...And a Few More Things

 Woodpile, chopping block, borrowed axe, stumps to to sit on, and finally, barely visible, a damper for the fireplace. Now for lids and spiles for the sap cans....

Fatigue and a Carrying Chest

Yesterday, I had my Covid booster, and I'm feeling very tired, an expected side effect. However, I did manage to finish a six-board chest, painted in barn red, (still needs its rope handles, though!), for my maple sugar workers to carry their gear in. I managed to create a passable sieve, used to remove bark bits etc. from the raw sap, so that is two more items for the diorama.

 We've had two overcast days, with rain constantly - although I'm not complaining, as it could have been snow - which means I've not yet been out in the garden to retrieve some firewood branches and tree stumps. They'll be in scale, of course, one large stump for chopping the logs for the fire, and two small ones for the workers to sit on. They can use the chest as a table to hold their tea and meals, as it is several days' work to boil the sap down into syrup. I also need to make lids for the syrup buckets, and then I have to create spiles. 

As I don't work tomorrow, since my bosses at my volunteer job are at a three-day conference, and will try to make some items for the diorama then. Hopefully, I'll be less tired. My first attempt at a tea kettle didn't work out that well, so I'll try that again. The lid ended up being too small to stay on top of the kettle....

Maple Sugar Buckets, and....

 It took several days, and about 8 applications of sealer, paint coats, and varnish to produce these sap buckets. They are made of recipe card cardboard, and were finished to match the buckets on the trees in the background, which are rather more pale yellow-silvery than the paint job on the fireplace and the evaporating pans. The little scraper is also made of painted card, with a toothpick handle.

On the drawing board are a teakettle, a couple of mugs, and some more necessary tools, as well as a woodpile, among other things. At some point, I have to produce a  passable facsimile of a large copper cauldron. Along with the woodpile, the scene needs a couple of stumps, one being used as a chopping block for the wood that goes into the fireplace.

And the other thing? Well, the third attempt to acquire the 1/8" heart punch is now over; we received it late last week, and it was once again the wrong size, this time measuring 3/8". We've given up and asked for a refund of our purchase price. Now I have to see if any of the dealers I know carry this size of punch, or are able to source one for me. Sigh! I don't know right now if I'll ever be able to get back to the garden corner vignette. However, I haven't given up hope yet.