Folks,
This week was a little better, but it was still tough going around here. Anyway, I managed to get some things accomplished. Hit the ‘READ MORE’ button and I’ll share the details with you.THE WEEK IN REVIEW
It was very difficult to get anything done the first part of the week. I kept waiting for Chip to come sauntering up the isle of the shop to get some love. His brother, Chief, came upstairs to visit me a few times, which is unusual for him. Eventually I realized that Chief was looking for Chip. SO all Chief and I managed to do for the first few days was make each other sad. Dave Hobbs came down to visit and to bring me some supplies for the M18 projects. The puppies love Dave, but it was even a sad day for Dave as he liked Chip, too. So, I focused on shipping orders and trying to clean up around the shop and office and, slowly, things started to get a little easier to bear. TOday, the pain is still there, but it is starting to scab over. All-in-all, there was progress, but just barely.
OPEN ORDERS
As I write this, I will have two open orders. Both of them are waiting on me to repair the KV 85 turret master and make new molds. I will start on that master Monday. The goal is to finish it up by Wednesday. With a little luck, all orders will be shipped by next Friday and I will go into next weekend clean.
ON THE BENCH
As I said, the KV 85 turret master is next up on the bench. However, I have started to research the M18 and have two of the new Tamiya M-18 kits in house. I will be making a list of ‘needs’ for the kit between now and next Wednesday. If you have suggestions, please put them in the comment section or email them to me. I plan to start on the driver’s compartment first. Again, Lord willing, this will start on Wednesday afternoon. I will be making a real push on the M18 stuff. I want it all out by mid-February.
THE SHOP
The shop got caught in the middle of year-end cleaning. When Chip got sick, everything stopped around here. I started to get back to work cleaning the shop this week. I’ll plug away at it until I get everything in a permanent home and all the excess stuff I have collected either sold off or thrown away. The cleaner I keep the shop, the more efficiently I can work. I need to remember this and focus on cleaning as I go in 2022.
THE OFFICE
Ditto the condition of the shop. Taxes are due, so this will demand some of my time this coming week. I will probably just pick a day and bang them out all at once. That way, it will be a ‘rip the bandage off’ sort of thing.
THAT IS ALL
Sorry, folks. This is all I feel like writing today. I am OK. Things are improving. I just didn’t realize how big a part of me Chip had become. Chief and Sadie are sweet, and I love them, but Chip was my buddy. I miss him — a lot. Without him, this whole property is very lonely. I find I can’t wait for BB to get home now, as she takes away the empty feeling left in my heart. Anyway, enough! Don’t worry about me. I’ll make it. You just stay safe and, between now and the next time we meet, try to build something (preferably something using TMD resin).
Joe