The Violin Project

Here's an update on the "in progress" violin.

In the first picture, the front is on the left and the back is on the right.


The second and third pictures are of the back, as it is this afternoon. I've spent a bunch of time with thumb planes and scrapers and to my inexperienced eye, it looks like it's ready for me to put the purfling in (the black like around the edges of violins, and guitars and other wooden instruments). I have to cut the groove and then set the purfling (tiny strips of wood fibre) into the groove and glue it in. After that is done, I will start carving out the inside. I've ordered the stuff I need for the purfling, but in the meantime, I'll get busy finishing off the front.

It's hard to get a picture that is is the same as looking it in real life, but it's so smooth now except around the edges which get finished after the purfling.

I can't wait to hear it .... and start on another!

Interesting New Word

I've always enjoyed languages. English is bizarre, with the different pronunciations for words that look like they should rhyme.

I learned a new one today.

Think about these:

bough
cough
dough
plough
tough

and my new one - sough

The fun thing about this list is that when you look at them, they look misspelled.

From my Collins dictionary - Sough (sau) vb. 1. (intr.) (esp. of the wind) to make a sighing sound. ~n 2. a soft continuous murmuring sound

What a great word!

I have a book in a box somewhere, it's a Dr Seuss book, for grown ups called "The Tough Coughs As He Ploughs the Dough". I haven't read it in many years, and I only remember the title, not the contents. It isn't on amazon.com, you can get it used on chapters.com, and it's available on both alibris.com and abebooks.com. I guess today I'll check the boxes of books downstairs and see if I can find it.

This all because I saw the word sough this morning and I can't even remember where I saw it.

What's Been Going On

It's a while since I've blogged. It seems that we're busy as all get out. This week is a little slower. Tomorrow I take my defibrillator training. Our local "hall" is having one installed for the commmunity and I'm in the first group of trainees.


I've been doing a bit of work on my fiddle, it's getting to the point where I really need someone who knows what they're doing to look at it. I'm so afraid of screwing it up. So I start measuring and checking the thickness of certain areas and get myself all worked up and thinking that I've ruined a perfectly good piece of maple.

Last weekend we went on the canopy tour - "Walk In The Clouds".
The night before 13 of us hung out around the campfire at our place for the evening, then everyone crashed all over the floor for the night.
















The next morning we all got up early and headed off for the tour. My partner was Grandson II ... we had so much fun. It seemed to intimidate him a little when he found out we were 70 feet from the ground. Fortunately he found that out 3/4 of the way through, but it really had him concerned for the last 1/4 of it. It was a perfect fall day. Sunny, no wind, 70F degrees, coloured leaves. It couldn't have been a better day for it.

Response to Laurence

On September 13th, by brother-in-law Laurence posted on his blog and simply posed the question "What do you love?" http://laurencehunt.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-do-you-love.html

So since then I've been putting some thought into it.

I made mental lists, of things like my fiddle, ice cream, my Canon camera, my Haflinger cork soled clogs, my own lovely home-made soap, and pondered how to make all that interesting enough for my blog.

Today, while I was walking the dog, admiring the brilliant fall colours and thinking about people who are in cities. On a day like today they're working inside buildings with windows off in the distance, past all the padded divider half-walls. Then it came to me.

I love my life!

First there's the people in my life. I have a wonderful husband and awesome parents. I have two grown children who have grown into kind, thoughtful, caring adults. They are raising their own children and are doing an awesome job of it. I have the best sisters. I have a great circle of friends, who are all fun and supportive.

I live in a beautiful house that we designed, on a lake, in a forest that looks Monet painted it at this time of the year. It's quiet, except for the lake lapping against the shore, blue jays calling each other and the squirrels chattering at me and the dog.

I work at my own business out of our house. After having held down a variety of different jobs, with commuting in the winter always required, my morning commute is now from the kitchen to the basement. Whenever I want stop whatever I'm doing and go and sit on the dock and listen to the wind and the water.

I just don't think it gets any better than this.

Thanks for the idea Laurence.