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Thread: Legendary Sawdust

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Central, PA
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    416

    Legendary Sawdust

    Miracle of the Sawdust

    It was late November in 1774, and residents in Springfield, Massachusetts were gearing up for another bitter winter. Ted Fieldstone was considered the most talented woodworker in the community. He always saved the sawdust from his projects and would spread it around his property in early spring to absorb the water from the melting snow. On a cold December day, a howling wind knocked over the barrel where Ted stored his sawdust and a cyclone of dust quickly disappeared. As luck would have it a mild winter followed and the skilled craftsman didn’t have a need to take care of the usual muddy conditions.

    From that time onward, every December 1st, hoping to repeat the “Miracle of the Sawdust,” Ted and his friends would take a handful of wooden shavings, throw it into the wind, and follow up chugging a mug of their favorite whiskey. While there is no historical evidence that these actions brought comfortable winters, Ted and his neighbors always enjoyed an opportunity to down some spirits.

    So, grab some lucky sawdust and participate in Ted Fieldstone’s time-honored tradition by throwing it into the wind. Hopefully good fortune and a mild winter will come to you and your friends. Of course, be sure to prepare your favorite cocktail!

  2. #2
    Good story Ed. Thanks for passing it on to us!
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  3. #3
    Great story. The best part is the obligatory and totally random incorporation of whiskey into the tradition.

  4. #4
    Great story of the sawdust of life ... and the water of life! Happy to help celebrate both.🥃

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,354
    Blog Entries
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    Maybe this story will convince my wife she should let me buy a bottle of rum while we are shopping today.

    There is already a bunch of sawdust in the shop.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #6
    Around these parts we should probably have moved it up to November 1 this year.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Reminds me it's time to empty my 30 gal dust collector bin. I dump it in a spot in the woods down from the shop. I follow this by consuming a Hershey's chocolate bar. Every winter has been mild since I started this. Well, full disclosure: we always have mild winters in East TN!

    JKJ (who grew up in western PA)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,251
    Quote Originally Posted by Ed Gibbons View Post
    Miracle of the Sawdust

    It was late November in 1774, and residents in Springfield, Massachusetts were gearing up for another bitter winter. Ted Fieldstone was considered the most talented woodworker in the community. He always saved the sawdust from his projects and would spread it around his property in early spring to absorb the water from the melting snow. On a cold December day, a howling wind knocked over the barrel where Ted stored his sawdust and a cyclone of dust quickly disappeared. As luck would have it a mild winter followed and the skilled craftsman didn’t have a need to take care of the usual muddy conditions.

    From that time onward, every December 1st, hoping to repeat the “Miracle of the Sawdust,” Ted and his friends would take a handful of wooden shavings, throw it into the wind, and follow up chugging a mug of their favorite whiskey. While there is no historical evidence that these actions brought comfortable winters, Ted and his neighbors always enjoyed an opportunity to down some spirits.

    So, grab some lucky sawdust and participate in Ted Fieldstone’s time-honored tradition by throwing it into the wind. Hopefully good fortune and a mild winter will come to you and your friends. Of course, be sure to prepare your favorite cocktail!
    Great story..................Just proves that we're always looking for any excuse to imbibe :-)

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