Just received an e-mail about what to use for treating a wood spoon. Figure I should post what I wrote in case there are some out there that are not sure what to do. The question asked really pertains to a spoon he carved himself, however this is information that you can apply to any wooden product that is unfinished. One more note, not all woods are the same as far as the application amounts of oil. Softer, less dense woods will absorb more oil whereas hard/dense wood will absorb less.

"Definitely use mineral oil from the store. Apply it heavy 3 or 4 times letting it sit and soak a day for each application. After that wash it with hot water and soap then towel dry. You'll notice that the grain has risen causing it to feel rough. Use 320 grit sandpaper to smooth it and apply more oil. I have found that maple needs 2 to 3 washing/sanding/oil till the grain no longer rises unless it's been used a lot and just needs oil."

What a weekend get away. A new friend invited me to his mountain retreat(in process) to hike and just relax. Well it was relaxing work just to keep warm. Fortunately There close to the shed that has a wood stove was a dying walnut tree. We kept warm from the limbs and he gets a bowl from the 4 logs brought back. Deep in his back yard we followed the river up to see beautiful falls in stages. Around every bend there was a new and more amazing site to see. Sunday morn was a wee bit chilly hoovering around 12 degrees. The best way to warm up is to move 4 loads of 150 pounds of wood in a cart up a steep incline. You can some what get an idea of the slope left of the shed.