The Word-a-day Writing Challenge

Day Twelve: Cat's paw

The aesthetics of function and livelihood:

A beige leather work pouch and orange suspenders; the way a Stiletto hammer creaks and buckles as it swaggers along in its holster; the slushing crunch of gravel and mud as well-worn boots track a path from truck to door; spruce sawdust on unfinished floors; the welcoming aroma of wood smoke as a fire begins to roll and toil within the belly of a stove, taking the edge off a sharp morning and warming cold coffee cups; screech of a chop saw, cacophony of a compressor, background drone of the CBC; roof top sunsets on February afternoons with coastal mountains stretched out like sheets in the wind; the reassurance of chalk lines and plumb bobs and formulaic rafters; the squaring of walls; a cat's paw for especially stubborn bits of nail, and the occasional cuss to help them along. The particulars of a life lived in earnest.