Flickr: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Photostream
Christmas Wreath
I made my first wreath last night. I went to Joann and bought a couple of these wreath frames and some wire.
Wreath Frame
While we were in Utah for Thanksgiving we went and cut down a tree in the forest, and we cut some pinion and juniper boughs as well.
Pine and Juniper boughs in bags
With these I made two wreaths, one with a pine base and added junipers. The other with a juniper base and added pine. I think the pine base looks like a typical wreath, the juniper base makes it hang out a little more, and give it more of a cottage wreath look. I like both of them. My neighbor made a bow for me out of some old ribbon we had laying around. It looks really nice, I’ll add a photo of it when I get around to it.
Pine Wreath
Juniper Wreath
Christmas
Besides the AWESOME gifts I got this year, I had a great time making a few gifts. Two of them were wooden logic puzzles. The first one, a ‘Soma Cube’, was discovered by Piet Hein in the mid 1930’s. There are exactly 240 unique arrangements of the seven pieces to form a cube. I made this puzzle out of aromatic cedar.
The second puzzle is the ‘Half-hour Puzzle’, created by puzzle-master Stewart Coffin. This puzzle is slightly harder than the Soma Cube with only 1 solution for the 6 pieces. I made this puzzle out of cocobolo.
I got the plans and instructions on how to make these from this book that Laurie gave me a few years ago for Christmas.
These turned out well, and I learned a few tricks to speed up the process. The best part is that the recipient of the first puzzle wasn’t able to put it down all day.
Small Project
Last August while Laurie and the kids were staying cool at more northerly latitudes I was here. I decided to remodel our office desk. When we moved in it was a door across two cabinets. Not too attractive. I bought the wood to make the new desk. I joined the planks glued them together and planed them to make each panel for the desk and then I waited for Laurie to get home and clean off the desk. She came home and still I waited. Birthday’s, Thanksgiving, Christmas, they all came and still I waited. But finally late last week she cleaned off the desk, so I could measure, alter, fit, glue, sand and finish the desk. Here are a couple photos:
Before:
Finished:
Completed with everything replaced and running.
Next project: Tackle the cords. Maybe I should invest in that wireless power technology that Tesla invented in the 1800’s that we still have yet to see applied to everyday life.
Hyacinth
A few years ago (we still lived in the apartment) I bought Laurie a beautiful hyacinth for some flower giving occasion, valentines day or her birthday or something. Everywhere I looked online said that hyacinth purchased at grocery stores will not bloom again. Especially in the Arizona desert where it doesn’t get cold enough to encourage re-bloom. Well apparently something is working. I don’t get grandiose 12 inch stems covered by flowers as they do in cooler climates but I also don’t put them in my fridge for a month, they stay in the ground under the stately mulberry tree eternally. They do produce a few very fragrant flowers. Hyacinth is one of those scents that is wonderful as slight wiff in passing, but in the house it becomes very overbearing and almost repugnant. Perhaps this year I’ll fertilize them and encourage some larger blooms next year. Or maybe I’ll be lazy and just let mother nature take her course.
