Haws' green and reflected blue skies

Taking a breather and watching the clouds go by in my bucket of mirror.

filling up water for the top tier:

my skin is starting to get tight from the sun, so i found it refreshing to see the thin layer of overfill water on the ground. 

from one layer of water to another, i just took a moment to watch the reflected clouds go by.

Chronodex week 20 and the shop dog

All of us have a social side and an individual side,

both sides must be developed together

 yet

 have some separate maintenance time. there is nothing wrong with needing to just do something for others (with no thought of oneself) nor in getting some alone time to unwind.

with that said there are some particular locations that seem to foster one better than the other.

for myself, working around the bench is a time for me to reflect and organize my mind quietly. by quietly i mean without any significant social interference. 

for some reason the quality of alone time at the bench is enhanced when the aussie decides to wait or nap when i am working. seeing the dog in such a relaxed state greatly influences my focusing abilities. 

the aussie rests as i work on N

this week's chronodex had no themes. 

what ever struck me at the moment to best organize myself took form.

knot 1 chronodex 5.22.2014

missle command chronodex 5.23.2014

N has hands

My shop assistant now has hands!!

keeping true to my original materials list, i created the hands from larger metal axe helve wedges.

this shot is to give a general view of the hands in action.

i feel good about the general proportions of the fellow and his parts.

the wedge only needed 4 holes to accept the 6 strand cable being used for the joints. 

the idea is that the cable can easily be changed when needed.

i am also quite partial to the look of the cable just weaving through the hand.  

 there are just enough fingers to be a practical gripper and give a sense of gesture. 

next step is to sort out a gallows for the actual stop motion animation.

Chronodex week 19 and the garden blooms

Around week 19 of each year the last chance of frost is over and the garden really starts to pick up.

this week the iris are coming to be

iris are coming to bloom in week 19

and

the damn volunteer trees are popping up everywhere! 

volunteer silver maple in a retaining wall

before work i needed to do some trimming of the beard.

so then of course i needed a bearded chronodex.

bearded chronodex

 after the bearded chronodex, i though i would make a mustache chronodex

but 

that failed. 

below was my plan B version. 

plan b chronodex

Restoring axes, the line up

While cleaning and organizing my cave

i made an effort to better organize heads that are awaiting restoration.

axe and hatchet heads waiting to be restored

i have them hanging on a simple stretcher with a wood fence in the front 

(to protect the young ones when they are with me).

i didn't realize what a line up i had.

time to do some restoring, NOW!!

Stance

Cleaning and organizing my work space so i can start up a new project. 

sawdust and wood scraps piled high, it was important that i stay properly hydrated.

i looked down and found myself standing this way. 

i then decided that i am pretty sure that i always stand this way when i drink 

AND

i am pretty sure that this stance makes the beer taste better.

Chronodex week 18 and the mammatocumulus

Some weeks are better chronodex weeks then others.

this week i allowed myself a bit more time to organize my day. the results were better preparedness and some entertaining bottle/can themed chronodex.

chronodex 5.5.2014 bottle theme

chronodex 5.6.2014 bottle theme

chronodex 5.9.2014 can theme

the week ended on a more dramatic note.

a nice storm front came in and leading the way was this magnificent ceiling of mammatus clouds. 

mammatocumulus over eastern nebraska

there really is something very energizing about such a site.

Hatchet sheath design change - using chicago screw

Every now and then I come up with a VERY subtle design change that i believe will make a 

big impact. with my hatchet and axe sheaths i have made a very minor change that i am probably a little bit too excited about.

aesthetically i have kept the same:

1- "border" design of the leather body

2- single wrap around helve strap

3- 5 layers of 6-8 ounce leather on the top and bottom

4- 3 layers of 6-8 ounce leather in the front

5- cemented and hand stitched

6- copper penny rove with copper shingling nail in the apex of the border design

7- snap fastener for the front

restored carpenters hatchet with leather sheath

snap closure is fast and reliable, also very easy to replace. 

restored carpenters hatchet with leather sheath

THE CHANGE: i have replaced the back strap fastener 

from a copper penny rove & copper shingling nail to a copper penny and a chicago screw. 

this is the strap fastener that will allow the strap to pivot on the body, but not allow the strap to come undone. the only other variable not seen is that i used some teflon tape around the threads to keep from coming loose. i prefer teflon tape over thread lock because it is easier to remove 

and so readily available.

restored carpenters hatchet with chicago screw as the back fastener to the leather  sheath strap

this chicago screw has a larger flange than the copper shingling nail, both in width and thickness.

this will improve durability by greater stress relief and less biting into the leather.

an added side benefit is that if for some reason the strap does need to be replaced, then it will be much easier to do. 

Chronodex week 17 - pants and the tape measure

this week's chronodex started out with the debate over whether or not to wear pants to work. 

a close-open shift leads to just a few hours of sleep, i literally lay down my work clothes in the most "accessible" place, so as to expedite the morn's routine (coffee, food, pants)

but

even for the most motivated; there are those nights when sleep comes late or is rough, 

then the eyes seem to open before closing: 

on these days i see the below image and pause. 

debate is short and i head toward the door (with pants on).

chronodex 4.28.2014 to wear pants or not to wear pants

as my sons know, i have as many tape measures and rulers as i do pencil sharpeners 

(actual much more).

they are in every room. multiplying like rabbits some rooms have multiples. 

on this morn when i woke up to make my chronodex, i reached over to grab a rule and ended up with one of my Japanese tape measures. no need to ask how this happened, it just did. with this in hand, i had one of those simple recognition moments that led to further thought. i realized that for what ever reason this particular item has lived in the same place for 12 years.  my mind raced for a reason but was never really satisfied with the answer.

 none the less, i went on to ask myself how many times do any of us wonder how a particular object has  come to occupy a particular space for such a long period of time.  in the end this was an entertaining exercise in  

"interesting motivations into habitual object placement".

chronodex 4.29.2014 and the Japanese tape measure

so then the chronodex became the object of interest.

chronodex 4.29.2014 with a wider view of the page

during the making of this chronodex, i simply thought about what i planned to accomplish in my open time block. simple feels damn good too!

chronodex 5.4.2014