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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A Tale of Two Workshops

I’ve slowly, but surely, been putting together and organizing my workshop here at our home in Minnesota.  The new space shares a key similarity to the old place back in the Land of Enchantment…they’re both three car garages.  Technically I can only claim them as two car garages as one space is always, yes always, reserved for parking my lovely bride’s vehicle.  I’ve told her time and again how inefficient a use of space that is.  Parking a car in the garage?  Silly, if you ask me…but then she didn’t ask.
At first blush, this new shop here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes seemed like a windfall.  It’s deeper with a higher ceiling than the New Mexican shop.  Ah…nothing like some extra space to stretch out in, and fill with more tools.  I began to dream about the layout, moving tools around, installing shelves and cabinets, spreading out all over this vast expanse of luxurious real estate.
Enter one tiny, little snafu.
It gets cold here…really cold.
It gets nostril hair freezing to the inside of your nose cold here.
Back in New Mexico my truck could be parked out front year-round, leaving me with two full, and warm, garage stalls in which to set up shop.  As we move deeper into October the mercury creeps lower each day, and I am reminded that we’re not in New Mexico anymore.  Here in the Great White North you could leave your truck outside, but then there’s that whole nostril freezing thing I mentioned.  So much for that vast expanse…
I now find myself in a world of transition and in need of a workshop that can accommodate the changing seasons.  The last couple weeks have been spent designing a shop layout that allows me to spread out in warmer weather, yet retreat to a single stall space when the hair in my nose starts stiffening…and as silly as it seems, park the truck in the garage. 
Let’s just not mention the whole parking inside thing to my wife.
Pete

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