DECEMBER 24, 1976--FRIDAY
I can't believe Christmas Eve is here. It has been a VERY busy week. Now that I am the Director of Education at the School for the Deaf I do not enjoy two weeks off at Christmas BUT I have not been on campus 24/7 (sometimes it seemed that way!). In addition to making new schedules for the workers on campus I have spent much time in the school wood shop over the last month. Even though all 125 students have to go home over the holidays the campus staff still have the right to work so the dorm parents, the nurseing staff and the night watch people ALL had to have work schedules for the two weeks. In addition to making those out I had taken on the fun task of making night stands for the boys. Willie, the woodworking instructor, had convinced me to make the stands out of oak. He said they would last forever! AND yes the boys still have them 43 years later. So in early December I (Why start earlier??) started the task of planing down rough lumber to 3/4" and then running each board through the jointer twice to give both edges a clean cut. I then went about the task of gluing boards together for the sides and top. A funny thing happened (well NOT funny but there were about 35 boards that I measured and jointed the ends and the very last board at around midnight I ran the last board through 3 times instead of two and therefore had to go through the whole process of making a new board. So much for getting things done by working late!) After ALL the boards were ready there was the gluing, putting sides and tops together and then making the drawers out of oak as well. When all was done I then traced initials, cut them out and glued them on the front and then the finish was sprayed on twice. I finished them on the 23rd (kind of my moo, go right down to the last possible second. By the way in my world MOO means mode of operation. Last night, the 23rd, I had driven to school and brought the night stands home in the car. As I carried them in and out I had to ask myself WHY 3/4" oak as they were heavy to put it mildly. Anyway here we were on the morning of the 24th with 3 huge wrapped packages under the tree. Now in my old age, did I really think boys who were 7, 5 and 3 would be excited about a piece of furniture??? This I do not remember but I am pretty sure there were other presents under the tree as well.
I will be a quick trip to the store this morning and then tennis at 9:00. After that it will be a quiet afternoon and evening. "For sure" Christmas today is so very different than 20, 30 or 40 years ago but then so is life so why would Christmas be any different.
Enough for today as my FP is pretty much gone and I will be out the door in a short while.
Some where in my 100s of pictures I have some of the night stands but I could not fine them this morning.
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