Purpleheart and Padauk sawdust

Colorful padauk and purpleheart woods brightened up the gray cement in Tex’s shop today. It really surprised me how the sawdust seemingly painted the floor. Those two sticks in the upper lefthand corner of the photo show what the exotic woods look like. They really are that colorful, even without wax or varnish. I can’t tell you what we are making because they are top secret, ultra-belated gifts for family. Yeah, we are way behind!

While I feel excited about the upcoming year, I still haven’t taken time to look back over 2009, nor have I made concrete goals for 2010 – but I really want to. I feel like a sports announcer who wants to analyze a game that turned out way differently than expected. That’s how 2009 was for me, full of surprises. I certainly did not expect to fall in love and move to Texas…

Speaking of that lovely man, it turns out Tex despises the blog pseudonym I’m using for him. I must admit, I feel smirky calling him that. I chose the name because it really doesn’t fit him at all. First off, he was raised on Long Island and his accent is much more east coast than southern drawl. Beyond that, he doesn’t wear cowboy hats, drive a pick-up, or wear bolo ties as you might envision a Tex to do. He has a penchant for Spam, though. That kinda fits. Still, until I get a new Tex-approved nickname for him, or he lets me just use his real name on here, Tex it shall be.