Blacksmith.
Yup. And I don't write historicals. No, I write suspense, and if you read further, you'll see why.
Yesterday the school where I volunteer did a field trip. He's the son of one of the ladies who helps with the hot lunches. He showed us how horseshoes are made, how the horse is shod and how much scraping that white stuff off the hoof really smells!
But that certainly wasn't why I thought it was a cool profession. It was things like his charming manners, his ease in handling a Clydesdale, his belief that even though many blacksmiths prefer doing only lightweight saddle horses, the big guys need more care.
Yes, up here they still are used to haul logs out of the woods and they need good carbide tips on winter shoes.
A time-honoured profession requiring a strong body and calm manner.
And what cool murder weapons! I do write suspense, after all.
A propane forge, striking tools of many a description, claws and plyers, and even a chain saw! (I didn't ask why that was there!). Even the anvil.
And who doesn't think of Bugs Bunny when they see an anvil? Hey, maybe that was why I went into suspense writing? I saw too many anvils dropped on villlians' heads!Yup, blacksmithing may be hard, and cold and sometimes smelly, but what a great profession for a hero. What a great line up of murder weapons, and think of what a spooked horse could do at the end of a chapter!
Ahh, yes, a children's field trip can do so much for the imagination!
