Roasting

Down in the shop roasting the three timbers I got jointed up today. Two Cypress and one cedar. I burn the surface until it gets that kind of crocodile skin texture and then move on. This is followed by a session of wire brushing.
The other possible subject for the day was an earthworm that I noticed squirming up a concrete gutter at the side of the road while I was out walking the dog. It was trying to find a point to exit the sides making its way up stream in a fairly leisurely way like someone looking for a good place to cross a road. The morning sun was making lovely peacock feather colors refracting through the tracts of cillia lining its body. At one point it got a tiny bit further up the side and then suddenly lost its grip, slipped and rolled onto its back. At this point I realized I had been empathizing with it in some way in that I could sense its slight discomfort at being belly up. It is strange that one can empathize with an earthworm and yet the awfulness of humanity continues without cessation when it comes to empathizing with those with some slight cultural difference. It is the first time I remember contemplating that worms too have their back and belly, despite their apparently simple tubular construction. Anyway, it twisted itself back right side up and continued on its way.