The dairy cow shelter built by Jenny Barlow

If you've been with us through a season or two, you've likely seen a few photos of this little log cabin. It's one of my favourite scenes to photograph; covered in snow or surrounded by willows and wild roses.
Yesterday, a friend asked me for the story behind the cabin so I thought I'd share it here as well.   The couple we bought these 48 acres from called it "Jeannie Meadow."

This wee cabin of hand hewn logs was built by Jenny Warde; a Cariboo pioneer. She ranched and trapped on this property and built the shelter (I think in the 40`s) to house her dairy cow and her chickens on cold nights. The building had no roof when David and I arrived and was almost crumbled beyond recognition. We took it upon ourselves to save this last remnant of pioneer history. We carefully numbered and dismantled the logs, chose a place of distinction at the entrance to our place, put the shelter back together and created a new roof with handmade shakes.

Jenny was born at Meldrum Creek about 1909. In 1981, the local Tribune newspaper interviewed Jenny and wrote a lengthy article about her life. As Jenny tells it, she always loved to be `way back in the woods`.   She was 7 when she started trapping with her older brothers. Until she was 16, she attended school during the days and tended the trap lines after school. She had 10 siblings, quit school after grade 8 and went to work to help support the family. Jenny married Doug Barlow when she was 23. They had 3 sons; Norman, Dean and Bud (Bud and his wife Jeannie are our closest neighbours and good friends). Doug Barlow died alone of a heart attack when he was out on their trap line. Jenny says it took them 8 days to find him.

Jenny worked with Eric Collier as a hunting guide for a few years. He`s the fellow who wrote Three Against the Wilderness. Collier used to say of Warde that she was `108 pounds of dynamite, and could shoot the eye out of a squirrel at 150 paces.
Jenny is legend in this neck of the woods.
We are humbled and honoured to have this little cabin in memory of her pioneering spirit and as a tribute to the work of her hands.

February Woods for your Touch Wood Ring

We humans have always had strong ties to trees. Native Americans speak of trees as 'The Standing People'; rocks and boulders are "the bones of the earth".

Trees of every description have carved themselves into our mythologies in an enduring way. Many of the couples we work with choose a particular wood mindful of its mythic or spiritual properties. 
Our Qualities of Wood page has been widely used as a reference over the years. It is one of the most visited pages on our website. 

Clients will often ask about trees that have some personal connection to their beloved. They may want to know which trees are native to a particular country, province or state, or what tree is connected with their birth month. Some are looking for a wood that has a particular attribute like 'new beginnings' (that would be Birch) or one that promotes good health (the Ash tree).

From the excellent and informative Druidry website, here are four trees that are connected to the month of February.  They call them 'Tree Signs'.

Cypress (Jan 25-Feb 3 / Jul 26-Aug 4) - Tree of serenity, new life, and adaptation.
Someone with this tree sign prefers to avoid drama, opting for a peaceful, dreamlike state of being as opposed to any form of disagreement or opposition. Life for them is peaceful and magical.
These are four woods sent to us by a couple a few years ago; Juniper, Oak, Walnut and Cypress.

Juniper, Oak, Walnut and Cypress Woods

The crossed spiraled inlays on Candi's ring (on the left) is Cypress ~ the other woods in this set are those above; the Juniper, Oak, Walnut and Cypress.

Walnut, Oak, Cypress and Oak Wood Rings from Touch Wood Rings

Poplar (Feb 4-8 / Aug 5-13) - Tree of growth, strength, and visualization.
When given this tree sign, one starts off blissful and carefree, only to encounter a few difficult challenges that often become hot dilemmas. But with a good outlook, they naturally persevere.
The cross spiraled inlays on Steve's ring were Poplar ~ from his grandmother's tree.

Walnut Wood Ring with Poplar Inlays, Touch Wood Rings

Hackberry (aka Sugarberry) (Feb 9-18 / Aug 14-23) - Tree of nobility, pride, and dedication.
A tree with many practical mundane uses, Hackberry can guide us wisely through times of transition and inspire creativity. Hackberry has been reported to cause skin irritation so it is not a wood we've used for a ring.  Here's a photograph of hackberry wood from the Wood Database.

Pine (Feb 19-29 / Aug 24-Sep 2) - Tree of health, perseverance, and moderation.
Someone with this tree sign is steady and poised, while moving forward towards progress and success. They often develop a good sense of what is needed physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Touch Wood Ring; Shortleaf, Loblolly and Eastern White Pine

This ring was made of three different pines; Shortleaf, Loblolly and Eastern White Pine.

Denim Pine Wood Ring Touch Wood Rings

David created this ring from what's known locally as 'Denim Pine'.  It's our own pine that was killed by the Pine Beetle.   It's also known as Blue Pine because of the bluish stain the beetles cause. 

So, if you are looking for woods that signify a February birthday or anniversary; any of these woods are great choices. Touch Wood Rings ~ visit us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. And drop us a note anytime ~ we look forward to talking with you.

A spur of the moment wedding celebration

Adam commissioned an engagement ring for his beloved Jennifer back in April of this year. When it arrived in the mail Adam wrote to us saying:

I just received Jennifer’s ring. David does amazing work!  Thank you so much.  You guys were so easy to work with and David did a beautiful job.  I can’t wait to give to her!

~ Jen's Touch Wood Engagement ring is Juniper heartwood with Myrtle, Maple and Mother of Pearl ~

On October 5th, Adam wrote:

I meant to contact you months ago but the summer just flew by.  I proposed to Jen and she absolutely loved her ring.  


We were planning on getting married next summer but in a spur of the moment decision we ran off to Banff and got hitched last weekend in a small ceremony with our families.  

We’ve been talking, and were thinking of ordering some wedding rings for next year.  We are not in a rush but were thinking around February-March.

With our spur of the moment wedding we didn’t have any rings so I crafted up some temporary rings the night before – (not quite as nice as David’s work but it did the trick)

We admire Adam's ingenuity and just adore their wedding rings. So sweet ~ and what a great story they have to pass on ...   
Thanks so much to you and Jen, Adam! We loved working with you too and look forward to hearing from you and Jennifer again.  
Much Love and Light to our newlywed friends!  
♥

October Tree Lore and Tree Signs

There are so many ways we connect with trees. 

Touch Wood Ring of Walnut and Curly Maple ~ both October Woods ~ bordered by Blackwood 

You likely have a favourite kind of tree, or a particular tree that you really love. It might be a tree planted by a Great Aunt or your Granddad on a property that's still in the family, or a gnarly old tree in a park where you played as a kid. Maybe it's a majestic Cedar on a hillside in some exotic corner of the world? 

We two-leggeds have always had strong ties to trees. 
Native Americans speak of trees as 'The Standing People' or 'The Standing Ones'.

On the 7km road into our place; 'The Twin Souls' who have grown wrapped in each others embrace

Trees of every description have carved themselves into our mythologies in an enduring way. Lots of the couples we work with choose a particular wood mindful of its mythic or spiritual properties. Our Qualities of Wood page has been widely used as a reference over the years. It is one of the most visited pages on our website. 

Clients will often ask about trees that have some personal connection to their beloved. They may want to know which trees are native to a particular country, or what tree is connected with their birth month. Some are looking for a wood that has a particular attribute like 'new beginnings' (that would be Birch) or one that promotes good health (the Ash tree).

From the Druidry website, here are four trees that are connected to the month of October.  They call them 'Tree Signs'.

Hazel (Mar 22-31 / Sep 24-Oct 3) - Tree of originality, intellect, and adaptation.

Someone with this tree sign firmly believes in individual growth, knowledge, and permeation. They strive to develop their own sense of style and wit, making them solid pioneers in their field.

Hazel Wood Ring ~ Touch Wood Rings

• Rowan (Apr 1-10 / Oct 4-13) - Tree of ambition, honesty, and communication.

When given this tree sign, one always believes in being true of character and opinion. They never sacrifice their integrity for hidden motives and always obtain goals by way of pure ingenuity.  Rowan is also known as Mountain Ash.

Rowan Wood Rings with center inlays of rainbow moonstone bordered by African Blackwood ~ Touch Wood Rings

• Maple (Apr 11-20 / Oct 14-23) - Tree of personality, energy, and imagination.
A tree sign such as this one beholds sheer charisma to go further than most, especially when such journeys encompass creative thought. They never cease to amaze and go beyond. They never stop.

Birds Eye Maple (Sugar Maple) ~ Touch Wood Rings

• Walnut (Apr 21-30 / Oct 24-Nov 2) - Tree of fortune, vigor, and determination.

Someone with this tree sign is destined for success and ultimate riches, whether they are in the form of material or supernatural. Their energy is based upon their will and their will is done.

Heritage Black Walnut with Juniper Heartwood inlays ~ Touch Wood Rings

If you want to infuse your ring with more meaning and and little Druid magick ...you'll find in-depth information on tree lore at BARDWOOD.  Alferian is my 'go-to' guy for all things Druid plus, he's just a helluva nice guy.  When I was researching material for our 'Meanings of Wood' page in 2003, it was Alferian I leaned on; he was generous and kind and graciously answered all my email inquires. His website is beautifully crafted, well organized and a pleasure to visit. 

No matter what tree speaks to you ~ David will be happy to incorporate it into your custom made Touch Wood Ring. You are welcome to send us a special piece of wood you have, and we have a storeroom full of branch wood, reclaimed and recycled wood that you are welcome to use as well.  

As Alferian kindly notes on his website; "The touch of wood on the hand conveys the power of that tree to the wearer."  

Happy October!

Summer winds down on the meadow.

These are busy and beautiful days ~ I'm still behind with my emails but working hard to catch up with folks while David builds rings for our oh so awesome touch wood friends!

We are in the midst of haying our fields and the rain hasn't let up since it was cut. That's not the greatest situation but it happens. Hoping for some warm dry days to get that job finished up.

When we first moved here, we supplied hay to our neighbour for his small herd of cows. He lived fifteen miles to the north east and was a fountain of local knowledge having lived here all his life. He cut our twenty five acres of hay with his workhorses and a ground driven mower. It was an amazing experience to take part in the daily harnessing and care of the team and get to understand some of what goes into their training. We took lots of pictures and videos of something we won't ever see done again.

With the highly efficient haying machines our neighbouring ranchers use these days; the meadow is cut in one day, raked in one day and baled in one day making the whole process five or six days counting some drying time and moving the huge bales to the feed area. That's if the rain doesn't slow it all down.

The method has changed but the result is the same ... the meadow hay will be fed to brood cows' that will grow new calves over the winter to be born in the spring... the hay from this meadow has been used for this purpose since at least 1890, so we are just the latest participants...

Here are a few pics from around the homestead on these late August days.

  

And some of the commissioned rings David made this summer :) 

Jack's Hawaiian Koa Wood Ring with Maple interior

Greyed Maple with Magnolia interior for Alex

Ally and Gordon's Choke Cherry, Madrone, and Burr Oak rings

Kenneth's Black Walnut wood ring with a featured knot and Cherry interior liner

Ian's Black Walnut, Willow with a center inlay of Amethyst mixed with Kara's stone

Laurent's Hawaiian Koa, Walnut, Birds eye Maple and a braided inlay of Yucca

Mary and Kevin's designs incorporate Juniper Heartwood, Walnut and Bamboo

We've also been building a stone circle. Taking a hour some evenings just before or after dinner to move the next boulder down to the clearing we choose for stones.  It's something I've always wanted to do and we have the property and the big stones so it was just a matter of choosing the spot and making the time.  Well, and enlisting my honey's help with his trusty skid steer and his smarts. It's coming along.  Going to be beautiful!!  A sacred space built with stone that should outlast us by many hundreds of years.

Talk to you again soon and thanks, as always for dropping by.  If you haven't already, please visit our Facebook page and follow along.  My updates there are much more frequent :) 

My Love My Everything

Back in October of 2015 we had the pleasure of working with a lovely young couple from France; Kajana and Johann.  They designed and commissioned Dark Hawaiian Koa rings with Bamboo interior liners and inlays of Lapis,Turquoise and Tibetan stone. Kajana's ring bears the beautiful inscription "mon amour tout pour moi" which translates to "My Love My Everything".

Just the other day we had a sweet note from Johann and three lovely photos from their wedding.

Kajana and I got married on the 30th of January. Everything went perfectly and I would like to share with you a couple of pictures from this moment.

We really love the rings you and your husband crafted for us ! Thank you again for the great experience :-)

Much love from France. 

Johann & Kajana 

  

And Much Love to both of you ~ and from David and I.

Thanks so much Johann and Kajana!!

We wish you both tremendous happiness in the days and years to come.

Spring in slow motion

Since early in 2005, I have kept two separate blogs.  'The Homestone' where we post photographs of the changing seasons on our 48 acre homestead, and this blog (The Warmth of Wood) which has been devoted primarily to the work we do and the folks we work with.  I have decided to combine the two blogs.  I'll just post here from now on; on our Touch Wood Blog, and on our Facebook page; Touch Wood Rings, 48 Acres.    

With that, I'll share my final 'Homestone' post published earlier today.

Today is the last day of March! Spring is just now springing from the snow packed ground. The melt has begun and the birds are returning.  The male Red Winged Blackbirds have been joined now by the females and their mellifluous conversations fill this 48 acre bowl we call the meadow. 

Our early Canada Geese are back.  Yesterday the most magical thing happened ... I was standing outside when I could hear them honking from over a mile away. As they flew over the house and out toward the hay field, I said "hello you guys welcome back" and they did an abrupt turn around and flew back over top of me ... so low... closer than I've ever had them come to me in flight ... I knew it was their hello.  

Spring really is nothing short of miraculous!!  It's so amazing to be witness to the natural world waking up from winter, a world we know so well after all these years.

We watch for the first Dandelion.  And yesterday, there she was ~ her yellow flower open to the sun.

There have been a few ducks dropping by but the creek is still frozen in lots of spots and the hay field hasn't yet turned it's snow pack into the temporary lake we look forward to. 
The warmth of spring is quite a bit later this year than last.  We enjoy the slow melt to spring ~ the slower it goes the more we can enjoy the change of season.  

For those of you who don't frequent Facebook and other social media outlets; I want to share a new braided inlay design recently commissioned by a lovely couple in Colorado and recently posted on Touch Wood, 48 Acres.

Mesquite Rings with Oak interior liners and Coffee Wood inlays bordering Braided Hemp ~ commissioned by and created for Randal and Eva.

Here's an excerpt from the lovely letter they wrote when they received their rings:
"Our rings are unbelievably beautiful, truly beyond our expectations. The hemp braided inlay looks incredible and fits so well with the overall design and chosen woods. We could not be happier!!

This has been such an incredible and unique experience/process and we cannot express our gratitude enough. You are both such wonderful people and we are so pleased to have gotten to know you. You serve as more of an inspiration to us than I think you realize, and have given us the confidence of knowing off-the-grid living is achievable and can be quite fulfilling. We wish you both the very best and hope to keep in touch!"

Thanks so much Randal and Eva!  David and I wish you every happiness in the days and years to come, with much love.

And so it goes. New Touch Wood Rings for lovely humans and a 'slow motion' spring on the meadow. We are so fortunate to be living where we live, to be making a living with this work we do and to be sharing it with you.
  
I look forward to having you revisit us here at our Warmth of Wood Blog and invite you to join us on social media.
You'll find us on Facebook, Pinterest and on Instagram

As always, thanks so much for stopping by.