Friday, October 22, 2021

A New Kitchen Table

The saying is true: Once a homeschooler, always a homeschooler.  We taught our sons at home and it has never ended.  Whenever they return for a visit, the schooling continues.  


My style of teaching was that I considered everything but sci-fi books and video games educational. They were given a set of assignments to complete (subjects they needed but would never study voluntarily like grammar) and the rest of the time was spent exploring anything they found interesting.  At the end of the day, each one would teach their brothers and me what they had learned.


They worked all day long every day because the other choice was to join me doing housework. Their love of learning has persevered; however, a desire to clean never emerged. The world is their classroom and my worn-out kitchen table has been their workbench.


On their latest visit, Reese wanted to upgrade his computer by replacing the CPU and graphics card.


This is a CPU which is the heart of the computer.  It performs most of the calculations and he wanted more horsepower. 
 
Vroom...Vroom

He wore an Electrostatic Sensitive Device (ESD) wrist strap. The wire connected to it is grounded and conducts built-up static electricity from the wearer to ground. This protects the sensitive electronics inside the computer case from being zapped by static electricity.
 

Big brother Joshua offered IT assistance. 



He used the flashlight on his phone to light up the dark inside and the camera to enlarge the tiny print


Alas, it wasn't compatible and the part had to be exchanged by mail.


Over the years, my table gained scratches, scuffs, and scorches from the many science experiments and construction projects. It was time for a new central fixture in my kitchen since only two chairs were safe to sit in. Whilst they were schooling, I shopped online for something new.  I bought this one from an estate sale for only $75!  There were no fingerprints, smudges, dust, or even breadcrumbs between the leaves.  Its life will be different in my house. 

The auctioneer thought we were crazy posing for a picture with a table.

Taking it apart, loading it into our four vehicles, getting it home required teamwork; but, they were cheaper than a moving van.


I let them do all the work while testing the chairs for comfort.  


I also bought a porch swing. No yard can have too many shade trees or too many swings. Joshua and I tried it out to make sure it worked.


It too had to be disassembled and loaded. My guys were becoming a bit hot and tired. He tried to ignore me as I was weaseling him into taking the swing down.

If I can't see you Mom so you aren't there.

Joshua is the tallest, the hook in the porch ceiling was high so this chore was delegated to him.  We didn't think to bring a ladder and no way was I going to let him stand in one of my new chairs.  He improvised.

Don't worry, he's insured.

We (they) managed to bring everything home in one trip.  




It fits!


The next morning Reese initiated our new table by cooking breakfast.


Then the food was cleared, dishes were washed and my fancy new kitchen table became a workbench. The exchanged computer components were installed, Reese obtained his massive horsepower, and so far, the table is surviving well.

14 comments:

  1. That's a cute photo of you with your son on the swing...where you're looking at him! I have 4 sons and I love all of my big grown up 'boys' too! And isn't it great that they are so smart! LOVE your new table and chairs. It looks great. I think I would have put a blanket over it before they started working! lol Enjoy your weekend. I know you still have lots to do in your garden to get it ready to go to sleep! Hugs!

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    1. Well, they did fold towels and put under things to protect the new table but that curtesy won't last. Every item in my farm kitchen must be a workhorse. It is like a canning factory when the garden is in and the table will be worked hard. When canning season is over, it will be hauled out the back door onto the deck, the top sanded and covered in polyurethane. Then and only then will it be able to handle us.

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  2. Good for you! That is a beautiful set, and good teamwork by all. Enjoy your new treasures.

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    1. I wear everything out before purchasing anything new so when I do get something, it is special to me.

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  3. I'm so glad you got a new table! Even better, you had all your boys home for a while. What fun!

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    1. The fun was that they did all of the work bringing it home and doing the set up! I do miss them now that they are back at work. They are already scheduling their next vacations.

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  4. Good for you! (And the entire family.) What a lovely and talented family. :)

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    1. I wish I could say they took after me, but no. Thankfully, each one inherited their Dad's engineer brain - I can't do math at all, except for figuring fabric yardage needed for a new quilt.

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  5. Please tell your son I love his T-shirt - that's hilarious! :D

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    1. I was wondering if anyone would notice. We thought it was hilarious also.

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  6. What an amusing report!
    At the beginning you wrote "They worked all day long because the other choice was to join me doing
    housework." That is just the sort of dry humor that I like.
    I loved the picture where all of the family are standing behind the new shining table and you look so happy.
    It was indeed a very moderate price for such a large table made out of solid wood.
    Your busy men are fixing the table while the landlady is testing the chairs. That is the correct
    division of labor. Before your husband and your boys spread tools and metal tool boxes on
    the table, put an old blanket on it to protect the table top.
    Christel

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    1. They did school all day long. According to law, they were required to work for 4 hours each day. I never told them that until they were grown. They often continued to work on into the evening because they were enjoying what they were doing.

      I stacked some old towels in the laundry room beside the kitchen so they can grab them quickly to go under their equipment. You can see them in the last picture. I didn't even say anything to them, they looked for something to protect the table before they put their equipment down. It is so nice having grown sons who know how to behave. Although, I have enjoyed them at every age.

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  7. Who is that handsome young man in the gray shirt and black hair? :P I will say though, having a massive table is nice, far more than I thought it would be. I would get a tray of food out of the oven, look around for a free spot on the counter, shrug, then dump it on the table with the other three trays. It was extremely convenient, I miss it already.

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    1. We really miss having a young handsome man with black hair cooking gourmet food for us. Joshua came home this past weekend to celebrate my birthday and I forced him to sit beside me as I read him this blog post. You know how boring he thinks they are (it was my birthday and I was queen)...anyway, when he got to the picture of the biscuits you had baked, he stopped, sighed, and took a picture of the picture on my computer with his camera to remember the memory. Oh, by the way, we do miss you too, not just your cooking.

      I think the bigger table was definitely worth the money; however, it now has many crumbs between the leaves, fingerprints and smudges. We no longer clear it off when it is mealtime, we just slide the projects to one side and eat. Tonight it was piled with sweet potatoes and jalapenos. We managed to find enough room to eat around the mess.
      Miss you,
      Love Mom and Dad

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