SIMPLE Stuff - For Any Level of Whittler

 Every now and then when my brain is not functioning at a proper level I go to my scrap box and make blanks of the smallest and easy things to whittle.  And like it or not, my brain is taking a time out more and more often.

I only follow a few rules when whittling simple stuff.  RULE 1 KNIVES only.  A piece of RESCUED SCRAP WOOD.  MINIMUM VALUE TO THE WOOD USED.  It's rescue wood!  It'd be burned if not rescued for my small stuff.   The whittled piece must be kid friendly, in as much as something they would get some enjoyment out of.  I am mainly talking about the whittling being turned into a pendant for around the neck.   You see these are all given away.  Some time to the kid directly (with parents OK).  Try it, it's fun.

This small easy whittling also includes REFRIGERATOR MAGNETS,  CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS, and  PINS.

                                           

                                           

                                           

                                           

WILD LIFE

 We do have an abundance of wild life.  Some very visible and numerous, others more secretive, and leave only evidence of their being.

Deer photo through the porch screen.

Evidence of "protected" Dune mouse.  In a large rat trap on my ground deck.  I prefer to refer to this animal as a rat.

Snakes

Snake after my Gnome

Hawk in tree

                                           Great Horned Owl with a rat for dinner, in tree.

Evidence of bear activity

Bear Photo off back deck

Lizards on railing getting it on!

Turtle nest.

In future post we'll look at the human wild life.

WHITTLING GIVEAWAYS

 As part of my therapy to enjoy life I spend a whole lot of time with a pocket knife in my hand.  I whittle small items that I can complete and carry in my pocket. These small whittlings are given to kids and any others really.  This activity makes me feel good and keeps me busy and out of trouble.  Kind of, anyway!

Here's some photos of whittled and homemade giveaways.

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WHERE I WHITTLE!

My house on the Florida Panhandle has a front screened in porch as well as a back porch.  My main whittling station is on the front screened in porch.  A key tool is a hand held dust buster.

Sometimes I move my whittling area to the lower level ground deck.

Back deck!  This deck has no screens but is still 8 feet in the air, so less bugs.  This whittling area is in the shade during most of the PM.

Sometimes I take a folding chair and walk to the beach across the road to whittle.

Some do refer to this part of the Panhandle as the FORGOTTEN COAST.  Notice the crowds!

View from the front screened porch. The gulf is in front of the house across the road.

In really bad weather, I'll whittle inside

My portable whittling rig!  For inhouse whittling.

Some would say I have it made.  I do!

WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING INSTEAD OF POSTING

 

Let me try to catch you all up on what I’ve been up to since my blogging came to a stop.  I’ll hit the highlights with photos and some dialog.  I’ll add some projects photos as I attempt to tell the story.

My biggest Woodworking adventure involved the making of a Christmas Tree ornament of the Grounded shrimp boat DONNA KAY.  The abandoned DONNA KAY was grounded on a beach ten minutes from my house, and became quite a celebrity item for several years, until she was cut up and removed.

 

This is the way the DONNA KAY was left.  She kind of stayed this way except during storms, when she might pivot around a bit.

Here’s some of the ornaments that I made from some of the wood salvaged from her.

These DONNA KAY ornaments are about 2 to 4 inches in length.  Each one had an “Eye piece: attached so they could be hung on a tree.  I enjoyed gifting these little boats.    I have made over 150 DONNA KAY ornaments to date.

    

 

The DONNA KAY project has kept me busy, with a purpose.  I need to be busy.  This project has brought me and others a lot of joy.  I did not want to be one of the many retired folks who just sit around and do nothing.  I wanted to have fun too.

I know this is not wood carving, but it’s working with wood.  I do use my pocket knife to shape the shrimp boats hull.