Launch of "Florrie" by John E. Speers

   
     This past Monday I went to the launch party of "Florrie", a book written by John E. Speers about his mother.The event was held at St. Giles' Anglican Church  in Barrie. St. Giles' provided a space that allowed all in attendance of the event to feel close and connected as the excerpts were read and songs were sung. The small  admittance fee went toward The Leprosy Mission Canada.  

      I feel blessed to have been able to attend in person because it was a wonderful evening filled with music, poetry and heart warming stories. Much of it was written and preformed by Canon John himself, with help from his friends.  

     The story of "Florrie" is told both by John and through letters written by Florrie herself. The end result is a  warm, rich and honest story of life in Canada in the early 1900's. As I read the book I was quickly drawn in by Florrie and through reading her letters begin feel as if I was truly getting to know a woman who was a true wonder and lived in Canada at a time when it still being tamed. I was able to see Saskatchewan in all of it's wild splendor, and get a feel for life in a period of time when life was hard but families came together to make it through.

     "Florrie" is only available currently from John Speers himself, But if you are able to get a copy, it is a story that you will not soon forget. I count myself lucky to have a copy. If you desire your own please feel free to contact me through this site and I will see about getting you in touch with him.  

Text from above:
Canon John E. Speers is a retired Anglican clergyman, having served over 50 years with his late wife Gwyn at parishes in the Toronto Diocese. An accomplished pianist, poet, writer, and gardener, Canon John resides in Barrie, Ontario, where he enjoys a full and active life of preaching, concert-going, literary projects, and wide-ranging conversation with friends and loved ones. At 95 years old, he remains an inspiration to three generations of the extended Speers and McLauchlin families as patriarch and bard.

Around the world

Today Bear, my sisters boyfriend, got on a plane to head back home, back to Australia.  I have watched how they have interacted the past few days and it has made me sad. It makes me sad because I know how it feels to need to say good bye to the person that you love and let them go away from you. You know that you love each other, and that you will see them again, but deep down you wish with all your heart that it was not so. You wish reality and logic did not come into play. You wish that the strength of your love could some how reshape reality so that you would never need to say good-bye.  But you must, all you can do is trust that your love combined will be able to bridge the distance and keep you strong until love brings you together once again.

THE MASTER AND THE DOOR

I found this article about the refinishing of the church doors at Trinity Anglican, Barrie. I was really shocked at how well  different it looked and how well It came out. I have added my own photos of the door for my re-posting of  this article. To see the original photos that ran with this or to read the article at its' source please click the link below and scroll down to the second page of the paper. I hope you enjoy. -SA  

http://www.trinitybarrie.ca/happenings/30oct11.pdf

THE MASTER AND THE DOOR

What began as a generous bequest from the will of Verdi Wallwin, a much-loved, beautiful and gracious member of Trinity, culminated in a welcoming new entrance to the church at the top of the hill.

Door just after it was painted in 2000

Jack Wallwin, with the help of Jim Laking and Millet Salter, undertook a replacement of the steps and the handrail leading up to the front door.  Then it was time to address the refinishing of the door itself. Jack contacted the very best man for the job, Ben Poernbacher, a master painter and refinisher, who at the age of 14 began a 3 year apprenticeship in Austria, his homeland, and started to work at his trade when only 17!

Ben was used to working on ladders, at 19 he found a job high in the mountain villages of Switzerland where he would paint on rising scaffolds, church steeples as high as 130 feet!  Ben came to Canada by himself in 1957 when he was 24 years old and settled in Toronto. Because skiing was a passion he eventually found his way to Snow Valley and owner, Hans Eder, also Austrian. Soon Barrie became his home.

Door once all paint was removed

Over the years Trinity’s main entrance door had accumulated more than 20 layers of paint.  All of these layers were removed by Ben in painstaking fashion using a propane torch.  To avoid burning the wood, the final two layers were cleaned with paint remover and then scraped by hand.  Once cleaned, scraped and sanded Ben realized that the main part of the door was mahogany with pine mouldings which he stained to match the mahogany and bleached once for uniformity of colour. Then came three coats of clear varnish to complete the natural finishing of the door.

Door as it appears today

The final touch to the completion of the church entrance was the installation of a new threshold. Jack Wallwin provided the wood that had been recently cut from a red oak tree on the Wallwin family farm. Two coats of stain and three of varnish were applied by Ben to protect this very handsome piece of wood. Removal of all the old paint from the door hardware and from the wonderful original light fixture above provided for a fresh new coat of black paint to complete the masterpiece!

It is the hope of all parishioners that the new entrance signals a new vision for Trinity

Sweater Song- Hedley

The other night as I was driving home after dropping Biohazard (my girlfriend) home, I heard "Sweater Song" by Hedley on the radio. I was surprised at how much the song spoke to me, and would speak to anyone who has had to been apart from the person that they love for any length of time.

I have posted a link below. let me know what you think.

Sweater Song- Hedley

International

Recently I have been thinking about how a relationship would work with the couple being around the world from each other. I have been thinking about this because it will soon be the case for my sister and her boyfriend. In a month or so the boyfriend, who I will be calling Bear, will be returning to Australia.

I know what is like not to see the person that you love, but being clear across the planet from them is a new concept for me. The time difference alone is going to be a major factor for them. As this plays out I am planning on writing more about this. As for now I am just hoping that they are making the most of the time they have before they most be apart.

First Fire

This past weekend we had a party here at the house. It was the first chance we had to use our new fire pit. We have had many camp fires here at the house, but we always did them in an old tractor rim on the dirt drive way. Recently the county has really cracked down on burn permits so we decided to get one, so now things are nice and legal.

To make it all we really did was take the old tractor rim and dug it about 3 inches into the ground. Not a big thing at all. So now we have a nice fire pit to site around in the evening, and since we get all our own firewood  off out wood lot we can feel free to have a camp fire when ever we like.

So here is a picture of our very first fire in "THE PIT".

Victorian Flirting code

It has been awhile since I posted anything steampunk and I read this post on another blog. It is a Victorian Flirting code. Rather then copying the image (stealing it) I have posted the link below.  I found it to be interesting. I hope you do too. 

Victorian Flirting Code

Wonderful story of Mission to Panama. I was there a few years ago on a different mission in a different area, but I still love to hear stories about what people go to do there. I hope you enjoy
-SA    

VISION CARE MISSION- Rex Leyte

In mid January 2011 after months of back and forth communications with the Panamanian Health Authorities, I received approval for a Vision Care Mission to Achutupu - a tiny island off the coast of Panama. On Feb. 27th my son-in-law, Dan Ayan, my right hand and translator (He's fluent in Spanish) and I arrived at the Achutupu airstrip. We were greeted by the most dynamic and energetic 80 + year old man you'll ever meet, Howard Walter and his wife Mariella. With their continued assistance for the next five days, we did visual testing and issued eye glasses to the native Kuna who call this tiny island home. We matched the prescriptions as close as possible (not always close enough). On my return I began matching prescriptions more closely and to date we've shipped glasses to 99% of those that needed correction. We are now in the process of getting ready for our next trip. Based on the first trip, I have a better idea of what to take and what not to take.

In addition to my eye glasses, my daughter Linda (a Barrie School Teacher) canvassed her school for school supplies. She collected over 150 lbs of school supplies which we delivered to the grateful students. This effort is ongoing for 2012.

Ours was the first such mission to Achutupu and the first time many of these people ever had functional vision. There are 48 more similar island communities in Kuna Ayla, all I'm sure with similar problems. I hope to continue these visit! for as long and as often as possible, expanding to other islands. I have the time, the equipment and a great source of used eyeglasses to do more. The limiting factor is funding. Anyone wishing to help can contact the Trinity Church Office at 705-728-2691.

Thoughts from Chair returns

You may already know that along with this blog, I also watch over another called "Thoughts from My chair". Thoughts is an online version of the weekly writings of Canon Frances of Trinity Anglican Church. Canon Frances writes her weekly article for the church newsletter each week and always has something thoughtful to say. Often tying events from her past to shine new meaning on to current events or subjects. Canon Frances took the month of August off from writing, but she has now started up again and will once again have an article each week.  

I have posted a link to the blog in this post, but the link can always be found in the links section. I hope you take a look and enjoy it.

http://thoughtschair.blogspot.com/

outlets

I am writing from the new wing that just open at my college. I was struck by the fact, as a student, you start to little things, such as outlets. This new wing is wonderful and bright. It has brand new chairs in cute little sitting areas to talk with others. Areas for quit with little cubicles for quiet study. It even has a new coffee shop. What it lacks is outlets. For a new building that will house so many people that will be using laptops, it has almost no outlets. To me that undoes all the good things. I feel as if because it does not fill that most basic need, the whole thing is undone.  

Old Barn

The past three days I have been working in an old barn doing some cement work. The barn is being repaired to house a second flock of sheep. These sheep are different then the others I have worked with. This new flock is made up of dairy sheep. Due to this they are much calmer then the other flock and I find much nicer to work around.

Much of the work that I did was simply making repairs to the stone work. Fixing cracks and replacing stones that have fallen out over time. It was interesting and important work. One thing that was some what exciting was when I came to a spot where a few stones had fallen out and discovered a family of Common Garter Snakes living in the wall. I was  a bit shocked but moved up the wall a bit and kept working. Making sure to make as much noise and vibrations as possible. By the time I came back they had all left to find a new home. I was left feeling a little jumpy, and was very careful to check before sticking my hand in any where.

Cross Part 1: Old Cross

I my duties at church as sub-deacon I train a lead the alter servers. As part of that I have trained some of the younger ones to be cross bearers or  Crucifer. Do to the young age of these new servers we began using the lighter of the two processional crosses at the church. The wooden one pictured below.  

It was when we started using it more that I realized that it was really showing its' age. As you can clearly see above the dowel that attached the cross to the handle has broken out, and pieces of the border have broken off. I used stain pens to cover up the large colour difference, but that is far from a real fix.


Because of  all of these facts and problems, I have got the permission of the leaders of the church to make a replacement cross. I am very excited about this. It is something I have thought about doing for some time.  

Peer Review Radio

I recently was doing some research for an assignment and I came across a very good podcast. It is Peer Review Radio. It is produced by students in and around the University of Ottawa. The episodes that I have heard so far have helped me greatly in my understanding of what I have been learning in school.   

Video Promoting show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCw51SsDPBM

First episode I heard
http://peerreviewradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/PeerReviewRadio_Episode4.mp3

Directory of all episodes
http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/archive.php?iid=114917

Share Your Joy

Shared joy is increased.

Spend time with friends to share each others Joy

Good Old Canadian Road Trip

This past weekend I found myself in Central Ontario so I decided to drive Highway 60. Highway 60 travels East to West from Renfrew to Huntsville. One of the really nice parts of this drive is that it passes through  Algonquin Park. It also has some wonderful spots to stop and stretch your legs. I really enjoyed the drive. Normally when I do these kind of trips on my own I find myself needing to stop for coffee to wake myself up. Taking this route I had no such need because the landscape was so wonderful

Really great spot to stop for a bit that is just off the road

 

Looking over  Algonquin Park

I kind of like the outhouses just off the road.

Did not go in this trip, but maybe next time

Trellis

Recently my mother ask of my father and I if a trellis could be placed in her front garden so that some vines could grow up in front of the house. what sprang into my mind was a some thing nice made of wood. What appeared into my father's mind was what is pictured below. A few welds and 3 coats of paint later, a nice trellis made of an old gate and some fence posts. If that is not in the spirit of steampunk DIY, I am not sure what is.

Green Handle ( Ruko Brand RUK0051Y )

I recently picked up an new knife. a Ruko Brand RUK0051Y.

This knife is one that really spoke to me. The full blade including what is in the handle is 4 inches, and the cutting edge is 3 inches. I like that is has a nice black enamel coating covering all the metal parts that will prevent rust.  I also like the green colouring of the handle plaques. What I really like is that is has a good tight belt clip which limits my worry of losing it. I have sadly lost a few knives in the past do to them sliding off while I am working. Some may find it a bit heavy as a everyday carry pocket knife, but I like the degree of control the heavier handle gives me as a use it, and think it is an ideal belt knife. The liner lock gives a solid lock that is not a pain to disengage when it time to put it away. 

If you would like to see the company's website for this knife I have posted a link below

RUK0051Y 

     

Here are a few more pictures showing more detail

Steampunk

I have recently "rediscovered" my interest in the steampunk subculture. Maybe rediscovered is not the best word because I never really lost it. It is more that I forgot that it had a name. I was raised in a very strong DIY environment, and in fact was exposed to the wonders of steam technology almost from birth. I learned early on that steam as compared to diesel or gasoline is much quieter. I fact that really came into my life when I worked on a ship that had been converted from steam to diesel. The noise and vibration that was made was more then I could stand. many ways what had happened with that ship was what I had done to myself. I had made a change that I thought was for the better, and in some ways it was, but in others it was much worse.


Right now I am working to regain the DIY mind set that I had lost. I am currently making a set of screwdrivers that I have been meaning to make for over a year now. Rather they simply making them plain and boring I am trying to make them in true streampunk style and add a degree of art and craftsman's flair. I am feeling good about it. The end result will be something I can be very proud of and maybe pass on to my children or grandchild as some of my tools were passed down to me.  

Express your Joy

To feel joy one most express joy.

Pass on the joy you feel and it will return to you.

My First Knife

This is the first knife I ever had. It is a victorinox "Tinker". It was given to me by my Grandfather when I was about 12. If I understand it correctly he had found it while walking along the road near his house. Reaching my first knife was in no way a grand event. It was simply that I was going to need one for a scout camp, and this was one he had laying around. But it is an event that marks a turning point in my life. In some ways it was, in my mind at least, the point where a started on the road from child to adult.

Since receiving that first knife so may years ago I have collected many more. A few of them have been this very same "Tinker" model. When I got to an age were I could understood such things that first knife found a safe place on a shelf. It was replaced with another tinker that did not have the same history with and so did not worry about losing or breaking the same. As you can see in the picture below my first knife did see action. The case cracked and I melted it back together. It got damaged while it had the adventure of traveling the workings of an easy chair. It had been missing for a month or so, and one day I gave the handle on the stiff easy chair a good pull, and then heard the knife hit the floor. What I enjoy about knives, is that like journals they travel with you, so their history is also yours.
 

Just a pack of seeds

A week ago I started a new part time job. Like anyone in the same position I was a bit nervous. Shortly after arriving I was told where to go and what I need to do by the man at the front desk. Just as I headed off I was stopped by the man who gave me this pack of sunflower seeds. He told me that we all needed to plant them because they absorbed radiation.I felt much better after that. It was with that simple act that he gave me a most wonderful gift. He was saying that I was welcome in this place, and even if we just met he cared about my well being because I was a fellow human being.

How wonderful would a world be where we all gave each other seeds? How would such a simple act make the world a better place? In my mind I think it would be pretty wonderful.

Joy

The most recent post before this one was about opening to joy. Here is a short list of the things that bring me joy.

-My Girlfriend
  -Writing
    -A good story (what ever form it maybe in)
      -Sharing a good story (In what ever way I can)
        -Getting hits on this blog
          -Working with tools (The feeling I have made something good)
            -Helping people

This is a short list. Far from everything that makes me happy. But in someway a list like this helps me to see that good and simple things exist in my life. Maybe making a list like this could bring you a little joy as well.

Something about sheep just brings a smile to my face. :)

Opening yourself up to joy

Anyone who has any interest in Glee at all knows the wonderful image of a plaque at the beginning of the first episode which reads, " Glee by its very definition is about opening yourself up to joy" I admit I first watched glee online out of a sense of boredom one night. But, something about that one line really spoke to me as ringing true.  When it comes right down to the bare bones of it, we choose to be happy. Each of us most decide if we are going to focus on the bad things that happen to each of us, or if we will focus of the good things that happen. It is in no way the big fix. Just deciding you want to focus on the good does not make the bad go away. All it really does is free yourself to except the joy that all ready exists in your life. 

Week 1- Dear Writer's Block

Prompt: Write a letter starting with "Dear Writer's Block, it's not you, it's me"

Dear Writer’s Block,

                It is not you, it’s me. I know that over the years we have been off and on. You have always stayed true, It is I who has run hot and cold with you and what we have together. It is also true that my behavior lately would make it appear as if I was willing to commit to us in a more solid way.

                I hate to say this to you, but I feel I owe you enough respect that I should tell you the truth. When we are together I never really feel whole, and I am always wondering “what if?”  You deserve better than that. You deserve to have some you who enjoys you for all you have to offer, and is not wondering off in their mind.

                I am really hoping that we can remain friends Writer’s Block. I am will look back on the time that we shared as a time that made me who I am. Without you in my life I am very sure I would not be the same person I am today. It is just that right now I need to focus 

Best of luck in your future,

Silent Axe 

2011 Weekly Writing

Today I picked up a copy of "Writer's Digest". What I got was the year book which has articles such as "why inspiration matters". I picked it up because I like to have something to read while I wait for things like class to start, or for appointments with people. I am very happy with what I have read so far. Also in the magazine are 52 writing prompts. I am planning on doing one of these prompts each week and posting it to this blog. I hope that you enjoy them.          

Group Work

This past few weeks have been busy. I have a great deal of "Group" work to do on labs and essays. It was explained to me early on that the program I am in has an above average amount of group work to get us ready for real life. But, this summer term I am finding it has gone from above average to extreme. I get a sense it has gone from the point being to work together, to giving the teachers less to mark. I am getting through it, but it upsets me that I most spend so much time just trying to keep in touch with my partners, rather then doing the work. All of it takes me away from being able to work for many, or doing things I enjoy, like writing fun interesting things on this blog.      

Selecting a new head priest

Recently I had the honor of being selected to me a member of a 8 person team that will be selecting a new head minster for our church. To be honest I never thought that I would get the votes. Someone asked me if it was alright if they put my name forward, and I said sure. I maybe should have given it more thought.

The reason that I was desired to me on the committee was the fact that I am a rarity in my church, and most churches in North America. I am am both young and involved in the church. Most people once they hit the age of about 18 drift away, and maybe come back when they have kids of their own. I on the other hand have not followed that path. Now at the age of 25, I am still in school, unmarried, and more involved in the church then most people twice my age.

I do not want people to misunderstand. I feel that my being on the selection team is a very good thing. I have a point of view that few others will have, and with that hope to be able to help steer the church, by way of it's new leader, down a road that will make it great again. It is just I wish that it did not need to be me. That is something I am sure that many people who find themselves in roles like I am in now. They know that they work they do is of the greatest importance, but wish there was someone else who could do it. To be honest it is the people who really really want to have this kind of job placed on them that worry me. Those are the kind of folks that do things for their own motives and not for the good of the whole.        

22Q at the Zoo

This past week I went to the zoo with my oldest friend and his son, my godson. The main focus of our going was so that they could attend an event about a condition they both have called 22Q. Something I have written about in the past and I am sure I will do so more in the future. For now here are some photos of the animals we saw at the zoo.

Cellphone

If you are reading this chances are that you have a cellphone. So you already know how useful they are and the importance they have in daily life in these modern times. Now a days it is very odd to find some one who does not have a cellphone of some form. Most people i know have iphones or some other kind of smart phone. I have a "qwerty" phone. A large part of me wishes I had a tougher flip phone, but with all the texting that I do I need a full keyboard.

I heard a radio talk show recently that had a call in about how texting has caused most younger people to prefer to text rather then talk face to face, or even make voice calls. I do not disagree with that in any way. That said texting is a huge part of my life. Texting allows my girlfriend and I to talk almost none stop all day, even if we are over a days travel away from each other. It gives us a great sense of being together and allows us to be part of each others lives in a more involved way. I am able to ask her what she thinks I should have for dinner, or about issues I may be having with my computer. In many was they are just small messages that are not really needed, but they allow us to keep a strong bond between us. In my eyes our cellphones are a major part of our relationship and I am not sure without them we would still be together. Even if we are not with each other in person we know that we are never more then a text away. So I am able to keep my girlfriend in my pocket, as she is able to keep me in hers.

Some times showing your love is as easy as asking how their day is going. In a long distance  relationship often the easiest way to do that is with a text.

Talking tube on a ship.
Before radio was widely use on board, the bridge could use this to
speak to the anchor and cable room below  

Bedtime Reading

I am someone who ready enjoys reading. If I do not read before going to sleep, well that rarely happens because if I do not read I can not fall to sleep. It is a comfort to me. No matter what is going on in my life, for 15 minutes to an hour or more each night I am transported to another place and/or time where what ever is going on  in my life does not matter.

It started with my parents read to me before bed, and then moved on to me reading to myself. it is now to the point where if I do not read, I can not fall to sleep. Some how it relaxes my mind and pushes everything else that is going on aside to be dealt with when I wake up.

I feel reading is a very important thing. Read a book, read an ereader. read to a child or read to yourself. I think part of a good rounded day should include at least some time reading just for the fun of it.    

Farm Week Update

I am still on the farm for 2 more days. I have been taking notes and I am planing on posting a report on the whole week once I am finished. For now here are a few photos.

A trio of lambs

The Donkeys 

Farm week

Today I started a week of looking after over 200 sheep. This is the same I farm that I worked on last summer. I have been looking forward to this for a few months now.

A great deal of the work that I need to do is not the best. Even those jobs that are not bad require walking around in a barn that is due to be cleaned out, but something about the work calls to me. It is simple and basic, but it needs to be done, and so is important. If I do not do it, the sheep will suffer. I do not like the idea of that.

I will be posting more about it next week, and most likely even before that. This weeks had to to be quick because now that the warm weather has started I am starting to get calls for yard work. This is on top of the sheep and small woodworking jobs I take. Students need to take every little job they can to make money.

Church work

Along with many of the other things that I do I volunteer as a sub-deacon at my church. This time of year, the Easter season, has been very bust for me in terms of that. There is Maundy Thursday service when all reminders of Jesus are removed. The Good Friday service the next day that shows him going to the cross. Then tomorrow is Easter Sunday where we celebrate the rebirth of Jesus. All that combined leads to me getting a little worn out. The on top of it all this year I had exams.

I do not want to say I dislike the task I have taken on as being a sub-deacon. Most of the time I find it enjoyable because it gets me involved and I am able to see how it helps people. But sometimes I wish someone else would be willing to take some of it on. I took on the task because the person who did it before me left. So I was simply filling the void. If I had my choice of what I would rather be doing to help my church it would be fixing the many small broken pieces of woodwork that is has. As it is with school, the church, and the other tasks I need to do in a week, I often do not get to doing the thinks that I would prefer to be doing. A great deal of the things that started out as being joyful have grown to be tasks that stress me some what. This blog for example. It began as a fun relaxing thing, but the skills I gained here were discovered and now I am looking after another blog written by a leader in the church, and posting content to other places online. Again most of the time a do not really mind, but other times it does begin to wear me down.

Tomorrow She Returns

Tomorrow afternoon I am driving to pick Biohazard up from the bus depot of a town that is about an hour away.  If she had taken a bus right to our home town she would have had to wait around at the train station, and the bus ride would have been 3 hours longer. From what I understand, from my own 2 day bus trip, the bus system in Canada has changed recently to be more "efficient". From what I figure it means more "efficient" for the bus company. They now run fewer buses less often. It stinks, but to be honest I would go halfway round the world to be with her, and around the other half to bring her home.

Having my girlfriend at home means some changes. One of the nicer things about her living so far away most of the year is that I carry her with me where ever I go in the form of my cell phone. When she is away it really does not matter if I am at home or some where else, we are just as close. We can text or call each other no matter where I am. This gives me a fair degree of freedom. My time is basically my own and I do not need to check any plans by her to make sure they do not conflict. Do not get me wrong, I want to spend as much time as possible with her. That is the issue, I want to maximize my time with her, so I need to plan a lot to see that it happens.

I also realized today that after tomorrow the tone of this blog may change somewhat. While for most of the year I am in fact in long distance relationship, for the next four months that is not going to be the case. I am going to have four wonderful months that may not be ideal because am still in school and she will be working, but we will get to see each other. It is possible for me to just drop by and see her even if it would just be for 5 minutes. To me that is a wonderful thing indeed.      

Cane

I have always had a great interest canes and walking sticks.  Something about them just kind of speaks to me. In most cases they serve a purpose, but also they say something about the person who uses it.  Often you can tell a great deal about the person, simply by looking at their walking stick.  The most basic is height.  I always heard that my great grandfather was a tall man, He measured in at about 6 feet 2 inches. Something that was confirmed when we found his cane a few years ago when my grandparents moved.

The first cane I ever made was for my Granny. I have made about a dozen since then. When I broke both my feet 3 years ago I made my own cane to use while I recovered. They are not hard to make for most people. You only need basic tools and materials. For someone like myself who has a shop set up and formal training it is easy.  The canes I have made ranged from my first one that was a stick with a brass handle, to one made up of turned segments. What I like most about them is that they are simple, but the range of things you can do while making them are almost limitless.