October 7th already. We just passed the Harvest
Moon. Little Hands is still the president, going out of his way to remove every
shred of dignity from the Oval Office.
Lately I’ve been in a bit of a creativity slump, in
particular for writing. My slump seems to extend to photography too. Something
just hasn’t been clicking the past couple of weeks. Probably a scrapple
deficiency. I’ve been keeping busy, and teaching two classes, but there hasn’t
been much creative spark. I did photograph some artwork for the cover of
Ellen’s book. It was challenging; bad lighting in a hallway of the Physics
department. But taking pictures of someone else’s work doesn’t really count
towards creativity. I haven’t walked the halls of a Physics department since I
got my Physics degree. You could just feel the GPAs dropping.
Tania’s artwork
This afternoon I attended a friend’s funeral service. This
was our neighbor who’s dogs I was walking earlier this year. Her service was at
a Catholic church in Lansing and I rode with our friend Roy. I warned him that
if the ground opened up, with some hellfire and brimstone thrown in for effect,
it’s me they were after. He should do what he could to save himself. Like
pushing me into the hole would probably be a good start.
On a positive note, I’ve been getting in some woodworking
time, and learning bunches of new things. A lot has changed since I had 7th
grade woodshop. Like electricity. Power tools make it so much easier to get
things done. Easier to cut off a finger too, but hey, ya gotta go with
progress.
My latest wood project was a stand for Lise’s hammered
dulcimer. Walnut and cherry, the same woods as her dulcimer. I think it came
out OK and I’m happy it. My current project is an alter swing for some Eastern
religion temple. An acquaintance at the gym needed it built so I volunteered.
Not sure what religion it’s for but I may as well try to cover all the bases. I’m
making it out of white ash, the same wood Louisville Sluggers are made from.
That’s kind of a sacred thing.
Dulcimer stand, with and without the dulcimer.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 