As I looked over the blogs I've written in the past one of my recurring themes (although not intentionally) has been aging and the elderly. Perhaps this is due to my own age and the realization that although getting older is a process we all experience from the womb onward, facing the decline of old age is as unnatural an experience as there is. Just this past week we spent time with my wife's folks (who are approaching 80) and also had lunch with a church friend who shared her 90+ year old mom's testimony with us. I've talked previously about the value of the aged but not as much about the emotional challenges that aging brings. Our church friend lost...
Once I began to hone my craft from hobbyist to woodworker, my friends began to take notice of the quality and creativity of my craftsmanship. With that came plenty of suggestions: "have you considered making.....?" Although flattered I have also become a realist who recognizes very quickly the limits of my skills or the time and effort that would be involved in trying certain things. As every woodworker advances we also become more aware of our own idiosyncrasies that we factor into any project. I am one who gets distracted easily so simply making the same thing over and over again, no matter how good I've become at it, becomes less interesting let alone challenging. Enter new challenges worth tackling. One of...
By now, if you've been following our blog or other social media, you know that we have transitioned from the interior marketplace we occupied and are taking a different approach. We continue to market our creations here on our online store, however we're now taking a different approach to "brick and mortar" venues. In our ongoing "learning" process, we realized that our "niche" products (end grain cutting boards, cheese boards, pepper mills and sets, and other culinary tools) reach our target customers best when placed in venues where compatible products are found. Hence, we recently were welcomed to show our wares in a local olive oil and balsamic vinegar store here in our hometown. ( Olive Tree and Vine........
Oftentimes when I'm seeking advice from friends who are authorities in different areas of life I’m less interested in options and more interested in concrete recommendations. With that in mind, I'm offering my favorite woods that I use along with my reasons why. First off, I use primarily hardwoods. Softwoods like pine are great for construction but they lack the stability needed for cutting boards, utensils, etc. My “go to” woods are maple, cherry and walnut because of their hardness and contrast with each other; oftentimes I will substitute mahogany or padauk for the walnut while keeping similar characteristics. Of these my favorite wood to use (perhaps surprisingly) is maple. It is a clean, light colored wood that shows its...
For centuries wood has been a popular option for cooking utensils. These days a lot of people prefer wood over other options, for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the benefits of utilizing wooden cooking utensils as opposed to metal or plastic. Wooden Utensils Will Not Scratch Your CookwareWooden utensils are easy on your pots and pans, and won’t scratch nonstick surfaces. They’re also much “quieter” than metal utensils. Wooden Utensils Don’t Conduct HeatWooden utensils, unlike metal, don’t conduct heat…. consequently, they don’t impact cooking temperature negatively or create “hot” handles to burn your hand while cooking. Plastic can melt if left resting in a hot pan or pot, not to mention questionable chemicals “leaching” into your...
