Currently
What I’m Doing Now
The last few months have been a grind, mostly a big move behind the scenes, but I’m finally seeing some daylight.
Moving the Labs to Circle
The big project this spring was moving my whole community off Teachable and onto Circle. Both the Robot Assistant Field Guide and the MacSparky Labs really want an easy place for people to gather, and Teachable was never built for that.
The move was a slog, and I leaned hard on my own robot powers to get through it. But I’m finally seeing daylight, and the new community is great. If you’ve been looking for a better place to talk about this stuff, this is it.
A Quiet Season in the Shop
The shop stayed quiet this spring. I knocked out a pile of small craft projects, nothing worth showing off here, but the bigger builds stalled while the Circle move ate my calendar. Once I’m all the way through the transition, I plan to get back out there and make more shavings.
A Big Spring for the Bonsai
I spent the season with my trees instead, and it turned into a big spring for the bonsai. Lots of pruning, plenty of wiring, and they’re looking better than they have in a long while.
Goodbye to the Pergola
About 25 years ago I designed and built a patio cover in the backyard. I was proud of that design. The kids were little, I got the whole thing done with almost no help, and it’s been a point of pride ever since.
Then a fire chief friend stopped by and looked at it the way a fire chief looks at things. All that old, dry Douglas fir would make a fine place for a wildfire to take root if one ever came through town.
So I took it down. There was some sadness in that. In its place I put up an aluminum pergola. The new one is nice. It’s not as interesting to look at, and I miss the old one. But it’s not flammable, and these days that counts for more.
The Morality of Happiness
I’m slowly working my way through The Morality of Happiness by Julia Annas. It’s really resonating with me, but it keeps sending me off on side quests to read other books as I go.
New Pants
Daisy and I have been working really hard this year, with lots of Pilates, swimming, and exercise. I’m pleased to report that I lost enough weight that I needed to buy new pants.
Seeing Daylight
It’s been a heads-down few months, more than I’d like. The hard part is behind me now. The new community is settling in, and I can feel my attention drifting back to the shop, the trees, and the writing. That feels good.
The Now Page
Hat tip to Derek Sivers for the idea of this “Now” page. I’m terrible at social media, but this page gives me a place to check in with the world and update you, as Derek recommends, like I would when catching up with an old friend.