Dimmer and Dumber
This is how I feel this week.
You see a picture of the footboard for a bed that has been commissioned. If it doesn’t convey the 
impression of being heavy and cumbersome, it’s not because it isn’t trying. This piece has been a perfect example of something that has never been made by me, hard to handle and with an astounding potential for a beauty and grace I wouldn’t have credited before I started.
The bed comes with two side tables and a six-foot-long, six drawer bureau. It is constructed with walnut wood that has a wonderful figure in it. The posts are laminated to get to 4”x4” with the bottom and top cross members pinned and specially tenoned in order to get the maximum glue surface.
A lot about this bed is new to me, and therefore, I have no procedure to follow and must think my way through at every stage. On top of this, I have been caring for my wife who has weathered Covid pneumonia. My times in the shop are shorter and farther apart. Every time I came out to the shop, I had to rethink my way back almost from the beginning.
I would hazard a guess that had the people who commissioned the bed not been as gracious about deadlines as they have (they have been getting a house constructed for the bed to sit in), or my wife not been a valiant a fighter (hitting the mark every day to get better), this part of this project would never have gotten finished. Many’s the night I have sunk down into the bed feeling dimmer and dumber and thankful for the support I have as a craftsperson.