Adding and Subtracting

Who knew that I could be a styrofoam artist? Certainly not me, but that is what I was thinking this afternoon as I was helping Greg. He had asked me to assist in some weather-proofing measures that involved styrofoam insulation and spray foam. When I asked for instructions, he just said to cut it to fit, and then stuff it in. Okay, I thought, how hard can that be?

Turns out, that can be a lot harder than one thinks. First of all, my chosen medium is generally fiber of some sort, be it yarn for knitting, or fabric for sewing. Even wool for spinning, but all three cases have the same thing in common. I am an artisan of addition, not one of subtraction. I recall a couple of years ago when I had a conversation with an artist about to sculpt a block of snow. I was saying that it is difficult for me to picture the parts to take away, rather than what to add. When I knit, I am adding yarn, row by row, to achieve the finished product. When I was cutting styrofoam today, I had to take away the parts that weren't needed. And those parts were very confusing for me.

The beauty of this type of work is not in the process or the product...it's all in the foam. Once I got the knack of cutting out chunks, without worrying too much about fit, I would do my best to stuff the pieces into place. Often it meant removing said piece and trimming some more. But rather than worry about tightly fitted chunks, Greg reminded me that the foam would take care of the mistakes that I had made. Lo and behold, it worked. I've used spray foam a couple of times before, and I am not adept with it. So I let him have that job today. Once my pieces were jammed in, he came along with the magic yellow foam, and filled in all the gaps. As he did so, we could literally feel the cold drafts being choked out. Amazing! Just think how warm those pioneers would have been if they had been able to seal the cracks between the logs with foam, rather than moss or whatever else they used? It was satisfying to feel modern technology at work.

Just in time did we accomplish this task, for it is supposed to be below zero again tonight. Last night never actually made it there, with single digits above zero seen first thing in the morning. The lake was fairly calm, and as we worked, I checked its condition. The water near shore was showing more signs of icing up. The main body remains open. Tomorrow, snow is predicted, and winds from the south. If the night is cold and calm enough, maybe it will freeze over, but then we will be dealing with a layer of insulative snow on top of fresh ice. That doesn't make for the thick ice cover we need. It can also lead to early slush. But what does it matter, what I think? Mother Nature is in charge, and I'm just watching what she is up to.