Been getting a bit stir crazy, winter fever-y out here on the Ranch……

I have become a bit of a stalker on Permies.com  over the last few months. If you have never heard of it, CHECK IT OUT! It seems to have become one of the largest ‘gatherings’ of folks from around the planet doing many of the things we’ve been doing here at the Funky D.  I had no idea I was part of a community….. not sure what community that is to be honest, or if I want to associate with people like me….!!!! 😉

Anywhoooo, I got on their mailing list somehow (the Dailyish) and this winter stumbled across a thread on the Permies site about spoon carving. OK!!! So I ordered up a little carving set from Beavercraft ($30. Not a sponsor...yet.) and headed out to the woodpile.

I started with a hunk of what I thought was pine,but now think it was some sort of Cherry. Split it and started in.

I cheated and used my Sawzall to rough in the shape. It took me a number of ‘sessions’ of an hour or so each. This was done usually while watching football or the Zags. My hands would get sore, so I couldn’t do very much at a time. I loved the woodworm trails and tried to keep as much as a I could.

I then found a great piece of wood in the woodpile out by the barn. I think it’s Aspen. I wanted to make a spoon/paddle just a bit longer than my first one so it can be used in a 5 gal bucket, for…. I don’t know….. say……for stirring hooch mash?…. maybe.

This one went so much faster & easier; I had it done in an afternoon! After sanding them up nicely I'm ready to seal them with some sort of oil or the butcher block butter we have on hand but then thought it might be cool to stain it with wine first, then seal them. We'll see if that works. I'm due for racking the wine here in a few weeks.

I had one more piece from the OG log and have tried to make a smaller, more spoon-like device with a custom grip (so I don’t have to deal with a knot). I’m losing steam on it however. Not sure what I’d use it for anyway.

......and voila! Here are my first mash paddles...er...spoons!

I stained the spoons with wine that I had racked off of the sediment, and oiled them up with some mineral oil.

I learned on the Permies.com site that I can earn badges by completing skills like this. Of course this appeals to my Boy Scout nature so I'm all over that.

I wonder what other badges they may have........

I tried to weave a basket from our cattails this winter. Does that count? (Check out that grape vine handle from our vineyard!)