SaltMakers

Lots of people have dreams of being their own boss. They should probably keep working a job.

If they start a business, they are likely to find their new bosses are much worse than their old boss.

Live your dream

A much better reason to start a home business is to live your own dream.

Have you checked into the cost of a college education lately?

Worse yet, have you seen what people are getting degrees in nowadays?

I see it like this. If you are going to get a degree in studies of laugh lines from failed '80s movies, you should realize you aren't likely going to be able to get a job using your degree to pay off your student loan.

For that matter, there are plenty of people getting useful degrees who can't find a job either.

I had a conversation with a friend recently that touched on the difficulty of getting into woodworking. Conventional wisdom holds that in order to get into woodworking, you need to build an insulated building at least the size of a two car garage and then fill it with about $10,000 in tools and paraphernalia before you get started.

If all you knew about woodworking was what they print in the glossy magazines, you can be forgiven for thinking that way.

Quick! How many tools do you have?

I'm shocked sometimes when I go into a home and there is a minor problem that hasn't been taken care of in a long time and when the owner complains and I offer to fix it, the conversation goes like this: "Honey, go get the screwdriver!".

If you are a one screwdriver home, you should think about expanding your skill set as well as your tool set. I understand that not everyone wants to be Bob Villa, but no one really wants to be Ernest P. Worrell either.

I asked three of my children the simple question, "What would you like to do today with Daddy?" I didn't put any parameters or stipulations. I just wanted to hear what was in their hearts and minds.

The answers came back instantly.

Meagan wanted to finish the spatula project we started.

Benjamin wanted to go miniature golfing.

Are the winter blues getting you down? Here are some simple ideas for getting through the day with your children.

1. Go outside (I know, not helpful)
2. Crochet, cross stich, or sew
3. Build a terrarium
4. Make get well, thank you, or birthday cards
5. Make cookies
6. Fix something
7. Play games
8. Tinkertoys (affiliate link)
9. Play the quiet game (first one to say something loses)
10. Talk

Bonus link: Do something AMAZING with cardboard!

There's life after school,
Luke Townsley
Saltmakers.com

I'm sitting here nursing a badly bruised hand today. I injured it while operating my big Powermatic wood lathe

One of the joys of parenting is figuring out what's packaged inside your new baby.

When it is born, you determine if it is a boy or girl, count fingers and toes, and give it a once over. After that, there is still a lot more to discover. The truth is, a lot of it will take decades for to discover.

It's the time of year when the seed catalogs arrive and gardeners plan for next year. With last year's weeds forgotten, and next year's scrumptious goodies in mind, gardeners across the northern hemisphere eagerly salivate over glossy pictures of a wonderful harvest.

Unfortunately, most home gardeners sell themselves short in the seed department. They end up buying hybrid seeds from catalogs controlled by a mega seed company or buying hybrid plants shipped in from other states grown from seeds by that same company.

Can girls do woodworking? I never asked if she could do it and she never doubted she could. He didn't either.