...rock around the clock

being "determined"..."focused"...
are admirable traits...

"stubbornness" however... is often seen as less than admirable...

and depending on the degree to which it is carried...
a LOT less...

I'm willing to admit to being stubborn...

it would do me no good to try to "paint it as something else"...
especially at this stage...

I know it comes from my Mom...

as she got older...
and the "little, everyday things"got harder...
I'd see her narrow her brow... watch her jaw tighten...
hear her voice become edgy...
and get out of the way...

she took great delight in "overcoming"...
which is probably why she lived alone successfully...
until into her 90's...on a ranch...out in the country...
and when she was forced to live in a "care home"...
her mind still jousted daily with any impediment in her path...

I have several ongoing battles...
not the least of which is my acquired handicap...
of having only half of my right thumb...
and that stump is sensitive if pressed too hard...

I thrive on "doing" for myself...
always have... and like fixing things...
or putting something together... from a kit...

since I also have back/leg nerve problems...
I wanted a rocking chair...
but was having trouble finding the right size & style...
that I could afford....

then back in November...
I found a kit for a mission style rocker with a leather seat...
and waited until January for it to be "on sale"...



it wasn't $500-750 like some I'd seen...
it was quite reasonable [$350] because it was a kit...
[AND on sale...]

I won't bore you with all the details...
or should I say "travails"...
if you enjoy pain, suffering & frustration...
read the 1/16/08 post, "update from the front"...

after all I went through, that chair is really comfortable...
I love rocking...and it looks good...

being who I am...[catalog capital of the Nor Cal area...]

I get catalogs all the time...
and once I got used to the rocker...
the chair on the front porch seemed...
too low... too "still"... and a bit boring...

so...I catalog "shopped"...

I absolutely was in love with a high end "outside rocker"...
made of oiled teak...craftsman-ish...
substantial...and $ 800 !!![with cushions...]
it WAS available as a kit...for $500 [with cushions...]

but I wasn't willing to pay that...
not and have to assemble it too...

so I kept looking...

the "big box home stores" [and their catalogs...]
had lightweight ones for $120- $200...as kits...
painted...stained...or "natural"...

I'd look at them...and they seemed "cheesy"...

and none offered cushions...
[I NEED cushions for back support...]

as the summer season progressed...
the prices began to drop...

the really "high end" stuff dropped down into the $450 range...
the cheesy stuff stayed the same...

and then Smith & Hawkin came through...

my porch chair came from them...
so did my media cabinets...
and my fireplace screen & tools...
[my chimney sweep thinks they are terrific...]

they were offering, in their end of summer sale...
a "natural Brazilian cherry"[sustainable] outside rocker kit...
for the sale price of $189.00 [it had been $279.00]....

AND... they had forest green cushions, specifically for the rocker...
and a rectangular lumbar support pillow...ALSO on sale...
as was a winter cover that would fit it...

the entire package cost me...
about what the rocker would have cost alone...
before the sale...

so when it arrived... I unpacked it...
shooed away Sneaky Pie...
read the instructions...
shooed away Gracie...

assembled the tools I'd need...
[wood glue, Phillips screw driver,rubber mallet...]
shooed away both SPie AND Gracie...
as well as Mack & Lucyfur, who came to "help"...

re-read the instructions...
examined all the parts...
shooed away Thomas, et al...
and began to assemble...
with an eye to the door...
as Got Junk was coming by, AGAIN...
for another load from the back yard...

I applied glue, wiped up the spillover...
channeled "Norm Abrahms"["This Old House"]...
shooed away "helpers"...
put pegs into holes...tapped with the mallet...
wiped up more glue...
shooed away more "helpers"...
applied some wood screws...
and was done...

I cautiously moved it outside...
[it has to set-up for 24 hours...]
tied on the cushions...
placed the lumbar pillow...
and left it to "cure"...



the GotJunk guys came & went...
they liked my back yard...
said it was nice & green...
[now that you can see it...]

now that the leaves and debris have been hauled away...
[it was about a quarter truck...]
I have the "container room" to continue the clean up...
[wait... that wasn't so smart...
I could have rested...too late now...]

I'll just have to rock away my aches & pains...
now if only the contractor would call...