Sunday afternoon, just home from church, I’m scraping 60 years of crud from a couple dozen old boards. I like to imagine I am redeeming them. Turning ugly into beautiful. Giving these boards a new home as the backdrop to my creative studio. I hope they appreciate how close they were to the dump.

I’ve always loved the look of weathered wood. Rich yellows fade into walnut greys. Knots and grains pop with the accumulated darkening of decades and dirt. These wrinkles and age spots may be my favourite patina.

Later on, at Blue Christmas, we are speaking of grief. Loss. Pain. I think of my boards.