Thursday 21 February 2013

Sure sign of cabin fever

Well we are right in the middle of the dark days as someone has branded the mid-February period in this frozen land we call home. And in spite of an upcoming 2-week break to Myrtle Beach to play some golf, there’s still a lot of snow and ice to get through before it’s safe to get out on two wheels again.
The catalogues are well thumbed but, surprisingly, I haven’t purchased any farkles or other upgrades for the bike this winter. It just seems unnecessary as the bike is just about exactly where I want it right now and nothing has really struck me as a must-have, or at least not worth the cost for the incremental improvement. So I get no relief from the mini-Christmas every day a package arrives, tearing open boxes from J&P Cycles or David Kirk or any of the other mail order businesses that are only to happy to cater to my every whim as long as a valid credit card number is provided. Nor do I get any from spending hours trying to make the just-bolt-it-on component actually fit as advertised.
The main home improvement project targeted for this winter has been completed and others are awaiting the next round of family stimulus spending, which may not be for a few months yet. (Note to governments: We have been doing our share!)
And so I’m a bit at loose ends at the moment, which is a dangerous place for me to be, idle hands and all that. That’s why my garage is now all torn apart.2013-02-19 13.32.34
I never had a proper workbench, instead I used the top of an old retail cabinet I picked out of the garbage about 20 years ago. It served its purpose but I wanted something with more space and at the right working height for me. As my shop is multi-purpose, used for mechanics, metal working, woodworking, and motorcycle parking, I also needed the ability to easily reconfigure depending on the current project(s) underway. So, looking for something to do, I tore everything apart. I made a simple bench with some lumber I had lying around. Then I took the old cabinet apart, cut it down, and installed an old set of casters so now I can move it and its contents to where I’m working. Add in a few storage bins from Ikea to keep all my ‘stuff’ and I am going to be so organized!
As a bonus I have even found tools I didn’t remember I owned. A month ago I bought a new soldering iron because I needed one for an electronics project. Today I found two in the bottom of a cardboard box unopened since we moved here in 2006, bringing my total now to three. And the safety wire pliers I thought someone had forgotten to return showed up in the bottom of an ‘empty’ toolbox. And there’s more, so I guess it is a bit like Christmas after all.
Yep, it’s a mess, but it’s my mess and it’s keeping me sane for a bit longer.

17 comments:

  1. This made me smile :)
    - K.

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  2. Yup it is definitely cabin fever time. I have seriously been thinking about going down to the hoard in the basement and trying to make some headway because as soon as those sunny days hit the hoard will be left to expand unopposed and sit there until next winter.

    Cool work bench idea one with casters. Hmmmm

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  3. Canajun:

    Years ago I wanted to get into woodworking but this created a lot of sawdust and I was also developing film and enlarging photos in the same area. Sawdust is not good mixed with photography. So I sold off all my woodworking stuff. I had table saw, router, drill press, bandsaw, sanders etc. I like the idea of having a hobby area.

    Now I just have junque, just like DAR. I have been meaning to organize this stuff and buy some bookcases. Then I will have organized junque rather than random junque

    as you know, with random junque you know where everything is. Once organized and put tidily away you can't find anything. Just like your soldering irons and other "missing" stuff. speaking of soldering irons, I have a couple of those small battery operated ones, great for working on your bike

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast


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    1. Bob - Junque just sounds so much more elegant than crap. :-) And you're right, once organized it's all lost forever.

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  4. May I suggest, a sidecar rig? I was trapped by snow for 36 straight days once, I swore never again and haven't regretted it since.

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    1. Charlie6 - I have been oh so tempted on more than one occasion. And I keep buying lottery tickets just in case!

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  5. And once the garage is organized - Canajun, I bet anything you catch yourself opening the door, just to peek at it and admire the neatness (More than once...It's okay to admit, we all do it)

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    1. Karen: LOL. Yeah, we do. But it never stays that way for long.

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  6. I miss having a large work space to lose things in. Now I have a storage area that resembles Fibber McGee's Hall Closet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9FGC68YcwM

    I've learned it best to just leave the door closed.
    ~Keith

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    1. Keith - Laughed at that clip. I have a closet like that too!

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  7. Nothing like having projects to enjoy in the winter! As long as you actually finish one from time to time. Otherwise, you just run out of room and the place starts to look a bit hillbilly...

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    1. Martha - You say that like hillbilly chic is a bad thing. ;)

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  8. Just amazing what you can find when mucking out the garage.

    Nice that you have your work bench all configured. You must have a heated garage.

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    1. Trobairitz - I do. That was a must-have when I built this place. I was tired of freezing my ass off whenever I had to do any work in the garage in the winter.

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  9. Funny how you find things when you least expect. That is a good stock to last you a year or even more :)
    I just hope you will store them properly this time round...

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