Well been busy here the past few days making sawdust in the old shop.  Nice on days like this when the weather is snowing blowing and cold outside to be in there working away where it’s nice and warm. Gives a fellow a good feeling inside.  Burned a lot of wood this season so far guess it’s because of an early start in the burning season as last year it was colder but didn’t burn as much.  Oh well got lots so not worried.  Hope you all are keeping busy.  Talk Soon.

Well been working in the shop the past few days on some projects for our small store come spring.  Keeps me busy and I enjoy it.  Gets me out of the house and keeps the old mind moving in the right direction.  For folks that sit around the house all day, find your self something that interests you and get out there and do it.  Keeps us older and younger folks healthy.  Nothing worse than to just sit around and do nothing.   I figure each day I wake up an look outside I am given another day so I make the most of it trying not to waste one minute, life is just to short for that.  Talk Soon.

Around this time of year my old shop starts to get busy. The main reason is there is always a few presents that has to be made for Christmas,  along with my lovely wife wanting a few projects done up.  In other words us woodworkers call that Honey Do Projects.  I can’t think of anything more that gives me such pleasure than working out there where it’s warm  looking out at the snow covered gardens that I have out back.  Sort of a piece of contentment I guess one might say.  Once and awhile my wife comes out to chat, which we do a lot of by the way.  We call our breaks,  Talk A Tea and Talk A Water and around two, Talk A  Coffee.  Sounds kind of crazy in most folks eyes I suppose,  but that is what they are.  I got to say this we sure enjoy each others company.  Has been that way for over thirty years now.  Once the Christmas orders are done up I will get back to making my Native American Flutes along with my wife whom makes  them look beautiful after my part is done,  which fill our store from wall to wall come spring.  They also give me great pleasure, as I can find nothing more special than taking a piece of old time forgotten wood and making it sing.  Well,  home made chicken soup here is on the menu,  so figure I should go and get a bowl. Talk Soon.

You know a couple years ago I got some white oak figuring it would be a good burning wood. I also have been burning wood for heat a good portion of my life and had in my mind that I pretty well knew all there was to know about types of wood, what is good for burning and what is not.  Well I put about four cords in the basement come the end of August and felt good about it, only to find out that it didn’t burn worth a darn.  Ended up the only way I could get it to burn properly was to split it about four times,  then let it dry for another month.  I thought it was pretty dry as it sat out covered for two year, but I was wrong.  But, hey I learned something and that is to stay with my ash, yellow birch, white birch, red oak and hard maple. I got to say ash and hard maple are on the top of my list for good heating,  through them cold winter days when temperatures dip to around -20 below.  The other problem I had with the white oak,  was messing up my chimney pretty good. After four weeks of burning,  it plugged it in places.  Glad I cleaned it out and will clean it out once more just before Christmas, as I should be done with it by then.  Usually with the hardwoods I only clean my chimney twice a burning season.  Oh well not a big deal.  So if you heed my advice you could save your self a few headaches.  Talk Soon.

Well worked in the shop most the day today.  Had a bit of a problem with the old Planer. I bought it a few years ago a Ridgid>  The bearings are shot in the old girl and I guess it isn’t worth fixing.  So guess it’s time to go shopping.  Didn’t expect that this time of year but we used it a lot so what can one do.  Now I wish I didn’t sell my heavy duty one I had back at my old shop.  Oh well what can you do can’t cry over spilled milk.  Other than that had a pretty good day.  Got a few Flutes made and made a mess in the shop.   Talk Soon

Well figured I had better get at some of my shop work today, been awhile and got to be in the right frame of mind to work on my Flutes. I usually make around fifty a year as that seems to be the magic number for sales though out the summer months in our small store. I have been making them for a lot of years now but I had a good teacher, old Grey Wolf. He would sit for hours getting them just tuned right. But as he said “they have to be done right, as who wants a Flute that doesn’t sing properly.” I make most mine out of white cedar that I get from a local bush. The fellow that owns the bush is a good friend of mine and I am very luck to know him. The cedars I use are not live, they have long passed on and it gives me a good feeling taking an old dead piece and bringing it back to life. Got four ready today and tomorrow will work on tuning them. Talk soon.