Well, welcome back to this year's edition of the Selkie Wood Works blog.
Everyone reading this blog has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of you have businesses that have had to shut down, others are homebound, some of you might be sick with this or have lost friends or family. If this describes you, you have my deepest sympathy.
I discovered during the Recession that I did better if I stayed busy and creative and I really think that saved my sanity. As I'm out of lumber right now, I've been out foraging for tree branch trimmings, rocks, or just anything that I can use to make something out of. As I am well, I have been working in the woodshop, getting it cleaned out and re-organized and waiting for the day when you and I can get back to work building furniture, cabinets, and turning.
Fortunately I live in a wooded area and it's easy to find branches of all sizes and diameters. I've been carving white oak, maple, and several woods I'm not sure of. I'm currently making salad sets and since I've gotten several nice tree brances, I'm making walking sticks. Here's a couple of photos:
Initially I found some small branches nearby that were a little too small for anything. I had seen some photos of little houses on Pinterest and got interested in that so I got one of the branches and cut in into sections and I've been making little houses and giving them to the neighbors with a note wishing them well. These have been really popular:
We also have a lot of woody shrubbery here and I've begun making walking sticks out of some of them. The branches are just the right diameter for this. I've been been taking the bark of and letting them dry before working on them further:
And I'm back to carving spoons again:
So there it is. As soon as my lumberyard reopens I'll be working on a coffee table for my front room.
So we're off on another year together. Welcome back and stay in touch.
Best,
VW
