As I continue to work on the deck, I’m learning all about self-mutilation and my pain threshold. My right hand is taking the brunt of the punishment, as my left is usually the one that holds the power tool. I’ve hammered my index finger knuckle and finger, my thumb, taken chucks of flesh out of the palm of my hand and last night I used a Robertson #2 drill bit to pierce the pad on my palm. It’s kind of swollen today and quite sore.

It will all be worth it in the end – I am very happy with the look of my work, although not as happy with the speed of progress.