If we were having coffee, I’d invite you to the back deck where we could enjoy the cool shade before the temperature soars later today. I’d tell you that things have been a bit slow around here lately.
After my fall from Grace (Grace being the name of my ladder, of course), I’ve been nursing a sore shoulder and haven’t been able to resume my outdoor landscaping/painting/general mayhem projects. So I’ve been taking on some more mundane tasks: sorting through stacks of paperwork that need to be filed away, organizing old photos, tearing my kitchen apart (with the notion of painting every single flat surface in the near future).
In the evenings I go out on the deck, and whittle away at my “wood sculpture,” a couple of tree branches that grew together in a permanent knot. At first I was just going to skin the bark off and maybe use it to hold and display a small stained glass piece or a framed photo, but now it’s kind of taken on a life of its own.
I’m working to see just how smooth I can make the surfaces using only my utility knife. The branches have multiple layers with differing densities, and the inner wood hardens as it “seasons” over time. I’m kind of doing this “being one with the wood” thing and letting the wood guide its own shaping. (In other words, if I slice more deeply into the wood than I intended to, I pretend the wood is telling me its true shape lies deeper within).
I think by the time I’m done with it, its “true shape” is going to be that of a toothpick. We’ll see what it tells me.
The air is starting to heat up now, so I would suggest we take our coffees inside. My dog has already retreated indoors to lay on the cool tiles by the front door. With no air conditioning except a heat pump/air cooling unit that isn’t worth a darn, I may be joining him soon.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you whittled some time out of your day to join me.
#WeekendCoffeeShare is hosted by Diana at parttimemonsterblog.com.
What Rhymes with Stanza? 
What impressed me most about your post is that you are taking care of yourself and listening to your body.
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Thank you. I’ve finally learned that if I don’t listen to my body, it just yells louder. 😉
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So funny what you named your ladder!
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Thank you! It seemed so appropriate. 🙂
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I like your sense of humour, and I’m glad you “whittled” out some time to join the coffee post today!
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Thank you! The coffee shares are always interesting to read. I’m glad I discovered them.
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It’s not the weekend any more but I’m glad I stopped by. This was just the thing to create a space to pause in an exceedingly busy Monday afternoon. And if you end up with toothpicks–well, I guess the wood is telling you to go find some cheese cubes to stab!
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Sounds like a wonderful outcome! And I can use my utility knife to cube the cheese. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
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I’d love to see where the wood takes you deeper inside to its true shape. I actually love the shape it’s in. Very cool looking and I’m sure it would add an interesting focal point anywhere it ends up.
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That photo was actually from 3 months ago. I’ve been playing with it ever since, and this week I decided it was done. Now I’m trying to decide on whether to put a finishing coat of some sort to protect it. I’d like to keep it natural, but I’m afraid that over time dust and indoor air pollution will discolor it.
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Isn’t three a matte finish polyurethane coating that will keep it looking natural but also protect it?
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Yes, but from what I’ve read, those tend to yellow with age and are especially evident on light colored wood. I might end up trying something like that, though. Need to do more research…
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Yeah, the color is beautiful. Definitely don’t want to discolor it.
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