Bringing a Smile: Whittling a Limb Y-Branch Folk-Art Rooster for Luella

A good friend of mine had his mother, Luella, in the hospital, and she was not doing well. She had been through a lot of struggles with her health, and seemed to be losing the battle. I had been worrying about her, and thinking about her a lot. I remembered a fun afternoon we spent at her house where she showed me her collection of Roosters. She has big ones, little ones, and huge ones, and she really enjoyed collecting the Roosters, and her enthusiasm was fun to see.

About that same time, I had been watching a show on the DIY Network called WoodSculpting, in which an episode featured Chris Lubkeman who has made a career out of carving Y-Branch birds, and writing books about it. I enjoyed the show, and Chris’ energetic personality, and so I thought I would try my own hands at the Y-Branch Roosters.

Since I was concerned about Luella, I decided that I would carve a Rooster for her in the “Chris Lubkeman Style” and take it to the hospital to cheer her up.

So, I took some time away from my shop projects to spend a couple of hours finding a few nice Y-Branch limbs, carving, and then painting two little Roosters. I picked out my favorite one, and headed to town to visit Luella at the Hospital.

Luella had a really rough day in the hospital that day, and so I made my visit short, and to the point. I told her, “I know you like Roosters, and have been feeling bad, so I carved something that I hope will bring you a smile.” Then, I pulled the little rooster out of my jacket pocket and presented it to her. She brought out a big smile, and thanked me for the gift.

A couple of days later, my friend’s wife said that the little Rooster really stirred Luella’s spirits that day, and they appreciated the gift.

Luella passed away a short while, but I was so pleased that I taken the prompting from the Lord to put my own schedule on hold, to carve a “little smile maker” for Luella.

Now, Luella’s little Rooster sits on a window sill in her son’s house, beside a favorite picture of Luella smiling. Even though Luella has bigger joys now, the little Rooster has a nice place in her son’s home.

I posted this project hoping to inspire other lumberjocks, as I know all of us have dear ones in our lives that need a boost and a smile, whether they are sick, or depressed. Who is it in your life that you could cheer up a bit with about an hour’s worth of effort? You might be amazed at the difference it makes in someone else’s life.

Thanks,
Mark DeCou
www.decoustudio.com

P.S. here is a link to the DIY show: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_dwsc/episode/0,2046,DIY_19142_35049,00.html

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan