Table Tops

I bought two end tables and a coffee table off of craigslist years ago.  The tables themselves were in decent condition and were sturdy and a style I liked.  But the tops had been abused - they had scratches and rings and stains.  But for $30, what the heck?

I had intended to refinish them, but just never got around to it.  For the most part, they had enough crap on them to hide the worst of the damage.  In the last year, the coffee table picked up several new rings, and having the time and perfect weather yesterday, I decided to fix them.

I took out the worst table first, as a test subject, since I had never refinished a table before, and had never tried rub-on polyurethane before.  It wasn't until I had put on the first coat that I realized I should be taking before and after photos.  So I have an in-progress photo:

The bottom left table was the worst one, and has been sanded and has the first layer of poly on it.  This is a bad photo, but the coffee table is in worse shape than the side table on the right.

I was amazed how quickly I sanded off the damage.  Even more so, I was amazed at how easy the rub-on poly went on.  No brushes to clean up afterwards!  No bubbles or smoothing out to deal with.  And once the third layer went on, it had a nice finish.  It was satin - so it wasn't as smooth as I've had some woodwork, but I am extremely pleased with the results.

Look at how smooth and flawless that looks!

The first completed table.

This was an afternoon well spent.  I love rub-on poly.  My desk top needs refinishing -- it may be next!

Bertie and the Hay Rack

Bertie has always taken a liking to the coroplast hay rack I attached to the side of their cage.  She often moves the step stool near it, so she can eat the hay from above.  When Bertie first arrived, I would occasionally find her in the hay rack, but I have not witnessed it in at least a few months. 

So not having witnessed this, I was puzzled when the hay rack suddenly started to come down.  It had originally been taped to the side with packing tape.  Even having caught Bertie in it, it had remained on the wall with no problems.  But a few months ago, it just stopped holding.  I thought it was maybe the brand of tape (I had switched)?  So I punched holes in the back piece and zip-tied it to the wall.  That was great for about two weeks, and then the front started coming away from the sides.  So just last week I pulled it apart, punched in some new holes and zip tied the sides to the back.  No more packing tape holding any of it together.

Then this week, the bottom started to come apart.  I have zip ties that I taped across the bottom, so the hay wouldn't all come pouring out.  I have never had them fall out before - even when it came off of the walls, those ties would stay in place!

Tonight, I witness this:

The Great Outdoors

The beastly hot and humid weather finally broke, and we've had several days nice enough to let the pigs loose.

One of the best things about renting this place is the non-fertilized lawn.  Perfect for eating.  I had to make an enclosed cage, since I've seen hawks and was told there are turkey vultures in the trees.  But all three of the girls love being outdoors.

The cage is hardly animal-proof.  But its enough to keep them in and so far nothing else has been curious enough to approach it.  I am always within earshot.  The weather was so nice yesterday, I spent hours reading outside with them.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

It's not always big enough for the three of them.  Pinni and Bertie will bite Willow whenever they get the chance.  But for the most part, the grass is enough distraction, and there's enough room that they're not on top of each other, so harmony mostly prevails.

Ah, the joys of summer:  beautiful weather, green grass, and ripening tomatoes.  :-)

Pignic and Willow

Even with the steamy weather, we held the Spring Pignic on June 20th. I stopped it early due to the weather (we had melting pigs) and thunder (some serious weather hit just south of us).

For probably the first time ever, since we've been having this pignic, I managed to get all of my girls in the big pen, without having them picking fights with random other pigs. Amazing! There were several photos of Willow hinging out with a number of pigs. Pinni mostly wanted to be just left alone. Bertie tried to stuff herself under any available house, even if it meant being crammed in the back.

I have opted not not to do surgery on Willow for the bladder stone. Its too big to get stuck. Oddly enough, since she's come back from the diagnosis, she's been doing better. Still orange pee, which sometimes gets very rusty colored, but she's not as fluffy as she has been. She doesn't sit with her nose in the corner in the evenings or does emo-pig. She also is a bit bolder during floor time - she interacts with the Newbies, and there's not nearly the amount of crying or screaming as there had been a month or two ago.

I've cut out the bactrim (since I was running out), and she gets 1/2 to 1 tablet of shilintong a day. I've tried all sorts of ways to get her to eat it, from dissolving it to stuffing it in fruits or veggies. So far, the only success I get is stuffing it in a bit of banana. Willow doesn't seem to notice that banana shouldn't crunch like it does. I don't know if the shilintong is responsible for the change in behavior (the apparent lack of pain), but whatever the reason, I'll take what I can get!

Typical Floor Time

I didn't think of grabbing my camera until floor time was almost up.  This is only a tiny fraction of the antics they were up to; there had been a lot of popcorning and figure-eights.  At least there was no screaming, and only a minimum of food-stealing.

Happiness in a Hammock

As the weather is getting warmer, I have taken to swapping out the cozies for hammocks.  Or at least in Willow's cage.  Willow has always loved hammocks, occasionally to sleep under, but I've seen her in it a lot lately.

Yup.  Even when you're not feeling well, life is good if you have a hammock to nap in.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

I have been unsuccessful in reintegrating Willow, Bertie and Pinniped since their fallout in late March.  Although they've been living in the same cage since mid-April, and there has been no hair-pulling or drawn blood, The Newbies have been doing their darnedest to make Willow feel unwelcome.

Given how bossy Willow was with them initially, I initially felt it was justifiable payback.  But its gone on too far, and Willow shouldn't have to deal with these two her final year(s) in life.  Pinni is guarding Willow far too often, and goes out of her way to take food from Willow an any given opportunity.  Bertie will randomly oust Willow and chase her around the cage (if Willow is willing to run).

So I spent my afternoon yesterday remodeling cages.  The main cage is back to the configuration it was for Willow and Pippin - a split three-level.  Willow has moved to the old store-bought cage I have kept for quarantine.  I refitted it with C&C grids because I hate the top that goes with it.