Day 32 of 365

On the 32nd day I had a full plate. I decided to take my very first solo blacksmithing class. This is pretty big for me. I got a chance to work an entire project alone. Some of you know that my youngest child is my partner in creation when it comes to blacksmithing. The kid is my muscle, my second brain and quite often has the solution to whatever problem might pop up. It's amazing to be able to think backwards and deconstruct a project and make it work. That is not a strength that I have and today I was on my own.

The blacksmithing group had some returning students and quite a few new ones. The best part was that there were plenty of seasoned blacksmiths to help everyone attending. The plan for today was to create hook & eye latches from 5/8" metal round stock. This shit is pretty thick and on a good day it's tough to move. On a good day, I mean when my muscly kid is around. Most of the techniques involved with this project weren't terribly complicated and I was able to work through. I had to heat it extra hot to move this metal on my own. The problem with this is two fold. One, getting the metal extra hot in a coal forge is tricky because the heat isn't consistent which leads to burning the metal. Oh yes, you can burn metal. I'll confess, I burned my metal a few times today. The second issue, and I'm still working on this, is waiting for the metal to get hot.

I've discovered this about myself. I think I might need to address my inability to be patient in the next 333 days. Patience and paying attention to a coal forge are crucial and most of the time I'm not on my own for this. I really missed my partner. Something else I've never had to worry about at these events is getting hit on. Today I was hit on and you should have seen how filthy I was. Never gonna happen dude. This dynamic did affect the way I work. I just want to enjoy building the project without any bullshit. I will remember to bring my kid next time.

I was fortunate to work with another woman who was there for her first time. It was exciting to share my experience with her. The event was a full exhausting day and by the end I was so ready for a shower and a nap but blacksmithing wasn't the only plan for the day.

For Day 32 I also took my family on a torchlit Halloween hike. Yes, after all of us had a full day of work we went on a hike in the dark. It was wonderful. The weather was perfect and the night air was so cool that it made an intriguing setting. We were the last group to arrive and had the final tour on the trail. The guide led us through the hike intended for families. As adults it was humorous to hear the performances given my grown men and women in animal costumes. We made our way through and picked up an adventurer, a snapping turtle, a frog, a bee and a crow. It was like some crazy joke but we enjoyed every bit of it. With stars twinkling and shooting across the sky we hiked through the evening. It was the perfect way to end the day.