Hip Recovery / Rehabilitation Tea Table

With restrictions on weight bearing and overall lack of mobility, I have to limit the projects that I can take on.  My Tea Table .. (Cha Ji) is working well. With a little over 3 years of use the top requires to be reconditioned.

Initial surface finish was a light coat of; Shellac.  This let me observe the ware and use patterns over time.  Fortunately this was limited to tea spill stains and sun bleaching.

This weekend Andrew set up the Tea Table on saw-horses that allowed me access to work on it.  Not an ideal setup but functional for a monopod. Also my workshop is out of order due to some minor construction in the back half.  Initial prep work is complete .. Easing the corners with a 1/2” round-over bit some hand blending, stripping the old finish and sanding with medium grades.Now I’m ready for final surface preparation .. Fine sanding and scraping .. then application of; what I hope is my long term finish.Normally I prefer a Japanese influence of sharper edges on furniture.  But, as we have a little one, best I soften sharp edges etc.  More in Part B

One More item to literally work on:  My 1984 Team USA Olympic Road Bike by Ben Serrotta.  This bike was not raced in 84 but carried as a spare .. re-painted and sold commercially.  Once I’ve figured how to mount and dismount with “one functioning leg”  it will be my main recovery vehicle .

Thank you Dr. Yu … Yunnan BaiYao

A physician friend from church has prescribed Yunnan Baiyao (云南白药) as part of my initial hip fracture recovery.  So not only do we get Pu-Erh from Yunnan.

Please perform a web search for more info ….

Broken Hip Recovery Tea

I’m in the last week of Post Surgery recovery .. A six week process. Hopefully I’ll get the all clear to place Full Weight on the repaired fracture and start some serious Rehab .. That aside on to enjoying some of the “Best” (to my taste) Pu-Erh.  I first tasted and purchased a few bricks in 2004 them more in 2007, after that No More .. the supply had been exhausted. Link to 2007 post

1994 Su Pu, I only have 5 bricks left .. This morning having prepared my work table to open this brick.  Surgical Stainless Steel Dive knife is my tool of choice. Now this brick of Shu-Pu is a little over 19 years oldLightly pressed in a One-Off Mould these bricks are easy to open.Opened and stored in my working Pu-Erh Caddie .. We’ll let it acclimate for a few hours before brewing.FLASH BACK:     Picture from 2007 .. finding the last 3 bricks ….

Teapot emptied, cleaned and pre-heated .. time brew some tea.Dry tea is added to a warm pot.2nd of two infusions to clean and open the tea .. this soup is used to wash the outside of the teapot.The first of many infusions, enjoyed while my fractured femoral neck knitsA basket of tools from my February trip to Dongguan.

Bicycle accident humor

I wish the road I hit had taken the break and not me: ….  (web pic)

Jean’s first trip to the Bike store: A cunning plan

The next 5+ weeks are still  at Defcon 2, NO LOAD on my left leg. So to be ambulatory, a walking aid is required… after a trip with Jean to the local bike store we are fitted out with Yellow Bar Tape .. and Ye Olde Nantucket Bike Basket. (Made in China)Jean checks out a potential ride:….

For $3,500 we could get this dual suspension bike:  

The UN-Bucket List

Through popular movie media the “Buck List” has become an very day part of speech when referring to “Fun” things to do .. No I don’t have such a list.

BUT!  I’ve started an UN-Bucket List: stuff you'd like to UN-Do.

Monday, 3/18 .. beautiful mid day bicycle ride, 7 miles straight uphill to my sons home.  Mid afternoon about 4:30ish .. It’s an all downhill ride home.

HERE are a couple of Pictures from that epic ride:

ER X-Ray at 5:13pm Monday .. Left Hip Dislocated and Femoral neck fracture (sometimes Neck of Femur (NOF), subcapital, or intracapsular fracture)24 hrs and 10 min later we have Pinned (4 pins) and properly located left hip So now its 6 weeks of NO load on my left leg/hip.  I’ll be the One-Legged squat champion after this.

A welcome repose (day 2)

Sunday about 11:00am, Tea break time. Progress being made.Fast-forward a few hours, 9:00pm: Assembly complete, ready for an in situ fittingTime to call it a day.

It’s the weekend and “Stuff” happens:     About noon, a friend called in need of help with some; structural framing and repairs to a French Door Jamb.  He e-mailed these pictures, so about 5:00 pm I went to see the damage and establish a repair plan:….

Oak, Red Oak; a welcome repose (day 1)

Saturday Morning in So.Cal. With lumber purchased, the Stand is afoot.  A new project for a new home:….

It’s 1:00pm .. 2nd. Tea break of the day .. Much progress: Most of the main sizing is completed, Joinery is established and some preliminary Fitting is in process.

Almost 5:00pm .. Tomorrow is another Day:……

My first Blog Post

This is me with my Mom  .. I had to take a nap after lunch: …

Uncle Andrew, gets a Merit Badge

Uncle Andrew gets checked-off as an official feeder .. now he’s on call 24-7Sara and Jean stop by to visit Andrew .. nice So. Cal. spring day in the 80s

26 miles across the sea to Santa Catalina

In the words of the 50’s song:Looking out from; Corona del Mar, we can see the South End of Santa Catalina: perhaps a little more than 26 miles. A beautiful So. Cal. morning (7:30 ish)Looking south, Little Corona beach below. A place with deep routed memories: …..

New Tea Pots

Getting home late Thursday night (2/27) with my China SWAG. Thursday it was off to see Jean.

So by; 3/2/13, Saturday morning I had pressed my pots into service.  Using Jet-Lag as an excuse, I find things just as I left them Friday night.

All new glass teaware: Step 1 (tea from last night-still good); insert the infuser / filter into main pot body & heat water: .. Glass teaware: I’m sold on itGlass brings an added visual enjoyment to making tea.This pot is perfectly sized (by volume) to one of my tea bowls .. life is indeed good, Here infusing 10yr old cooked Pu Erh tea  .. NB. I usually double filter, just a habit picked up early on when drinking Pu Erh.