Soft Hands and Calluses

We’re finally getting a winter from the old days. Wet, cold and…well, wintry. The last few years, winter has been dry, dry, dry and not particularly cold. It just doesn’t seem right to miss out on an honest to goodness winter.

That being said, I’ll be glad when the Sparing weather takes over and we start to get the warmer weather again. As a runner, I don’t particularly enjoy running with layers of clothing on my back, all that chafing and what not. Not to mention the fact that we are just about out of firewood this year. Boy, a serious miscalculation on my part thanks very much. With at least a good solid month of cold weather ahead of us it feels like we’re on a serious wood ration, virtually down to burning bark and other scraps. It’s a-scrounging I must go.

Another shocking realisation of just how indentured to the office lifestyle I have become when I did a bit of yard work last weekend. Nothing overly strenuous mind you, just cutting down a palm tree segment by segment. The fibrous nature of the palm means that the saw blade gets continually caught as you work your way through it. Anyway, I’d only been at it for an hour or so when the first blister made its presence felt on my hand. Man, it doesn’t take long for the hands to soften and a bit of hard work really shows you where you’re at.

I did the right thing, though. I sucked it up and kept sawing away until the job was done. I only did a bit of whinging and whining but not so much that I can’t hold my head up in front of the kids!

Most of the palm is still standing ( I really only lopped the top two segment off) but at least it’s getting lower and lower. The next segment will have to done from a ladder – the first couple were so high I was standing on the garage roof to get to them. I’m not sure how I’ll go cutting into the top of a palm tree up a ladder with nothing more than a pruning saw. The effort that has to go into getting through the sappy palm will really get that ladder shaking I should think. Some care…some care. At least my hands should be a little tougher for the next part of the job, I’ve got that going for me.

Soft hands and calluses, the difference between hard manual labour and none. It’s an indicator right there in the palm of your hand that reminds you whether you’ve been putting in the hard yards or not. Hopefully over the next few weekends I’ll be getting my calluses back up to a respectable level again.