Month: December 2023

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Calluses

Sometimes I think you spend your life

Defined by calluses

As a child your skin is thin; you feel everything sharply

Pain is close to the surface

You age and the rough abrasions of experiences begin

To thicken your skin and you develop the first callus

You can moderate the world’s impact

By mid life you have grown a coarse bark that protects you

Age reduces your ability to repair the damage

Your shield weakens and the bark thins

Calluses wear away.

In old age once again you feel sharply.

Sadness and tears come easier, unexpected and unbidden.

My calluses are thinning

Winter has been hard

The world connected with some good punches

I needed a rest

Back soon I hope

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Project Interuptus

My shed build was paused a couple weeks to fit in two client projects that have been on the list for months. First is the fifth and sixth fence of the year. It was originally only the fifth fence until the neighbour saw us there.

We’ve done wood privacy fences, wire deer fence, mesh deer fence and cedar slat fence. This time it will be a combination of three different ones.

Cedar slat

Thankfully no 4” pencil posts on this job. I’ve had enough solo pounding those with a 40 lb post pounder. A complication is bedrock six inches down in some places. We also have ground water problems for the privacy fence. It will be another job where we have to pour piers for some posts.

Second project (third?) is a rustic storage shed. Simple three walled on a slab with sliding barn doors. The marsh right behind the shed made for an interesting couple days. Barn doors will have to wait until the new year.