Fall is my favorite time of year for three main reasons: it is the kickoff of “back to the shop” woodworking season, it is the beginning of football season, and it is the opening of bird hunting season. Do you see a theme running through this? The only problem is that all these favorite activities compete for my time and attention — and to top if off, I occasionally have to work, too! As you can imagine, this leads to a fair bit of stress.
I have tried to combine them, but with poor results. For example, I was putting a finish on some end tables while listening to my Minnesota Vikings play football at the same time. As I applied the rub-on finish, the Vikes would sometimes do well and then occasionally blow a bit play, hey it’s football. But as a result, my efforts would vary with the plays, rubbing harder, faster, softer. This led to an uneven finish, which later had to be touched up and redone. I also discovered that even if you pound the table with an open can of wipe-on poly sitting upon it, the results can be a bit messy. (My Vikings this year have played absolutely lousy football, but somehow have managed to get themselves into a tie for first place in their division – I can’t figure out whether to cry or cheer as I am watching and listening to them.)
Fortunately, I have not tried to combine hunting and woodworking — I think that has disaster written all over it. The good news is that having too much of a good thing is a great problem to have. So I will bask in my good fortune and quit writing so I can follow up on all three!
– Rob Johnstone
