Last Calendar You'll Ever Need

As anyone here can attest, there is a story behind every project we make. This one goes back a ways in my life to two completely unrelated events. When I was about 6-7 years old, I spent a day with my Great Aunt and Uncle. As they had no children, they of course had no toys, and to amuse me my Great Uncle let me play with a small rubber stamp and ink pad set. When I went home that day, the set went with me as a gift. Included in the set were some beautiful old brass number templates, which even then I thought would be perfect for a calendar. Time went on ‘til I was the ripe old age of 9 and I had the misfortune of breaking my leg skiing. My Grandmother came to see me at the hospital bearing a pocket watch and the latest edition (1967) of the Worlds Almanac to peruse while I recovered. As fate would have it, one of the first things I discovered in it’s pages was it’s perpetual calendar! We all have cares and worries, and I had a lot of growing up to do, and this small seedling of an idea went into dormancy for a very long time. Then came 1999 and we all remember all the hoopla and discussion about the arrival of the new millenium! Years and calendars were a hot topic in that time and one day it occured to me that I was now a proud scroll saw owner and could do something with that thirty year old idea that I had, so I dug out the very same old Almanac and Numeral Set, did a little quick studying of the subject, and set to work. I’ve made two sets so far, the first very plain, the second a little more ornate. Both times I stacked multiple sheets of thin plywood as the job was a little ambitious and I was looking for more “fruits” for my labor. The second time I stacked 7 together as I needed 6 for Christmas presents. There are 10 “placards” to a set and these will cover every month for the duration. I believe that less is more sometimes, and never felt that it was necessary to embellish them, such as with month names or year number, Because if you don’t know what month it is, why would you need a calendar anyway? Michael C.

-- Mike in Manchester, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.