The Big Pause - Day 84 - June 3 - Too Many Peanuts

Things got a bit out of control today. I had a large meeting at work that I was organizing and I had to do a prep in the morning to make sure things went smoothly. This meant I was a bit careless with the peanut bag when feeding Covid. After she finished with the peanuts on the picnic table she got into the bag I had left on the garden bench. Only a few peanuts extra. Kerry got home after 8:00 pm. First week of school has been hectic. Carter goes to his first day of school tomorrow. He's a bit nervous but I think he'll be fine. I have no worry about spreading the disease. There are only a handful of active cases left in BC.

The Big Pause - Day 83 - June 2 - Advanced Dish Washer Repair

I Installed the second cabinet base today. I designed them with extended edges on the right and back left so that I could scribe to the wall. The one cabinet needed scribing on the back but everything else was pretty straight. I still have to put some baseboard around the bottoms but that can come later. I also had to 'fix' the dishwasher today. I like to wait a day before attempting to do a repair because it gives me a chance to think about the simple things that might be wrong. In this case the issue was that it was set to "Rinse Only". The last time it was a knife sticking out into the water sensor. I imagine repair people get lots of calls like this.

The Big Pause - Day 82 - June 1 - George Floyd

The protests continue in the states. I've posted a few items that try to point out to people what systemic racism is. The most poignant one for me is the "All Lives Matter" comeback. If someone had a family member die of breast cancer and they asked that you donate to the breast cancer society, how many people would respond with the phrase "All Cancers Matter". They wouldn't. It's these subtle "keep you down' things that prevent real change. I'm learning about the basic law changes that various groups are asking for to reduce confrontations with police. I've also seen people comment with things like. "Do they even know what they want?". The answer is yes. These ideas aren't new. What is new is that more people are listening. Hopefully our "blackface" Prime Minister initiates some real change, whether it be for natives or blacks. We need to pull control back from the "make xyz great again" groups. There is no reason we can't make things great for everyone. Not just those that have some vague memory of when they felt things were great.

The Big Pause - Day 81 - May 31 - Ninja Warrior

Carter has been watching American Ninja Warrior a lot during the epidemic and has wanted to try out some of the movies at the park but all the parks are closed. As of this weekend they have finally re-opened and we went down to Fleetwood Park because they have some complex monkey bars. He started a bit too quick and has some blisters already but once those heal he has lots of plans to improve his skills. The last few days there have been protests that at times have turned into riots down in the US. The spark was the death of George Floyd but economy and Covid have helped to fan the flames. I home it doesn't cause Covid to get a hold again.

The Big Pause - Day 80 - May 30 - Doors

I got started on the doors today. I had already cut the poplar to rough size so it could acclimate for a few days. It stays straighter this way as I've already released the tension in the wood when I cut it smaller. I managed to get the doors milled and assembled. Tomorrow I will paint. For dinner we had another family movie night. Carter ordered popcorn, hot dogs and nachos. We watched Get Smart as a family and then I stayed up late and watched the Invisible Man. It was a new take on it in that it was a suit rather than some sort of science experience. Still dealt with terrorizing a woman though.

The Big Pause - Day 79 - May 29 - A Visit from Uncle Mitchel

A bit of excitement today. Kerry's parents were talking to some friends and one of them needed a ride down to Surrey. They volunteered to drive them with plans to stop by our house for a physically distant lunch before heading back home. We weren't especially strict about staying apart but there weren't any hugs with the exception of the puppies on both sides of the families. Oliver was excited to see his Uncle Mitchel who is a Labradoodle. He doesn't have access to grass at his house and he and Oliver had a great time running around in the back yard. Mitchell is a bit skittish so I decided to chase him around. I think it actually helped. We ordered McDelivery for lunch and Carter made a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. It was quite delicious. Kerry came home for lunch but then she didn't get home until after 7:30 pm. They are spending a lot of time getting ready for kids to go back next week. There seems to be a big discrepancy in the amount of planning each school is doing. Should be interesting next week.

The Big Pause - Day 78 - May 28 - Carcasses Ready for Paint

Slow progress on the shelves. I've now got the cases done and they just need a sanding and a coat of paint before I install them. On the weekend I'll start on the doors. I'm using a mix of materials and techniques. The plywood is all pre-finished birch which is very nice to work with and I like that I get a good quality finish for the inside areas. It does mean I have to use different techniques to build them because I can't sand any of the inside areas. I've been using mostly pocket holes, dadoes and a bit of glue and with the right techniques I end up with something that is very sturdy.