Hana lima au i ka lapaiki

I ka kakahiaka i ka Lapule hana lima au i ka Lapaiki.
A i ka 'auinala hana no lima au.
Using a small chisel and a hammer I continued the shaping. I reminded myself that the point of the shaping was to remove material. Then I realized that simpler tools such as sharpened stones and mallet rocks could be used for this task, and here I was with a sharp chisel and hefty hammer with leverage. I began to know the wood and tools, and my hands began to learn how to hit the chisel and position the blade in several positions. Some moves were easier than others whereas some moves took several slow deliberate attempts before succeeding - very much like dancing.

My hands got tired. I felt like stopping. But I continued because I knew this was the only time I would have in daylight to focus on this task. I looked at the garden and wondered when I would weed it. It had rained a few days earlier, the ground was soft and warming up, and I knew the weeds would explode soon. I'd already postponed the weeding from yesterday to today, yet I was using this afternoon to shape the drum and I wasn't weeding. Gah.

I focused on the shaping and several hours later this is what I had. It is not polished, and there are flaws. But I will look at it again after a few days and decide how to proceed before sanding it. My hands hurt.

I looked at the weeds and their toxic potential spurred me to put my gardening gloves on. My intent was to pull just the fluffy-seed weeds. But as I started I wondered why I would limit the weeding to one type if the others were actually easier to pull out. I filled five 32-gallon cans and completed the weeding. It all had to be done because of the limited time frame and the opportunity in the amount of time.

My hands still hurt. I think my back and legs will join them soon.