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9- Wood Turning- The Follow Up
0 Playsin 10 hours
On this week's episode we share with you some of the audio from the afternoon in Marielle's studio (aka her garage) completing our homework assignment. Charlotte was physically there to bring our bowl design to life and Patti watched via video conference. Check out our amazing bowl on BlueSky!
Discussion topics include: fascination and admiration with Marielle's curiosity and persistence, following our interest in doing this podcast, the love of trees, YouTube and Reddit as resources First Time Flippers on DIY Network.
Episode of Radiolab mentioned: http://www.wnycstudios.org/story/from-tree-to-shining-tree/
And then we discuss the process of making a bowl that Charlotte walked through at Marielle's studio!
We end with a chat about compost.
Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
BlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.social
Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Invitation to Share Hobbies
00:00:00
Speaker
You know that thing you love that your friends and family don't want to hear about anymore? Tell it to us, Patty and Charlotte. We want to learn all about your weird and wild obsessions or your perfectly normal hobbies that you've taken just a little too far.
00:00:15
Speaker
We want to dabble in your curious interests. Can we interest you in today's episode?
Exploring Woodworking and the Beauty of Cherry Wood
00:00:47
Speaker
Not the prettiest bottom in the world, but no one ever looks at that. It's pretty. See a little bit of Alright, and then you can manually apply the the finish pretty easily with just some elbow grease.
00:01:01
Speaker
Oh, okay, so like you added Yeah, we'll give it a shot. And then you've got a ah bowl. my gosh. After all that. want to give it a second coat? Yeah.
00:01:13
Speaker
The color of that bowl is beautiful too. The wood beautiful. I've never used cherry wood. So first like move it all around and then but let me give you a little extra. I'll put it right on here. I've never used cherry wood, but I really like it.
00:01:31
Speaker
Looks good. You want wipe? Here, I'll wipe around the edges real quick. Sometimes it gets sticky on the edges.
00:01:42
Speaker
for both thank you oh my gosh it's so cool wow and like the angle of the inside is just so perfect that is really cool you like it
00:02:05
Speaker
Yay! Good job! You did it, Charlotte. Oh my gosh, thank you for hanging that. i If we would have like start to finish had you do the whole thing, it might have taken like four or five hours. Yeah. Thank you for that.
00:02:22
Speaker
Thank you so much for like letting us do this though. Yeah. And I feel like I should have said this at the start, but I am not a professional. And so any techniques you observed here may not be the right techniques, but I've learned from YouTube and, and a little bit of Reddit.
00:02:42
Speaker
But other than that, and it's a, I just, I don't want anyone being like, she doesn't know what she's doing. Cause you're probably right. Yeah. I would love a self-taught person. Yes. Clearly it works.
00:02:54
Speaker
Yeah. This is a bowl. So lovely. A little, little tiny cutie pie. So cute. It is. i love it.
00:03:04
Speaker
Well done. If we would have kept the the ten in the original base, it would have looked like a ah very short, stout goblet. A little flare.
00:03:16
Speaker
could put spare change in it. i've i've Most of the bulls I started with, like, approximately a year and a half ago, they all kind of were reminiscent of this shape and size. And so we have...
00:03:27
Speaker
multiple like spare change bowls. So you're your pennies and your quarters and your nickel.
00:03:38
Speaker
Thank you so much.
00:03:47
Speaker
Hi, Patty. Hi, Charlotte. How are you? Good. How are you?
Marielle's Self-Taught Woodturning Journey
00:03:53
Speaker
I'm doing pretty good. I'm excited to talk about woodturning and our experiences with Mariel's assignment.
00:04:02
Speaker
Yes, I know. So much has happened. to Yeah, I got to go over to her woodshop and do like make an actual bowl.
00:04:15
Speaker
um So we'll get to that in a little bit, but we'll talk first just about the interview itself, which I feel like had lots of um lots of little conversations within the interview that were pretty interesting in addition to learning what the hell a lathe is a gouge.
00:04:34
Speaker
yes exactly I kept wanting to call a gorge. um Yeah, I agree. i had never, i don't think I'd ever heard of wood turning or a lace.
00:04:47
Speaker
Like now they feel like such obvious and like familiar terms, but I really don't think I had heard about that art before Marielle voiced it.
00:05:02
Speaker
Yeah, I remember the first time that she told me about it and it was either at a party or a bar or something. And I was like, this is a thing. i i was very interested in just how a person just decides like, hey, I'm going to do this thing that I see people do on YouTube and I'm just going to do it myself. And it looks kind of scary and intricate, but So what?
00:05:27
Speaker
I like it. Yes. And then to even like when she was saying that her partner signed her up for a class or a workshop and then they like had canceled it, even though like she was signed up for it.
00:05:42
Speaker
And she took that as a sign, like, well, I want to do it. So I'm just going to like invest. And whereas I would have been like, I guess that's a sign that I'm not supposed to do it. I'll just quit this interest. It's just like she has such a unique to me and like very inspiring Mm
00:06:04
Speaker
yeah and I imagine part of it is growing up around wood and tools and all of this those things, like just knowing that, okay, I made a tiny chair for myself.
00:06:18
Speaker
so yeah So i guess I could do this. hu But even then, it's still... Yeah. Like you're saying, like, I definitely, if the class was canceled, I might've been like, well, you know, watching these videos on YouTube, it's like good enough, I guess.
00:06:36
Speaker
Yeah. But then I wouldn't have pursued it. I mean, even like you were saying her, her growing up experience, like I kept thinking how much of this is just her and who she is that she, cause I think all kids would probably be like, I want to do a lemonade stand, but she like built a little stand herself and like sold it and whatever, you know? So how much of that is just her innate personhood?
00:06:59
Speaker
And then how do you also like nurture that to come through? Cause I know we've talked in the past so many times, like I always question, like I never feel competent in anything. And like, I have plenty of evidence to tell me otherwise, you know, but competence is something that I find,
00:07:18
Speaker
lacking and it's such a strong deterrent from pursuing things, you know, because I'm like, that seems really interesting. Oh, but I wouldn't be able to do it. So I'm not, I'm not even going to try. And so how did her parents or her, you know, environment kind of further nurture that um feeling of competence, as she said, whether it's earned or not, you know, like, or whether it's real or not, like, but just believing that like, I'll be able to figure it out.
00:07:46
Speaker
I can do this. I think that part of it to me seems like fun is an important factor because you feel like it's fun, then it's okay if you are just bumbling around first and then it doesn't even feel like learning. Not in way that school sometimes does.
00:08:07
Speaker
school sometimes does You know, it just feels like, oh, I'm curious about this. And so I looked this up and I've just learned something and I didn't even plan to. Yeah. And so following the fun.
00:08:20
Speaker
Following the fun. One of the things that she said that I, I was like, oh, I need to remember this is, even how she said, you know, well, my brain lights up when I get to think about this, you know? And she's like, I'm sure that happens for people that have interests and hobbies. And I'm like, oh, you know, so kind of with that follow the fun, it's like, what lights up your brain in a way that doesn't, I don't know. And even how she says, like some of it is just addressing the, and I don't know if she called it anxiety, but the fact that like her, her thoughts just don't ever turn off. And so it's like putting those thoughts into action,
00:08:56
Speaker
again, it's something that I'm like, yes, in theory. And yet I don't react in that way all the time, you know, at all times. and So I just, I think she's fascinating.
Podcast Beginnings and Curiosity-Driven Learning
00:09:09
Speaker
Yeah. And I think about putting this podcast together and how and know neither one of us has made a podcast before, but we chose something that we thought would be fun just started following it. And then bumbling along and learning how to do it.
00:09:28
Speaker
Even now with the library, nothing's ever plugged in where it's supposed to be. and And it doesn't feel like, oh, this is this is so much work. It's more like, oh, look at me now versus, you know, a year ago when yeah I didn't even know this room at the library existed.
00:09:49
Speaker
Right. Yeah, that's a good point. But there are things that we are doing and and that part of this podcast was like this project for the two of us in part for me was really trying to get out of that slump of feeling like I was so unmotivated or uninterested in anything and then yet we like focused on what other people were interested on in hopes that you know like because there's tons of curiosity in us even if for me I don't necessarily like
00:10:24
Speaker
follow through um everything. So yeah. It would be impossible to follow through on everything. So you're just picking and choosing your battles you're not your battles, your ah happy fun time.
00:10:36
Speaker
Yes, exactly.
A Personal Love for Trees and Wood
00:10:40
Speaker
Can't be an expert in everything. i really liked the fact that this was woodturning because I love trees. Like I love, love, love trees and I love wood. And I loved how she was saying that this art is really highlighting the wood, you know, it's like that that's a huge part of, at least if, if you're later thinking about, you know, what you want to make, and it's not just the practicing of it, like, what will this wood look like, you know, what will be ah uncovered in the process, and also like the different um attributes of, of different types of
00:11:24
Speaker
wood, you know, like this is better if you want something that's not toxic or this is really durable. um i just, I thought that was so lovely. Yeah. I didn't know you loved trees and wood.
00:11:40
Speaker
really? Yes. Well, so my mom believes that she was a tree in a former life. So I feel like I was already inclined to love trees because I do love my mom. Because you might be for a tree.
00:11:51
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's true. That's true. I wonder how that works with like past lives. Are all of your ancestors also like with you in those past lives?
00:12:02
Speaker
I don't know. That's another we're going to have to invest in. Although I did recently ask her because there was a woman in the tennis class that I took like two summers ago.
00:12:15
Speaker
And she had this beautiful tree tattoo on her. And I was like, oh, that's really lovely. And she's like, oh, I got it. Because my mom passed away recently. And this was a drawing she did of a tree. And I was like, oh, my gosh, my mom thinks she was a tree. And like, as I said it, and she was like, what kind of tree did she think she was? And I was like, I'll have to ask. And so I did. And she was like, no, I don't know what specific tree. I just know I was a tree. i was like, okay.
00:12:38
Speaker
but so How does she know that? Or why does she think that? She just knows. Just like a knowing inside. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. My dad's really into trees too. he used to be a landscaper at the cemetery and you know, yeah.
00:12:54
Speaker
Trees, they're big in our fam. I love, love trees, love wood. Well, and we, we chose a type of wood for the bowl and then all of the different factors. Right. Based on the homework she gave us.
00:13:11
Speaker
Yeah. Did you know what, cause when did we choose cherry, cherry. Yeah. Did you know what that would look like? I did Yeah. I remember because we got cherry wood cabinets when we were little, like in our kitchen.
00:13:24
Speaker
I just thought it was really, really pretty. And then I think also that was somewhat based on what she told us about, like, these are good if you want it to be food friendly. What's that word? Oh, yeah. Food grade.
00:13:37
Speaker
Food grade? Yeah. Food grade versus non-food grade. i think I have a mental block when it comes to trees. Huh? I read the book called, you know, the, the overstory oh yeah by Richard Powers and it was great. Very epic.
00:13:54
Speaker
You know, it's meant to be like an ode to trees and I loved the book, but I can't for the life of me, remember the name of a tree, any tree.
00:14:05
Speaker
And i you like unless there's literally fruit coming from it. Okay. i know okay so But again, there's fruit coming from that. So that helps. Yeah. Oh, Yes, that does help.
00:14:16
Speaker
So but I, I, know, wood is beautiful. i do love trees, but I think I would be like your mom. I'd be like, I just was a tree that don't know which one. Cause I can't remember the name.
00:14:30
Speaker
Well, and it makes me very happy. Cause like now I'll tell, like my nephew will remember random things. So like recently we were in Chicago and we're driving and he's like, yeah,
00:14:41
Speaker
that's where you got your car. And it is, it's like, I told him one time that like, I leased my car from this dealership. And he's like, that's where you got it. And I'm like, okay. And we were also at the Botanic Gardens and there was a weeping willow. And he's like, Tia, that's your second favorite tree. And I'm like, oh my God, it is like, you're amazing. A, that you're listening and that you remember it and you can recognize it. So yeah, the birch is my favorite, favorite tree right now.
00:15:11
Speaker
The Weeping Willow had been my favorite before I was introduced to the birch. so e Got knocked out of first place. Yeah. Birch, is that like an aspen? Yeah. Okay, I do know something.
00:15:24
Speaker
Is it aspen or ash? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Aspen, I think you're right. Where it's kind of like the white. With the white outside, yes. And then the bark kind of like peels back almost like paper, like old pages is in a book.
00:15:36
Speaker
Okay. Now that we talk about it, I'm realizing I do know they they like grow in systems, right? Or at least, at least Aspens do. Yep. Yeah. Oh, and actually there's a great episode of Radiolab that's all about the systems of trees.
00:15:52
Speaker
um I'll find it and I'll mention it in the show notes, but it is all about the underground banking system, basically, that is trees. And so it's not even like, oh, just Aspen trees.
00:16:05
Speaker
work with Aspen, it's like if there's any other tree in your forest system that like needs something, you're all going to help out. And it's like amazing. Trees are very, very interesting.
00:16:18
Speaker
There's almost like too much to know about. Oh, yeah. Yeah, you could just go on and on. And I mean, even just the the fact, going to Mary I'll say, if you have a piece of wood, and then you seal it, you have to leave it for several years before you can actually use it.
00:16:34
Speaker
oh right. Yes. For sourcing the wood. oh my gosh. And that you want it to like dry out, but not get too dry. And it's like, o all these steps. I didn't, I don't even know if we asked what sealing it meant.
Learning Woodturning Online and Offline Challenges
00:16:48
Speaker
No, I just assumed like, and i don't know what it is. Like after you stain your deck and you seal it.
00:16:54
Speaker
It's like, yeah. Yeah. Something like that, but probably of confirmed with her. Because did you guys know? Yeah, that's right. You wouldn't have done that because that's part of the actual like if she were to source her own wood.
00:17:12
Speaker
I did see the block before we started working with it and might have had something on it some sort of layer on it. yeah But because it didn't, you know, it didn't look like just a piece of wood you find on the ground.
00:17:25
Speaker
Right. I also, i know we mentioned this like during our interview with her or chat with her, but the fact that she can learn so much of this on her own is another thing that's so just specific to a certain type of brain or certain types of brain, like that you can see someone do it and replicate that, you know, like, um and you don't need to like have
00:17:56
Speaker
somebody like physically there holding your hand, and showing you like, this is how you turn it. That's just so impressive. And then of course, like the beauty of both that, you know, that YouTube is a resource for that. And then Reddit too, like that it's just kind of crowdsourcing information. Like what's the best wood to start with? What's the best project to start with? What's the best, you know, like all of that is so fascinating. And also like, wow, what was it like before?
00:18:25
Speaker
the internet for, you know, picking up new hobbies. Very analog. Yeah, a lot more ah just trial and error, I imagine. And I would think that with the particular type of brain that you're saying, it would depend also on is this a skill that requires like spatial facial skills or and then physical skills and ah versus something like knitting or crochet where it's more fine fine motor kind of motor skills versus writing or creating a song things like that and so maybe there is something to maybe me not just you know the types of skills that you have but what you're just drawn to yeah in terms of like what keeps your brain engaged right yes going back to like you said if it's fun or if it's interesting
00:19:23
Speaker
you'll stick with it longer, even if it's not, even if it doesn't come to you naturally. Yeah. Like Adam has been looking up a lot of things about house renovation, repair, and,
00:19:35
Speaker
and gardening and i like the idea of having a really nice yard and garden or a nicely renovated house but looking at the process that you have to go through to get to that point if you're doing it on your own is I mean that's a very particular, i mean, granted, those are different, the yard and the house, but there's a lot of just very small, mundane things to do to get to the point where you get this beautiful final product finished project.
00:20:12
Speaker
Yeah. And thinking through what all of those are, because so many of them have to go in a special order, especially if you're planning to do like, oh we want to do the cabinets, but we also want to do the floor. And, you know, it's like,
00:20:24
Speaker
wait, but have you thought about the wall? Because you should do that before you do the cabinets before, you you know, like all of those things. Did you ever, um I'm a TV junkie, so, you know, but on the DIY network, there was the show called First Time Flippers.
00:20:39
Speaker
No, but that sounds amazing. Oh, it's so good. If you can find it, I don't know. I don't have cable anymore, so I'm not sure if it's still on, but it was kind of like it would have pop-up video like elements to it. Do you remember pop-up video?
00:20:54
Speaker
Yeah. yeah So it's like, until so it's like these, you know, people, so maybe they're a couple, mother, daughter, business partners, sister, whatever. And they decide that they're going to buy their first house and flip it. And so you see that and you're watching them do the projects. And so they'll introduce like on screen, like this is the project that they're working on.
00:21:16
Speaker
And then, you know, like someone goes to like demo the wall or whatever. And they're like, they'll have like a little pop up be like, Oh, you know, put those goggles down or like, it would help if you held the hammer the right way or like, whatever. um and it's just, it's, it was hilarious. And a little, you know, it was like the same kind of routine of it, like set up every time. So it got a little bit old, but um it was really funny. And there's a reason that like,
00:21:47
Speaker
flipping everyone thinks it's going to be easier you know and then it's like oh this takes so much longer than you thought or fill in the blank and you get exhausted and all of that not to say he shouldn't be looking into doing those things himself not at all yeah we're we're looking at house and luckily he doesn't want to flip it so there's some time That's an excellent point. yeah Make some mistakes and then fix them.
00:22:13
Speaker
ah ah Yeah. Or like live in it in the Renault stage for a little time, depending on what it is. Yeah. That'll make it easier. but When you said that the show is called First Time Flippers, I was imagining it would be like that show. Is it Nailed It?
00:22:28
Speaker
the
00:22:32
Speaker
Oh my gosh. I was trying to make the cake and then it just turns out... sarah And now we're going to sell it. but ah Yeah, there is some of that. It's like, you'll see like what their dreams were, what their plans were. And then it was like, well, the day came that they wanted to like have it on the market. So they're just going to sell it like this. And you're and and yeah they lose money or at least they lose face.
00:23:01
Speaker
yeah Yeah, I wonder like what the benefit was that they got there because it's not like you're selling your business or whatever. So maybe they like covered their closing costs or something. Who knows?
00:23:14
Speaker
Where's the perk? okay Let's talk about let talk about the homework that she gave us and the and the visit you had over there because I got to join video conference and it was, well, not for all of it, but it was really fun. Yeah, fill us in.
00:23:29
Speaker
Yeah, it was really fun. i went over to her house on a weekend morning and went to the detached garage where the little woodworking space is. And it's, I mean, it's got the lathe. It's got the thing that sucks up the um bits of wood. It's like above it. And um but it sucks that all up. She's got these aprons to wear and face masks and She's very, very safe about the whole thing, which was great for a first time woodturner like myself.
00:24:04
Speaker
And um she talked to me through every single step. She described it very well, you know, in the interview for each step, because then ah got to see how it all, how it all went.
00:24:17
Speaker
And we made an entire bowl in just a few hours. I mean, it's a very little bowl. I imagine it could fit like um nut boy some some ring jewelry yep some raisins but that's that's maybe that's maybe it I don't know um and then you've seen the bowl now right because I sent it sent it over to you yeah via via my sister which it was so funny when she like It's like, oh, I was finally unpacking from my visit to Charlotte here. Like, my gosh.
00:24:56
Speaker
yeah, it's beautiful. It's so beautiful. And we had told her ahead of time, like, what she asked us for type of wood, which you said we chose cherry.
00:25:06
Speaker
And then she also wanted us to know kind of, like, overall design and if we wanted it wood safe waterproof or any of that, which we we didn't. yeah Did I say wood safe?
00:25:17
Speaker
I meant food safe. food as Yeah. And then we also picked a ah shape of the bowl. Yeah. So there were times a lot of it she did you know, on her own. And I got to see it, especially if it was a little bit more complex or dangerous, but she let me do the, the that carving or the gouging, I guess, ah of the wood and then some of the sanding and then some of putting on the polish.
00:25:50
Speaker
And it was a little bit harder than I expected because when you watch her do it or you watch... those types of videos, it just looks like it's coming off like butter, yeah but they're really putting a lot of muscle into it.
00:26:03
Speaker
So that, but that part was a little bit nerve wracking. Like, am I doing too much? Am too powerful? I don't know my own strength, but it turns out that's not true.
00:26:15
Speaker
It definitely, you can put a little more depending on what part you're doing and what tool you're using. Yeah. Well, and then also the angle of it, you know, so it was like, there were times where it seemed like you were going straight in, but then other times she was saying, okay, go a little bit more on an angle and push in.
Charlotte's Woodturning Class with Marielle
00:26:36
Speaker
And so, yeah, it it was amazing to watch that some of the things she's such a good teacher and some of the things just kind of came naturally to her because she's done it for so long that it's like, Oh, I didn't even realize like, yeah, i do turn my body at this point or like,
00:26:55
Speaker
start to angle it because it's almost like second nature, you know, you know, thinking about the accessibility of this. So you mentioned like, it requires a lot of strength to do some of these things, you know, even how she was telling us in our chat with her, like to get the seal or whatever, to kind of like turn solid, like the thing that you put on at the end.
00:27:21
Speaker
She said, you really have to like put a lot of pressure on it. And you i think you could potentially like adjust your equipment to whatever, you know, if you need to be in a chair, if you are shorter, you know, things like that.
00:27:39
Speaker
You could probably adjust some of that, but i maybe that requires some customization, which then is pretty difficult. But it it's physically, it requires physical strength.
00:27:52
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's that's definitely one thing that is important to think about with accessibility. And then um just also being able to see is important, you know, like eyesight wise.
00:28:07
Speaker
I imagine maybe there are accommodations for people who can't see, um but I don't know. I think you'd have to go to a class to figure that out. And I was thinking, though, with the price, that could be something that gets in the way. But I was looking up some of those um classes and you can take classes for not a huge amount of money. And then sometimes they have like some sort of a financial assistance program.
00:28:35
Speaker
Oh, nice. So you could do that. But to have your own woodworking studio over time, seems like it would cost a good amount. The lathe could be less pricey, depending on which one you get from my research.
00:28:50
Speaker
But then as Marielle was saying, the pieces of wood end up costing more. And then over time, you're gathering all these things that you need to make different types of pieces.
00:29:02
Speaker
So that's the part. And then i you wonder with the workshops, do they also allow for studio space, you know, like access to the space to use it? Because like when I took a pottery class, you could go in any time to work in there on your own pieces if you were taking a class, which was awesome.
00:29:28
Speaker
But who knows if that's the case not. The one that I looked at, it looked like the the first class was this wood safety class and it said something along the lines of in order to use the the open studio that you need to take this class.
00:29:46
Speaker
So there's at least some sort of studio. to what degree you can just come in and use it, I don't know. But at least there's people who are out there thinking about the accessibility of this hobby for people.
00:29:59
Speaker
Very cool. And then I was thinking we could also obviously show we'll put in our um blue sky on our episode post. So check out our blue sky account. Everybody will include some um photos because we have a photo of Charlotte in action. And we also have a photo of our beautiful little bowl. And maybe we'll include some pieces from Marielle.
00:30:26
Speaker
Who knows? I think that would be great because we described some of them. So I'm sure listeners will be interested to know what those look like. Yeah. Especially that one that um had the kind of like clear epoxy portion to it. because That was so cool.
00:30:45
Speaker
And it's just interesting to think of like the mixed materials. Like what? How would that look? Although maybe people have seen things in the real world. I don't know. Well, anything else that this episode brought up for you or sparked or?
00:31:03
Speaker
Only what we kind of already touched on where it was like, yes, you could source the wood yourself, but it would have to be sealed and then wait for a very, very long time. um Because like I've recently been sourcing wood partially for a fire pit.
00:31:21
Speaker
And I've been letting that dry out, but I didn't need to seal it or anything. And then I also was had been sourcing it previously because um we did raised vegetable gardens or raised vegetable beds this past summer.
00:31:35
Speaker
And so like in order to fill the base of it you there's like this German way of doing it that's like called, and this is very ah the official way for sure, not at all just me figuring it out.
00:31:51
Speaker
hugelkultur um very nice so yes so like you first put like basically rotting logs or like sticks and stuff down ah lot well cardboard first and then the logs and stuff with any kind of leaves or plants and things like that as well and then you put twigs and then the um soil on top. So it's like a way to make sure that there's good drainage and also that it'll like kind of compost itself throughout the time.
00:32:26
Speaker
And you're not like filling raised beds all with soil where it's like, they only need soil for the first, like, or the top, like four inches or whatever it is that the plants actually need. So.
00:32:37
Speaker
Ooh, that's good to know. Yeah. So all that to say, like, it made me excited to think like, oh good. You're not like, there aren't trees that are being cut down strictly for this activity but of course it makes sense that there would have to be wood yeah um because you know if you're looking for something that's very specific you don't just want to be like well whatever i found on the ground you know and that'll be sturdy enough or safe enough or whatever so wait
00:33:09
Speaker
But this is reminding me that I wanted to ask how your worm compost thing is doing. Or do I not want to ask? You can ask.
00:33:20
Speaker
How is it? um we were My worm compost. So it had been in my basement. And then it was like collecting, like, or attracting or breeding little flies.
00:33:34
Speaker
So i was like, okay, this has to get out of the house. And so it was summer. And I was like, I'll put it in our nice, like, brick garage. Because it'll stay cool enough. And it's outside.
00:33:46
Speaker
Fine. Then it got two wet. Because we were adding too much food. And the worms couldn't keep up.
00:34:00
Speaker
And I needed to add like more nitrogen heavy stuff. So like leaves and cardboard. So then I was like, I'll put it out to dry it out for a little while.
00:34:12
Speaker
But then it rained. Oh no. Unexpectedly. Oh no. And I was not at home.
00:34:20
Speaker
So they flooded. Oh no. Yeah, I feel awful about it.
00:34:32
Speaker
So that's where the worms are. i am going to start it up again. yeah But I need to get some things figured out so that this doesn't just happen again and again.
00:34:44
Speaker
Composting is ah it's a weird exercise because have I told you about the time I started ah compost ah container on my balcony?
Composting Stories and Lessons Learned
00:34:57
Speaker
I was there when you were doing that. Like I came and visited when you had it out on your balcony. What had it rained? you know okay There were no worms in there, but essentially it's the same story that you just told where I was unprepared.
00:35:12
Speaker
And then it became like a situation where I had to get my brother to come and take it out. like a dead body, like smuggle it out because there had also been this email to all the people in the HOA saying like, you shouldn't have trash on your balconies. I was like, that's for me. mean, it probably wasn't.
00:35:34
Speaker
and I was like, they know. I had them come over and smuggle it out to their backyard and dump it out there. So it's just, it's a great thing to do, but it could go wrong. love how you're still folding it.
00:35:49
Speaker
i felt like half my hands. Like I still have a muscle memory. It was much, much larger. was probably like as heavy as I am. ah Oh my God.
00:36:02
Speaker
Yeah, it is. It's an interesting thing. And, you know, one of my sister's friends was over last week because my sister has started like collecting um that she's going to start composting. And so should she like just had it kind of on the counter And her friend Erin was like, yeah, I was doing that for a while. And then I was like, I'll just go the easier route and just let the stuff compost on its own in the landfill. You know, which, true, it's still going to all compost.
00:36:29
Speaker
But then you just don't get, like, the benefits of it. it turns to methane, ah so it actually can be worse. Okay. Yeah, for the environment. Thank you, Charlotte.
00:36:41
Speaker
You're welcome. I know a lot of people don't know that, and I was... It's very sad when I learned that. Yeah. And it does make me feel like, I know this isn't about composting, but it is now.
00:36:56
Speaker
um It does make me feel better. Like it, A, keeps me much more like cognizant of how many like fruits and vegetables I'm eating because I'm putting like the banana peel and the apple core and, you know, like the stems of the grapes and things like that in there. So it's like, good job eating your fruits of vegetables.
00:37:15
Speaker
And I feel a lot less guilt about the amount of waste, you know, like not even talking about food waste, like things that go bad, but just like the amount of stuff that's going in the garbage that I'm taking out kind of waste.
00:37:31
Speaker
Yeah. And yeah, you really do think about it more and then you're less likely to want to compost a whole fruit or vegetable that you forgot to eat. So then you're maybe more likely to try to eat it.
00:37:43
Speaker
Yeah. And I think this could relate to our conversation because if you bring in woody bits, that's that nitrogen part, that brown part that compost needs. Exactly.
00:37:55
Speaker
And why you know, again, everyone is leaving their leaves on the grass, should be leaving their leaves on the grass because it's good nitrogen. I went to them at the library because, you know, love it.
00:38:09
Speaker
I did go also to a composting class, composting soils and fertility back in June. um But it was fun because it he was all, he's from St. Louis composting and they do composting for the city, you know, like on a huge scale. So they can take like cooked and uncooked meats.
00:38:31
Speaker
So they get the meat that hasn't been um sold from the baseball games. And they compost that. And like just all of those things, you know, he's like, you can't do that on your own, but we have like acres and acres.
00:38:46
Speaker
And so we can like, it can take the time it needs to break down and all of that. I'm like, amazing. Do you happen to know? Cause I know you were composting for a while. Those composting companies.
00:39:00
Speaker
So if you give them your compost, will they then give you composted soil like in return? The company that we were using,
Conclusion and Engagement Call
00:39:09
Speaker
yes. So at certain times of year, they would have soil then that you could go get um just at certain times of year.
00:39:17
Speaker
And that was kind of like your dividend or part of being like a member. Brilliant. Brilliant. Okay. Because I was going to suggest it if it wasn't already a thing, but they thought about it.
00:39:30
Speaker
So that's good. because they They composted and then they're like, we got all this compost. We don't know what to do with it. Yeah. like Please come take it. can you Can you take some? That would be great.
00:39:43
Speaker
So not a farmer, but maybe I'll try it again. Yeah, I think now you know more and I know more from our mistakes.
00:39:54
Speaker
Yep. The rain is our enemy, but it's fine. Yeah, we also need it. Yes. We'll just be but better prepared for it. Yes, we will.
00:40:07
Speaker
Well, I guess we have gone from woodturning to trees to compost and back to woodturning. I feel like next time you come to town, we should make another bowl or maybe like a little plate to put the ball on.
00:40:26
Speaker
Yes. Yes, absolutely. And we should also mention, Marielle, person of so many talents, is also our Logo designer. Yeah.
00:40:38
Speaker
Like she didn't have enough talents. She was like, here's one more. ah So super talented in so many ways, including our beautiful logo. So grateful for that.
00:40:50
Speaker
Cool. Well, we'll see next time what the, we'll see who is going to interest us in something next time.
00:41:02
Speaker
What are the gods of interest? Who's got a great tagline for us.
00:41:14
Speaker
Who's gonna, who's interesting. Got it. Interesting. thing but did Quickly devolved.
00:41:26
Speaker
So stay interesting and stay interested. dead Until next time. Goodbye.
00:41:35
Speaker
Thanks for listening to today's episode. Please subscribe, comment, and like the podcast. Follow us on Blue Sky Social at CanWeInterestYouIn. Send us an email at CanWeInterestYouIn at gmail.com.
00:41:47
Speaker
And join us next time.