A mild stroke five years ago marked a turning point in the life of Dave Thiessen, a farmer from Rosenfeld, Man.
The stroke impaired his left arm, limiting the amount of heavy work he could do on his farm.
Thiessen decided to continue farming, which he had been doing for a quarter century.
But he was forced to rethink his sideline business of building trailers and other livestock equipment. His left arm lacked the co-ordination and strength needed for the long hours of cutting, lifting and welding steel.
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Thiessen saw his condition as a challenge rather than a setback. He decided to venture into the world of art, using his abilities as a moulder of metal to make wrought iron candle holders.
“It’s a nice change,” he said, while displaying the wrought iron works at the Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference in Brandon last week. “This is what I really enjoy now.
“You make the best of the situation. I can’t complain.”
Thiessen makes and markets the candle holders under the name Mister T Metals.
He and his wife Ruth travel to at least 12 craft shows a year to sell their wares. As with many crafters, the months leading up to Christmas are their busiest time for sales.
A store in Winkler, Man., also carries the candle holders and Dave hopes to soon have the wrought iron art sold through a retail store in Winnipeg.
“It started out as a hobby but it’s not a bad income.”
Thiessen said the limitations of his left arm are far less noticeable than they were immediately after the stroke. However, he needs to look at his arm to guide what it is doing. That’s important when working around power tools used for cutting and drilling.
“I’ve never lost any fingers but I lost the tip of my glove once.”
Thiessen now devotes less time to farming and more time to his art. The Thiessens rented out their farmland for the first time this year and sold most of their machinery.
Thiessen kept the combine and continues to do custom harvesting in his area. He explained that the modern controls inside his combine cab compensate for physical constraints posed by his arm.
The harvest, he said, remains the event he most enjoys during the crop year.
“As long as I can still do that, then I’ll be happy.”
