News & Sneak Peeks:

Friday Roundup from the DustyNewt Workshop 03/29/2024

Today’s “17 Step Commute” Dashboard…

• Temp: Currently low 60s. High of 75 today 😎 Perfecto!

• Humidity: 2 on the “Soup” scale. (1=light broth, 5=thick chowder)

• Today’s Playlist: Briefcase Full of Blues, Senor Blues (feat. Taj Mahal), Curtis Mayfield’s “Super Fly”

• Conditions: Crisp air, clear walkway, cat patrol asleep.

• Estimated Travel Time: 18 seconds

• Food: Banana - Turkey & Swiss on a Ciabatta. Wings thawing for supper.

• Coffee Level: 1/4 Tank

On the Workbench and in the Yard…

With only 10 Etsy orders this week (see “Sneak Peeks” below), getting our yard in shape while it is relatively cool has been my focus. Once it gets hot here in Florida, the rains come just about every day, causing the jungle to encroach at breakneck speeds. So it is necessary to prepare the property now so that I can get by with 3 or 4 hours a week of beating it back with a weed whacker and mower later. Otherwise, nature will encase us, like some forgotten ancient Thai temple in the rain forest.

Side Yard After Cat Approved Devining

We tend to let the plants grow as they wish and produce plenty of oxygen to offset the fumes that come from the busy highway that our country lane has become over the last 40+ years. 80% of the yard is shaded and is most welcome come August.

Cement Goldfish Pond (before)

We lost the last 3 (out of 15) goldfish in our cement pond last fall. They were 15 years old and almost 8 inches in length. So, this week I have been raking it out and readying it for another dozen fish once the rains start. The wet leaves and muck at the bottom make excellent mulch and food for the plants and trees we prize the most. We do no other fertilizing.

Beverly Mango Tree

Our Beverly mango tree is blooming again, after a drastic trimming two years ago when hurricanes had their way. So we’ll likely have a decent harvest this year, around September (barring any storm work between now and then), filling our freezer with sweetness for another year.

I mention all of this work as an example of how we make and save money. Doing these tasks now will allow me to concentrate on my woodstuffs when orders do start filling my clipboard. If we were to hire someone to do the needed yardwork that has been done just this week, we would have had to outlay $800 to $1,000. Added to my slow-time Etsy income, we figure we have a net income of at least $1,200. Balance in nature equals balance in the bank.

Sneak Peeks

Thanks for checking in. Here’s a view of this week’s Etsy orders.

For customers, this should ease your mind that your order is quite important to me and being attended to, not sitting on a clipboard or in the to-do pile. Also, if your order is being sent as a gift to a recipient at another address, you get to see it before they do.

For subscribers, this will give you an idea of the physical things I create and ship worldwide. They keep me sane and help me find my peace.

Every order is carved individually by hand, in the order that they are received. Some weeks are busier than others. I usually carve and ship within 3 to 5 business days.

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If you are enjoying what you see… I like it hot and black. 😉

Photo by Boshoku on Unsplash

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