A good day to be working at home

Here in our corner of Floyd, Virginia, we are enjoying this last day of November from our vantage point near the woodstove.

It has been raining and freezing all night. As you can see from the weather map, we will probably have more of the same for the rest of the day.

This winter storm also means that the astronauts now in orbit will not be landing at Canaveral today where their families are waiting. They are expected to land in California instead. We hope that all goes well.

We are cloud-bound at this moment and our visibility is less than 75 feet. The wind is blowing from the east and the ice-covered trees are creaking in unison. The tinkling sound of falling ice continues unabated.

I put out some seed to see if I could attract some feathered visitors and the birds acted like shoppers on Black Friday. The freezing rain did not slow them down at all.

As you can see on this feeder, icicles continued to form even though the temperature is above freezing.

This year, I was better prepared in terms of an adequate firewood supply. I found someone who needed firewood and we worked out a deal where they cut up logs and took home half of what they cut. I am not as well stocked as blogger Fred First, but I have enough well-seasoned firewood for several months. A tractor and an electric log splitter makes preparing more firewood an easy chore.

We now have electric heat, but there is nothing like a wood stove for comfort on a day of freezing rain.

On the other hand, I need to get back into the workshop this afternoon because our custom framing business seems to have picked up again and I have a project to complete for a local musician.

With a pellet stove to keep the shop warm and a CD player keeping the beat, it is a grand way to spend my working hours.

I hear that other small businesses are also seeing an upturn and I hope that it continues for a while.

Like so many other business owners, I have been working to create bargains for those customers who are looking for something different. I think I have found something that is quite appropriate for the uncertain times we find ourselves in.

In this part of the country, recycled materials are viewed favorably when incorporated into new designs. I have found that customers appreciate opportunities to purchase custom frames at huge savings. Cutting down existing frames and refinishing them opens the door to offering superb designs at unusual prices.

I haven’t had a chance to update the website yet with the newest product offerings, but I am very pleased at the opportunity to work with local artist Karen Sewell on a line of custom etched mirrors.