May 10, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 10, 2025, Yeti Test B.
Five years ago today: May 10, 2021, owning: the best option.
Nine years ago today: May 10, 2017, I never use them.
Random years ago today: May 10, 2012, interesting predictions.

           If you like real Vitamin C, this was a big day. Summer is here and I’m already sorry I didn’t position the shed fans while it was cooler. The sheds are a shady blessing, but to work comfortably, the fans have to be facing directly on where you stand. This morning I was late feeding the cardinals and was supremely scolded. I hesitated getting up to steam to be sure I could work, which I did. Here’s some slats being cut for an extra box storage shelf.

           I’ve wanted that a while, now that most of my good stuff has nice boxes to store it in. The head’s up today was my habit of scribbling the date on various projects. And I see over the past week a plethora of unfinished projects which I now attribute to heart symptoms that encroached so mildly I did not catch them as fast as I thought.

           For me, the giveaway is having all the parts and tools ready, then a stopped project. Here’s a video of my double cutting the shelving slats in the 88°F heat inside the shed. The fan is on the wrong side of the room, so work fast. Here is a view of the shelf already in use. The boxes are mostly prototypes, so nothing matches. The top shelf thus had to be at least as high and deep as the biggest box. I had to clamber around in the dirt. I knew long ago that last shelf would be a pain.

           That was Rick on the phone. The guy is good for keeping in touch, grant him that. I spent some time in the kitchen clearing a spot, this just might work. I’ll use the old bachelor trick of piling everything on the sofa and throwing a blanket over it—to keep the dust off, you see.
           When I get to making boxes for all my tools and gear, I will have around three times the shelved containers you see here. Sorry, but it seems to be the only way I can even approach a clean work area. Part of the good news is using up a lot of my old lumber means I’m not buying any new except pickets, which are the cheapest lumber available.
           Hang on, another cancelled appointment, aha, 1:30PM tomorrow. That makes it convenient, I don’t have to get up early in my condition. It’s a neat system, if I don’t fit into cancelled slots, I have to make the appointments up to 8 weeks in advance. That kind of planning is fine for aimless people who have nothing in their lives that far ahead. At least not anything they would daily have to work toward. Plus, if I in turn miss the appointments, the office can bill me anyway. If Medicare has money for Somalis in Michigan, they got money for me.

Picture of the day.
Pomp.
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           I had time to build two junk boxes. The recent spate of these has a simple basis. We are using up the mountain of boards and pieces that have accumulated. This began with the caddies. I lost track of how many were built as I tried to find something right-sized for my mismatched set of tools. I got wrenches and saw blades and at least 15lbs of “used once” screws that are perfectly good. All the shelves you see today used recycled material.

           So here is a view of some of the caddy types. One tool kit, such as a socket set, per box works for me. Caddy’s cannot be stacked, so I keep the total height as much below 11” as allows for a convenient carry handle. I found all these in the kitchen as I made room.

           Rick got interrupted this morning and said he’d call back. He didn’t, so the Florida trick is to begin something that makes the callback another interruption. See how that works? If so, I did not answer because India and I met up for a cold beer at Kooters. She is a total babe but no pictures because that, folks, is a bar as in saloon. We’ve been out of touch but you do not meet gals like India every day. In fact, you never do. Following is your overview of the evening, leaving out the part where every two minutes somebody comes along to hit on India while we are trying to map out marketing strategy.

           True, I’ve neglected Kooters, a folly, but I did my best to catch up. There is a Saturday guitar player, and he is reputedly damn good. That means I can’t team up with him, why whould he split his pay? Don’t sweat, I have that covered. But not until next week, since tonight was a lot to do with the boxes, the reason India figures so prominently with box design. She also knows the new owners socially, which could be a positive.

           This [photo] is the twin boxes a few hours ago, they are now with her inventory. The rustic design wins patrons again, the boxes often being the second matching set passersby notice about India. It was not an angle I had, but India pointed out these units make excellent fridge compartments. Turns out a dozen egg fit very nicely inside a box this size. These boxes were never intended to hold things like carrots and cucumbers—but who could stop them?

           I donated the box India didn’t choose to the bar. Seems it was an ideal size to plunk all the uncut limes, instead of the plastic food tray they were using. Back to music, the Saturday guy’s name is Jack and might know him. If not, India will take care of the introductions. It’s a formula, the guy does not need me, but need can quickly become preference. No solo can match dynamically arranged duo music. I have the new owner’s weekly schedule, but it is a long slow climb unless he’s already ready to move on it. Who knows, he may recall I was there asking when he first bought the place.

Last Laugh