Birch Bark

This is what I made..no not a canoe and not even a Christmas tree ornament.

Any ideas?

Dave was painting on his Pumpkinseed Fish..he is so very talented.

His fish is carved from Basswood.  He will paint on it for hours and hours. 

I taught the birch bark lesson to a number of people. All woodcarvers. Any ideas yet?

I take a piece of bark four times the length of my knife blade.  Imagine the half way point and fold the two ends toward the center, then fold in half again at the center point.  Then I take one of the thin strips and stick it into the bottom end and then go round and round until the sheath is all bound together..to end it..I cut the last of the thin strip a little short so it tucks into the top part nicely. Wallah..you have a handsome looking knife sheath..so your carving knives edges are protected and so are your fingers when you are searching for just the right knife in your carving bag.

You can custom make the sheaths for all your knives. All my knives have Birch bark sheaths.  Most of Far Guys knives do to..but he has a fancy smancy canvas roll knife holder that my Aunt Anna made for him after he made her a special carving knife.

Yes, to answer your question Far Guy still makes carving knives..but he always wears his gloves since he had that unfortunate accident and severed the tendon in his finger. After the surgery and rehab..his finger still doesn’t move like it should..but it does move..some..which is better than no movement at all.

I am glad to have this project behind me…it was something I said I would do..and now it is done!  I am working on carving a snowman and Far Guy is working on a rose..we have to come up with a Christmas Ornament to carve pretty soon:)

August 18, 2011

The grain harvest is starting.  I could tell by my itchy eyes.  I could hear the combines.

I went to have a look see.  Yup, whatever small grain was in that field across from our drive was being harvested by the corporate farmer.

They were creating quite a dust storm .

No wonder my eyes were itching, no wonder I felt itchy all over and a tad cranky.  The grain dust..the dust on the road..and it all heads toward the house, even though we are hidden back here in the woods..that dust finds it’s way inside the house to languish on top of every surface. 

This is the crop along the front driveway.

My Purple Coneflowers and the White Coneflower the one called White Swan ( I think).  I planted this area about 12 years ago.   They did really well this year.   I even have a late blooming Monarda..that is a real pretty rose color.  Too much Poison Ivy to get much closer.  I hate Poison Ivy too..although I am all healed up..hopefully for the last time this year.

Someone asked the other day about Far Guys finger and how it was healing after he almost cut it off and then had corrective surgery to repair his botched self amputation.

So this is the finger report:   He has been through two rounds of physical therapy, he has movement, but he cannot touch that finger to his palm.  He can force it to touch, but it just won’t cooperate all by itself.  His surgeon says it is scar tissue causing the problem and he can surgically repair it..Far Guy said “No way.”  I think he should keep doing the deep massage and give it some time. I think that finger may also have some arthritis.. cause Far Guy isn’t getting any younger:)

Updates

Far Guys finger is healing just fine..it looks much better than it did.  The surgeon made a zig zag cut down the entire finger.

Warning: Photo of stitches in a finger…just prior to stitch removal. 

It looks good here..it looked much worse..but I won’t share those photos with you. The dots were made by the Surgeon..must have been the road map.

We have been going to therapy..I say “we” because Far Guy is not driving unless he has to. 

I think there are still a few stitches in his finger..he is really diligent about doing his passive exercises.  In a few more days he can begin to move it within the confines of his splint. We used a product called Glysolid Skin Balm on his fingers to keep the skin soft and pliable.  He must still wear his club for awhile yet…till the end of the month. Tendons take a long time to heal.

Chance is still enjoying a few of the snow banks..the snow is melting fast..the daytime temperatures have been near 50 degrees the past few days.

I took these photos at sunset on April 06, 2011.

Remember the rules..when the fluorescent green Smokey Bear ruler is free of snow when it is next to the snow stick a winner will be declared!  Connie Peterson 200 miles straight south of me here in Minnesota  and Liz in PA guessed today…I will take a photo before nightfall…we will see how much more of the snow melts away today.

I have an eye checkup today and Chance goes to the Vet for his annual shots.  Spring cleaning is coming along, I finished the furnace/laundry room and began on the kitchen..I would have gotten further on the kitchen but I needed a nap:)

Long Month of Snow

March has been a long month..well it has 31 days..and we still have a good snow cover. Chance and I went out and took some photos this morning.  Chance has been playing ball in this direction as the driveway is muddy in the afternoons.

I can’t remember that we had this much snow in late March last year.

We didn’t ..last year were were snow free and very brown by March 17th.

My Dad stopped by the other day ..he said “We will have snow until the second week in April now.”  He may be correct.

We still have about eleven inches at the snow stick.  I am sorry Kathy..you are not the winner.  I can safely say that someone that guessed sometime in April will win.

We went to carving yesterday.  The group was happy to see Far Guy.

He did not handle any knives..only files. He was working on a large bark carving that has many windows. And..yes he wears old T Shirts to carving..the bark can stain your clothing. This T Shirt is from back in the greenhouse days..it says Native Vegetable.  Because he was in charge of all the Native Plants and all the Vegetables..so I had shirts made especially for him. The customers used to get a big charge out of it..I am hoping that one of these days the stupid shirts wear out..or become so stained they end up in the rag bag.

No fingers were injured at carving yesterday:)

It Snowed

Imagine that..our Spring was cut off at the knees by a snowstorm.  How many inches of beautiful white stuff did we get..5 or 6 inches.  Who cares. We have been thrust back into the bosom of winter.

I took this from inside the woodshed..I am now in charge of fixing the fire in the outdoor woodstove.  Far Guy helps one handed and Josh stops by every once in awhile to throw in a really big chunk for me.  I crawled over a huge snow bank and rescued my trusty orange wheelbarrow to assist me.  I fill it with wood at the shed and then wheel it to the woodstove and unload it. It is not a job I really like..but I do like being warm..so I do what I have to do.

Miss Lynda guessed that the snow stick and the green ruler would be free of snow on March 23..that was yesterday..sorry Miss Lynda..you are not the winner. I did not blaze a trail to the snow stick, as you can see there is enough snow for a few more days.

Far Guy had a good re-check, and he got a new club.  This one is just a bit smaller than the other one.  Yes, he wrote a note to himself on it.  I added the gauze you see sticking out..and that bit of orange is vet tape..I wrapped one of the Velcro straps because it was driving him nuts…which it turn was driving me nuts.  I will spare you the gory photos..because they are gory. The original cut was clean and precise compared to the surgery.. the Surgeon increased the size of the cut and made several other incisions down the finger..I counted at least 14 stitches..perhaps more..it is all gunky and gross.

The Occupational Therapist showed me how to exercise the joints in his pinky finger and ring finger so that the joints do not become stiff.  He starts real Therapy tomorrow..that should be a barrel of laughs:)

Rainy Day

It is raining a bit outside.  A fine misty drizzle.  Chance and I went out to check the snow stick.

Sorry Day Photo Linda..today is not the day.  The snow is going away slowly and look how dirty it is today..we are making progress!

The driveway is almost free of snow..we don’t play ball in this direction anymore..or if we do then we play ball in the other direction before Chance comes in the house.

We still have lots of snow to melt.

Far Guy went for a walk yesterday..I told him to be careful..Chance walked with him to get the mail.

We used the zipper in his jacket as a sling support.  He still has considerable pain..and lays down with his arm up in the air quite often.

We have both enjoyed watching Hockey the past couple of days..the Fighting Sioux won last night and advance to the Frozen Four!  It was a great game against the Denver Pioneers..but the Sioux won in double overtime.

Far Guy has a follow up appointment this week to check on the progress of his injury and he will begin occupational therapy.  I guess we will skip Wood Carving this week…I suppose I could go and carve..and he could watch:)

“Yes, we’ll gather at the river

… the beautiful, the beautiful river; gather with the saints at the river that flows by the throne of God.”

That old hymn’s chorus ran through my head many times yesterday. We didn’t get to sing it much in the Lutheran Church..but the Baptists..this was their song..and they sang it upbeat and with joy in their voices.

We went to town, we had to get Far Guy some new shirts that will accommodate his large “club.” The shirts needed the left arm seam split.. Jo fixed them all up. Thank goodness for neighbors that sew!  It is still a bit early for T- Shirts..although spring has come to the river in town.

I got out of the car and walked to the river while Far Guy and Chance watched..Chance was such a good boy..he never even barked.  Then we drove along the river so Far Guy and Chance could get a good view..

The Swans, Ducks and Geese just went about their business..they think it is spring. Watching them swim around, sometimes fighting, sometimes flying off..gave me hope that spring will come again soon.

The open water looks quite beautiful to me!

Far Guy is doing OK, he is still uncomfortable and is learning just how difficult it is to navigate in a two handed world when you can only use one hand.  Thank you for all your kind comments..he read them all:)

pee your pants funny

I have two “pee your pants funny” things to share.  I have a odd, warped sense of humor sometimes.  Once in a great while something will  really tickle my funny bone, I start to laugh..and once I start I have a hard time stopping. It is like a strange song, with high notes and long silences..only to start all over again reaching crescendo after crescendo. I laugh till I cry or pee my pants or both.  Sometimes I laugh until my belly is sore and I am gasping for breath. Far Guy will often say “Sweetheart..are you gonna be ok?” Killed by laughter, now that is an interesting thought.

Have you seen the commercial where “Gary” and two M & M’s are being held hostage?  If the demands are not met..he is going to “eat” one of the hostages..and one M &M says to the other “He’s going to eat Gary” ..The first time I saw that commercial I nearly died laughing..Far Guy couldn’t figure out what I thought was so funny.

It took a really long time for the numbness to go out of Far Guys arm and hand after the surgery.  He could not control his arm..it was like a dead piece of wood. He kept banging it on things..a door in the hospital, he clunked it good there, he couldn’t feel a thing so of course it didn’t hurt. His bandage is also a splint..and yes it looks like a club and it will remain that way for six weeks as far as I know. One tiny finger repair needs a huge bandage…hard to understand..all that for a finger?  Tendons heal slow and the next six weeks will be crucial in the repair.

After we got home..he tried laying down on the couch to see if he could use the back of the couch to elevate his arm.  He propped up his arm..and just like that it came back and hit him in the nose.  He lacerated his nose..I told him “Way to go! Now your nose needs stitches.”  Then I began to laugh..and had to run to the bathroom..all the while he is moaning and groaning on the couch..mumbling that his club attacked him just like that out of nowhere..it was trying to kill him all the while his wife abandoned him.  I had to stay in the bathroom a really long time..laughing.  It was a long day..my laughter was bordering on tears..his nose is fine..I cleaned it up, it was just bleeding like a serious wound when in fact it was just a small cut that will heal up just fine ..and his eyes are not turning black and blue.  Thank goodness..but I bet the next time a Nurse asks him if he feels safe in his home she will hear the whole story of the attack of the dead arm.

Now for the snow stick report:

Nezzy’s guess was March 18, I took this late in the afternoon of the 17th..It isn’t looking like it will all melt away in the next 24 hours.  Sorry Nezzy:)

Sharp Knives

Far Guy decided on Tuesday evening whilst I was dozing on the couch watching the news in Japan that he would cut his finger off…well the bone in his finger stopped the carving knife from severing the finger.  He said “Bad word, bad word” and then “Get me something to stop the bleeding.. but don’t look.”  I should have called 911..he was bleeding like a stuck hog. Instead I threw him some 4 x4’s and did a pressure bandage with some hot pink vet tape and took him to the ER…and I didn’t even have to lay down this time.  I made it through the whole ordeal without fainting.  I am not any good at taking care of Far Guy when he is injured and bleeding..we have been through this over the years..through many fingers. It is bad enough he has to take care of himself..without picking me off the floor too.

 

He cut at least one tendon..and will require surgery in a far away from home hospital.  At the ER they stitched him up and had a hard time stopping the bleeding..he is splinted because they don’t want him moving his finger.  He is a mess..he is kinda cranky..and his finger hurts.

He has now officially graduated from Carving Knife Sharpening School..if those knives are sharp enough to slice through his finger then they are sharp enough to carve with.  I have a special glove I wear on my left hand..just incase a knife slips..I have been injured too..but I just cut the tip of my finger off…since then I carve with a steel knit glove on my left hand.  I am going to get him a glove of his very own.

We have successfully learned how to make our own carving knives.  Far Guy makes the blades and sharpens them ( really sharp).   We put them in handles..beautiful little handles..Black Walnut, Butternut or Maple. I sand them and seal them with Bees Wax.  He was carving a spot for a blade in a piece of Black Walnut when the accident ..or brain fart occurred.

We spent almost the entire day( Wednesday) away..at a far away hospital where a Dr B. took care of the injury.  Jo came over and took care of Chance for the day.  Thanks Jo!  We got home very late. I am tired. Far Guy is tired too.

Warning: Photo of the owie..

  Before Surgery

After surgery, yes his whole arm looks like one huge club.

His carving knife was sharp enough to sever one tendon completely and to nick the other one.  After he heals from the surgery he should be almost good as new..in about six weeks:)