today...

Award base, walnut, but it won't look like much yet.

I'm beginning work on my usual projects for this time of year. Some readers may remember that a number of years ago, I collaborated in the design for the Arkansas Governor's Award for Quality, and each year at this time, I make an award base which will be completed by the addition of a medal encased in Lucite by another Arkansas craftsman.  I am also working on my usual production run of small boxes that will be made for delivery up through November for gallery sales.

Sadly, my work against the SWEPCO extra high voltage powerline must continue until SWEPCO sees the light or the APSC pulls the plug, and there may be some stray visitors to this blog because of a letter I sent on that subject to the Carroll County News. I welcome any new guests whether they are interested in hands-on learning or not.

I can't stress enough how important my woodworking has become as tool for coping with other things. To enter the shop and pick up a piece of wood and surface it smooth to the touch is one of those precious things that so many folks these days may not understand. There truly is wisdom in the hands. When we are creatively engaged, we have the power to set things right in our own lives, even when faced by an adversary so much larger and more powerful than ourselves.

We keep learning more and more about the SWEPCO project that had not been readily forthcoming from the power company. Now we've learned that the 38 acre cowpasture that the utility company paid $600,000 for, will be shared by another utility company, Entergy. They plan additional powerlines north and east that will do further damage in Carroll County and all across the state. So on the one hand, we've learned that we are not alone in the path of destruction, but we've also learned that the adversary in this is not a single corporation, but a pair of them. In addition, we know that one of the commissioners who will decide the case for the APSC is the president of the regional committee of the Southwest Power Pool, the organization that told SWEPCO to build the powerline.

This has really come to be a case of David against a whole tag team of Goliaths. In any case, however, some may recall that Goliath was killed with a single stone to the head. We may not have found the right stone yet, there's a whole community sorting rocks.

Make, fix and create...