Randy

Monday, June 05, 2023

A customer in HD’s tool department asked for hand planers. He chose all three sizes at the display and said he woodworks using only hand tools. When he asked if the store carries a “spoke planer, I wondered what he’d do with one. He explained that it’s an old tool that craftsmen in the early 1800s used in building wagon wheels. He said he wishes to work in the elemental way of early Oregon prairie craftsmen.

That customer’s name is Randy, and he actually looks the part but is cleaner and tidier than the gold miners in old photos. He’s tall and slender, with a shaped well-groomed beard, wears glasses, and speaks in an educated manner. He loves the television series, “Craftsman’s Legacy.”

He described his current home on 1,000 acres near the Steens Mountains in Eastern Oregon, saying he was thrilled to move into its bare-bones, two-room cabin. He built a bed, a table, and chairs, a stool, and a bench and created lots of wall shelving. His cabin, with wood heating and a water storage tank, resembles an early 1800s dwelling. He adds almost sheepishly, having installed basic plumbing and some solar panels for telephone and television.

He’s gathering tools for his next project, a coffee table. He hasn’t chosen which wood he’ll use but has been considering maple.

I listened longer to Randy than was sales-efficient in a busy department. But that’s how I like to work. I enjoy and appreciate dreams and ambitions, especially those of folks who can articulate their interests comfortably and self-confidently.

Dear Friends: Our inner selves much admire past-times human ingenuity. Diana