Another Day in Paradise

From 1981 to 2017 I traveled almost every week around the world as a Field Sales Engineer. My favorite part of every week was coming home. Home to rural North Carolina, to the house and shop that Pennie and I built. Home to my four children and the menagerie of animals we’ve had over the years. Home.

Since 2017, I’m home almost every day. I walk to work a hundred yards to the shop. Another day in paradise.

I usually start the day by sweeping the floor. Some days, like today, I shovel the floor and then sweep. I’m going to make a mess again today but it’s nice to start with a clean floor. When I’m turning green bowls the curly shavings build up pretty fast. Sometimes I shovel it more than once a day. I use a big plastic snow shovel.

In the summer I mulch the shavings. In the winter I spread them out on the floor to dry overnight then use them to start a fire in the wood stove the next morning. Oscar likes to bite the shovel, often spilling out half of the scoop. It’s annoying but funny.

So here I go this morning, about to start my walk to the shop with Oscar. Another day in paradise.