It’s been a hot summer this year here in southeast Idaho, and very dry. Yet there’s been no talk of drought so far as I have heard whenever I have been in town. The river appears to be running at normal levels.
The hot temperatures finally broke in the last few days. That is encouraging so we can get to work on projects outside that I have put off due to avoiding the excess heat, and wanting to be sure nobody ends up sick because of it. There has not been very much time between sunrise and when it gets too hot to work in the sun each day, so not a lot of time to get going at any serious projects. That’s all changing now.
The kids start school on Monday, and that will free our time up in the day without having to worry about them hanging about wanting care. So, with all possible excuses out of the way, it is time to get to work on the projects that require our absolute attention this year. This means it is time to cut logs out in the yard now, and get the logs turned into studs, boards, and timber for framing.
Missus has been trying to get an art-based business off the ground with online shopping and appearances at the local Farmer’s Market. We have been trying to develop the process for the market, then streamline it so the two of us will be able to keep it going when the kids are at school. We have not made a lot of money there yet, but the organizers of the market say it is to be expected while people get the idea that they will come and shop for things they have in mind because they have seen us around before. We’ll see. Meanwhile, it has been a good time to get out and get to know some people.
I have prepped some wood in the shop to start making a bedside table for my side of the bed. I’d like to have a cabinet below and a drawer just under the tabletop. I’ll be employing the skills I used for the first table I made and documented here on the site. This one will be pine rather than poplar. I am not yet sure if I will go for panels on the side or make it more primitive with vertical boards cladding the side. So long it has a shelf for some books and one for some electronics, I think it will do either way. The bed is tall, and I have some room to play with for the height to fit in those shelves below.
With the kids’ summer break and my wife’s visit both winding down, there is a certain solemn feeling to everything right now. I’ve really enjoyed the time with everyone this year and will be sad to see this come to an end. I’ve got good people about me.
Time to refocus on some other things now, and while we do, Halloween will come before long, and the shop has to be ready for that. It’s my favorite time of year with the smells of autumn and the cool weather. The changes of the season and the eventual snowfall as the long days fade into the long nights and the world is lit by artificial light stirs primal feelings in me as the winter hibernation settles in. I keep warm light in the bulbs here at the house, and sometimes light by candle. It suits me, as does the warm fire in the stove and the scent of the fire hanging in the air. The kids will be wanting hot chocolate, and I will be breaking out the apple teas for myself. It brings to mind some ideas for the decorating I’d like to develop for the market and the shop to help along with sales. And as with everything else, I will be working on a primitive look of Colonial Americana.
That’s the news from here on the farm, where life is raw and real, and the family grows strong; where we grow our bounty and hope to share it with you.