When I Am An Old Worker of Wood...

I shall wear the loudest flannel shirts I can find, and I shall wear
great wide blazing suspenders.

And I shall talk more while I work.

On the porch of my shop I shall carve and shape wood in my loud
flannel shirts with the great blazing suspenders, and I shall talk
about the happiness to be found in this life. Folks young and old
who pass by will be welcomed to join me.

And they will want to.

They will tell others they know of this old geezer who works wood the
old way, slowly, by hand, and who somehow just makes them feel a
little better for having spent a little time with him.

On the porch of my shop, when I am an old worker of wood in my loud
flannel shirts and great blazing suspenders, I shall see my work less
as an end in itself and more as the means of sharing what I know about
it, and what I've been able to learn about getting along in this life.

I shall make fewer things when I am an old worker of wood, and know
that taking a time of quiet between projects is as much a part of the
work as the work itself and that taking it requires, perhaps, more
skill to do well. And I will be grateful that I took the time to
study the work of those who went before me when I was younger, both
theory and technique. I will be more grateful that they are no longer
just theory and technique, but an intuitive pathway, a discipline that
allows for freedom.

I shall dislike less styles of work when I am an old worker of wood,
accepting each as a distinct and no less essential part of the whole.

I will work less and listen more when I am an old worker of wood. I
will listen as youngsters ask me to show them some method of work, and
I will encourage and I will smile. I will marvel at how proficient
they are and not regret that I waited so long myself to start at this
passion for shaping wood, and I shall realize that we each grow as we
can, and that it matters less where we finish than that we got started
at all. I will finally accept when I am a wise old woodworker, that a
rose can only grow in a day what a rose can grow in a day.

I will talk more when I am an old worker of wood, about the gratitude
I have for the mystery of life. Only rarely, and only if asked, will
I ever offer advice. I will provide those who choose to join me on
the porch of my shop an example that they can be happy in this world
without having all the answers to all of the questions all the time.

I will listen too, when I am an old worker of wood, for their
questions left unasked. I will know then, as we work side by side and
the mutuality of our passion builds friendship, that they will want to
know more from this old geezer than just how to make dovetails and
apply finish. I will know when I am older and much, much wiser that
the answer most needed for most of the young is not "You're doing that
right," as much as it is:

"You are going to be just fine."

I will be more humble when I am an old worker of wood, (God, please!),
and I will more often be the butt of my own jokes. Most of my peers
will think I'm a bit simple and they will be more right than they
know.

On the porch of my shop, when I am an old worker of wood, I will take
longer and longer pauses in my work and honor more and more the work
of others. I will serve them my coffee as they gather on the porch
and when they ask their questions it will take me longer and longer to
answer. I will take long pauses to consider, when I am a great gray
cloud of an ancient worker of wood, whether any of the opinions that I
have to offer are necessary, are true, and are kind.


Michael Baglio
(with thanks and a snap o' the 'spenders to Miss Jenny Joseph)

"Michael Baglio @nc.rr.com" mbaglioNOSPAM wrote in message

When I Am An Old Worker of Wood...


Very good! It went into the "Save" folder immediately.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 2/28/04

Michael Baglio wrote in message . ..
When I Am An Old Worker of Wood...
Snip

Good read, Michael. Thanks.

-Phil Crow

"Michael Baglio @nc.rr.com" mbaglioNOSPAM wrote in message
...
When I Am An Old Worker of Wood...

I shall wear the loudest flannel shirts I can find, and I shall wear
great wide blazing suspenders.

snip

Another keeper!

--
Nahmie
Those who know the least will always know it the loudest.



---
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In article , Michael
Baglio says...
When I Am An Old Worker of Wood...

I shall wear the loudest flannel shirts I can find, and I shall wear
great wide blazing suspenders.

And I shall talk more while I work.

Great!

You might add:

And I won't laugh at my wife when she wears a red hat and a
purple dress.

--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?

flannel shirts with the great blazing suspenders,

Been saving my pennies for a set of those that look like tape measures
myself.

In article ,
says...


flannel shirts with the great blazing suspenders,

Been saving my pennies for a set of those that look like tape measures
myself.

I've got them. But those great big clips are hell on the
furniture.

--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 06:00:58 GMT, Michael Baglio
brought forth from the murky depths:

When I Am An Old Worker of Wood...

I shall wear the loudest flannel shirts I can find, and I shall wear
great wide blazing suspenders.

Great Googly Moogly! Izzit a cross between the Nahm and
Grandpa Walton?


I shall dislike less styles of work when I am an old worker of wood,
accepting each as a distinct and no less essential part of the whole.

Change to "I shall dislike fewer styles..." prior to mass printing.
-ED


Michael Baglio
(with thanks and a snap o' the 'spenders to Miss Jenny Joseph)

"Say, what are those marks on your back and chest? Oh, someone's
been snapping your suspenders again, haven't they?"


You get an "A" and a gold star for today, Mikey. Beautiful story.

(Here's another one for the humor page, Weegee. File it under
"sniffly stuff".)

..-.
Better Living Through Denial
---
http://www.diversify.com Wondrous Website Design

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 16:18:45 GMT, Larry Jaques
wrote:

I shall dislike less styles of work ...

Change to "I shall dislike fewer styles..." prior to mass printing.
-ED

Good catch, Larry. I actually re-read this one prior to posting, so I
missed it _twice._ Can't even blame the spell checker. What an
idoit. ;

M--
I feel more like I do now than I did when I first got here.

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 06:00:58 GMT, Michael Baglio
wrote:

When I Am An Old Worker of Wood...

I shall wear the loudest flannel shirts I can find, and I shall wear
great wide blazing suspenders.


sniparoo

In all fairness, Michael - I think that you should have warned Keeter
that Ms. Joseph's famous poem begins with the line:

"When I am an old woman

I shall wear

PURPLE"


Thomas J. Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
(Real Email is tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 18:34:46 -0500, Tom Watson
wrote:

In all fairness, Michael - I think that you should have warned Keeter
that Ms. Joseph's famous poem begins with the line:

"When I am an old woman

I shall wear

PURPLE"

Y'know, Thomas, I must have actually been _in_ the shop, actually
_doing_ something during the whole "purple" thing. I missed whatever
thread started it, entirely.

(On a totally unrelated, (and therefore almost mandatory), sidenote:
You still own that amazing (b*tch*n, Keeter) F-150 on the front of
your website? I'm guessing '87, as I used to own one looked just like
it. Damn fine vehicle, all 13mpg of it. Hated, _really_ hated, to
give it up.)

M--

"Michael Baglio @nc.rr.com" mbaglioNOSPAM wrote in message
...
(On a totally unrelated, (and therefore almost mandatory), sidenote:
You still own that amazing (b*tch*n, Keeter) F-150 on the front of
your website? I'm guessing '87, as I used to own one looked just like
it. Damn fine vehicle, all 13mpg of it. Hated, _really_ hated, to
give it up.)

Looks almost identical to my '89, except for a considerable amount of cancer
on mine. 200K, still going.

Nahmie


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On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 23:51:31 GMT, Michael Baglio
wrote:


(On a totally unrelated, (and therefore almost mandatory), sidenote:
You still own that amazing (b*tch*n, Keeter) F-150 on the front of
your website? I'm guessing '87, as I used to own one looked just like
it. Damn fine vehicle, all 13mpg of it. Hated, _really_ hated, to
give it up.)


I'll be buried in it.

She's got 135,000 miles on her and currently drives sixty miles a day,
mostly on the Autobahhhhhhnnnnnnnnn, (pennsyltucky turnpike).

The current models look like they were extruded through a sphincter.

If the current Dodge Ram driven craze for bodies that look like turds
with wheels ever ends, I might consider buying new.



Thomas J. Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
(Real Email is tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

HAHAHHAHA Funny you should say that. After driving my old straight 6, 4
speed 86 F-150 4X2 (that's what was on the factory wheel cover centers) I
went to trade her in on a brown, spankre read brand, spanking new 97
model. 4X4, black/burgundy with burgundy interior. After kicking the tires
and looking at the awesome V-8 with an automatic, I asked the salesman (the
same one who sold me the ass kickin 86) if there was going to be a lawsuit
with Ford and have my truck taken away from me. He got a stupider look on
his face and said why??? I said cause you all (Ford) stole the body style
from Dodge! Well, that probably tacked on another couple grand on the final
price. Salesman abuse of something!!! But I loved every minute of him
stammering and stuttering.

--
"Cartoons don't have any deep meaning.
They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh."
Homer Simpson
Jerry© The Phoneman®
"Tom Watson" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 23:51:31 GMT, Michael Baglio
wrote:


(On a totally unrelated, (and therefore almost mandatory), sidenote:
You still own that amazing (b*tch*n, Keeter) F-150 on the front of
your website? I'm guessing '87, as I used to own one looked just like
it. Damn fine vehicle, all 13mpg of it. Hated, _really_ hated, to
give it up.)


I'll be buried in it.

She's got 135,000 miles on her and currently drives sixty miles a day,
mostly on the Autobahhhhhhnnnnnnnnn, (pennsyltucky turnpike).

The current models look like they were extruded through a sphincter.

If the current Dodge Ram driven craze for bodies that look like turds
with wheels ever ends, I might consider buying new.



Thomas J. Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
(Real Email is tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

Check out these suspenders. I have a pair, they are great!
(and I am only 47 y.o.)

http://www.suspenders.com/

-Dan V.



On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 16:06:22 -0800, Larry Blanchard
wrote:

In article ,
says...


flannel shirts with the great blazing suspenders,

Been saving my pennies for a set of those that look like tape measures
myself.

I've got them. But those great big clips are hell on the
furniture.

--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?

Wonderfully written. Thank you!

-Dan V.

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 06:00:58 GMT, Michael Baglio
wrote:

When I Am An Old Worker of Wood...

I shall wear the loudest flannel shirts I can find, and I shall wear
great wide blazing suspenders.

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 18:34:46 -0500, Tom Watson
brought forth from the murky depths:

In all fairness, Michael - I think that you should have warned Keeter
that Ms. Joseph's famous poem begins with the line:

"When I am an old woman

I shall wear

PURPLE"

titter And just where did that famous poet, Keets, come up
with that line, anywho?


..-.
Better Living Through Denial
---
http://www.diversify.com Wondrous Website Design

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 21:15:40 -0500, Tom Watson
brought forth from the murky depths:

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 23:51:31 GMT, Michael Baglio
wrote:


(On a totally unrelated, (and therefore almost mandatory), sidenote:
You still own that amazing (b*tch*n, Keeter) F-150 on the front of
your website? I'm guessing '87, as I used to own one looked just like
it. Damn fine vehicle, all 13mpg of it. Hated, _really_ hated, to
give it up.)


I'll be buried in it.

She's got 135,000 miles on her and currently drives sixty miles a day,
mostly on the Autobahhhhhhnnnnnnnnn, (pennsyltucky turnpike).

So what did the guy say about the price of tossing a newer
302/4OD into it?


The current models look like they were extruded through a sphincter.

If the current Dodge Ram driven craze for bodies that look like turds
with wheels ever ends, I might consider buying new.

You don't like the Yuppie Trucks? The 18 over 4's?


..-.
Better Living Through Denial
---
http://www.diversify.com Wondrous Website Design

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 18:17:03 -0500, "KYHighlander"
scribbled:



flannel shirts with the great blazing suspenders,

Been saving my pennies for a set of those that look like tape measures
myself.

Aren't those kind of suspenders used to measure fish you catch?

Luigi
Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email address
www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/antifaq.html
www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/humour.html

Sun, Feb 29, 2004, 6:00am (EST+5) NOSPAM
) puts out:
snip Folks young and old who pass by will be welcomed to join me.
snip

Last people that passed by were Jehovah's Witnesses. I'm not sure
if they felt welcomed or not - haven't seen any come by since. That was
a few years ago, and they used to come by regular. LMAO

I will listen too, when I am an old worker of wood, for their questions
left unasked. snip

Ha, not me. I learned long ago, to tell 'em, if they want to know
something, they need to ask, because I can't read minds.

they will want to know more from this old geezer snip

Sounds like you don't have kids. My kids think I'm a flaming
idiot.

JOAT
To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people
always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to
use them.
- Richard Henry Lee, 1788

Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT
Web Page Update 28 Feb 2004.
Some tunes I like.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofal...ESILIKEVOCALS/