Hopefully they will stay out now!
We decant and repackage everything that does not come in metal, glass or hard plastic. Our issue is the large cockroaches, rather than mice, that come in through all the small openings. 
The joys of an old house with a crawl space under it. We have substantially reduced the issue by putting our kitchen trashcan outside every night. Also, I think we have an opossum visiting the crawl space at night. Hopefully it is taking care of the unwanted insects when it visits.
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I am getting quite close to completing this dang table! Cut the circle, sanded, filled, sanded, filled again, sanded again, and have started installing the “undercarriage” onto which the legs will be installed. Currently waiting for a drill battery to charge (who has 2 thumbs and forgot to charge the last dead one? THIS GAL!), so I can finish this step, then sand and stain the bottom of the tabletop. Eeep!
I may get all the way to staining the top of it tomorrow, then it will just be a matter of installing the premade legs. Just in time to keep it under cover most of the time for about 7 months. 
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It’s a beautiful top. I can’t wait to see it stained. Maybe I missed it, but what kind of wood did you use?
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Thank you! It’s wood reclaimed from our old deck! Likely pine, but definitely softwood. I was able to borrow a planer to clean up the wide surfaces, but there are still now-filled) nail holes and tannin marks which I am loving. The stain will disguise these and the other filled spots somewhat, but not totally.
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It’s looking awesome!! 
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That’s awesome!
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Just envision the spring when you can casually uncover the table and sit enjoying the warm sun with a cup of coffee or tea. No effort, just pleasure.
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Thanks, everyone! I’m super excited about being in the home stretch and hope that there will be some warm afternoons when we can sit at it left this season when it’s done. I accomplished what I thought I would today and am running a heater in the shop so the stain on the bottom can dry in the 24-48 hours it’s supposed to take. I may have to stain the top in the house since our coming high temps are in the high 40s to load 50s. It was in the 70s a few days ago!
Pic taken before staining.
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The stain is really going to bring out all the wonders of wood! Your skills are amazing. Not only a functional piece for you to enjoy but one with a story of how YOU built it! WOW!
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I’m seeing a dinner party where the hostess is all, “oh, dahljng ye-esss, this IS the table I built from the wood I reclaimed from the deck when I tore it down to build this little slice of heaven you’re standing on. Thank you for remembering how awesome I am, may I offer you a drink? Here, I’ll put it on this coaster I made from terra cotta pots… “
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lol We could add the fabulous bookcases and a tour of the boneyard to that story…it would be a novelette for sure!
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Awww, you all! Thanks so much! You’re too kind.
@AIMR You may be disappointed, but since this is an outdoor piece, I’m using semi-solid deck stain which is going to mask the inconsistencies in the surface rather than bring out the grain.
@AntBee Bahahahahaaaaa! C’mon now!
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Ahhh..We used a more solid deck paint on our old deck because the grain was rising and causing splinters. It will be lovely no matter what.
Accurate. 
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If this had been the kind of reclaimed lumber that was special and beautiful, you know - “you can’t get stuff like this any more” then it might be a different story.
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We had to drive through the countryside of east PA to get to our nephew’s house yesterday. I saw a few places that were selling barn wood. I imagine that many of the homes in this area were built on farm land with barns so when they dismantled them to build the homes, they saved the wood! It is very expensive, but I was tempted to buy a few to have some shelves made. I was sort of glad we didn’t have room in the car we took!
My poor sister is refinishing a wood table for their kitchen and is having a tough time finishing it. It had been painted white so she stripped all that. When they went to stain it, they were advised to use a preconditioner first to even out the wood. They did but the stain looks horrible! They are starting over with sanding it off again today. Sometimes, as you said, you just have to play around and let the wood decide!
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For sure. A lot ot times furniture that was built to be painted used a variety of woods or grades and they are troubling to stain. If they have interest in an acrylic stain, which is a little fussier to use, it might help as it mostly sits on top of the wood rather than soaking in.
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Try a gel stain. It sits on top of the wood so can give a more even effect. I used it on a fake oak cabinet to get a darker finish and the results were quite good.
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Seriously. If I were ever invited to a dinner party at Tara’s, I’d be all in a tizzy for weeks beforehand, trying to come up with a hostess gift that wouldn’t insult her talents. 
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