No F150 work this week—waiting on parts.
This week was an unplanned project. I have a neighbor I’ve talked to here and there over the past year, but never at length. Then out of the blue last Monday, he walked over and asked if I’d work on something for him. He had noticed I do a bit of woodworking and he needed a cover for his stove that would double as a cutting board. He had already purchased the aspen cutting board and the boards that would raise it above the range top. I say “cutting board,” but it was really one of those 3/4” thick edge-glued planks.
I told him I’d be glad to work on it. I stopped by on Tuesday evening to let him know that I’d be by to measure on Wednesday. We ended up talking quite a while, and he opened up to me about some health troubles he’d been having lately. Being resolutely anti-advice, I tried mostly to listen and empathize. In the days since, we’ve talked several times and even exchanged phone numbers in case he ever needs anything.
I finished it this afternoon, before his wife returns tomorrow from a family visit. He seemed happy with it. I hope it works out, though I suspect aspen may be too soft for this purpose.
The important work this week was not this particular cutting board, but making a connection with a neighbor. Being an introvert, it’s not something I easily do. Getting a job in my own town, volunteering at the community foundation and the homeless shelter, talking to neighbors—it’s all part of my larger effort to embed myself fully in my community. Localism doesn’t do any good if it’s confined to your head.