I know that plenty of you live in an area where the words “snow” and “shovel” are never in the same sentence. I am also aware that some folks who live where a flake occasionally will fall have been planting gardens and even eating produce from said efforts for a bit of time already. But here in Minnesota (home to “God’s frozen people” as Garrison Keillor has dubbed us), things are just starting to green up and Prozac® sales are dropping.
Some folks have this peculiar notion that the change in season means it’s time to do yard work instead of woodworking. I just don’t get that. I mean, if you mow the lawn … you just have to mow it again a week later: how frustrating is that? But if you build a bookshelf, once you fill it with books, you never have to deal with it again … well, you get the idea.
Anyway, for those of us with garage workshops, this is by far the best time of year. It is neither too hot nor too cold. I leave both garage doors open to the great outdoors and make enough noise and sawdust to really get the neighbors’ attention. So let the grass grow and weed the garden later. Spring in the north country is the perfect time for woodworking.
Sincerely,
– Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
