Two Requirements-that I'd use my hands, and that I'd get messy

We had class today, because it's Monday, and we started talking about how we'll schedule our final presentations. The end is really soon! Suddenly there is not an infinite amount of time to work on the project, which is both exciting and stressful. 

After school, I came home and went to work in the garage. It was sunny, and peacefully quiet (until I plugged in the power tools), and I was happy to be there. I finished cutting the second scarph joint, and am almost finished with the third. I was thinking today about my original proposal. When I began to think up my  project, there were two requirements-that I'd use my hands, and that I'd get messy. (Well, when I think of the things I like to do-sewing, painting, building castles out of silverware at the dinner table-they all make use of my hands.  I like to make messes and experiment and see what emerges) Finally, I'm doing both of those things. I'm pulling splinters out of my hands and feeling the smoothness of the wood. I'm using tools and moving things around. I'm shaking out the sawdust from my clothes. There is a layer of grime every time I finish for the day. It's great. 

After thinking about that, I found my first blog entry again, the entry that introduces the reader to the project. Ms. Lord always tells us to pull this out every once and a while, but I really haven't. I was happy with what I saw. I still have the same fears, and I still know that I'll make mistakes. (In fact, I already have.) But I love the attitude-there's a lot of optimism in here, and re-reading was a good reminder to not get too worked up too often. 

I've been told it will be hard to do-that it takes time, care, patience, and skill. 

I have many fears: that I won't finish in time, that my hand will slip and I'll slice the boat in half, that I will put my boat in the lake and it will leak through all the seams and I'll have to swim ashore. The list goes on and on. But I then remember that this is indeed an experiment. I know I'll make mistakes, and I look forward to those. I want to jump right in and see what happens. By June I hope to have learned something. Maybe it will be how to build a boat the wrong way, or maybe how to tell a good canoe joke. We'll have to wait and see.