Binaakwii-Giizis (October) Falling Leaves Moon 8th, 2020 China Cabinet

I've spent the last several days completing an old deer stand. A deer stand is a structure that offers an individual visual advantage in height, cover, and warmth. It is a box or cylinder often built on long strong legs of wood poles or steel and has a sturdy ladder attached to it. Some deer stands have roofs and windows; some do not. This one didn't.

During its construction, I spent a lengthy time laughing, somewhat hysterically at times, as I realized I am much more of a good writer than a good carpenter, although that statement is open to opinion by disagreeables, I suspect. (I would point out few of the opinionated have seen my carpentry.) (And those who have, use the deer stands for free, remembering, "This is no china cabinet." 

Even my grandson Ozaawaa will tell you that, for that is what I tell him prior to any of our projects using wood and tools. "We need to make these pieces accurate, but we won't lose sleep if they're not perfect. This ain't no china cabinet." "Measure twice. Cut once," is the mantra of good carpenters, but somehow, in my experience anyway, having someone else do the measuring may be the better practice, so I am teaching Ozaawaa to use framing squares and tape measures. He is very good with numbers and has an eye for imperfection, so he's a good candidate as a carpenter or high tradesperson, (unlike his grandfather). 

He is too young to use power saws yet, but has become good at using a cordless screw driver. YouTube has a great selection of tutorial carpentry skills, although they don't always translate into immediate skills by the viewer; we're both learning things. Okay, I will cut myself some slack here for I am building an upper-half wall on the ground, atop a lower- half wall that is ten feet in the air. The lower-walled base is made from a heavy old wood shipping crate once used to hold medical equipment. The crate had been reassembled and screwed together onto the base in a hurry last year, and I made no attempt to assure it was 'square' this year before I started building four walls with windows, a door, and a roof on it, because, you know, "It's no china cabinet."

Well, it's only used for three to five days a year, by three or four guys who could care less if the walls aren't perfectly straight, or the plexiglass windows are held open with carpentry string, heavy-duty paper clips and a nail into the ceiling. Making many trips up and down the ladder built of 2x6s, measuring and fitting, and refitting, pieces makes me miss Ozaawaa all the more. He could get some invaluable carpentry lessons here using scrap material, that they don't teach you in Shop Class (Do they still teach Shop in schools anymore?). The sheet of green-treated plywood I used for the windows was so bowed that I could've used it as a toboggan to haul firewood from the woods behind the truck. Thinking of using a block and tackle off the meat pole to pull the door framing section onto the base was a bell-ringer for me after struggling to push, pull, heave it up the steps. 

I was so proud of myself, I stopped to drink a celebratory Cwikla beer, I had rolling around in the back of my pickup for a few days. I had to take my victories as I could. Jerry Solom would've liked that solution too -- and would've probably thought of it quicker. I'm careful not to publicize my few successful solitary efforts, as Jerry accomplished so many huge undertakings all by himself, that he became legendary. But he made things even more possible because he had all the right tools and that's absolutely true, that the right tools for the job makes everything go so much better, no matter what it is you're working on; take china cabinet building for example.