This year will be the fifty-fourth year I haven't had my father around. I don't tell you this so you will feel sorry for me. No, we all have things we carry in our lives seen by others as pluses or minuses. This is something I tell you as it strikes me that at this point, I have very few things left that belonged to him. The other day when I was cleaning up the shop, using the hand duster that I've used so many times, I was struck by the fact that it was my father's. Then I was noticed it was stamped with the sale price of $1.00. An item that had been manufactured many years ago, produced and sold for a mere dollar, was still effectively doing its job. I actually laughed as I've purchased at least three refrigerators in the years that I can remember, at costs significantly more than one dollar.
The thing that I am really getting at here is that for me there are so many little things that help me to remember those who are no longer with us. Sometimes it can be a song, or a fragrance, or in this case a hand duster. And as I said, often it comes back as a flood. There you have it. A hand duster brought back all sorts of memories.
On to more current business. During the last few months I've been busy in the shop. I finished another library project for a unit in town that helps to protect young men and women. This time it was about twenty-five running feet of bookcases and a standing desk used to check out the books. All in all it looked very nice. I also completed four cutting boards for a dear friend and then, for another friend, I created a rack for hair ribbons for his daughter. I finished a Christmas present for my daughter, but I can't tell you about that Not necessarily because she might read it here, but, one of you might tell her. Along with these projects, I also completed card/literature holders for YESS, and a retirement box for my cousin's son. I started working on the kitchen cabinets for the house again, but I'm a little intimidated by those right now. I have the design work done, and the cut list complete, but the naming convention for the parts is a little confusing. I need to find the time to sit down and sort it out. One of these days ...
The biggest excitement right now is that I just purchased a CNC router for the shop. This is completely a "hobbyist" level piece of equipment, but it will give me a good start at discovering all the ways I can use it to move my woodworking forward. Maybe it will even allow me to add curves to my woodworking. Only time will tell. I am, however, very excited about it. I expect it to ship in the next week or so. There is about ten hours of assembly before I can test drive it. Additionally, there is a new software I will have to learn, so that will take time as well. This is going to be a fun journey and I hope that you will be excited to go along with me.
Well, I finish this thinking about the fact that my daughter is just about to finish her first semester in law school. We had everyone home for Thanksgiving and it looks like we may have everyone around Christmas. Business and work have been good this year, and I have much to appreciate. I hope that this finds you and all of your family and friends healthy and happy.
Have a good week.
