I have a project that I’ll share next time, but it required finishing some maple. Though I like the way the wood looked raw, I figured it would be a good idea to give it some protection so it wears well over time. This lead me on a research quest to find which finish would compliment my project the best. After reading a few articles and watching some videos, I decided on Tung Oil as it does very well with maple, highlighting the grain and not discoloring the wood or yellowing over time. It is considered more of a wood conditioner than a finish and will not protect against water rings (ALWAYS USE A COASTERS). Of everything I read and watched, this was the most informative video I came across.

For Mother’s day, I decided to build fences for the three gardens we have. It used to be one garden, but last mother’s day it became three. These are standard 10 x 2’s in eight foot runs so that by cutting one in half, you end up with a garden area of 8 x 4. Given the wildlife we have in the neighborhood (squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, foxes, occasional coyote, and a variety of birds), it always is smart to put up some chicken wire around the perimeter of the garden. Every year this proves to be a hassle as the wire precariously attaches to green stakes driven into the earth, with their poorly lined up hooks for attaching the wire. Every year I curse having to put up the mesh wire and it always bows and requires an obscene number of staples to create a seal so critters don’t make their way in from below.

Finally watched Sicario: Day of the Soldado

I thoroughly enjoyed the first Sicario movie and would consider it one of the best movies I’ve seen in the last decade. A very excellent film on manipulating tension with some larger than life characters. The second movie was good, but not what I would consider within the same realm of the first film. I think one of the magic element of the first Sicario movie is the characterization. They are definitive and you very clearly get an understanding of who they are and their motivations. Matt Gruber did not have nearly enough time on screen. You want to know more about him and that’s part of the beauty of how he is written. I think any story that leaves you wishing a character had more time should be cherished and not turned into another movie. Another great example of this would be Lt. Aldo Raine from Inglorious Basterds.

I’m a sucker for a masculine space like this Whiskey/Cigar Room by Jeremy Siers. It has a very nice aesthetic with the dark colors and subtle backlighting. Who wouldn’t feel like a sophisticated man, sipping their whiskey, in a well appointed room like this.