Why is it that when I go to the eye doctor for an exam and he dilates my eyes, it is always a bright, sunny day? It never fails. At least this time he gave me the freebie sunglasses so I could drive home. Last time I had to do it without sunglasses, and that was just no fun at all.

I guess if I ever need a guaranteed sunny day for something, I should schedule an eye exam. Then again, with my luck the doctor would probably call and reschedule the appointment and I would be stuck picnicking in the rain.

Building the Perfect Tool Chest – by Jim Stack

There isn’t much to recommend this book to anyone but a woodworker who wants to build a tool chest. There are fifteen different kinds of tool chests in the book. There are enough construction details for most any woodworker to figure out how to build the tool chests and modify them for one’s own purposes, except for the big, fancy version that is the last tool chest in the book. Most people would need more instruction for that chest.

This is a relatively simple book and, quite honestly, you might be able to find as much information on the internet if you spend a bit of time searching for it.

(Finished 4/5/12)

Greene & Greene Furniture: Poems of Wood & Light – by David Mathias

My favorite furniture style is Craftsman, but sometimes it can be a bit too stark and blocky for my tastes. That refers mostly to the Stickley and Roycroft designs. The Craftsman styles that originated in England tend to be more decorative than I prefer (though not always). Designs by Frank Lloyd Wright fit my sense of style better. And then there is Greene & Greene.

If you are unfamiliar with Greene & Greene, you owe it to yourself to see their work. If you don’t live in California and don’t have access to their work in “real life,” then a book like this is a great alternative. There are several books available about Greene & Greene and each one seems to add to the collective knowledge rather than replace any other reference. In this case, author David Mathias has provided many photographs showing design details which I have not seen elsewhere. Also included in this book are reproductions of some of the Greenes’ original drawings; something which sheds additional light on the architects’ design process.

The text in the book details the influences on the Greenes’ work, as well as the effect the local geography and climate had on their designs. There is also an examination of the various design elements that the Greenes used and how they were implemented in different houses. The text and photos complement each other well.

The element of the Greenes’ designs that attracts me most are the rounded and eased edges. Everything they designed has, to my mind, a sensuous quality to it. If I were to walk into a Greene & Greene designed house full of their furniture, I would probably want to touch everything I saw. The designs practically invite that kind of intimacy.

For a good grounding in Greene & Greene design, this book is a good place to start. In truth, it is complete enough that you could finish with the book, too, and still have an excellent understanding of the Greene & Greene style.

(Finished 3/29/12)

It’s the day after the first day of spring and I just finished cutting my lawn. Unless I am very mistaken, I do not believe that I have ever had to cut my lawn in March. Not only did I cut my lawn, but I could have been doing it in shorts (if I had wanted to gross out the neighbors). What’s up with that?

My snowblower ran once, maybe twice, this last “winter,” and both times the only reason I bothered was because it was so wet that if it froze it would have been a real mess, so I cleared it away before it could freeze. I have a whole gas can of two-cycle fuel all mixed with nowhere to go. I guess I’ll be burning a little oil in my car.

I usually get a bit tired of cutting my lawn by about the middle of the summer, when it gratefully tends to go brown and dormant. I think I may have a longer lawn cutting season this year, unless these temps really go crazy and the lawn is dead by June, in which case I’m moving north – far north.

It was nice to get the exercise. Not so easy with these old knees, but I can hobble enough to push the mower. Of course, then I had to use the leaf blower to blow all the tree catkins that have messed up the driveway, and then clean the birdbath out (yeah, I put that out last weekend – go figure) and fill one of the feeders. Nice to sit down here again.

So begins the ritual of lawncare.

I’m ashamed and disgusted with how out of shape I am. I just finished washing and drying about a week’s worth of dishes and I am sweating like I just ran a 5K. There are quicker, easier and less painful ways to kill myself than overeating, being slothful and living in stress. Of course, it always seems to be my way to take the easy route (though some might question my definition of “easy”), so I just get through each day doing the bare minimum to stay alive. It would take too much planning and effort to off myself.

I ran into my buddy Stan this morning. He was out for his morning run and I stopped and talked to him while I was traveling in the car from Burger King to my favorite breakfast spot. He’s got at least ten years on me but is in at least ten times better shape than I am. He’s got a hip problem that makes it hard for him to sit for more than five minutes, but he says that’s ok because he can walk and stand just fine and has plenty to do to keep busy. On the other hand, I have knee issues that make it hard for me to stand or walk for any length of time, but I have no problem sitting for hours on end. Is it any wonder he is in much better condition?

I’ve been thinking about buying a Schwinn Meridian adult tricycle. I tried getting on my two-wheel bike the other day and with my knees I just cannot lift one leg up over the middle bar while trying to hold myself up with the other leg. I’m also afraid that if I have to dismount the bike suddenly that my knee will give and potentially throw me into the path of harm. I decided two wheels was not the way to go right now. A tricycle though?

It sounds like a good solution for getting me outside and active. However, I do have one small shred of vanity left, and the idea that “old” people use these bikes has me saying, “Hey, I’m not that old yet!” Well, maybe, maybe not, but I am certainly in the same physical condition as an eighty-year-old man, so I should just face facts and deal with it.

I think a trike would work for me. It is only a one-speed bike, which could make it harder to ride. (Yes, I know there are other trikes with more than one speed, but they are either more expensive or have features I don’t like.) Then again, the land around here is pretty flat and if I am putting out some effort to ride the bike that means I’m actually burning calories. I like the idea of not relying on my knees to balance me or keep me from falling. I am not 100% sure that my knees won’t hurt while riding, but it’s a whole lot less weight bearing activity than walking or running, so I’m hopeful.

At just a little less than $300 it’s a bit of an investment, and a downright silly purchase if I don’t use the thing. I waffle back and forth whether I should take the plunge. The nice weather we have been having has been helping to convince me that being active outside would be a good idea. Maybe I’ll overcome my dread of being the “old fart on a trike” that people have to avoid running over, and get the trike. Then again, maybe not.

About a year ago my doctor found something that he was concerned about but after a couple of tests he decided it was most likely not a problem. Just to be sure, though, he wanted me to have the test again a year later to make sure nothing had changed. I had that test yesterday.

This morning when I got into work I noticed there was a message on my phone. It was the doctor’s office wanting me to call them for the results. They had actually called the day before and left the message. That was pretty damn quick! So, what does that mean? Is it good or bad? Want to guess whether this started to jangle my nerves or not?

I had no expectation that things should have gone south within a year, but just recently two people I know have been diagnosed with cancer and given a prognosis of less than a year to live. When you have such up-close examples of people suddenly discovering that their time is limited on this earth, it starts you thinking. Waiting for the doctor’s office to open so that I could call them had me sitting on the edge of my chair, even though I didn’t think I had anything to worry about.

As time passed, I got even more nervous. The older you get, the more likely it seems that test results are going to be bad. You almost hate to get a test done. Yeah, they say that knowing is better than not knowing, but sometimes I wonder if blissful ignorance doesn’t have some benefit. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I would rather die suddenly than to go through years of crappy living while undergoing treatment for a disease that is going to get me in the end anyways.

After worrying myself into a minor panic, I finally was able to call the doctor’s office. The results? The nurse says the doctor wanted me to know that nothing had changed and that it is pretty much nothing to worry about. No further tests needed.

I felt a wave of relief – an actual physical change, as well as mental relief. Whew! I felt like I dodged a bullet even though I didn’t really have a good reason to think the gun was even loaded. Happy to have received good news, I can’t help but think about what I should be doing to make bad test results less likely in the future. Thinking and acting, however, are two different things.

Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Furniture – by Bruce E. Johnson

I have wanted to visit the Grove Park Inn ever since Norm Abrams went there to find a piece of Arts and Crafts furniture to use as a basis for a project on The New Yankee Workshop show. I haven’t been able to make it there yet, but visiting there through this book gave me a good taste of what it would be like.

The main focus of the book is the history of the Grove Park Inn and the manufacturers who supplied the furniture and accessories to the inn, mainly the Roycroft Shops. There are plenty of photographs of the inn and the furniture. Additionally, there are select pieces of furniture illustrated with dimensioned sketches, photographs and descriptions.

If history and Arts and Crafts furniture are not your thing, you most likely won’t want to bother with this book, but I enjoyed it.

(Finished 2/11/12)

I’ve been meaning to write this for a couple of months now. No sense waiting any longer. Want to know who is going to be the Republican nominee for the 2012 presidential election? Mitt Romney. Want to know who is going to be elected president? Barack Obama. That’s it. I have spoken. No need to continue to read or listen to any political pundits, debates, news reports, etc.

Want more about why I know this? It’s not involved. The Republican establishment does not want someone to come in and really rock the boat. They want someone who will be willing to support the Republican party line, not someone who wants to define it. This comes down to nominating the lowest common denominator – Mitt Romney.

What about Newt? While in reality he is as much an establishment Republican politician as any other Republican, interested in maintaining the governmental status quo, the Republican party is scared by anyone with strong rhetoric, and Newt’s mouth gets him into trouble at times (not to mention a shaky past political and personal history).

There is no real interest in changing politics in Washington, only changing the party in power. Less government is not on the agenda, as much as Republicans mouth the words. Less government means politicians have less power. It is the nature of the beast to breed and perpetuate itself. It is a pipe dream for any citizen to expect a politician to legislate away their own purpose for being. Therefore they will nominate the person least likely to work for any real changes.

Unfortunately, Mitt Romney will not produce any excitement among conservative Republicans or libertarians. Support for Romney will come down to “anyone but Obama,” which is the same thing that got Obama elected – “anyone but a Bush successor.” Will “anyone but Obama” be sufficient to win the election? I don’t think so.

The problem is that there will not be sufficient contrast between Romney and Obama. Obama is a hard-left liberal, but Romney is a middle-of-the road, or actually slightly left-leaning, Republican, and that will not be enough of a difference to get the average “independent” voter to give up on the candidate that they elected in the last election.

The truth is, Obama has too great a liberal base to be beatable. Almost all blacks will vote for him because he is black. The majority of Hispanics will vote for him hoping that a second, “lame duck” presidential term will allow him to give them what he has been afraid to give them in his first term. The “greenies” will see no other option than to vote for Obama, particularly if he can put off a final decision on the Keystone pipeline until after the election. Every welfare, food stamp and unemployment recipient will want to keep him in so they don’t get their lifestyle changed. There will be a good number of senior citizens who will be scared that they could lose social security or medicare benefits and will vote for Obama thinking that he will prevent that from happening. Most union members will also support Obama, in spite of the fact that his policies have hurt their employment opportunities.

On top of that, the economy is starting to improve. Some time ago here I wrote that the economy would improve regardless of (or in spite of) the government’s efforts to “fix” the economy. I also said that Obama would take credit for it despite the fact that his programs have had no real positive effect. People won’t care about the reasons for an economic improvement. If they feel things are improving they will no longer feel as strongly about blaming the bad economy on Obama.

In the end, Obama wins. He then goes on to use his lame duck term to promote his radical left agenda and in 2016 a Republican will be elected. Let’s hope that by then there will be a way to reverse course. Better yet, let’s hope that by then there will be the will to reverse course.

I sure hope I’m wrong.

That figures. Yesterday I finally gave up on my Canon Pixma iP5000 inkjet printer and ordered a new printer. After months and months of head cleaning and wasted ink, I just could not get the old one to print right anymore. Besides, when it did print, it would make black streaks on the page, particularly at the top of the page as the sheet was feeding in.

Since I figured the printer was toast, today I decided to pull all of the ink cartridges out and see if there was any way to get to the print head to clean it. Well, hell. If it were any easier I could have done it blindfolded. Take the cartridges out and, bingo, the print head lifts right out. Back when I bought the printer I probably put that whole section together, but six years ago apparently is too much time for my feeble memory.

Anyways, I take the print head out and, lo and behold, there is all kind of black ink built up on the bottom. No bloody wonder there was streaking! Ten minutes or so with a soft cloth and some rubbing alcohol and the whole bottom of the print head is one heck of a lot cleaner (though my fingers are a lot blacker). Wonder if it will print any better. Um, yeah, it prints like new.

That would have been good news if I had done this yesterday. Amazon is too damn fast for me – ordered yesterday with free shipping, which should take five to six days, but when I check to see if I can cancel my order I find it has already shipped. Since I really don’t need an extra printer and the old one seems to be printing fine (and since I have back-up ink cartridges for the old printer that can’t be used in the new printer) I think the printer I ordered will be making a round trip. Oh well, at least I’ll save the biggest part of the cost of a new printer. You live and you learn . . . hopefully.

As people get older, they deal with that situation in many ways. One type of “senior citizen” ignores the fact that they are getting older, or do so as much as is practical. They continue to live as though they have many more productive years ahead of them. For example, the dream of starting a new business does not seem any more impossible for them than it did when they were in their twenties. They keep on the path they have always trod, moving forward without regard to their age.

Others become like those people. They have spent their lives living in conformity to a societal ideal into which they were most likely born. They worked their nine-to-five jobs, raised a family, bought a house, worked their way up in a company (reaching an earning plateau around the age of forty-eight), and finally reached retirement age. However, “retirement” to those people does not mean sitting around doing nothing. It means that they finally have the freedom to pursue their own dreams, which could be anything from travel to, again, starting their own business. They approach their old age as something to be exploited, a freedom well earned.

There is another group, similar to the second group of people who have lived their lives in conformity, but who look at old age not as a time of opportunity but as one of dead dreams, limitations, acceptance of a life that is far from the conditions of their youth, and imminent death. These people draw inwards and their vision narrows. Things become less and less possible. Unfortunately, this is often because of poor physical health and/or poor financial planning, but is also the result of the kind of thinking that sees the proverbial glass as half full, or more accurately, as having only a few drops left in it.

I regret I find myself relating more to that latter group than to the others. It is not that I wish to think and feel like that, or at least I hope that I don’t wish to think or feel that way. Sometimes I can’t help but think that I must somehow enjoy having such a pessimistic, negative view of my life, for why else would I have it? We are all faced with choices in how we live our lives and I don’t know why it should not be possible to decide for ourselves which approach to aging we will take.

This whole train of thought was spurred by a short ride through the “country” this morning. I often like to take a drive out around the local farms and rural areas. I consider myself fortunate that, though I live within a small city, I live close to these rural areas. When I drive by the farms and houses with acreage, I get pangs of regret over dreams unfulfilled of having a house in a rural area. I once wanted to have a small farm, then I wanted ten acres, and then five, and now a couple of acres would make me plenty happy. The likelihood of ever having that at any future point in my life is so exceedingly small now that I cannot help but feel defeated in that dream.

As I was thinking about that today, my first thought was, “Well, that’s just the way it is.” As older people we just have to learn to accept what we have, and not be wishing that it were some other way. The question that then came to mind was, “Why?” I will grant that acceptance is sometimes the way we have to go, when conditions develop that truly limit our choices. But if we are not suffering from those conditions, why is it that I – or “we” if you are with me on this – have to accept a life that is less than desirable and devoid of dreams? Why do we have to just wait out the rest of our lives with the sole goal being our final demise? Can we no longer have dreams and work towards them? Is it too late?

Perhaps I am mistaken that we actually have a choice in how we think and feel about our lives. I certainly would like to think that we make active choices, but more often it seems as though there is some little man inside me, guiding my life, over whom I have no control. Sometimes I want to kick his ass to the curb and get him out of my life, but I almost always yield to his quiet, insistent, little voice saying, “Don’t bother, it’s too late, give it up, it’s not worth it, you’re too old for that, your life is out of your control, you don’t really make the choices, just accept it all, sit down, and quit arguing with me. Life is over for you.”

Christ, I hate that little fucker.