Porch railings
The cool weather has
made it an ideal time for scraping and sanding the pinewood railings that frame
two sides of the porch in Torrefarrera. I’d stripped and re-varnished these close
to ten years ago. Now, working the wood again is like meeting up with an old
friend. The interior faces were in good shape the first time and still are, except
for the occasional blister. Longleaf pine (called melis in these parts) is very resinous, with straight grains. As
you work the rails the tarry odor of the pine has its effect. You lose yourself
in the feel of the wood under the blade of the scraper, then under the
sandpaper, and again under the dustcloth. I wear a wet tea towel folded like a
bandana over my nose and mouth to keep from breathing in the dust.
If the weather had been hotter I
might have hesitated to start this job. I don’t know. Why do we choose given
moments for anything? What is the context that chooses us or causes us to
choose? In any case there really is a wu mind state involved in hand scraping
and sanding old wood. I think you become methodical and see your task in
sections, in portions.
Now my next portion is to apply the
varnish—when the weather forecast gives us two or three days without rain.
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