Making the turn and heading for home

Ever notice how as we get older, the slogans we use to punctuate our years. For instance, "we're on the back nine", or "heading down the stretch", or "the finish line is coming fast". And as we get older, the finish line is coming at us like a freight train. When we were young and full of spirit, the finish line was not even in our thoughts. The race was just getting started and we had a lot of living to do before we had to think about any of those old folk things. We were invincible.

Being older is supposed to mean we are wise in our years from all of our experiences. Whether good or bad, we should have retained something to pass along. I once read that being older and having the answers was a good thing. Except nobody asked us the questions.

I don't give out advise to my kids anymore, for that reason. They don't ask. They are doing OK without me. I think their Mom gives them the advise anyway. Maybe if they need help around the house or apartment with something that needs fixed, they will ask. I am always glad to oblige if I can. The grand kids, two girls, will ask once in a while. And that is usually for AA batteries for the Leap Frog. Not much for advise though.

Recent events have made me more aware of the "finish line". Several weeks ago, a group of people got together for a celebration. There were sisters, spouses, nieces and nephews. All the sisters were eighty plus years old, which made the nieces and nephews sixty plus.

It was a fine gathering of people that had not seen one another for years. Some for more years than one would care to admit. The funny thing was, that back in the day, some did not speak to one another anyway. Or was it more like being mildly upset? But not this day. Whatever upset them then, was long forgotten and the hall was abuzz with stories and laughter and more of the same over and over for hours. All was forgiven or forgotten.

It was good, very good, that they spent that time together. Because, within a few short weeks afterwards, one sister would pass on. All that were there that night for celebration were glad to have had that time together once again.

We want our children and grandchildren to appreciate the time they have and to appreciate each other too. Not let pettiness come between relationships. And not wait for old age to cure the ill will. Someone said "don't sweat the small stuff. It's all small stuff".

But for those of us that are rounding third and heading home, we need to be sure they appreciate each other to the fullest. This is a good time of year to remind them.

And now, the famous Bavarian, or is it Bohemian sandbags

TA DA!!!! Presenting the; what's this

called again?

The Balgarian Exercise Bag. Ok, so what's this all about and why is it a featured item on the Corhnole Gallary?

Well, I think the big deal is that a group of people actually use them for their exercise program. The actual proper use is done by Blue Chip Strength group and they are at http://www.bluechipstrength.com/ . There you will find the links to YouTube to see how to use these bags.

But the real fun is in the making of the bags. My son, the personal trainer, ordered about 20 bags, each to weigh 15 pounds each.

The first pair were for him and they weighed 25 pounds per bag.

I wanted to post this a couple weeks ago, but missed the boat when he took all of them when they were finished before I could get a picture of them. My fault. Well, now he needed one more at 15 pounds and two for the grandaughters at 5 pounds each. I managed to get a picture before he nabbed them.

As mentioned, the fun is in the making of them. You need blue jeans worthy of being cut up, nylon wire ties, duck tape, wide adhesive tape (the white medical stuff) and of course, enough dry playsand for whatever weight you are making.

Cut the legs off jeans way up near the crotch. Grab the end with you hand and wire tie this section off as it is now to be a handle on one end. There is another handle on the other end as well. Take the duck tape and wrap it around the part you designated as the handle and then wrap it again with the medical tape.

Now you have a bag of sorts. A denim bag ready to load up with sand. Figure out how you are going to weigh it out then put the appropriate weight into the pants leg. Wire tie, duck tape and medical tape just as you had done previously, only this time the bag will be finished.

The sand should be free to shift around inside the bag so the weight moves about. Don't know exactly why, but the trainer wants it this way.

We later figured out that it might be better to put the sand into a plastic bag, such as the bags from all the stores when you shop, or perhaps a large freezer bag. The reason is the sand releases a dust right through the denim and can be annoying to the user.

Nonetheless, this is a good workout. I played around in my driveway with one of the bags and it got pretty tiring after a short while.

It you got any instructions from YouTube or have heard others making them, they probably used a automobile tire rubber inner tube. This is what they are using on web to make the Balgarian bag, but the cost is very high for a quanity of them. Besides, an inner tube is for much more weight and we simply did not need that kind of weight. So once we get the dust issue under control, these will work just fine.

In case you were wondering about the cost? Jeans are half price at Unique on LSB in Willowick on Mondays, and sand is around three dollars for 50 pounds at Lowes. Wire ties are cheap at Harbor Freight as well as their gray tape, but it is not really Duck brand, which I prefer. Medical tape is reasonable at Dollar General. So all together, 20 bags probably cost under $50 and took a couple hours.

It is a good workout.

Stay safe this weekend and God Bless America. Bless our troops and bring them home.

What a lovely shade of blue...on the kitchen floor??

Well, it was bound to happen. After more than forty years of painting something, walls, floors, ceilings, and, ah yes, cornholes, a can of paint gets dumped.

Luckily it was a quart. Or nowadays, it is a 29 ounce can. Notice that you don't buy quarts anymore. You buy LESS. Like tissue, and ice cream, and anything prepackaged. It is now less than it was.

So, we don't raise prices. We just get less for the same money, which means they raised prices without telling you they raised prices. And all that having to redo the packages. Hope they are made in America. That means the new American jobs are "redoing what we have already done".
So anyway, as I was saying; I was closing a can of "true blue" Krylon, the 29 ounce size from Sears. From Sears because Drug Mart did not have it in the Painters Choice, which I would have preferred. I just finished a section of the Case Western Reserve cornhole board that a lady ordered. I was working in the dining area of the living room, mind you. Debbee suggested that because it is simply too humid in the sun room where I normally finish painting to come into the house. The sun room has much more sunlight and more room for my "stuff."

So I took the open can from the dining area to the kitchen sink, 7/8 full can of true blue. And I mean BLUE. True Blue. I never mess up the edges so it is easy to push the lid down and get a good temporary seal before tapping on the lid with a hammer when I am completely done. But I am not completely done yet. So I pushed down only.

Remember, I am just a little older than I used to be and the hands don't have the strength they once had. So, I am squeezing the can between my thumb and whatever fingers I can get around the bottom of the can.

I have this "thing" with my right hand that needs surgery to help straighten out the hand to its normal configuration. One finger is folded in such a way that the hand cannot lay flat. When shaking hands, it is the first finger in for the shake, so I have to position my hand to kind of wrap around your hand so you don't get a "finger bump" and wonder "what the heck was that all about?".

Squeezing the lid and bottom of the can, and suddenly it takes flight. Sort of like trying to hold onto jell-o, or a wet ice cube.

Well, it was airborne. And before I could react, it landed safely on its side on the floor, two feet away. At first, I thought it held. But no! It just sort of, laid down. And out came a lot of pretty blue latex paint. It reminded me of those scenes from a crime show when someone is shot in the head and they always show a pool of blood right next to the head to prove they were shot in the head.

Well, this true blue was defiantly shot in the head.

I reached for the can immediately to stand it upright. Luckily, if that is the right word to use at a time like this, I saved enough of the paint to finish the job. But all I could think was that this was nine dollars laying on the floor and a roll of paper towels will be used in the clean up process.

Ok, think fast! It's water based latex. So get lots of water on it right away. And get started wiping. NOW!

Suddenly, my knees did not ache so much and I went straight down to the floor on both knees using a bench I had handy to rest my chest and stomach on so I could use both hands. (I think I wrote a blog about this type of bench and its handy use both in the house or in the garden. If I didn't, I will soon. Very handy item.)

The wiping begins. I got up off the floor only to get a bucket of water to keep the area wet. If I dare say, working quickly and with wet paint made even wetter, the clean up went very well.

Sure! I used a lot of paper towels, but the floor shows no signs of the accident. And from now on, its using only the mallet to seal off the lid.

If you do use a hammer to seal the lid, tap it lightly. It does not take much to seal it. And use a cloth over the lid while tapping. The cloth will catch any spray that might be in the trenches of the can.

Hope you like the featured cornhole.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

FIVE THINGS TO LOVE (OTHER THAN FAMILY)

MY TOP FIVE FAVORITE THINGS



CRAFT STICKS

WD 40

3 IN 1 OIL

DUCK TAPE

SHELLAC

AND NOW, INTRODUCING (what daya mean not yet)

This was going to be the Bulgarian Exercise Bag Edition of Cornhole Gallery. But, as luck would have it, out of the 16 Bulgarian Exercise Bags (now referred to as BEBA's) we still have not gotten a good picture of them. Why?

Well, to tell the truth, we have been pretty busy with the cornholes. Four sets in the last two weeks. And then I got lazy when it was Millertime and completely forgot to take pictures of the BEBA's.

So, no BEBA's and more cornholes.

The cornholes were the black and white I showed two weeks ago, and another one is the Browns striped set done in four days, and another was just plain black. That one was interesting. A lady said her daughters wanted to do the rest themselves with fluorescent spray paint, which would be pretty cool.

And the last set due next week is shown below:

Pretty cool, huh?
I put the prices on the MSU because I was going to put this picture on the website, http://www.lccornhole.com/, but I think I will wait until it is done totally. Why show "work in progress", even if this is what it will look like when finished anyway. Just the letters will be "cleaner" and bigger.
I understand these will be taken to Chicago to a couple that attended each school and then got married. One of them should have gone to OSU. Now that would have been interesting.

So next, we will put a couple sets in stock, in anticipation of the NFL strike ending.
And then its on to something else. Maybe a leaning shelf. I like those.

Now go make something. And check in with your local craft shows. They can use your support.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

More than just cornholes, ya know!! Part 2

AND THE SAGA CONTINUES.................

Ok, maybe not so much a saga as just everyday life.

Back in early June, I wrote about the three tiered plant stand to show the world that life is more than just making cornholes.

And if you look at the website http://www.lccornhole.com/ , you will see more proof to that with all the step stools and yard decorations.

It is just plain fun to make stuff. Like this sign for instance:

This is not Buster. It is Tiby. Buster is in the house. But check out the sign. It reminds me of Geneva on the Lake. You know. The street down by the lake where they have all the games and rides and bars and the fun stuff for summer.

Anyway, I was talking about making stuff just for fun and this sign is one of them. I was getting tired of painting a cornhole, so while I was waiting for paint to dry, I thought it would be cute to have a sign in this area of stone and sand and call it Buster's Beach. The area was Debbee's idea because Buster, the visiting dog of our oldest son, used this area as his private spot and has torn the living heck out of the soil, but only in the area outlined by the rocks. So Debbee's thought, that since Buster was going to be here for a while, might as well make it better to look at.

So the rocks got put into place, then added the sand, and next thing you know, Buster and Tiby have a cooler place to lay down. She called it "Buster's Beach". Couple days later, as I said, waiting for paint, I ran down to the basement, grabbed a router bit and router, a piece of scrap wood and have at it. A little action on the band saw and done. It took all of twenty minutes and it looks it, doesn't it?

But it is a fun looking sign, like Geneva on the Lake. Like a pirates cove kind of thing going on here.

Now its your turn. Go make something. You don't know all the fancy tools like you see on TV. Just some small hands tools will do just fine. And lots of glue. Good Luck!

THIS BLOG WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THE SAND USED IN MAKING THIS BEACH. THERE IS A STORY BEHIND THE SAND, LOTS OF SAND USED IN MAKING BULGARIAN EXERCISE BAGS. THE BAGS I WANT TO SHOW YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN USE AND THERE ARE NOT ANY PICTURES YET. http://www.bluechipstrength.com/ USES THEM AND MY NEXT BLOG WILL BE ALL ABOUT THEM.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Other people have good ideas, too

First order of business is the plant stand pictured. Jean N won this is the contest I had several weeks ago. Actually, the one pictured had to be reworked somewhat. The edges get a little messed up when the plant stands rub together in the boxes used for craft shows. So that needed attention. Also the top face was softened to give it a "foggier" affect. The finished one looked super. Another fine job by our art department.
Now back to business!
Website www.bluechipstrength.com and www.jb-cpt.com has long told me that the best way to do the cornholes, is to have them in stock. Difficult propostion to say the least. First off, since I started doing these five years ago, I had always done the special order custom type cornholes. Like the one featured on these pages from time to time and shown in the cornhole gallery at www.lccornhole.com.
Only recently, with his help, has the idea really worked out very well. The idea of keeping them in stock. And the "his" I refer to is my oldest son, Jason. He's the man behind the websites "Blue Chip" and "jb-cpt". His field of expertise is personal training. I should have half the energy of him and his fellow workout people. I probably did once. Anyway, check out his blog in the News-Herald or go directly to the websites.
But his idea was to have "blank" set of boards available to decorate is always brought up in conversation. And finally, I am glad I did. He did a website for me to get me going, and going it is. Not that I have to rent a factory just yet. But who knows?
He believes it is the blogs that is driving the website. I would like to think so, but honestly, I am inclined to believe it is "Google". Whatever it is, any set featured on the website HAS SOLD.
The Stars and Stripes, (both sets) the Browns MDF prototype set, the Steelers set, another standard Brown set, and another Browns set with the stripes offset for a different look. (and it did look great, if I say so myself).
Now featured is a blank set for the "paint it yourselfer". Or not! An unpainted set will play just as good as a painted set. May need sanded a little, but it will still play.
The other featured set is, of course, the standard Browns set. And on Craig's list, I have this set WITHOUT the bags just to see how that works out. I may do this same thing on the web if I am serious about selling boards only. Wait and see!
The point to all this, is these sells were all IN STOCK. Something I would have not done before. Simply because I would have had them, and no one would have known about it. But now, with the help of this blog and Jason's (actually I do the business on it now) website that he set up for me, I can keep on making them and getting more in stock.
One young women called and asked if I had any in stock and she did not care what they decorated with, just as long as I had them. Well, I did have them! And, BINGO, they were SOLD that same day. Thank you Christy!
Before this revelation, I would sit for hours in the hot sun at the flea market listening to wives and girlfriends tell their partners "look honey, you can make that". But we know they never will.
So I will keep on making "stock". Keep on "featuring the stock" on the website and here in my blogs.
But one more important issue that I may make an entire blog about is this: DON'T BUY A CAN OF ORANGE PAINT AND BROWN PAINT AND TRY TO PUSH IT OFF AS "BROWNS COLORS". BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT!
I was driving Miss Daisey (my wife but don't tell her I said this) around last weekend (the 4th) just taking in the nice day and getting out of the house. And a lot of family gatherings had the cornholes in the front yard for me to examine. They all knew I would be driving around so they proudly put them in the FRONT yard for me to see. And I noticed a lot of Browns fans by the color of their boards. BUT! BUT! C'mon! Try to get close at least to Browns orange for crying out loud.
AND KUDOS TO THEM FOR PLAYING CORNHOLE. AT LEAST THEY WEREN'T STABBING EACH OTHER IN A GAME OF "JARTS".

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

WHAT A DAY!

FOURTH OF JULY!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD COULD A COLLEGE GAME FROM CINCINNATI BECOME THE NUMBER ONE SPECTATOR SPORT...SURPASSING MLB, NFL, AND NBA COMBINED?

CORNHOLE FOREVER! LONG LIVE CORNHOLE!

MORE IMPORTANT - - - HAVE A SAFE AND FUN DAY WITH THE FAMILY

AND THE WINNER IS......the envelope please...

Recently, I showed a picture of an item I made for my son's wife's mother. That would make her my daughter-in-law, so it's her mother. Anyway, it's her birthday and Dana (daughter-in-law) showed me a picture of this cross looking thing. So, Debbee and I went to the spot where she saw it so that I could get measurements and see just what this thing was and how it was made.

It turned out to be at a local nursery, and the PLANT HANGER had been there for years. It was eight feet tall with a span of six feet and a couple braces supporting the span from sagging under the weight of two huge baskets of flowers.

The nursery used an outdoor 4x4 post for the mast, and an outdoor 2x4 for the supports and the span.
(I say "outdoor" because I can't spell "wool-men-ized") You get the picture.

I went one better and got a 4x4 for the mast and the span and outdoor 2x4's for the supports.

I made a half-lap joint where the span and mast meet, and a small groove in the span for the supports to sit in to help relieve the weight on the supports. I used lag screws for the supports to the span and mast and carriage bolts and then I countersunk washers and nuts and you have one strong PLANT HOLDER.

My son picked it up in a truck on Sunday and I told him that if his mother-in-law gets tired of hanging plants, they could use it for a swing set.

The nice thing about this item is that anyone can make it and it costs about $25.00 in material. And you can hang a lot of flowers and brackets all around the mast and hooks galore across the span.
Let your imagination go!

AND NOW THE MOMENT WE HAVE ALL AWAITED.......(drum roll...........)

JEAN N of SOUTH EUCLID was the first to guess correctly and wins a hand crafted plant stand from the good people at Lake County Cornhole, aka, WWW.LCCORNHOLE.COM

Jean could not be with us today, so accepting the prize is her good friend, Homer.

Thanks to everyone who sent an email guessing the "thing". Some were quite imaginative, and unprintable.

Next up....the WHITE CORNHOLE boards.







GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Hardest worker in recent memory - revised 6/28

I am sure you have heard the phrase "opinions are like (you know what), cause everyone has one"? This writing is off my usual cornhole banter, but I just gotta get this onto "paper" and off my mind.

I recently had an encounter with a man named Ed Painter. He is doing electrical work in the house so that we can get air conditioning. (I only hope we will use it this summer)
Meeting Ed was not so unusual. Nice fellow, mild mannered, and went right to work the minute he showed up at the house on Friday morning unloading material and tools and taking them to the basement.

And he did not stop!

He told me what he was going to do and he did it. And just kept going.
For nine straight hours, he was at the side of the house, then to the basement, then to the side again, and to the basement. Over and over, all day.

My wife said he stopped and ate lunch while standing at the side of his van.
Then it was back to work.
My dad was a hard worker, and my brothers, and I like to think I was a hard worker in my day as well.
But this guy went far beyond that. I'm talking marathon here!
Now, I know there are guys and gals that have their own stories of things that they have done that may very well compare. But this guy is 56, and I am here to tell you, he did not stop until it was done.

Please don't give me the old "that's what he's paid to do" line. Save that for politicians.
Give credit when it is due.

And my hat goes off to Ed Painter, hard working guy. One of the hero's of the American work force, or what's left of it.

Sonny boy says if you gonna give a "shout-out" at least put in the contact info for the business. So ok, here it is:

BUSTER'S ELECTRIC & HR
440-488-4825
ED PAINTER

There! Now I feel better and can get back to the Cornhole Saga.

Now what? Name this thing!

Ok....it is sitting on sawhorses. I will give you a hint......it is upside down. It is 10 feet tall and 6 feet across the top (bottom in the photo).

Tell me what it is and I will send you a really nice plant stand if you guess correctly.

See photo below!

Here's what you will win!

It is about 9 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall.

Or use it for a foot stool. Standing on round stools is NOT recommended because of a tipping point in the middle at the edge. It says right on them, "NOT MADE FOR STANDING".

Email you answer to reddtanner@sbcglobal.net . First correct answer in is the winner.

Also, go to http://www.lccornhole.com/ to see more fun stuff that is very useful for the home, inside and out.

God Bless America!

Greatest Cornhole Board ever made

If one more person asks me "is that a Fathead"? POW, right in the kisser.

I don't know how to top this one.

One legged table is here!

Two holes are large enough for a liter of power drink of whatever comes in liters and two holes are large enough for regular sized soda cans. Or "whatever" comes in regular sized cans. Someone say MGD?

Here's the really cool part! The table comes as three pieces. One is the main table top. Two, the leg and three is the "ugly stick". The "ugly stick" has a hole in it that goes over the leg and you strike it to get the leg, that is pointed at the other end, to go into the ground. "Ugly stick" is used so you don't hit the leg directly, thus "mushrooming" the end. Because.....the leg has to fit into a hole in the underside of the table and if you hit it directly, you could make the end get bigger than the hole it has to go into in order to function. This is called "mushrooming". So, I have supplied an "ugly stick" to avoid this problem.

Now, this table is not as long as the white one. but it serves the same function. A nice feature is, say for example, everyone is off to sit down away from the one legged table. No problem! Just pick up the whole table with the drinks in place and go sit. The table will sit on any flat surface, bench, picnic table or directly on the ground. So it would serve as a tray as well.

Plus the center is designed to hold a standard seven inch plate.

And one more nice feature is that two stemmed glasses can be supported on the ends. Once again, leaving your hands free to play your game. And finally. The hole on the underside is standard one inch. So you can use any standard dowel rod or pipe to move your table from place to place without having to remove the leg.

1. Holds most any large and regular sized containers without getting knocked over.
   


2. Holds stemmed ware comfortably.
   


3. Room for snacks with its seven inch center "landing pad".
   


4. Sits flat when not on the leg.
   


5. Can be used anywhere, home and away.
   


6. Lots of room to keep items like an ashtray.

So no more spilled cans or paper cups that were sitting on the ground.

The one legged table. Brought to you by Lake County Cornhole. http://www.lccornhole.com/

Cleveland Corporate Challenge 2008

Last time we talked, I mentioned the Cleveland Corporate Challenge (hereafter referred to as the CCC) and I was discussing the boards that were being used in the games at the Cleveland Amory.
Well! The tournament I referred to was in 2008, not 2009 as I mentioned . I was laid off in January 2009, so I hardly participated in the CCC that started in June.
Also, I was talking about the boards being made from MDF and how I would like to try that material just like the Challenge used. Wrong again!
In looking at the website for this years Challenge, I saw the picture of a cornhole board and remember now that they were actually a plywood laminate with birch surface and no visible coating. Maybe they used a satin varnish, but nothing to make it glossy or slippery.


WHAT IS THE CORPORATE CHALLENGE?
I am not involved in it except to play in it once. I have no reason to promote it, except to say it is a pretty good idea. They have a website that explains everything, but here is how I see it in a nutshell.
Someone got this idea (like I said it is a good idea, actually) to get companies from Cleveland to enter teams to participate in a bunch of games (I think this year it is thirteen) spread out over a two month period for fun and bragging rights. Don't know if any trophies are handed out, but the games are fun and pretty well organized.
It is set up for fairness, such as, men and women play at the same time on the same team. There was softball, kickball, miniature golf, walking, pool and many others including cornhole.
The teams are in divisions by company size and points are awarded for different events. You can get in on some or all of them if you like. Pick and choice your events and just have fun at it.
Well! In the company where I worked, it was no secret that I was king of making cornhole sets. Just in my area, I made (sold) nine sets, including one for the company for anyone to use, and got paid for that one also.
This lead to the assumption that I then must be a expert thrower of the corn bags as well. Not necessarily true. Just because I can cut a hole and glue and screw some wood together, does not make me the Nolan Ryan of cornholes.
Our recreation director (she is actually an office worker that sat in our area, but was not in our division) was setting up this whole Corporate Challenge with managements blessing. The rest of us still had to work, but that's for another blog under a different category.
I was not going to participate anyway, so it mattered not to me who was organizing what. No reason. Just did not want to. Didn't feel like it! Besides, I really don't want to hang with the people I work with. Don't want to see them at work. Sure don't want to see them on weekends.
Well, one morning, the recreation director was discussing the teams and schedules with the VP and the company owner when I heard the VP speaking to me from across the room.
((( from here on, only initials in place of the real names)))
"This is perfect for you! You do it" as he walked my way, waving the schedule in his hand.
"And T and C will be on your team. J already said she would if you do. You would make the needed fourth. What do you say?" I could handle C for a day, but T and J? Oh, please, shoot me now. Well, if I could work with T, C and J, and the VP was asking, I suppose I could give it a try.
Besides the VP had signed up for something, so I guess that was a good example, so I said, "ok, fine". So we had two men and two women, which was the requirement.
Our games were two weeks away, and were scheduled for a Saturday morning at the Cleveland Amory.
We would practice during lunch hour on the grass beside the building on the company boards that I built.
And did we ever need the practice!
We were pretty average. Even for a company picnic team. Coaching was needed for J, though. She had not a clue. No competitiveness whatsoever.
"This was just for fun", she said. She was right, but if I have to get up and dressed on a Saturday to drive downtown, we had better make some sort of showing.
I'm not sure if she hit the board once during two weeks of practice or not. No matter. It was double elimination, so from what I saw, we would be home in time for lunch.
It was very hot on that Saturday in June. We all met at the Amory, and WOW! Impressive! The Amory is a one big meeting hall that reminds you of a big gymnasium and it was full of cornhole boards. My guess is 40 sets. That's 80 boards. Lined up in four columns. The building is old with a great history, though, I really am not sure just what the history might be. Gotta look that one up.
Lots of light through the hundreds of windows surrounding the two sides, plus the lighting inside. But no a/c. And it was a hot July day. With predictions of rain later in the morning. It was already smelling like a locker room from the 50's.
But we should be home by the time the rains come.
We check in, find our boards, warm up a little and then the call comes to begin playing. All volunteer officials.
Shake hands with a younger group of players and we're off.
Now! Here is how this works for the CCC. Four players per team. Two men and two women at each board from each team. Each player throws two bags, ALTERNATING SHOTS. That means throw and wait. No chance to get a rhythm going, which I guess is the idea.
The scoring is regulation cornhole style. If you need to know that, check the web under ACA rules of scoring.
Ok, where were we? Oh yea, the call to begin.
Game one. T and C and myself are pretty competitive. We often have words over issues in the office and none of us are afraid to speak up, except J. Everything is sunshine and lollipops for her, so competition is not in her vocabulary, nor is "I'm on the board". Just always polite, friends with everyone and all la-de-da in a "no pressure job". Ok, that's another blog again.
Oh C'mon! Try to hit a board! Surprised she could hit the floor.
No need to. Somehow, we won game one. But how? Unbelievable!
We just look at each other and wonder.
A few minutes of waiting for the other teams finish up. Then we will know who and where we play next.
Game two. Are you kidding me! We won game two! J has yet to hit a board, yet the three of us are playing beyond expectations.
Remember! We are playing against four "kids" in each match so far. There total ages are probably around 100. While ours is more like 200 plus. And yet, we are in the winners bracket.
The usual wait then on to game three. Yep! Another win. What is going on here? That's three in row.
And now they are talking about us. The "older team" they call us. And we are gathering a following. These are the teams that are eliminated already. They are hanging around to see what is going on with us.
I should give some details on how close some of the matches were, and how it came down to the last throw and blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I don't remember each game or how it played out. I only remember winning game four and being hungry.
It was time for an official break and being home for lunch was long gone, so might as well eat here.
Yummy! Warm pop from a cooler and cold pizza from when the make shift concession tables opened this morning. Oh good, a Snickers!
Even better: rain. Up until now, the fans were running full blast and the doors were open. But with the wind whipping, they had to close the doors to protect the flooring.
So far, we have been playing winners only. But now we play someone from the loser bracket.
And I should remember the team name, but I don't. We played them earlier and won, but now, we are at the point that we need to win just one more and we will be champions of a tournament that no one ever heard of before, but it will be great, because we are all competitive people by nature. Except J. She has a look on her face, like she should be home for something. Maybe she'll think if she hits a board it will speed things up and she can go home sooner. Which means she is partially right.
US Endoscopy sticks in my head, but I'm just not sure. I looked it up before this blog, but could not find the achieves. Must try again.
Ok, so here we go.
Ok, maybe not. We loss 11-0. Wow! That stung! Maybe the rest was not the best thing.
Everything is even now. Almost everyone is gone. A few hangers on to see what is going to happen, I know a few are hanging around because there is a party downtown and the young guns are partying tonight. But there is still one game to play. We get a short break to gather our thoughts and it time again. One more time.
And it was fun. We had a lead at one point, but they proved to be just too good. One fellow was very consistent and I had a hard time keeping up with him. T handled the girl ok, but the young lady got stronger near the end. The game was lost at the other end where J hit nothing and C faltered. No way they could keep up.
It was over! We now lost two in a row and were done and they were the champs. Congratulations.
But I made it home for dinner anyway.

How to shop for a cornhole set

Ok. What is the stuff pictured in the two photos?


Debbee and I were sitting outside this week on one of the pleasant evenings. She likes reading, and I like to run ideas by her, which sort of interferes with someone who is reading.


I keep my ideas short and to the point. More than I can say for my blogs.


Anyway. I took her about a new design for the cornhole table. That's the one legged table that is put into the ground anywhere that you are and can be moved about. Made and sold two of them in the past year. It holds cans or glasses from being knocked over and has room for a 7" plate in the center.


She did not particularly like the new way I described it and thought that the old way was best. This is what I told her:


The old style had one leg with metal threads coming out of the top of the leg that screwed into a bracket fixed to the underside of the table. (You have seen this bracket and leg if you ever made you own table or stand. Mostly used to raise a bed off the floor. The legs come in various lengths and the brackets are sold right along side the legs because you will need the bracket for the leg to work)


My new style is the same one leg, but no bracket to screw into. Instead, there will be a hole through the bottom plate and the middle spacers.


See picture:

You can't see the spacers in this picture, but imagine a hole the same diameter (actually slightly larger) than the leg in the bottom and in the spacers.Then the table will sit over the leg.
And it is free to swivel, though I don't know why this would matter. But wait! There's more! The whole table can be used as a tray and sit flat on any surface. No bracket underneath to make it rock around. And more yet!. We will supply a rubber hammer (I don't want the leg to "mushroom" if hit with your steel hammer) to knock the leg into the ground. It will hang somewhere around the table. Have not thought that one through yet.
She still did not like it.
The two photos above? They are the parts to the prototype of the newly designed cornhole table. I will try it out this weekend and let you know how it works out.

CORNHOLE UPGRADE...OR IS IT

Something else that I have been wanting to try ever since I was in the Cleveland Corporate Challange Cornhole Tournament way back in 2009. A cornhole surface that is fantastically smooth, requires not sanding on my part and edges that do not need planing. MDF. All the boards at the tournament, and there must have been sixty of them, were made from MDF and the frames were white wood, or pine. It was apparent that these were factory made, but the point is, they played very well. I would have thought there would have been more sliding off then usual, but the surface rewarded you for your shot. Meaning, a nice lob and it would land and slide very little. But a low line drive throw and the bag would go flying off as it should. There was a good feel as to the actual weight of the boards, though slightly lighter than the conventional boards I make. But they did hold the floor well when it in spite of the fact it was a gym floor at the Cleveland Amory. I may try making a set using this MDF and a pine frame. Painting will be fun as MDF hold paint very well and looks great.

WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A CORNHOLE SET?

• Regulation size. The board should be 48" x 24". Front edge of the board should be off the ground by 3" and the rear, 12" . The hole should be centered on the width, and be 9" to center from the rear, or 6" to the edge of the hole from the rear.




• The bags shall me made of duck cloth, six inches square, filled with corn and weight 14-16 ounces each. There should be eight bags, two colors of four each.




• Should be made of a wood surface even though I just expounded on the virtues of MDF. The drawback to MDF is weather. They must not get wet. Whereas, the standard wood boards should not get wet, it would not be as horrific as with the MDF. The wood boards could be dried off later, allow to dry, and played on for a very long time. MDF will probably swell up and split very quickly.




• Leaving something nicely made outside is never a good idea, but you could do it once in a while and get away with it if they are wooden.




• Wooden boards give that nice "thud" when the bag hits.




• The bags should not slide far on the board when thrown in a nice arc. Control is important and has rewards.




• Stay away from any games sold by the major sporting goods chains. They are usually plastic, or some composite material that they advertise can "fold for easy carrying". Really? Folds?




• Also, watch out for deals on smaller sets. 36" x 20" is not a deal. It is not even regulation.




• If you are looking for a toy, then have at it. Otherwise get the real thing. Buy it from me or make it yourself. Just do it right! And you will a happier person for it.

A family member had a get-together and someone (we will call him Joe Smartypants) brought his "baggo" game bought at that leading store I mentioned. My family member brought his original "Penn State custom made by me" cornhole set. Smartypants said "we should have a contest so let's set them up side by side". Big mistake! It did not take long before the brand X was put back into the car and probably returned to the store.

Embarrassed Joe? You should be! Remember: "you get what you pay for".

I see boards everywhere and I stop to check out the competition. Mostly mass produced outside the USA and not to my standards. And always smaller.

I did not invent the game. I only maintain the integrity of those who did.

So don't just be cool like Joe, be cool and smart.

Ready to go, no waiting

I like to think that I may be improving with my writings. Though I may not have a best seller, I really do enjoy writing and would like to thank the News Herald for the community media for which they have given us this opportunity to express ourselves in hopes someone will actually read it someday and have the same fun reading it as we did writing it.

Pictures at the beginning are a nice touch, don't you think?

The boards pictured above were just finished and went straight to Craigs list for starters, before being advertised in the News Herald for the weekend in time for Fathers Day. (should that be capitalized) A good writer would have known that!

This is a spec set, meaning no one ordered it and they were made in hopes someone wants them. They are mix or match. Pick two and you have your set. Bags to match. Great idea! My son, Jason, (you can find him at http://www.jb-cpt.com/) had the idea. "You gotta have something to get right away, something they can just pick up", he said. "Some people want them right now". I never thought of that before. Mine were always wait for an order than start to build them.

This is a good idea. But these are not actually the first ones. The first ones to put "into stock" were the red, white and blue, shown several blogs ago. Remember? One with 50 stars and another with 13 stars accompanied by a couple solid red, white and blue striped boards.

They were for stock and a fellow saw them on Craig's list and wanted one right away. Great idea, Jason!

The other was sold to a friend of Jason after he told them I had them in stock.

Maybe there is something to this "in stock" thing.

Last year, I remember people would call and ask if they could be "picked up" right away and I had to tell them at least three weeks was needed for a custom board set.

A great idea just came from my neighbor Steve. He saw me outside with all the boards pictured above when I was taking photos. He came over to inquire the cost. Then he asked for a blank board set.

He said that he would paint it himself some color of off-white or white and have friends use it for their graffiti wall then when filled to his liking, he would top coat to keep forever.

What a novel idea!

I have often thought of having my grandaughters, Abby and Livi, paint one themselves just to see what they do. I would supply colors of the rainbow, they love the rainbow, and see where it goes.

When they were younger however, this idea would have ended up as solid gray, as they would have colored over everything with every color. But now, I think it would be better. I think this would be a good time to try it.

You can always sand it and start over again. That's the magic of working with wood.

More than just cornholes, ya know!!

This is probably the sixth three tier display that I have made. To me, I find them easy on the eye, yet completely functional from a display standpoint. This item came from a book I had previously mentioned. The "Big Book of Weekend Woodworking".

With each project, the author gives a little story of the item regarding where he first saw it, or why he thinks it would be a good project, or both.

This item, he says, was spotted in a New England antique shop and was used for exactly what it was named. A three tier display. The shop displayed antiques on the three shelves and never gave thought to actually selling the shelf itself. That was until the author made a big deal of the display, and even then, the shop keeper said that it was not for sale. At least, not at that time.

So it was included in the project book, and Debbee thought it would make a good one. And we did.

The original and first (probably one and the same, isn't it?) one was made exactly to the book, including the colors, which were green painted legs with natural shellac shelf pieces.

After that, one was made shorter. And after the first one, all were stained and not painted. The next one I make will be a solid color paint. No reason. Just a change of pace. Sometimes staining gets boring. Besides, not everyone is infatuated with the grain of wood like I am. I think all the lines that come through a clear stain is just wonderful. Like veins running through the wood, and comes to life with a good stain.

I remember where they were sold as well.

The original one (the first one) was sold at the Eastlake Flea Market two years ago. The lady wanted to use it outdoors. I told all about the three coats of polyurethane on the shelves and how she could use more if she wanted. Another at the Painesville Flea Market two years ago. Young couple had there eye on it since I opened in the morning and they came back mid afternoon. There were two on display, a dark walnut and even darker walnut. And she really liked the one with a lot of vein markings in the wood. It was a dark walnut and the marks just came right out at you. I remember making a deal with her. She was really nice and they seemed like the type just starting out and she wanted to display some things she had been collecting.

That's me alright! A rough, tough mean old man! No deals from me, honey!

Ok, just this once. But don't tell anyone. Ya know, my reputation and all.

She picked a good one and it did look nice.

My daughter has one. Probably the other one from Painesville.

One was sold at Richmond Heights Craft Show. Yes, two years ago. It was the short one. Normally, they are around three feet tall. This one was more like two feel tall. Exactly the same width for all the shelves. It was really cute. Plus it was clear coated with shellac. Really shined.

I want to say that she bought a regular sized one as well, but I'm just not sure.

So how many is that? Eastlake one, Painesville two, my daughter three, Richmond Heights four, and two in my back room. That's six, or seven depending on Richmond Heights.

Whatever! I like making them and they are snazzy. Couple more three tier then a couple of leaning shelves, then a couple of "free standing cornhole tables" (FSCT).

Maybe I should do the FSCT first since summer if almost here and it is backyard season.

Here's the prototype of my first FSCT. By the way, it sold at Eastlake Flea Market. Guess when?

The leg, which is pointed like a pencil on the end, was painted to match the table. The two open holes on the end can hold wine glasses. Because they hang down, the table allows for that at each end. The holes on the table can hold a regular sized can of soda or a gatorade, since gatorade bottles are larger than pop cans. And with all that, there is still room in the middle for a regular sized paper plate, or real plate, or ashtray or whatever you want to put there.

And the best part is, it is two pieces. The leg screws into the table. Pretty cool, no?

But that is for the next story and so is some craft show and flea market fun.

See you next time!

Hope you took time to remember

The weekend is over and everyone is back to work. Lots of us got together with family and friends, played games, went to the beach. cooked out and drank ourselves silly in the true American tradition.

Just like every other Memorial Day.

But I hope that you took a moment to give a thought to our boys and girls fighting for freedom in countries and cities too difficult even to pronounce properly. They are boys and girls going in, and will come out men and women with experiences we can only read about and imagine.

So many will not get the opportunity to party on a beautiful sunny day ever again.

So next time you see someone wearing the uniform, be sure and thank them. Because they do it for all of us.

Now we're cookin',,,,,

And here they are!

Just in time for Memorial Day. I called Robin at the News Herald this afternoon and she helped me with getting an add into the classified section for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. First time advertising in a newspaper for cornholes. She was real helpful and had good ideas about the website as well. And the price for three days was reasonable.

I decided to sell them rather than rent like I first thought of doing. Something about putting so much work into them and then having someone use them for the weekend and send them back abused and broken did not feel right. I have older sets in the garage to use for renting. I am probably paranoid about them, but I would rather have someone that wants them and pays for them and would actually care for them properly. It's hard being a cornhole daddy!

Finishing them was not without some anxious moments though. Thursday morning came and there was still things to do. All the edges were bare and two needed touched up. I was not thinking when I primed them. I should have gone around the edges on four sides and that would have been that. But nooooo! I sat outside on one of our rare dry days last week and simply primed the top surface, then painted everything white, completely ignoring the edges. I must have thought that I would include the edges when I did the spraying .

Well, that didn't happen either. Next thing, I am spraying the frames, then attaching the boards to the finished frames, when suddenly,,,,,hello!!! Bare wood showing! Oh fizzle sticks!!

By this time, the weather is on-again-off-again rain, so I set up shop in the back room of the house which is a screened-in room. With all that ventilation, I am safe in continuing with the spraying to match the rest of the color scheme without choking the kids or Debbee or the dogs.

I cut some clear plastic and used it as covering (like a mask) along with painters tape (the blue tape) and covered everything that I did not want to paint. Tip: You tape the edges of the plastic to your work and this saves you from using a ton of tape. Like using newspaper when painting in your home to protect the floor and molding. Only newspaper might rub off on the white boards and that would be very bad at this time.

Painting the edges worked out well because it did not matter what color I used, as long as it was red, white or blue. They all look great!

I did have a serious problem with the 13 star blue field. When I masked it off a couple days ago to do the upper part of the board, I used regular masking tape (a good brand by the way) and it left a residue on the blue field across the top and down the right side. Not happy with that. Also, one of the wide striped boards had splinter issues around one of the screw heads that needed sanding and touched up. That was pretty easy! Except when I reached for a blue can of spray, I realized that it was not the same shade of blue. And I am not doing the entire wide stripe again.

So here I am! All done! Except the 13 star field and one fat stripe that needed a little touch up. Usually not a big deal, except for the fact that we are spraying and not brushing. So not only do we have to mask everything again, we have to go to Pat Catan's to get the same blue as we used originally.

It's still Thursday morning. I played some Webkinz with Livi while Abby is at school. Livi is done with preschool and Abby has about eight days left. I am anxious to get done with the boards but I enjoy play time with Livi, too. Livi got interested in television after I promised to play video games or bike ride when I got back. Debbee took a phone call from her friend Jean, so it looks like lunch may be a little late, which will work out ok with me. But I have to admit, my anxiety is building.

I drove to Pat Catan's, dashed in, got the paint and some cheap foam brushes (good for Modge Podge) and out in seven minutes. Perfect! Back to work. But hold on! Another thought! Aleci's! Oh boy, pizza dough and that's it. Wanna try it on the grill. Debbee and I were talking just the other day about how I should get fresh dough in the morning and here it is,,,,morning. Maybe some nut rolls, and a box of pizzelle's, and better get some lunch meat, chicken breast and bologna. I think we are done for now! Now gotta get home and finish already. Let's get this done!

I walked into the house and she is still talking with Jean. Makes no matter to me because I can get a spray or two onto the needed areas and it can be drying while I go play with Livi on the video. The weather is once again changing from hour to hour, humidity is affecting the drying time and bike riding will have to wait until Abby gets home, so video games it is.

Allot going on at once!

Not long into our games, comes the call for lunch. The boards got sprayed and are done, the weather clears up, Abby comes home safely and off we go on the bikes. Mommy will be here soon to pick up the girls.

IT WAS A GOOD DAY!

A few thoughts while waiting for paint to dry..........

1. Why do people who do not have a handicapped plaque or license think it is ok to park in a handicapped space?



2. And why is it ok to park in a spot that is clearly not a parking space, but is actually the end of the sidewalk leading away from a pre-school? In case of emergency, the children should walk around your red Cruiser, is that your plan?



3. True or False? While in a church for a special event, but not during a service, rather than exiting the row in the usual fashion, it is ok to climb over church pews when wanting to get a better position to take a picture? (Not a child did the climbing, mind you. But an adult).



4. True or False? It is ok to remove your shoes and put your bare feet on the hymnal on the back of the pew? (yes. it was another adult)



5. And finally! Multiple choice! A) this writer should mind his own business B) people have lost most of their common sense C) its time again for people to speak out when they see something wrong D) who cares! as exhibited by one through four. Feel better now? My old boss used to ask us that after a good rant.

Ok now, let us get back to work!

Just finished cutting the six inch hole in four more boards. These will be Browns stripes and Steelers stripes. No helmets or logos for a while unless someone orders it specially. They are difficult to do. We will see! Maybe I should have one set ready with the Browns helmet on them. In the meantime, I put on primer and am now waiting for the paint to dry. Back to the shop and time to do my least favorite job. The folding legs of the boards.

One of the hardest parts about making a cornhole are the legs. They should give support to the boards from underneath and they should fold flat when being stored.

My first couple of cornhole sets had stationary legs, meaning they were bolted to the frame and could not move. This made them solid as a rock, but were harder to store and/or transport, especially in a car, because they could not lay flat.

So, I started the folding legs. I don't mean "I" started the folding legs. I mean I just started to make the boards with folding legs. I'm sure folding legs has been done before. First, I would have to use the belt sander to round off the top of the two by fours to a nice rounded end, then clamp the legs where they should be in position, drill the hole through the frame and leg at the same time taking care to be sure we are in center of the frame and going through straight. Meaning not cocked upward or downward, but nice and level. Then we can put the in carriage bolt, washer and wing nut through the frame and leg and give it a test folding.

Many times, they would jam or rub during the closing, which they must not do. They should simply fall closed. When they are sticky, you have to take the leg off, put it on the belt sander and take off some more material and do the test all over again.

Once you have it where you want it, you then trace the good leg onto the next leg to do, and go through the process once again.

Eventually, you would get the proper fit and then you could move onto the next set of legs.
But remember, the hole in the frame is very important. It determines how it will seat against the side and back of the board. And both must seat the same or the board will wobble when the legs are open for playing.

The Patriotic boards that I pictured in the last blog are almost done and will be featured on the website http://www.lccornhole.com/ and new pictures will be on a future blog.
That little rant at the top is all true. The four examples were witnessed by me within one hour this morning and all at the same location.

There are things we see, or maybe things that happens to all of us during the course of the day. But this just struck me as "over the top" for such a short time period.

Is it just me?

Spraying revelation

The pictures are some before and after shots of the latest cornholes to be done in time for a new rental program to be advertised in the News-Herald this week. They need to be done in time for this Memorial Day weekend, and they will also fit nicely into the Fourth of July holiday.

As always, these are painted only and no stickers are used in the finish work.

The ones on the left are not yet finished at this picture , as we continue to experiment with the spray and the final look of the boards. (Trying to avoid having them look like that popcycle with the red, white and blue colors sold off the good humor truck) Of course, the ones on the right are the same boards, only these were taken before we started to work on the final product.

One of the boards is todays flag and the other one is the first official flag from June 14th, 1777 as a result of congressional action on that date. Up until then, there was no formal arrangement of the stars or the stripes. Personally, I always thought the stars were placed in a circle. Maybe Betsy Ross did the round stars, because according the source, Francis Hopkinson did the design we are familiar with today.

The source is www.usflag.org.

Spray paint is fun, but not cheap

No doubt that spraying is way more fun then a roller and/or brush. Oh sure, these have their place. You are not going to spray inside your living room with a room full of furniture. But when it comes to items you can pick up and move around, especially now that the weather is coming into a nice time of year (unless it never stops raining), you can take it outside and do a nice spray on the item you are making or just fixing up.

We are just talking about the paints, stains and finishes that come in a spray can. Not the compressor, hose and gun spray arrangement that professionals would be using. Even though I have a small compressor and gun kit, the trouble to set up and mix the proper thickness is quite a chore. Then comes the proper adjustment to the mix of air versus liquid. It does not take long for the fun to be wearing thin. Then finally you have to wonder if all this work is only worth the time and effort for only a couple pieces. Might be if there is a sufficient quantity of items to spray the same color, it may be worth it.

For instance. I have four cornhole boards to do. American flag colors. Two boards will be just like the Euclid Fire Department board shown above, except without the EFP medallion, just red, white and blue. And maybe stars all over it. Fifty of them. Might be nice! The other two will be the stars and stripes. Design was a minor issue. I first thought of doing the colors long ways; meaning the blue star field would be on the lower left as you played with the stripes going up and down. Debbee thought that would too much like the way our soldiers and sailors are brought home. So, we turned the flag to be on the width with a lot of space at the top around the hole. That will a nice place for a soft color that does not clash with the flag colors. Or, we'll see how the spirit moves me.

Because of the nice straight lines, this is a good time to spray. No doubt that masking off the lines would be real easy. And this would work for a roller or brush paint job, but spraying is much more fun. Besides, every cornhole I have done so far is all hand painted like the sets shown above. These are still hand painted, just hand sprayed. The stars in the flags blue field will be hand painted, and that is going to take some time to get that just right. But they will look good, real good!

Until the end of the month, spray cans are on sale at Pat Catans, so I decided to give them a try knowing I had this project coming up. Some new brand I had seen before, just never tried. So far, it seems to be working out well. What constitutes "working out well"? Not much odor, fast drying and good color. And color fast. Will they hold their color over time? That remains to be seen.

Newsflash! Discount Drug Mart has Painter's Choice spray cans for 2 for $3.99, and they are 12 ounce cans. The cans are Pat Catans are 9 ounces for $3.00. Where's my receipt? Something is going back!

I am using regular masking tape and newspaper to block out areas I am not spraying. Works very well. Especially for spraying, because using a brush or roller puts a lot of paint on the wood and it will seep under the tape just like they show on television. Which makes for a lot of "touch up" later with an artists' brush. And besides that, I cannot justify the cost of that newest green tape to prevent this seepage, because I use a lot of tape. Take a look at the three examples at the top of this page and you will get the idea of the amount of tape used. Any place there is a change in color consitutes taping to prevent bleeding into the other color. Those would eventually get to a point where no tape is used, but not until the final details need to be done. Then once more its time for an artists' brush and put your nose in real close to get best results.

Besides, if you sand the boards good in the beginning before priming, then sand again after priming, then press the tape on really good, the seepage will be very minimal. And its just the nature of the wood, being plywood with all the nooks and crannies, it is bound to happen.

And there's just no getting around it. At some point, a quart can will have to opened and a brush will be used to correct a mistake.

But the end result is always worth it. Don't you think so?

How to behave at a craft show without really trying

"CRAFT SHOW" TIME

Craft shows are exciting and fun and they will be here soon and, and, and ...you should go to them...........

Wait a minute! Actually they're here now. Everywhere! I only know this because two years ago, I bought a directory of all the craft shows in the area and found out that there are a ton of them all over the place, all year long.

Not just around the holidays like I first thought. But hey, what did I know? Both me and Debbee were totally new to this. I was always more into flea markets. And the flea market people that I talked to said my stuff was really meant for craft shows. But I was not so sure.

I knew that eventually we were going to have to get involved with craft shows if we were going to show off our goods that we made. But where were they all? I would watch the News Herald classified to see what was coming and got some information from the paper. But I knew there had to be more shows. But how was I going to find them?

I thought that there must be an association of craft shows. Afterall, there is an association for everything, isn't there? Or maybe a guild, or a club? I remember making phone calls to places like Farmpark to get information about their craft show, or calling a church in Painesville that I saw in the News Herald classifieds. And I would always ask about this "magic" list of local shows. Where are more shows?

Then finally someone gave me the answer. I wish I could remember the circumstances, but no matter, they gave me her phone number. Yes, yes! This was it! The magic phone number of Jennifer of North Royalton, who possessed all the information anyone can use on craft shows.

She makes the directory called "Northeast Ohio Arts and Crafts Shows". Hallelujah!! "Over 450 shows". And it is terrific! Worth the ten bucks.

I sent her a check. She sent me the golden ticket. And all year long, she would email updates.

What an angel! Craft show heaven. Locations, costs, dates; the works.

After all of that, doubt set in. After all the research, the phone calls and the web searches on finding craft shows, I thought maybe I did not really"belong in a craft show". My stuff was not craft show worthy.

Afterall, when I heard 'craft shows' I thought of the creme-de-la-creme of crafty, talented people who make great things. Like all the great water color artists, or maybe all the great paper flowers centerpiece arrangement makers. Or how about all the great plastic jewelry, bracelet and necklace makers. To me, the craft show rookie, these people were all the graduates of Michael's and/or Pat Catan's, and they got together for one big celebration of their work. Not some laid off salesman who liked to make stuff in his garage. There is some real talent at these shows. The ones who do the quilts always impressed me. That is talent. Some of them are magnificent. I thought "who wants my plant stands anyway when you can get them at Walmart?" Who wants my stuff?

But then I thought about my daughter's dining table that she had for eight years and still going strong and how we could all sit around it for celebrations. Or the wine glass holder on her credenza! And my grandkids toy box and the stools they use everyday for brushing their teeth and washing up. And the utility bench in their garage for taking their shoes or boots off before going into the house.

These "things" are not hidden away. They are being used everyday and used hard.

That's who wants my stuff. People.

People who need to reach something a little higher than they can reach. Hello step stool!

Or get that plant off the floor and show it off proudly. Hello plant stand!

Or just sit down and take a load off while enjoying nature in their backyard. Hello garden bench!

That is who needs and wants my stuff!

Real people!

Being on the bench is a good thing

I have no problem with the making of stools and step stools. Or benchs, for that matter. I just love to do it! I guess because you can make any of these from just about anything you have laying around the shop. Though all the benchs are not pictured here, a small sample of the stools are pictured above with a bench further down. The blue/black one on the right above was made two years ago (decorated by Debbee) along with two or three others that were painted or stained and later sold. A white one sold at the Spring Fling in Euclid (mentioned previously) to a dog owner who needed it for poochie to get into bed. Poochie was there to try it and it worked fine, and the other one was sold also, not sure where. Painesville Flea Market comes to mind, but can't say for certain, plus it doesn't really matter, does it?

I recently made a two step stool for my son, his wife and their doggie, Lema. It was actually for Lema, so they said. Lema is ten, and a very lovable pitbull that you would not know it was a pitbull unless someone told you. It's more some kind of terrier that he got as a pup. But that old vet in Euclid, you know, the one near the service garage by the freeway, first told me that he was a pitbull on the very first visit ten years ago. And I could tell that he really did not like Lema because of that alone. This visit came right after an incident in Los Angeles that made national news about an attack by pitbulls in an apartment building and that pissed him off . I assured him that we had never been to LA and this was not one of them. Back then, attacks by pitbulls was in the news every week. So this vet acted totally indifferent to Lema. I don't even remember why we were there because Lema is not my dog, so I must having been doing my son a favor. After that, I no longer liked the old vet and stopped going. I only went there because he was inexpensive. Having put two labs to sleep and cremated, I know how costly vets can be.

Anyway, Lema's family have a high bed that Lema has a hard time "leaping" into it, just like the lady at Spring Fling. So they had to lift Lema into bed each night. My son asked for a step stool and I made one from 3/4" plywood. Strong, solid enough for an adult and easy for them to finish with any paint since he is not so handy. Plus with paint, it did not matter if you saw the edges because they would cover up with paint anyway. I made it a little wider, and a little deeper for good ol' Lema.

But once they put it in place by the bed, Lema decided that he was not as handicapped as he was letting on and pretty quick got his "leap" back. So now, the step stool is another useful additon to their household for those hard to reach places.

And that is one of the reasons I love to make step stools and stools. Because people need them for all sorts of reasons. They are just so darn handy. For example, let's say your a little older. You play on the floor or the driveway (yes; don't laugh; the driveway; like when you "chalk" pictures) with your grandkids like I do. Sometimes getting up off the floor (or ashphalt) can be pretty painful. I know! I helped my dad up many a time, and there was always the grunts and groans from being in one position too long. Now I know just how he must have felt. So with the aid of a step stool, you can use it to get leverage for that lift up from the floor. Plus you can lead on it while sitting on the floor.

But if its ease of working you want; take a look at this:

This is a garden bench. But this goes with what I was saying about being a helper as well as just a plain garden bench. The seat on this one is lower than usual. It is about 13" high. High enough to sit ok, but I have another great use for it.

(Note that most chairs at the dining room or kitchen table are around 16" or 17" with a slope towards the back, and benches can be anything you want, but 15" is a good height for sitting outside.)

You know when you are digging in the ground! They call it planting! Well I can't sit on the ground like I used to as mentioned before, or kneel very well. But I can get down on my knees (with knee pads from Harbor Freight) put my chest on the seat part of that 13" bench and have both hands free to do what I want. After a little work, I lean back, move the bench. Scoot over a little, lean on it again and continue on. This goes on for a while, and if I get tired, it is there when it is time to stand up, swing my butt around and have a seat. This is a great bench! And it was made last year after the craft shows were done. I left it outside on purpose so it would look much older than it actually was when I took pictures of it. Like a one year old antique. This one would sell for only $18.00 and it even has a handle cut out in the top for easy carrying. Let's be real clear here! I do not, repeat, do not like anything about gardening. I give a lot of credit to gardeners, as well as anyone that does anything with their hands, but gardening is not for me. So any aid that will make my life doing gardening with Debbee easier is fine with me, especially if I made it. Something I am thinking about is this same 13" bench, but with a shelf under the seat so I would not need a separte carry-all to drag around. I had better make a note of that before I forget.

I also make regular benchs with a seat height that takes no effort to stand up from. Some even have backs, like the garden bench shown on the web site http://www.lccornhole.com/. I had that one at the Painesville Flea Market and one elderly fellow would come by the booth each day (Sat and Sun only), "sit a spell" and just chit chat with me. I enjoyed the company since I was not going anywhere for a while. Besides, he was quite knowledgeable, knew everyone in the place, and gave me tips on what I should be making. Point is, he had a limp, was able to "take a load off", and then easily got back up, refreshed, and continued on.

The grandkids, Abby and Livi, use the step stools and benchs like stages for whatever musical shows they are putting on. I remember when they were 2 yrs old and 4 yrs old, they would line up the stools according to height and play for hours. They have one chair with a back that swings down to be a step of 2" and a seat of about 4", then a stool or two that are 6" then finally a step stool that is 7" and 12" and "bingo"; their stage. Of course, they got to take one home if mommy would allow.

I made a really nice one for them that could not tip. (pictured below) This was also decorated by Debbee. They get good use from it to this day at the bathroom sink and all around the house I'm sure.

As the note says, the legs are wider than the stepping area, so there is no way to tip this over front to back. As with the one at the top of the page (the brown one); the legs on that one are equal to the step in both width and length. It is very, very hard to tip.

Safety first is job one. I know Ford already said that, but it really is pretty important.

Alrighty then! Benchs, step stools and stools. Mighty useful in the house or outside. And fun to make. Any wood laying around can end up as a stool or bench. Or even a plant stand.

But thats for another day.