The Right Tool For The Job

Yesterday during the local snow storm I was out in the garage working on a special order for a client. When I attend shows I take a special display setup with me that many people love and it is sturdy, almost wind proof (do gales count as wind?) and fairly light weight. In the past I have hand made each display using a hand held jig saw, circular saw, hand drill and a large plunge router. My eyes saw all the imperfections, gaps, odd angles, uneven sizes, etcetera. It would take me 2 days to complete the assembly of one three foot display, then another day for varnish.

This year the tax return went to some new tools. The table router made fast work of edges and it was a breeze to use on the 1x wood I use for these displays. The table saw, oh my, a quick rip and the wood was angled precisely and evenly all along the length, no more waves. Band saws are awesome for doing flat work several layers thick at once. Last but not least using a forstner bit in the drill press was magic, instant aligned holes thanks to a couple of clamps. Almost forgot a tiny but oh so useful tool, no electricity needed needed, a frame clamp to hold the material together while I drilled for the wooden dowel connecting pins (I like mine to show rather than being hidden).

I just about completed two full displays in about 5 hours! That was with much needed improvements in the design and having to think through using the new tools, ah, I am still alive, I learned something new.

Cat Food

Writing this with Floyd on my lap, she is my rockin' little kitty cat. Since she was given to me I have raised her on various kitten branded pet foods. Last night I decided it is time to start moving her up the chain to adult cat food. Since I was in a Walmart there were a decent selection of dry foods. I started my minor quest by looking at the ingredients label of the kitten food I had been feeding her, Purina Kitten Chow. Corn. Yup corn was the main ingredient as I recall. My cat does not eat corn. How do I know this? I like corn, sweet yellow or white with dairy cream butter and fresh cracked pepper, the cat does not. Left on a counter she will lick the butter but not chew on the corn. The dog will eat corn, but he seems to eat almost anything.
At that point I must have looked like a insane person as I started picking up bag after bag of dry food for cats from every company Walmart had, including Iams. Until I hit a tiny section for natural foods all the major labels primary ingredients, including Iams was corn. I even had a brief discussion with a random stranger also buying food for his pet about corn and we both started listing things like our food, pet food, cow feed, car fuel, and plastic food containers all made of corn. He did not know of the food containers.
So I turned my attention to the tiny naturals section of dry cat food. Newman's own had decent ingredients but the price was a premium. There was a name I had never heard of, also a bit pricey. This was starting to remind me of shopping for food for my own consumption, the better the food the higher the price, the junkier and more marketed the cheaper. My eye was drawn to a small card board box of 'Purina One beyOnd' Chicken and Whole Oat Meal. I was impressed to find Chicken listed first, then chicken meal, whole brown rice (which my cat does eat from my plate, always seems to be sneaking nibbles from my plate), soy bean meal and a host of other ingredients including eggs, beets, fish oil, apples, etc. Guess what was missing. CORN! Yay for Purina. I say that here because the 1 lb box was a stunningly low $2. Real food at a decent price.
I purchased the food, took it home and immediately had the opportunity to fill a bowl that was nearly empty. Floyd hopped up and sniffed the small nuggets of her new food. She nosed around in it a second then tested a dark morsel with a tentative crunch. I was sort of expecting her to turn and look at me with a pensive, what is this stuff look, instead she plunged face first into the food and was munching away.
I only endorse products I feel  deserve it and this product I freely (as in not being paid for it, though I won't turn my nose up at a check Purina!) endorse, as I fairly certain does Floyd.