Junior Cobb and Me and the Wood Pile

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Today’s Blog Post


Junior Cobb and Me and the Wood Pile
As I read the account today of Junior Cobb I shuddered a little. I think every older wood carver did as well.

Junior was 70 when he passed away. He had been deeply affected with a stroke. The short few words on the Web Site about him states it simply..
“Junior has suffered a stroke
that required quadruple by-pass heart surgery.
The stroke left him blind and partially paralyzed.
He can no longer carve.”

Then he died.

Yikes – what a wake up call for me!

You can read more about Junior Cobb with the Links shown below. He was truly an amazing man. Even though he was unable to read and write, he still was able to support his family and raise 5 kids. His only means of support was wood carving and perhaps the residuals that came with his popularity of being a “Mountain Man” in the Ozarks.

A wake up call for me for sure. I have mountains of wood to carve and not nearly enough time to carve it. I am three years behind Junior Cobb in age and am looking at the end sooner than later.

When I was 20 years old the end was much later – but at 67 it is closer now.

In the days to come I have to start sorting a whole lot more and dumping more too. That may be my Christmas present to my wife – clean the garage and get rid of the junk! I can see her grinning from ear to ear now.

In the last few days I did begin the process. The garage is much cleaner now, at least for a few days. A young fellow came to shoot video of me in my shop. It is to be shown in the New Year as part of a promotion. (Lots of fun… that story is coming later).

The clean up for this video took two day’s work. I looked up at the rest of the garage and kind of shuddered. It will take major miracle to get me moving on this one – but it is going to happen starting in January!

How can that be? Well I am going to keep Junior Cobb’s story front and center in my mind. He will be my new motivation. Being popular enough to have the media come to do stories on you is not going to hold back the aging.

I would far rather be in charge of getting rid of what I don’t need than be sitting in a wheel chair and not able to tell them what I feel as they chuck out my junk (good stuff).

Yep. That will be Alida’s Christmas present this year! Either “Carve it now” or “Throw it out!” What I intended to do will become what I am doing – or it will be gone!

I thank Junior Cobb for doing that much for me. He has motivated me to carve it now… before it is too late.

My hat also goes off to an amazing wood carver that changed much of his world with simple carvings.

Thanks Junior – I got the message!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/ 

Resource:
http://cobbsasser.com/vCobbJunior.html
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/81af3d5531704acb804257a0142ddd62/AR--Obit-Wood-Carver/