My Introduction To Turning

Recently I purchased a lathe and decided that I would try to turn something just to try it out.  This object is about 1.5 inches wide and about 4 inches tall.  I didn’t really have any purpose in mind for this turning; it was just something to do.  When I showed it to Sarah she said that it looked like a candlestick and my parents said it looked like a chess piece.  Both of those interpretations work fine for me!  Now it looks like I have a few things to try: make some candlesticks and a full blown chess set. 

The chess set is what I am worried about.  I have always wanted a nice chess set but making the whole thing has not been seriously considered.  I have thought about making a nice chess board but don’t think I have considered actually making all of the pieces as well.  One might say that I am a bit of a perfectionist and with that said creating a chess set is quite a daunting (and challenging… and fun) task because I will want all of the pieces to look the same.  So creating 16 pawns, 4 knights, 4 bishops, 4 rooks, 2 queens and 2 kings and having all of the pawns look exactly the same as all of the other pawns.  And all of the knights look just like the other nights… and… you get the idea.  I will give it a shot and see what happens.

Friday Surprise

Friday when I arrived home a box rested on my doorstep basking in dappled sunlight. As I parked I noticed that the box had green writing that read “Burpee America’s Gardener.” My tomatoes! I made an order earlier this year (I don’t remember when) for three sweet tangerine tomato plants. I have grown them now for two years. One of my favorite varieties I must say. They are very sweet and mild tasting with less acid than their red counterparts. They are simply delectable. I can’t wait for fresh tomatoes. They can be sliced about 1/4 inch thick and eaten plain or we could liven them up a little bit with julienned basil, salt, pepper and a touch of minced garlic. Yum! I love tomatoes. They are very versatile fruits. You can slice off the top and spoon out some of the seeds and flesh from inside of the tomato and stuff them with seasoned bread crumbs and bake them until they are nice and soft. They can be turned into a magnificent salsa or light sauce, or diced and sprinkled over a salad. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Oh yes… have I mentioned that I am a total tomato snob? The tomatoes from the store just do not compare to a fresh home grown tomato in the flavor department. For the past two years can not say that I have particularly enjoyed a tomato that I have purchased at a store. Time to grow some more!