Weather here in Reno is different than my old home. It takes a bit of getting used to. The desert is more extreme in temperature and there’s a lot more wind. One of the local TV stations has a weather report titled, “Where’s my trashcan?” Which measures wind speed with a graphic of how far down the street your trashcan will be blown.
It can get windy here and it can get cold. I’ve also been told that – what’s that stuff, called? You know the white stuff that falls from the sky … Snow, yeah that was it. I’ve been told that it could snow here.
Back in San Jose it rarely snowed. Last time I remember snow there was in 1976. Although it would snow on the mountain peaks during very cold storms. Even then I was tempted to move to warmer climates. I’ve long said, “If you can see snow, you’re too close.”
But now I live in a place where I’ve seen actual snow on the ground where people live. We were visiting in January when I saw that. Now I face the reality that it might snow here while I am actually living here. Okay, that’s not likely to happen for a few months, but one needs to get ready for such things. Me, I take a long time to get ready for stuff.
When I was a kid, I had a retired uncle who lived in Oregon. We saw him twice a year, once in the fall when he and his wife drove their trailer to Arizona for the winter. Then in the spring they’d drive back for summer in Oregon and would stop in San Jose to visit.
Seemed like a good plan to me – moving to a warmer place when it snows. I’d consider it, but I think the cats would object and Heather wouldn’t be to keen on the idea either. The thought of me driving a truck and towing a trailer should frighten most sane drivers.
So, instead I’m just doing the get-ready-for-winter-coming fast. Back in San Jose, winter (or the wet season) started around Thanksgiving and might last till early March. Here I’m told to expect freezing temps anytime in the next two weeks and for it to start warming up by May.
Which brings me to why I have a brand new sewing machine. Two reasons really – I’d really like to get into quilting and I won’t have a heated woodworking shop this winter.
I do have this really cool theory about quilting and marquetry where I believe that many traditional patterns can be expressed in both fabric and wood, but this post isn’t about that.
One of the things we liked about this house we bought is that it has a large shed that at first looked like I could convert into a heated workshop for my marquetry. It has windows and electricity. Sadly it also has a number of building issues, like the fact that water runs through the shed. Not around it, or over it, but through it. We noticed this during a thunderstorm a couple of months ago.
Have I mentioned that thunderstorms are kind of cool to watch and we rarely got them in San Jose?
Anyway, turns out the foundation and siding on the shed side were done incorrectly and the thing just isn’t suited for conversion to a shop space. It would likely cost more to fix it than just build a new one.
Did someone say build a new workshop? Yes, we did. There’s enough land here that I could build a larger workshop with better water protection, power and heating. That’s the good part. Bad part is that I’ll need a building permit, engineering plans and a contractor to build it.
We’re talking like six months at best before that can happen. Possibly longer.
I do have one bay on our garage to do some woodworking in. Heating that might be possible for some projects and I’ll be using it until I have something better.
Which brings me back to the sewing machine and this winter. I have some specific projects in mind that involve both a fabric and wood component. With my very own machine in my nice warm room, I hope to get through a couple of fabric projects and then when the weather warms or my temperature controlled workshop is ready I can start on the wooden component of the project.
In between quilting projects I’ll also have the fun and frustration of getting that fancy woodworking paradise built.
Andrew's View of the Week 
We lived where it snowed a little each winter – enough to wake up to a beautiful snow blanket on the ground. And enough for the kids to build a snowman. Then it would melt quickly, so we never had the hassle of shoveling the driveway. That would take getting used to. But it sounds like you have projects lined up that will keep you busy. But don’t miss out on the beauty of when the snow does arrive. It’s magical. 🙂
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They tell me that the snow is like that. Stays for a few days the melts.
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Then hopefully it won’t be so bad. 🙂
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hopefully 🙂
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I think I understand what you’re saying regarding getting used to different weather. 😉
When I was still in elementary school, my dad built the workshop of his dreams in our backyard. It had lots of space for all of his power tools and table saw, plus a bathroom. He even added a garage door that opened out to the alley so he could drive up and unload all his wood. And what I remember most about it is that for over a month, it was just a slab of concrete and it became my personal roller rink. Man, that was fun!
What I’m saying is: dream big, Andrew!
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You moved to very different weather! I am dreaming big – that’s why it’s going to take time to get it all done.
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You’ll be so busy, you won’t even notice the white stuff! (Just keep hoping…) 😉
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That’s my hope anyway. 🙂
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A cautionary tale because it could be a long winter… My two 70 something foster sisters in Phoenix are master quilters. They’ve won all kinds of awards for their efforts and their work is very impressive. Their homes are covered in hung up & framed quilts of all sizes. So unless Heather loves quilts everywhere, limit your time at the sewing machine. Ha!
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Oddly enough I have the same problem with my wood working projects – running out of space for them and I’ve been informed I can’t make anymore clocks … sigh.
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Hi! Not sure if you need one or not, but if you will need a snow shovel for your sidewalk and driveway, I suggest buying one BEFORE the storm hits, rather than after, as I did up here in WA! 😀
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Before the storm – good suggestion. I’ll check the big box store next time I’m there. My alternative plan was just to buy 4 months of canned and frozen food and wait for spring.
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Talk about climate change, you’re in it, buddy! But you’ll adjust and who knows, you might just come to like that white stuff that falls from the sky and covers the landscape with a pristine blanket. I do! I truly enjoy seeing the seasons change so I’m happy to live here in western Pennsylvania where it does exactly that.
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I don’t know about the white stuff. Looks nice, but actually being in it … I don’t know. 😉
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At the risk of sounding like a Life cereal commercial from way back when…”try it, you’ll like it.” 😉
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🙂
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you will probably like and be good at quilting, very much like marquetry in design. I have made several quilts, I recommend starting small to get the hang of it, otherwise you can get very frustrated…fast
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I’m hoping I’ll be good at it. My wife thinks that the tools I use for marquetry are similar to fabric tools and some of the methods are related.
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not sure which tools you use for marquetry, but I think she’s right!!
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start with an easy one, like a 9 patch, to learn how to match your seams, that’s the hardest part
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Yes, that is on my list. I’ve also picked up patterns for bento box and log cabin. Since this is mostly about art, I’m doing small wall hangings that will have a marquetry picture with each.
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Don’t forget, though, you’ll be able to make your first snowman.
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Well, there is that.
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Funny, I hadn’t thought about it snowing there. Welcome to the club. We saw our first flakes last month.
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It’s a new concept to this California boy.
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Whenever a person moves, it takes time to get used to a new norm. I call it the “time of suck.”
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It does take time.
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