Burton writes from a unique perspective of being a multi-generational Alaskan who has worked as a lobbyist in Alaska for family and Children’s Rights, lending her a distinctive view on this debacle.

With an irreverent wink, wink, nod, nod….”Say it ain’t so Joe! Aw gosh – you betcha!  Guys and gals!” …and all the other folksy disrespectful  colloquialisms Sarah Palin has thrown around as she crossed America on the 2008 presidential campaign trail, insulting all but the fanatics she mobilized…she and her followers have blundered and failed. 

The Palin Factor inspired this author to put pen to paper and illuminate just a sampling of the ideologies behind Sarah Palin’s unbelievable rise to the republican ticket as their anointed selection for vice president.  TheoPalinism is a ground swell movement that has insidious roots in America and it has taken the Fundamentalist Religious Right Evangelical Extremist Charismatics FRREECs (NOT to be confused with Christians!) over 30 years to infiltrate the Republican Party and find their “Poster Girl”.   

The book on theopalinism.com also includes a chapter contributed by Burton’s father who is a 35 year veteran of the Alaska State Troopers and a retired Commissioner of Public Safety – twice – for the State of Alaska.  Commissioner Burton speaks to the real issues embroiled in “Troopergate” in his chapter that cites the lack of pursuit through proper channels and processes where a complaint such as the Palin family purports to have had with the governor’s brother-in-law, should have been followed.  

I have been void of all thoughts in these past weeks outside of the Presidential election which has made it extremely difficult to creatively conjure up topics related to encouraging women to grab their own hammers.  

As a result of this niche-specific writers block I have neglected entries to my site - and the trouble I am having relates to an excessive amount of material trying to get out of me which I have thought has been off-topic.

I have been struggling with whether to just go ahead and write about whatever is boiling to the top and not concern myself with how it relates to the Women’s Tool Shed…until a light went on this morning. 

It ALL relates to the Women’s Tool Shed!

Writing about my fears around how so many people, let alone women, could remotely consider a McCain-Palin ticket is actually VERY relative to the Women’s Tool Shed and the philosophy that I ascribe to when coaching women and encouraging growth for women to create outside of the box.  

The correlation here is that IF the GOP were to succeed in its pursuit to occupy the White House, it would be the acceleration of an eight year Bush initiated backward slide for women’s individual rights.  And - NO - I am not just talking about abortion, there are SO many other topics that relate to our rights and equalities in addition to that one.  

Palin is a HUGE slap in the face to so many women who have fought a terrific battle in our attempt to gain equal rights for women.  And the dismal irony of her ascendancy into this global spotlight as a Vice Presidential candidate is that it would not have been possible for her without the successes of the rights she will work to erode.

Please tell me that we are voting for the good of the country, and not for how she looks, or to force our religious beliefs on the citizens of this country.  

Please tell me that we are intelligent voters who hear this woman stumble around for answers to questions that relate to our security and livelihoods and can admit as democrats and republicans that this is a grave error.  

Please…

This is a perfect place for me to tell on myself.  My book contains more about my co-workers than an expose of my own humorous carpentry antics, but they are in there as well.  

Some just seem to come to me periodically and today I remembered one of my clever do-it-yourself projects.  

This was in Juneau, Alaska which gets approximately 80 inches of rainfall per year. So you MUST do things outside and get wet, or you won’t get anything done. Unless you think you are smarter than the elements…

So…Costco came to town!  This was very exciting for us!  And one of the items they had for sale heretofore unavailable to us was a cool looking rough hewn log swing.  My partner and I snapped it up, after my declaration, “Don’t worry I can figure out how to put that together.  No problem!”  This has become the single most “I am my own worst enemy” statement that I have ever - continuously - made! 

We wrangled it into the back of our Toyota and took it to the property site where the BIG, “No way!  I can build us a house!” project was now getting underway.  Which was a project that evolved by my proclaiming in the months previous, while house hunting, “WHAT?  We aren’t going to pay THAT much!” And the BIG project (my first house) was born.  

Back to the swing…Of course, as we got to the job site that housed a lonely 8′x10′ storage shed and it was raining…and rainging…and raining!  

“Let’s get it into the shed!” I yelled as we were getting soaked trying to unload this new “do-it-yourself” project. The shed was empty and we got the huge box thru the doorway.  Phew!  This won’t be so bad.  Let ‘er rain!  We are in the dry…

So we pulled the cork on a bottle of wine, got out the instruction written by a person in China whose first language was CLEARLY not english, assembled the requisite tools they recommended and began to assemble. Now you might be asking where we envisioned this swing.  In the sun?  It happens in Juneau…sometimes.  And by God I am gonna be ready when it shines!

Well…here is where I tell on my own self.  Proudly, and with far more effort than intially anticipated, as well as a second trip to the store for a second bottle of wine by my helper - it was built.  We sat in it in the shed and swung slightly back and forth beaming at our progress.  

Tommorrow!  I stated.  We will set it outside tomorrow and sit in the forcasted sun.  And off we went to retire for the evening.

Herein lies the lesson in measuring.  The span of the swing FAR out-sized the opening dimension of the door opening.  YEPPERS!  And…and…I had the inspector there to review my septic system work that I had finished, who caught me right in the middle of attempting to pull that swing out that @$*&# door out of shear determination.

Do you need help?  ”NO!  THANKS! I got it…I got it.”  

I got it out.  He was completely distracted from the inspection he was there for - and signed me off by the way.  But I would NOT recommend this as a continuing method to “Distract the Inspector”.  And once again, when the pain of it was over, I stated with a smile, “Yeah.  I put that together myself!”

This applies to anyone who who owns a home and is in a relationship.  And it doesn’t mean that you have to be re-doing the entire structure.  I know a couple that took MORE time debating, discussing, arguing and designing their kitchen remodel than it took me to single-handedly finish my entire 2,400 square foot house that I built ON an island!

This picture is the house I was building at the time on Lummi Island in Washington and shows you the size of the house - now just imagine the kitchen.  You see the problem here. One of the biggest topics of debate for them that stalled forward progress was she wanted an island in the kitchen plan and he didn’t.

Now, this is a couple I have known for thirty years…and they drew me in to get my “professional” opinion. Hoo boy!  I am not a professional…I am a do it by the seat of my pants carpenter that has successfully created some great floor plans and figured out how to build them.  

But that didn’t disuade them from soliciting my input.  So I tried.  I pointed out to him that this is for all intents and purposes “her” kitchen - drop it. But he couldn’t help himself.  He is a retired engineer and mathmetician and it just did not compute for him, preventing him from relinquishing control over that design. 

They had lived for many years in rentals in San Francisco, and now retired to Seattle, they are in an old house that they are intent upon remodeling into their dream home.  The island was a feature that she had always wanted in that “someday when I have my own house” dream that we all have.  And the importance meter was equally high for both of them for VERY different reasons.

They finished their kitchen - and it is beautiful.  And there is an island - of sorts. The portable movable type.  So a compromise was achieved after lengthy debate and many design redos.  I am not suggesting that this was in any way the only design debate that occured, but it is a stellar example.

A chapter in my upcoming book is “Remodel Your House & NOT Your Relationship” addresses this very serious issue.  

There seems to be a sense that women who own tools and use them are less than feminine.  This is simply NOT true.  In fact, after all those years of actively conquering various D-I-Herselfer tasks, as well as working on job sites, my nails have never been so short as they are now so that my primary tool is my keyboard!  Oooh!  The irony of it all!

I used to get ribbed by my male co-workers about the length of my nails and my insistence on matching tools.  Yes…a little anal retentive, I concede.  But my point here is that it is truly about aptitude, not machismo. 

It is not necessary to be an Amazon woman to take on your own projects.  This is not about trying to be like a guy, compete with them or feel inferior about successfully doing a good job on your own.  

The Y chromosome does not equip them from birth with a “fix-it” gene.  In fact, I have spoken with men who wish that this thought were more prevalent because some of them simply do not WANT to learn how to fix or build anything!  And I really get that.  

There are times when I wish I hadn’t revealed that I am “handy” as others like to refer to me.  Especially when you really are struggling with figuring something out and you have set yourself up to be told, “I know you will figure that out.”  That’s NOT what I want to hear!  I am looking for, “Let me see if I can help you…” or something along those lines.

And then to my own detriment I DO figure it out, out of necessity, and the cycle grows.  But what I have learned is valuable.  And with the advent of the internet and the growing resources in people out there to answer questions, there is really nothing that can’t be attempted in the do-it-yourself realm.

Even when the projects are akin to fixing a cupboard door that is slipping and rubbing on another; or you want to move your cable and internet to the opposite side of the room - you don’t have to wait for someone to come, and then get the accompaning bill.  Or you really want to put a dimmer switch in on that back porch to create a softer light for the evenings and not feel like you are on display under a spot light.  

And you don’t have to go out and buy an array of tools that rivals the professionals’ collection.  A basic tool kit is an essential acquisition in this day and age when women are the highest percentage of home buyers in the United States now.  

As I write this my webmaster, who is overworked and underpaid, is finding energy and enjoyment in her DIY accomplishment this weekend which was to power wash her exterior and paint the trim on her house!  She blogged today that she hearts DIY!  Now there ya go!  I love it!

You go girls!

With only ONE structure under my belt, that I constructed solely by myself, I decided that I was ready to take on my first house! What was that first structure, you ask?  

A 10′x12′ wood framed storage shed.  

Yeppers!  But this was not just ANY shed. It was more like a mini-house. After pouring the pads, squaring the floor framing, standing the walls, setting the rafters and sheathing the roof with plywood, I installed 3 windows, a ceiling fan, wiring, and carpet.  Even a satellite dish.  

Don’t laugh…my partner, 7 year old daughter and I lived in that for 6 months (until they turned on me when our water containers outside that we used to brush teeth and wash with were frozen one morning) - While I then turned all that new-found confidence onto the BIG house!

When you think about it, it isn’t much different.  And by the time I was knee deep in reality, there was no turning back no matter how hard I wished it at times.  

I can’t tell you how many mornings, after my daughter got on the school bus, and my partner headed off to that indoor job at Alaska Airlines, that I would position myself on some pile of wood or saw horse and have my own private pity party.

It wouldn’t last long, just long enough to release the tension as I looked around thinking to myself, “Am I mad? Clearly this was not the decision of a sane and stable person”.  But I saw no way out.  We couldn’t afford to hire help, or have a crew come in and take it over.  So I sucked it up every morning and kept plodding away. 

Over two years went by, and I finally finished it.  A two-story chalet style 2,000 square foot home with cedar siding.  And here is the real clencher…this was in JUNEAU, ALASKA!! Where you get 84 inches of rain per year, plenty of snow, and darkness in the winter.  

And no reprieve either in the two months that the weather is good, which we loosely call summer, as the mosquitos and gnats ate me alive!  (Hey, I am not called the Mayor of Bug Tussle for nothing).

I learned to look at it methodically, as though this was nothing more than a BIG puzzle.  And I would look at it in incremental steps, because the project as a whole was just far too overwhelming.  

And therein lies the key.  Baby steps, deep breaths, and confidence in your abilities to logically conquer each sequential task.  And at the end of that road, you look up and see it looming beautifully before you, as your friends cross the threshhold you built, welcoming them into a space that cannot be equalled.

And so what did I do?  SOLD IT!!  

And what else?  BUILT ANOTHER ONE that took over two years!  Yes…I am crazy.  But hey!  This time Iat least bought a 29 foot 5th wheel for my lil family to live in.  It suffices to say that my daughter will NEVER, EVER go RVing for the rest of her life.  :)

I am like a small breed dog who seemigly views their own reflection in the mirror through a magnifying glass.  I am 5′4″, 135 pounds and have more confidence in myself than should be considered safe.  

But I can tell you first-hand that you truly can conquer what you set out to do no matter where you set that bar!

Knowledge is power. This power is what makes women so perfect in the construction trades when complimented by our innate design skills and our attention to details.

And when these are combined with utilizing youth to do the general labor tasks; and the availability of heavy equipment and industry tools to handle the movement and placement of large materials; there is nothing that we cannot do to compete in this male dominated world.

Do you have to be in decent physical shape? Yes - but - you do not have to be in the running for the next Olympic Gold Metal female weight lifter? In fact, all you have to do is a few “drive bys” and take in the profiles of the burgermeisters wearing tool belts that populate most construction sites to gain an appreciation of the shape your competitors are in.

The absolute Number One question I routinely am asked by women when they learn that I have worked as a carpenter and built 2 homes single handedly is, “Isn’t it hard?” It is all relative and totally dependent on how smart you are with your body. Frankly, sitting at a desk in a cubicle causes more discomfort to my back than building, but we are all different.

You must also be able to delegate. If you try to do and control everything you can surely strain yourself and get hurt. There are many specialized tools to assist all workers to do the heavier tasks. For cryin’ out loud! The GUYS aren’t lifting those framed walls by themselves either! There are tools called “pump jacks” or “wall jacks” that are used to raise walls into place.

What I am getting to here is encouraging women to find out what it takes. There are many sources and I have been meeting new women in the Trades everyday. There are organizations out there whose primary reason fro existing is to attract more women into construction, such as SistersInTheBuildingTrades.org; and WashingtonStateJobswithJustice.org.

Maybe we can assimilate a list by asking all members of The Women’s Tool Shed to submit the organizations they know of that are in place to assist and inspire women to join the Trades.

I will elaborate more in future blogs and articles about encouraging you to be brave and take action towards gaining the knowledge you need to GRAB YOUR OWN HAMMERS & SPLINTER THE PLYWOOD CEILING!

…. Do you have to be female to be a feminist?

The answer to both is a resounding NO!!

But is it really necessary to Eat Our Own?! I can’t tell you how many times I have been treated with abject disregard by BOTH male and female sales clerks (I’m sorry…associates). This is not only really bad business, but extremely bad form people!

I hate to say it, but I have come to expect it from the majority of male clerks/associates. And yet, for some reason I am continuously caught off guard when I get that treatment from women. And my annoyance is exacerbated when I then witness her fall all over herself to cater to the guy that walked up after me.

Have you shared this experience? Even when you have listed off a number of items by description that you could only have recited if you knew what they were for and how to use them, they look at you condescendingly. On one such occasion I was asked just that by a clerk whose hands were softer than my then 5 year old daughters,’ and I knew the odds were high that he had never even built a doghouse in his life!

The women do not generally engage in as much dialogue as the men. They have a much briefer format for dismissal, for instance, when I ask if they have a specific item, the retort is a curt, “No“. And I have found that standing there looking at her waiting for additional comment, is basically fruitless because nothing gets added to that.

I know, here I am being silly, but I actually expect courteous follow-up verbiage, like…”No, but let me find out for you”, or, “No, but I will be happy to look that up for you”. Oh, yes…I could enumerate endless options that would fit here nicely after that one word response of “No”, but a blog is not supposed to be another book.

Clearly I have not stumbled upon a lumberyard or hardware store that sends its employees to the Nordstrom School of Customer Service!  Hell, a guy could go to Nordy’s and ask for a bra that fit HIM and they would find him one!

The words “women” and “tools” have been paired together since time immemorial, and people still act like we are trying to pee standing up! or something equally as out of our realm as that, when we have the gall to darken the doorsteps of lumberyards and hardware stores. What is up with this?

I would love to have you relate your experiences and offer me your thoughts on how we work together to turn this around and put a stop to it. I am frankly tired of it! It really is an old worn out bias, don’t you agree?

(I have elaborated on this topic in greater detail in my book, “Splintering the Plywood Ceiling - A Woman Carpenter’s View from the Inside” in a chapter I fondly call “D-I-Y THIS!”. Click here to access my Products page to purchase my ebook.)

My recent blogs and articles have been a discussion about tools. Topics such as - which tools are essential to your collection on the job site; and the fact that there are emerging companies out there designing and manufacturing tools for women. Again my thoughts continue to spring forth new Tool Topics for women to consider in the world of construction.

Where once was wood…this is a phrase that fits if you have ever had the opportunity to watch a guy with a pneumatic nailer. Now, don’t think I am discounting the value of a nail gun, I love them. But they must be used properly and in moderation.

I have been witness to many theatrics on the job site, and have avoided injury as well, by fellow workers that throw caution to the wind in the name of speed - and the thrill of the automatic tool. The most common antic, of course, is nailing one’s own hand to the intended wood item…but I digress.

I elaborate on stories such as these in much greater detail in my chapter entitled, “Caution! Men at Work”, in my book “Splintering the Plywood Ceiling - A Woman Carpenter’s View from the Inside”

All too often the operator is more apt to be trigger happy and this causes the strength integrity of the wood to completely breakdown. If left unchecked they will shoot so many nails into wood that your cost of nails from shear consumption, will skyrocket.

…and, ergo, where once was wood is now something that looks more like a metal sculpture made entirely out of nail heads!

Just a thought for the day for you to ponder…

In all the years that I have been a vigorous consumer of tools, I have yet to see a sale for the female builder and do-it-herselfer. And - I think it is time for that phenomenon to be rectified.

No longer to be relegated to shopping for the blowout tool sale of the year on Father’s Day where I am asked, “What other tools does he already have?”, or, “Does he need bits to go with that drill?”, etc., etc. ENOUGH!

That “HE” is “ME!” And it is time we have a blowout tool sale on Mother’s Day!

Numerous articles and reports are addressing the emerging economic fact that women are now the leading home buyers and 60% share of inquiries on web sites such as Home Depot and Lowes. Many of these women are single, and/or not paired in relationships with male partners. So where are they getting satisfactory answers and services to their questions ? Their tool needs?

Exactly! I don’t know the answer to that either. But it is time that we find the answers. I am constantly perplexed by this notion that women with tools is a newly evolved activity. We have been doing it for ourselves, and quite aptly I might add, since the beginning.

The Y chromosome is not the holy grail of building, creating and home improvement. These abilities and talents reside within some of us, and skip some of us, gender notwithstanding. And to speak up for the guys, if I might be so bold here…that is undue pressure on them to assume that they have not only the talent, but the propensity to swing a hammer!

I am glad that these large corporations are now beginning to cater to the female population, even though the sincerity seems somewhat disingenuous as it comes only after the quarterly financials are published.

But the real proof for me will be when I see a major ad campaign, targeting women, announcing the, “3 Day Tool Sale!” And not just on Mother’s Day, but Spring when the weather is improving for projects, Christmas time for gift giving, and Labor Day to honor the hard work we do ALL year!

The challenge is cast…now let us sit back and watch to see who is genuinely sincere in their corporate efforts to capture the women carpenters and D-I-Hers. I am holding my applause…