Old Chair

7/21/20 Tuesday

My favorite time to write are Sunday nights. But the Sundays I hand Day off to his mom are just the worst, so I held off. I’m trying to avoid writing when I’m feeling down. I’m trying to avoid feeling down in general. So this week I’m launching myself into distractions, which include fixing up two old chairs.

after-the-rain.org / Fixing an old chair

I live in a community of 8 small houses built 20 years ago on the site of an old homestead orchard. Most of the houses are summer homes for people who primarily live in Seattle. On Sunday one of my lady neighbors asked if I could unload two boxes of new patio chairs from her car, which of course led to me putting them together. In exchange, she gave me her two old Adirondacks, which had been destined for the dump.

after-the-rain.org / Blacktail doe

They had integrated footstools, which I was able to remove, chop up, and use to fix the chairs themselves. Fixing them was easy and quick, since I decided not to refinish them. I like things to be structurally sound but don’t care too much if they look pretty.

These chairs have revolutionized the back yard. Now, along with the new hammock, my lazy summer afternoons are complete. The chair on the little back deck is repaired, comfortable, and a lovely place to sit and watch things like this blacktail doe stopping by to take a pee.

after-the-rain.org / Wine on the back deck

The heat of the day dissipates, the evening air warms the earth in its summer glow, and my tummy rumbles, anticipating a dinner of lemon/rosemary chicken and pasta. I’m supposed to be reviewing a final divorce proposal, but all I can do is soak in the beauty before me, try out this Argentinian Sangiovese, and enjoy the changing light of the summer sun setting through the salty air, a cool northerly breeze fresh off the Salish Sea, just three blocks away.

after-the-rain.org / Sheep farm

Author: Rainey

after-the-rain.org What started out as chicken scratch notes on the back pages of my boat’s logbook has now grown into a blog. These words and images help me cope with a loved one struggling with mental illness, and they help guide me through divorce, and the process of moving on. Thanks for reading along as I learn about life the hard way, do the best I can for my son in my new role as a single dad, and find weird similarities between restoring an old blue water sailboat and putting the pieces of my own life back together. Come check out my story and feel free to say hi!

7 thoughts on “Old Chair”

  2. Hi Rainey,

    I am always very envious of people who are good at DIY and general house maintenance. I am not a good one for having to rely on someone else to do things I don’t know how to do. Your photos are lovely as ever though I find myself a bit distracted by those beautifully toned arms, if I am honest.

    I am getting the sense that you are very much at peace with your predicament which is wonderful. You have a great attitude towards adversity.

    From your photos, I gather you live in a beautiful spot. Due to the lockdown here in UK the deer, which we had not seen for a long while, have also been coming very close to our house these past few months. I have some great photos which I can share with you, if you like (or maybe I’ll include them on one of my next posts).

    That red Argentinian sounds pretty ace and I can almost taste it!

    Have a great weekend (we are almost there!!)

    Mx

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    Reply

    1. Howdy M!
      I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily good at fixing things or being a handyman, but if something is broken I will generally try to fix it myself. If successful that’s great, if I break it further well I guess it was meant to be replaced. In fact I think that’s actually a saying.
      Your second point got me thinking-I don’t know if I’m comfortable with my predicament, but it’s more that I’m comfortable being in a predicament in general. I’ll have to ponder that one.
      As for the most important point of your entire reply, which is if course your compliment, well keep ‘em comin – I’m a sucker for those.
      Have a nice weekend!

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      Reply

      1. You are not a Leo by any chance, are you? 😁 To be fair, I think most people like compliments. Should I call you R then? Does your real name even begin with an R? I suspect not. Great philosophy to live by: try to mend what’s broken but if that doesn’t work, move on.

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