What's an F.W.?

When my wife first heard my name mentioned in conversation, she stopped the speaker to ask, "What's an F.W.?" not realizing "F.W." might be the name of some studly, eligible bachelor. If you've read this blog in the past, you may have inadvertently gleaned some knowledge of my personality and style. If not, let me tell you. I'm a highly organized "neat-freak", well groomed, snappy dressed, fitness guru. I'm also a habitual liar (cue cheesy sitcom laugh track). For my impeccable sense of humor I thank my father, who continues to perfect his life-long list of one-liners (by means of daily, repetitive recitation in front of any and all appreciable audiences) well into his eighth decade; and, for my creativity I thank Mom, who painted murals on the walls of our childhood home and once decorated my brother as a bag of groceries (complete with a "head" of cabbage) for Halloween. I might "shoot from the hip", "wing it" or even pretend like I "know what I'm doing" from time to time, despite the trouble it gets me into, but I always find a way to get things done. That's an F.W.

The 'Castle Coop finally paid out some sense-of-completion dividends today. I came in from the cold and mentioned to Brinn that I was close enough to completion to start seeing the finished product. This is a great feeling; because, I don't use building plans, blueprints or any other type of thing that tells me exactly what to do. It can be a little nerve-racking spending a few days on a project without any clue of what it will really look like when it's done; but, when everything starts to turn out alright, I breathe a familiar sigh of relief and do a little dance (no joke). All the careful measurements, dozens of adjustments, skinned knuckles and occasionally thrown tools add up to a sum that is greater than the whole of the parts. Brinn asked, "What's an F.W." 10-11 years ago, and we're still trying to figure that one out, but I have to believe its going to come together someday, just like this coop:

Tuesday's "End of the Day (actually, night)" picture. The Double-Z (my own terminology) door is my favorite.

Trim work and shingles going up. I found an antique window for the other side, but those pictures didn't turn out.

Brinn promises to help me get some sweet shots tomorrow... I have some good stories and also some good tips about tools, but I'm tired. Bedtime.

-F.W.