I Wonder How Much Sawdust I Ate?

This week’s blog is brought to you by the letter D: the makers of Dreaming and Discovery- the pilot lights for your inspiration!





And now, on with the show!

Ugh.

UGH, I say! UGH!

I have sawdust in my pores.

Wait. Hold on. I gotta go jump in the shower. I can’t take this.

Ah…nice and clean. No grittiness anywhere!

Spent the weekend taking a class on how to make a flatbow. This was my first experience doing this type of thing and it was a lot of fun! I am, however, completely sore. I still have triceps, apparently. I had thought they jumped ship and left me, but no. They’re there and I know this because they hurt like crazy.

Using the planer was harder than it looks. Our instructor made it look so easy, gliding over the wood as if it were made of cheese…but you know, that doesn’t even matter since my arms get tired grating a block of cheese, too. Unskilled + sad upper body strength = working on something for a very long time.

The hours went by quickly, though. The pain didn’t even kick in until about an hour after I stopped and then I could barely keep my eyes open for dinner. Then I fell asleep, woke up, and went back to work on it some more.

My favorite part of it is what I’m working on now- shaping and sanding. With each hard edge gently smoothed into a soft curve, it’s looking less and less like the stick it started as and more like an object with an intention. REALLY REALLY want to put the stain on right now, but there’s still more sanding to do. Even though this is the first one I’ve ever made and far from being perfect, I need to do my best so I can be proud of my first effort.

I also need to do something about these weak arms of mine. Ohhhh-whoa-whoa, weak arms of mah-ee-yahh-ahhh-ayne!

So, this was a fun weekend and I finally got to do something I didn’t think I’d have a chance of doing anytime soon. Huzzah! I’m already thinking about trying to make another one with the tools I have: knife, sandpaper, files. Who knows?

When opportunities pop up to learn something new, take it. It’s a good feeling to feel like a kid in the classroom, eyes and ears wide open, hungry for more information. it’s good to be shown there are still more stones left to be unturned.