The Dog and The Couple

[Erich Weidner]

Kind of a random thing, but wanted to share as it makes me smile.

Throughout the height of COVID as my business clung to life by a fingernail (and new debt) I spent a lot of time immersed in woodworking videos, books, and Sawmill Creek. In many ways this kept my mind off of looming bankruptcy and was I think more productive and satisfying than playing video games/etc. I just couldn't focus on reading fiction for example as entertainment... mind would wander to the negative. Woodworking learning kept my mind fully engaged.

At any rate, for a number of months I wasn't doing wood working and my time on the Creek faded. Wife tends to join me on the couch before bed to play on her iPad or read her hobby books. I'm with a keyboard on my lap with the living room TV as my computer reading things.

Occasionally she would glance up and see the screen. Recently, after a while she exclaimed, "Oh, it's the dog and the couple. I haven't seen them for a while." She is referring to Ken Hatch and Jim Koepke's avatars. (Sorry Jim, due to the resolution I don't know if your avatar is actually a couple. But the spouse decided it was a couple, so there it is.)

Anyway, just an aside. And the fact that in my little family the "faces" of folks here on the Creek are more than just pixels on the screen.

Cheers folks, and thanks for all the good conversation.

[Meryl Logue]

Awwwww! I’m glad you see the positive. I’ve learned a tremendous amount here. I hope your future brightens quickly!

[Christopher Charles]

Thanks for sharing your story-woodworking and SMC have been a salve for me through several challenges as well. Hope things are smoothing out for you and your family.

[Jim Koepke]

(Sorry Jim, due to the resolution I don't know if your avatar is actually a couple. But the spouse decided it was a couple, so there it is.)

Lol, no need for apologies here. Yes it is my wife Candy and me on the easement across the front of our property. The picture was taken by my brother. My height is almost 6'. Candy is only 4'10" tall. The image is staged with me standing on a slight crown of the driveway and Candy is in a slight rut.

Easement at South of Property.jpg

It is one of my favorite views on my way to and from my walk when picking up the mail.

Found the image with better resolution:

Candy & Me on Driveway.jpg

Best wishes for your business picking up.

jtk

[Erich Weidner]

Thanks Jim, good to see the higher resolution image. I grew up in a National Forest in PA, but now live in the burbs of Austin on a tiny lot. Looks like a relaxing place to live.

PS. Business is picking up, but we can't seem to hire servers or cooks (it is a pub)... so out of the frying pan, into the fire. But too much business stress to handle is a bit better than going out of business stress.

[Tom Vanzant]

Hang in there, Erich. Gov Abbot says he’s cutting off the fed supplement to unemployment, so maybe some will rejoin the working.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Hang in there, Erich. Gov Abbot says he’s cutting off the fed supplement to unemployment, so maybe some will rejoin the working.

I stopped at the (TX) grocery store on the way to the house yesterday and forgot to take my work access badge off my belt. 3 People in the store stopped me and said hello, then asked if we were hiring (we're not, unfortunately). People's eagerness for work varies. I'll let the reader speculate on why.

[ken hatch]

Erich,

Tell your wife we along with Sweet Maggie Dog are camp hosting for Oregon State Parks until the first of the year. My portable workbench didn't make this trip so there is not much woodworking to post about. I did bring stuff to carve some spoons and such but not much more.

ken

[Jim Koepke]

People's eagerness for work varies. I'll let the reader speculate on why.

Some news reports have had interviews with people who are not going back to food/beverage service jobs and are applying for (and getting) higher paying jobs instead.

People like having employment with regular hours. In my younger days my regular job had set hours five days a week. A part time job was available at a lower wage. The manager knew of my regular hours but that didn't concern him. He was always trying to get me to work during my regular shift. When this was brought to his attention for about the fourth time he told me, "you need to decide if you want to work here or not." My reply was, "let's see, is 40 set hours a week at a higher pay better than working for someone who can't figure out scheduling," and quit.

If unemployment is paying more than working, some people will be happy to milk the system. People tend to know unemployment doesn't have any benefits which is a reason many people will put up with some less than ideal employment.

jtk

[Erich Weidner]

I'll steer clear of getting into politics here. I have some strong opinions myself, and it is very hard to not make comments, but at the end of the day I'd rather not have my opinion of fellow woodworking enthusiasts colored by it (and vice versa), so... I shall refrain. Main point here for me is that conversations here have been a pleasent distraction from COVID hardships.

I'm hoping we can hire people and I can have a day off and get my business hours back to normal so we can crawl out of debt and maybe eak out a profit again so that one day all this stress will be worth it and I can retire some day.

[Jim Koepke]

I'm hoping we can hire people and I can have a day off and get my business hours back to normal so we can crawl out of debt and maybe eak out a profit again so that one day all this stress will be worth it and I can retire some day.

Cheers to that, sorry for digressing off topic.

jtk

[Dennis Droege]

Thank you for your broadminded generosity, Erich. I've been soured on at least two forums because of my fellow members expressing views that made my stomach hurt. We live in interesting times.

[Jerry Olexa]

Our spouses tend to have an interesting but different perspective.....Forces us to think "outside the box"....Humbling too.

[Jerry Olexa]

And Erich, I hope you business is doing better!!
Its been a year of challenge for most of us!!!