stories

Yachats bay in a rainstormStorm-tossed Sunday morning, and I'm watching the leaping whitecaps prey on seagulls, tucked snugly under a blanket in a tiny cottage, waiting past the drip-drip-drip of coffee to a full cup. Yesterday I walked more than two miles on the beach. The Resident Carpenter-Blacksmith and I clambered through leg-dragging sand, seeking shells and laughter and solace. [...]

I broke a cardinal rule; I discussed politics at work. There are excellent reasons why we don't discuss politics--or any polarizing issue--in the workplace. Coworkers have a right to their opinions. We never EXclude team members, we INclude them. Work must be a neutral zone, where we focus on getting the job done, excellently, effectively, and on time. I know [...]

For my very first blacksmith-shop-in-the-backyard job, I made a coathook of twisted steel. Ain't it just absolutely gorgeous? "Wanna learn how to forge a coathook?" asked The Resident Carpenter, "I thought you might like to try blacksmithing...?" "Sure!" I said eagerly, and we headed for the shop. When making a silver squirrel pendant, it's generally a good [...]

OK, well, not NAKED, exactly, but the next best thing. This is gonna take some explaining, so bare (heh-heh) with me. I started my professional life as a tech reporter, covering all kinds of events in different parts of the US. It was a great job I probably would have done for free: All the gadgets I wanted at no [...]

When the going gets tough, the tough head for the hills. Or rather, the mountains. Wilderness. The Great Outdoors. Or so it seems. It's been a frustrating week: Wacky stuff at work, a construction zone for a house, but mainly: I CANNOT make the bloody enamel do what it's supposed to do. It took me 20 years to learn glass [...]