Taking One for the Team

Earlier this week my funny friend, Vern, noted how awesome it was that my husband would "take one for the team" by letting me post that photo of him in the safety harness. Unfortunately, the safety harness didn't help at all when he accidentally triggered the pneumatic nail gun and sent a 3" ringed nail through his shoe and subsequently through his foot.

Sorry if you're squeamish...don't look any further.

Anyway, I was just returning from my morning run when I heard a few choice uncharacteristic words coming from the roof (trust me, they were choice, but mild for the circumstances). He climbed down, had some ice water and extra-strength Excedrin, and off we headed to the ER to see how they would handle the situation.

First off, he helped them cut his shoe away from around the nail. (I'm sure they appreciated that his feet were clean).

Then the ER doc performed surgery on the shoe leather so he could see the true extent of the injury.

At last the  wound was exposed. Yay!! Totally missed the bone and the tendon. Nice piercing, honey. Should we leave it in and call it jewelry?

A nurse then came and irrigated the wound...OK, probably too much info, but note the stream of water coming out of the right side of his knuckle... cooool! 

 And finally, the remains of the shoe and the misguided missile. 

Thanks, honey, for working so hard on the roof...AND... for taking another one for the team so I could practice my texturing technique. You're the best!!

Blurred Vision

Does a picture, whether in my mind or in the literal sense of a photo or painting, have to be perfectly clear or sharply in focus for me to know what it is?

Whether sharp or not, I still know a grassy field when I see it.

I don't need to see the yellow of the blossoms to know what these flowers are. 

I don't need to see every wheaten grain to see the whole of it... 

...nor each daisy petal.

Would my vision be clearer if I were a bird on a wire?

Even in the darkness, light can be found....like in this barn with its smell of fresh cut bales of hay. 

From above, light streams in between the cracks in the boards...and reveals the necessary details. 

Can we have too much light? Can we have too much knowledge about any one thing? Sometimes it seems that way, but perhaps it's really too many questions, not enough answers and thus we are overwhelmed by the details.

We can become ensnared by the barbed wire of indecision, poor choices and the things that bind us up.

 When we feel like the walls are falling down around us...

it would be nice to compartmentalize our lives...into neat little boxes...

...or to separate ourselves from the harsh realities. 

We can always look upward for light and clarity. It is always there if we but act...

Or we can sit idly by, waiting to be acted upon... but our spirits run the risk of being overcome by opportunistic weeds if we do. 

Sometimes the details are too much and we can't make order of them. 

The big picture is good enough for me. I'm grateful for the big picture.

Safety Before Fashion

I'm certain that my hubby doesn't love the idea of this photo being posted on my blog, but such is life. Working on the roof of the studio is no joking matter. At its pinnacle, the roof is approximately 45 feet above the ground, and at its lowest point, it's still about 13 feet. Needless to say, a fall would be dangerous, if not disastrous. So, although he looks like a dangling monkey when he's all harnessed up, I'm glad that he's safe and I can still laugh at (with) him.

Love you, honey!

On Being Teachable

There is something about the innocence of children...they don't know about pride and contention and deceit and all the things that we learn over time. In the absence of all these things, they are humble and teachable. We would do well to be more like them.

All the Work, None of the Glory...

Last Saturday it was an Eagle project. This week it was a ward service project to commemorate the 75th year of the church welfare program. I love our ward...good hard working people who pitch up with gloves, tools and smiling faces when asked to, give it their all and expect nothing more in return than the satisfaction of being part of a great work.

The project was actually three different jobs. The first was to clean up a dismantled barn.

The second was to clean up a LOT of accumulated stuff for a family that has lived in the valley for a long time. I'm not sure anyone really knew what they were getting into... kind of like hearing the unexpected "surprise, I'm pregnant*". 

The smiling faces will confirm this, but I didn't hear a single whine or complaint all day. 

 The third job was to clear old insulation out of a basement. It was definitely not a pleasant job, but do you see any frowny faces here?

Back at the barn, the crew was making good progress getting all the walls, beams and roofing materials separated and cut into smaller manageable pieces.

 Who says power tools are just for guys? You go, girlfriend! 

 One man's junk is another man's treasure, no?

Returning to the second project, things were shaping up nicely too. 

I love the way that everyone helped...old and young, weak and strong, boy and girl...that's the way to get things done!

Someone told them they shouldn't look like they were having too much fun...haha.. FAIL!

 Way more organized than before. 

 Yay!! All done!  Nobody was seeking any glory, but I say this young woman should get the hardest worker award for the day! Everywhere I turned, she was lifting, pulling, pushing and carrying more than her weight! Props to you, you rock!!!

(Note: to see the entire unedited set of photos, click here).

*Saturday Centus