I talk to normal people about specific things and then write about those people and those specific things

After graduating from college (three months into the pandemic) there was not much in the way of international business, so I offered my help in the restoration of a cabin constructed in 1920. There was quite a bit to do, from felling logs, demolishing roofs, cutting wood, measuring and measuring and measuring, staining boards, and restoring floors.

Throughout college I worked at the family foundry as the “Lab Guy”. The Lab Guy checks the chemistry of the iron bath to make sure that the iron was meeting customer specifications; after checking, s/he waits for the next sample and works out on the shop floor assisting in molding, conversation (company morale), or pouring iron. Long days (9-11 hours per day) with great company (admirably jovial work force considering how difficult the work is).