Wood and leaves, not lumber

You may call me “naïve”, because I am. What was I thinking when I told everyone I would be IN the shop starting this week? Other things await me, too.

Ignoring chores

Several weeks working on preparation for the Certified Court Interpreter written exam meant I ignored chores that required my attention. At least two big storms swept through our region, knocking down branches; the yard looked like an abandoned property in some areas. And I kept ignoring the chore.

As I stepped outside to head for the shop yesterday morning, I was stopped dead on my tracks as I looked around. The place looked grungy; too much junk on the ground, especially the side facing the road. What would the neighbors think? What would the public think as they drove by?

I changed my mind; no shop time on Monday.

Start on the chore

The tractor started right up, thanks to a thorough charge of the battery two (or was it three?) weeks ago. I hooked up the trailer to the tractor, and went off to pick up fallen branches between the house and the road – our “front yard”, 380 feet to the road, and about 3-½ acres. Picked up 5 loads of branches, and dumped them at the brush pile, near the East end of the property. I longed to get into the shop, seen through the trees near the left edge of this photo:

A promise made

Right then and there I promised myself that I will plan my days around getting some of the chores done before Winter arrives in full force. This means allocating a little time each day to finish picking up the remaining fallen branches; a little time for preparation for the Oral Exam, some time in late March or in April 2012; and shop time (yes!). I will have ALL Winter to play in the shop, whenever snow and ice allow it. But it was time to get started with my set of priorities. I had ignored too many things for too long.

And you?

• Have YOU taken care of all your chores?
• Or have you also made something your highest priority, and ignoring everything else?
• Are you at a point to assess YOUR priorities, as you always did in the past?

OK – I lied. I sneaked into the shop just before dark, braving a nice rain. Yes, we had our first significant rain since August. I sneaked a quick peek at the shop, and the new jig already sitting on the workbench. The time I spent cleaning some time ago paid off, as I loved the view of a (relatively) clean shop. Lots of that going around; reading the blogs I see that many woodworkers are in cleaning mood, to get their shops in shape. The jig can wait one more day, or maybe two.

Off I am, to get ready to start on the chores.

— Al Navas