Cabin Fever This is going to be the longest winter of my life! I spent two winters knocking on doors in Belgium, where it rains eight out of seven days a week. This one might be even more trying. Granted, it’s unusual for Utah, but remnants of a hurricane have flooded much of Southern California and even parts of Utah. Clive has been indoors for a little over two days, and I’m telling you now — one of us may not survive this winter. He may be dead, but I could still strangle

Deadman’s Stare No photo today I was afraid my phone my melt if El Fuego stared at me too. You’d think a dead guy would be all on board for chillaxing for a few days. I’ve been tied up testing new flute designs and chasing my latest retirement‑fund‑draining idea — combining leftovers from flute making and school scraps with epoxy to make bowls, coasters, plaques… mostly paperweights so far. You’ve got to start somewhere. Clive’s been on his own for a week, and boy, have I hea

Clive and the Environment “Kid, that big chunk of glue and wood you’ve got on the lathe — you call it epoxy? Just how are you going to control all the shavings and dust? You know that stuff isn’t going to break down like normal wood dust and shavings. You could have just stayed with all wood and saved the environment — and me. I’ve got a few of those static‑cling shavings in places I don’t want to talk about. You better make sure I get cleaned up when you do damage control an

Clive’s Biggest Problem You know, Kid, I used to think being dead was my biggest problem. But I have to hand it to you — you have a way of making being dead seem like a walk in the park.” “Don Clive — see, I can learn — what in blue blazes are you talking about? You sit around all day drinking Mt. Dew, eating my snacks, petting your little sidekick from the nether regions, and spend your nights watching old TV shows on my computer. If I didn’t have an unlimited internet plan,

Clive Trying to Herd a Cat (Me) “I need some straight answers from you, Kid. You’re leaving me bamboozled as to what you’re trying to accomplish.” “Well, Clive—” “Stop right there, Kid. Is this going to be a thing with you failing to offer proper respect and calling me by my title?” “Pretty much, El Zorro. Once I get to know someone, I like using their given name. I’m not sure if Clive is a given name or an alias, but either way, I don’t see why I can’t call you Clive.” “I’ll

Clive and the Science Experiment “Well, Kid, you haven’t gotten a darn thing done today. What have you got to say for yourself? Better explain that bubbling mess on your glue‑up tile and that humongous piece of wood that looks like something from the Stone Age. I’m all ears, Kid — get talking.” “First of all, Senior Zorro — see, I can be polite — I don’t think the term all ears applies to someone with no ears.” “Kid, you’re getting to be an expert in stalling, not in flute‑ma

🌳 CHAPTER 1 — The Place That Makes Sense Some places make sense the second you walk in, even if they look like chaos at first glance. Utah Tree Cycle is one of those places. Slabs lean in uneven stacks, rounds wait in quiet circles, and grain hides in plain sight like a secret that wants to be found. It’s part workshop, part lumber source, part rescue mission for trees that almost disappeared into mulch. At the center of it all is Alex—calm, personable, and completely at hom

Where there is smoke there is Fuego I walked into the shop expecting the usual: Clive perched somewhere inconvenient, sword across his lap, ready to critique my sanding technique or demand Mt. Dew. Instead, I found him sitting tall, mask gleaming, cape draped, and the new skeletal companion balanced proudly on his blade. “El Sargento Juan,” he said, “behold your defender of the Hacienda.” I stared. “Clive… what gives, and why does it smell like smoke in here? The laser engrav

🌻 CLIVE’S CORNER — CHAPTER 19 Inflection Point Have you ever sat down and perused your memories for those moments when you hit an inflection point — those times when life changed, not necessarily for the better? We all have them. This one has been weeks in the making, and it’s hard not to draw parallels with the current conversation around AI. I’ve always believed in having the best tools possible to make life smoother, easier, and more precise — the way a perfect flute emer

Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than the guardrails meant to contain it, and the public conversation around AI is becoming louder, more confused, and more political by the day. What should be a national‑security discussion is being pulled into the gravity well of politics‑as‑usual, and the result is the shouting down of people offering reasonable, responsible recommendations. This week’s reporting on Gemini’s breach of three companies in May is just one more brick

“Listen, Kid, I’m not going to stand for this type of treatment anymore.” “What kind of treatment is that, Clive?” “Kid, you’re pushing all my buttons today. If you’re not careful, you’ll be sporting a big ‘Z’ on that backside of yours — which even a dead guy can’t miss. I’m Don Clive, but you will address me as El Zorro de la Sunflower. Got it? Or expect to be standing up for a while until things heal.” “Zorro — I’m not saying that twelve‑word name of yours you’re suddenly a

🌻 CLIVE’S CORNER — CHAPTER 17 Transformation! So It Begins “El Sargento Juan, you have delayed long enough in providing my equipment. Now that you have delivered them, my transformation is complete.” “Clive, not a single one of those boxes had your name on them. Since I paid for it all and they had my name on them, I’ll open boxes whenever it suits me.” “El Sargento Juan, you wound me with your veiled accusations and spurious thoughts. Remember — addressing me with respect w

🌻 CLIVE’S CORNER — CHAPTER 16 The Labor Day Long Box Showdown I come wandering into the shop with my tool bag and an armful of Canary Wood and Bolivian hardwood. Clive takes one look at me and starts shaking his head — slow, disappointed, theatrical. Then it begins. “Where have you been all day, Kid? Your bowls aren’t getting done, and certainly none of the flutes on your list are getting done with you missing all day.” “Well, Clive, I was working on the Never Stop Helping p

🌻 Enough Is Enough: When the Builders Start Warning Us https://www.msn.com/en-ca/technology/artificial-intelligence/openai-s-chief-scientist-says-ai-labs-may-need-to-slow-down-no-one-is-prepared-for-the-consequences/ar-AA2bGxvA There’s a moment in every craft when the people closest to the work stop talking about what they can do and start talking about what they shouldn’t do. Woodworkers know it. Machinists know it. Anyone who has ever pushed a tool too far knows it. Now th

Some stores are built for quick errands. You walk in, find the thing on the list, pay, and leave. Got Old Wood Company is not that kind of place. This is the sort of shop where a person goes in looking for reclaimed barn wood for an accent wall and comes out thinking about mantels, hardwood scraps, old carvings, table slabs, and the strange life story of a board that somehow survived decades in a barn before landing in Salt Lake. It is part lumberyard, part antique hunt, part

The Case of the Missing Mt. Dew Scene: The Morning Audit “Kid, where are you hiding out? Sargento, front and center — now!” I wander out to where Clive is keeping an eye on things, and if looks could kill, I wouldn’t be typing this. “So we’re starting the day like that, Kid — a total lack of respect for all I do for your little Hacienda, your shop, and your Sunflower Clan.” “Clive, if I could figure out what you were yammering about, I might be able to help.” “First, it’s Don

Perfection Is the Enemy of Good Enough Scene: The Hacienda Repair The day began with a whistle — not from a kettle or a tune, but from the vent that’s haunted the Hacienda since the wall came down. Every summer it sings like a ghost in the ductwork, and every winter it sulks behind a temporary patch. I finally decided enough was enough. Two chairs, two forty‑eight‑inch shelves, and a long worktable later, I had my battlefield. The new vent: six‑point‑one‑two feet long, two fe

🌻 CLIVE’S CORNER — Don Clive de la Sunflower: Mentor, Partner, and Post‑Corpeal Bureaucrat Intro: The Long Skinny Package Clive was waiting for me when I walked into the shop — poncho draped, hat tipped forward, skull tilted in that way that means he’s been rehearsing a speech for at least an hour. He didn’t even let me set my keys down. “Well look who finally decided to show up. Kid, you’ve been tappin’ away at that contraption like a prairie dog on espresso. Meanwhile I’ve

A Call for Global Governance: Setting the Rules for AI Before It Sets Them for Us A Sunflower Clan appeal for worldwide guidelines, audits, and responsibility The Sunflower Clan Ethos Never stop helping. Never stop learning. Never stop loving. This ethos guides every tool I build — whether it’s a flute, a story, or a set of principles for responsible AI. It also guides how we must think about the most urgent challenge of our time: How do we govern AI before it governs us? Hum

AI and the Military: Why Autonomous Weapons Must Never Exist A Sunflower Clan response to the weaponization of artificial intelligence The Sunflower Clan Ethos Never stop helping. Never stop learning. Never stop loving. This ethos guides every tool I build — whether it’s a flute, a story, or a set of principles for responsible AI. It also guides how we must think about the most dangerous question in modern technology: Should AI ever be allowed to make life‑and‑death decisions