The holiday weekend weather forecast for Lander, Wyoming didn’t sound too promising. Then too, my truck had a leftover cough despite its recent weeklong stay with a local mechanic. So I canceled plans to join friends from Jackson in Sinks Canyon for a climbing/camping adventure and opted to stay home. Truthfully – the pull of the new log laying-in-wait at the studio was enough to keep me happily here. I have work to do!

Rescued from the storm, the Petunias reward me with their aroma even as they take over my wee cabin. Who doesn’t LOVE the smell of fresh flowers?! Thick pink bunny flannel jammie pants, a hat and gloves have replaced the sandals and shorts worn a week ago on the walk through the woods to the studio. The “Mr. Rogers Closet” in my studio has Carhart overalls already warm from hanging in the mechanic room next to the woodstove. Wood is chopped, a fire started and tea made before the workday begins. The squeak toy Zaydee carried through the woods from the cabin is abandoned in a pile of sawdust when a biscuit is pulled from her treat jar. Thus begins a studio day…

Alas. The straight-line math part of art is NOT my forte. Cliff and I spent more than a few hours on two separate days working on the log. We set up a chainsaw jig, scratched our heads, cut slices and made sawdust but without the perfect results desired. Luckily my buddy Dustin is a skilled timber framer. He saved me tooth gritting irritation and time by setting the log straight. Phew!

Now the fun begins...