18 degrees on the way to work, 25 on the way home. Definitely winter now, but no snow… yet.
There is something incredibly satisfying about working with wood. It is so natural, so honest, so real. To take a tree, standing, living, breathing just months ago, cut it down, mill it into rough cut lumber, refine and finish it into a home. It really is amazing.
You don’t fundamentally change it (it’s still wood) but you do change it in some ways. You leave a lasting product that has a legacy. You shape it, refine the rough edges off (if so desired), you finish it, giving it some level of protection from the elements, helping it to last longer.
It’s sort of like raising kids. 😉
White spruce, Denali Highway, Alaska; Alaska Range in the background. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Most of the wood we are building with is White Spruce, just like these.
Cabin in progress, August 2013.
This is the cabin we are just about finished with.
Chrysanthemums-November flower (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Birthdays have always been important to me, one of the first bits of information I usually glean about an individual or new friend, “when is your birthday?”. November has always been a big birthday month for our family and extended family (friends) with many joyful celebrations going on. Couple that with Thanksgiving, Hanukkah (this year) and anniversaries and you have a really busy month. Plus I have added two new friends this year with November birthdays.
The most important November birthday will probably always be my Mom’s. She even shared it with me.
I often wondered why chrysanthemums were the chosen birth-month flower for November? Seems like these days, these flowers are only given to folks who are sick in “get well” bouquets or in funeral arrangements. And have you ever smelled a chrysanthemum? Wow. I really feel cheated in the floral department. I mean really, June gets warm weather and roses. Although I guess if I consider the meaning behind the flower I should feel quite relieved. The language of flowers they say, meaning “with love and cheerfulness” the chrysanthemum was a good choice for Victorian era lovers, who were bound to silence their feelings and not express them verbally, yet a bouquet of flowers could say it all. Thus the chrysanthemum was preferred to express the sentiment “with love & cheerfulness” from the sender, as opposed to “with love and depression” such as Romeo might have sent to Juliet.
Birthstones go along with birthdays you know. I’ve always loved February and August’s stones, although I never really cared for my birthstone. I always thought it drab and boring until I discovered the wide range of colors that the Topaz can range in (yellow, pink, purple, gold, brown, orange and blues). Citrine, also considered a November birthstone, can be quite lovely as well. I’ve heard it said that citrine is the amethyst without the purple color. Two stones of the same substance only in different hues. Now I prefer topaz and citrine in jewelry and one of my favorite rings has Amethyst, blue topaz and Peridot, the perfect trio for me!
Now, if I just had me a bouquet of chrysanthemums…
So for all of my fellow friends and family celebrating November birthdays, happy day of your birth and be blessed!
Alaska on my mind... 