Spring cleaning...

With Sunday night's snowfall heading quickly down memory lane, the days are turning distinctly warmer, the birds are going bonkers in the hormone department, and that ever so slight greening of grass is punching through. Almost to a one we're looking forward to spring, thanks to the cold and wintry season many of us have had.

"Spring cleaning" is one of those eternal on-going things with me. Basically, it hits me when I've gotten thoroughly fed up with my mess and inability to find something that I know is right under my nose but for the life of me I can't find it even though I walk in circles around and around and around and around the house checking the same areas eighteen times over and never finding it while I waste 5, then 10, then 20, then 30 minutes until I accidentally knock something over or move something and....voila, there it is. Through that exasperation (just like the last sentence), my proverbial 'birdies' fly by and I forgot what I was going to do in the first place. *sigh*

Purging is salubrious on many levels. Goodwill and Amvets benefit nicely. Some sense of order and arrangement is achieved, which gives me hope that I can find things more quickly. Too, there are those objects that have some worth and think about selling it...this economy is pushing that button for many of us, no doubt.

And so it is in my wood room that I have held on to this brick of curly Maple I bought off eBay probably 5 years ago. At that time I had just 'discovered' and made my first little ultra-high flute; too, there were much better 'deals' then than there are now (you really have to hunt and peck to find bargains, if any are to be found). It needs to be resawn for little flutes, blocks, etc...I'm not a turner, but for someone with a lathe this chunk would make an incredible vase. It's one stunning and unusually sized piece of wood that would make any woodworker drool.

It's just a tad over 15-inches long, and each face a tad over 5-inches wide. It's more of a rhombus than a square, but a minor detail...and it has the slightest bit of wane on one edge, wane that would disappear with the slightest of wood working. I wiped the surfaces with water for the pictures below...even if you don't work with wood, you can appreciate how gorgeous this 7-pound piece is.

The dilemma is whether to sell it or not. I keep waiting for my shop to come into being, and I tell myself I'll start working with my really fancy woods then...but it's not like I don't have other wood to create with. I've not made my final decision yet...but that decision is every bit as hard to make as giving up that proverbial ratty old t-shirt we hang on to for dear life (in my case, that's about 17 of 'em...).

(click pics to enlarge)