information on "animal bonding". The link is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_bo...
"In 1980, a team of scientists at the University of Pennsylvania found that human to animal contact was found to reduce the physiological characteristics of stress; specifically, lowered levels of blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, anxiety, and tension were all found to correlate positively with human–pet bonding... ... In addition, as of 1995 there were over 30 research institutions looking into the potential benefits of the human–animal bond"
Jim, see my PS to my message # 3589 above.
Joy, you're more than welcome to my scant knowledge on the subject. My girls all babble about stuff like this constantly. Funny because the boys & I babble about tools & computers. Marg swears she understands none of it, but she usually runs the computer categories on Jeopardy. I guess some seeps through...I'm not sure Rascal & I have bonded. More like he was lonely & I was there. That can be the start of a bond, but isn't really one yet. The test comes when I start asking him to actually do things. I have a feeling I'm going to be the first one riding him, although Marg hasn't said so yet. I swear that woman must have taken out a life insurance policy on me. First Cutter & now a green pony...
Jim wrote: "Joy, you're more than welcome to my scant knowledge on the subject. ... I swear that woman must have taken out a life insurance policy on me. First Cutter & now a green pony... "Jim, your knowledge is more than scant. :)
As for riding those horses, I'm sure Marg has great faith in you as a rider. Let us know how you make out riding Rascal. Hope he won't feel lonely for long.
Scant knowledge comparatively, then. You haven't heard my girls talk about horses!;-)
I'm not sure how well Rascal is going to blend in for a while. Speedy put him right in his place & Rascal just said, "Yes, Sir!"
But Marg is scared to put Chip in with him. Apparently Chip has taken an extreme dislike to him. Not good. We'll wait for the Coggins results & then try turning just the two of them out in the north field, which is the biggest & lock the rest in the barn. Hopefully they'll work it out without too much blood shed. We'll stand by, just in case.
The vet came by today & gave everyone a checkup & their shots. All except Rosie, one of my goats. She won't let anyone catch her except for me. I got busy tonight, but I'll give her the shot tomorrow.
The bad news is that Blue has some sort of sinus infection. He's 25 now, so getting up there & this is pretty bad. He's on antibiotics, but Marg is going to get the vet back out to scope the nostril. He may have a stick up in there or something. He was really bad about getting his teeth checked, so he's probably in a lot of pain.
Jim, it must be interesting watching the interactions between Rascal and his new stable-mates. Hope all will go well. Could Chip be jealous of the attention that Rascal is getting? Jealousy is a terrible emotion. You'll have to show each special attention while the other isn't looking. :)Hope Blue will be OK. What's his life expectancy under normal cirumstances?
I don't think it's jealousy, Joy. I'm not sure what it is, though. Chip is very studdish, so I think he's averse to a strange boy joining the herd. Chip wasn't cut until he was 3 or 4 - pretty late. When we got him, he ignored Speedy until he couldn't, then he just kicked his butt quickly, apparently. Chip never tested the big boys, but isn't a real wimp around them, either. He plays with all of them which Speedy never does. Chip is more of an equal.We'll see about Blue. He could go any time - 30 is about max. I've known a couple that made it to 33, but both of them were barely hanging on.
Jim, Chip would probably be more friendly to a female horse, no?Have you ever had to put a horse to sleep?
We had to put jorji to sleep when he was 17 years old and blind, deaf, and incontinent. That was hard.
Depends on what you mean by 'friendly', Joy. We'd probably have a lot of injuries if a mare got in with our boys. They'd beat each other up to get to her & likely wouldn't treat her to kindly, either. When studs want some, they'll get it. They'll often beat up her back trying to mount & bite her to herd her around.Yes, I've seen quite a few horses put down, always with a needle. I've buried even more.
Last week it was in the 20s, today it was 60 & sunny. Had a great ride on Chip with Marg & Erin. We just bopped around bareback around the place. Did some fun canters, too. The last time, Chip was afraid everyone was going to get ahead of him so he took off really fast slipping with all 4 feet & then tried to do some bucking. Molly cut in front of us so he went after her, too. Erin had quite a time holding Cutter. Chip takes off fast & runs his little heart out, but Cutter is WAY faster. No contest. Marg held Speedy firmly in hand & did just a slow canter behind us.
Since no one could catch my goat Rosie the other day, she & Buttercup got their tootsies trimmed & I gave her the shot she missed. Neither of them minded any of it even though Marg & Erin were both working with the horses & ponies.
Erin brought Rascal over & gave him a good grooming, too. Hopefully the boys - especially Chip - will get used to him & not give him much grief when we turn him out with them.
Jim wrote: "Depends on what you mean by 'friendly', Joy. We'd probably have a lot of injuries if a mare got in with our boys. They'd beat each other up to get to her & likely wouldn't treat her to kindly, ei..."Poor fillies! (had to look that word up for spelling. Thought it was phillies. :)
Now I remember that you had mentioned burying horses. What a job!
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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While it's together, get some string or light rope & make up some loops to hold it together across the back. You might need one to hold the back down to the seat or not. Make them loose enough to use butter knives or something similar to twist the rope together to pull it tight. When you let go, the handle of the knife should hit the back & not release the pressure.
Take it apart again & glue. Put the loop(s) on & tighten it up with the knife. Use a paper towel to wipe any glue that squeezes out. Wait a minute & check for more glue again. Check in about 5 minutes.
I'd use yellow wood glue. You can buy a small container pretty cheap.