Consequences

My back is aching, my legs are sore, my hands are raw and peeling, and I feel as if I could fall asleep standing up. Yes, it's the result of working all weekend on the desk project! (Well, almost all weekend. I stayed up til 2 a.m. Saturday morning helping my 9th-grader finish a Latin project that she had to take to a county-wide assembly on Saturday at 8:15 a.m. Did you know that Walmart is open 24-hours???? Did you further know that Walmart has been known to run out of white and black beads????????)

All those aches and pains paid off, though, in visible results. The desktop now has a nice, neat access "hole" in the back, all three hutches are resting on top, and each hutch is screwed to the studs--at least at the bottom. I have to get another piece of wood to secure the top. And they're level, to boot!

In the process of doing all this, I learned some new skills. First, I finally learned how to handle the jigsaw. I've never been able to do it without the wood splintering and leaving a jagged edge. For some reason, this time, I was able to get the hang of it, and my cut line was smooth as silk.

Also, I realized that I haven't been countersinking my screw holes as deeply as I should have. Unfortunately, I realized that you can also go too far when I broke off yet another drill bit in the screw hole. It was so embedded that I couldn't even extricate it! Oh well, I'll fill in that bugger with some putty and paint :-)

Once the final screws are in, it'll be on to cutting the adjustable shelves. I've already primed and painted the long boards, so once I cut to length, all I have to do is prime and paint the ends. Then I'll move on to trim, caulking, and touch-ups.

There's light at the end of the tunnel! Let's hope these old bones can keep moving.