making lemonade

The March noreaster rain storms left our basement flooded - twice, but not devastatingly so. Friends kicked into high gear & came to our rescue, since my husband hurt his shoulder in a fall early that Sunday morning and was in a sling when the water arrived. A larger wet vac & more man-power did wonders for my overwhelmed mind & body. Thank you is not enough to say to Cayce, Ankle Barry & Jackie. They're the best. And a shout out to ibuprofen & a heating pad too, for their supporting role. The second time was easier, and thanks to Brian for his muscle help.

The universe forced a basement clean-out on me, essentially. Everything else stopped, it had to be done. I found a few things that were forgotten about, and tossed some things (ok, lots) that were no longer wanted. The usual, I guess. Among the bits & pieces were three birds that my grandfather had carved. He was an artist & woodworker all his life, and in his 70s & 80s added wood carver and sculptor to his list. The birds are incomplete, but bodies pretty much shaped. I received them with some carving tools & books when he passed nearly 13 years ago. I've started to do some finishing work on them, and will display them in our home where they belong. It may take a bit, but it's a project I can happily pick up with small bits of time.

The other, larger project from this began with an old dresser from my husband's childhood. A dresser that's been in one basement or another for many years will finally be useful. It's not precious or particularly well made, that's why it's been left in the basement. It had a partial start years ago, but soon will be two different very useful pieces. It's taking more time and planning for this project, and lately other things have been more front-burner, but I'm very much looking forward to the results. I'm sure I'll have to do it more than once.

These are all truly old beginnings, as is the more organized, open & easier to work in shop space that the flood helped to create. The flood left us lemons, or as my friend Kim would say crayons, and I made my lemonade recipe. Funny how that happens. More to come on these...