The Broken Knife

Sometime around the 1980's, when two of my three kids left home, to strike out on their own, I was left with a decision...to do nothing or get a hobby. I had an outside job, as a medical assistant/office manager, in a surgeon's office, but I needed more. I really hadn't thought of a hobby, but one day...the blade of one of my small paring knives broke in half. I liked this knife and used it a lot, so I decided to sharpen the broken edge...this took sometime. Once sharpened, I had a square looking cutting edge...what could I do with this? As I sharpened it, I would pick up pieces of wood and whittle on them, to see if the broken edge was getting sharp enough to cut. After awhile, of doing this...and having nothing but wood shavings on the floor, I picked up a piece of cedar kindling...began cutting and ended up with what looked like a letter opener.

So began my short lived carving career. I made letter openers with hearts, leaves, flowers, sometimes on request, I personalized them with initials. Everyone got a gift of a letter opener. From letter openers, I went on to key-chain designs (those thing you hang on key chains), animals, small containers, etc. Everything was rather crude looking, but sand paper works wonders.

I prided myself, in the fact, that I never used electric machinery of any kind...everything was started from scrap wood. I would walk the woods of Shady Oaks, in search of the perfect piece of wood. The wood spoke to me, and directed me in what it was going to end up being. Sometimes, it ended up being some silly looking little animal, and sometimes it was just a piece of wood, with carvings on it. After the letter openers, I never planned anything again...I just let the wood tell me what it wanted to be.

I made a silly carving of my puppy Rocky, with legs extended in the air...just how she liked to lay and play. When I was halfway through with it...I found out, that it could be set upright in a sitting position also. I don't know what kind of wood I used...it was just laying on the forest floor. I carved many animals...some of the animals haven't even evolved yet.

Although I wasn't, what you would call good...I really enjoyed it. It was something that I did, just for me. I would turn on the music of Bob Segar or Rod Stewart...it gave me inspiration and made me feel creative. (Actually music of any kind, makes me feel wonderful...from classical to country.) I think I may be mistaken here...Bob Segar music makes me feel like drawing a picture...don't ask me why...it just does.

Keep scrolling down this page and you'll see some of the things I made...my puppy, Rocky is my favorite (for sentimental reasons).