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| Amber (Kahler) Linderbaum begins welding on a bottle tree she's making in the welding shop of her husband, Scott, and father-in-law, Darwin Linderbaum, in Ossian. |
By Janell Bradley
OSSIAN – Within the period of a few months, Amber Kahler graduated from Upper Iowa University after earning a degree in elementary education, and while looking for a teaching job, planned her wedding to Scott Linderbaum, which was Aug. 9.
As the wedding neared, Amber was suddenly offered a third grade teaching job at Carrie Lee Elementary in Decorah, just a week before she was to say her vows with long-time sweetheart, Scott. Teachers were to report to work on Friday, Aug. 8, but school administrators agreed Amber could report to in-services on Monday, Aug. 13.
As a young couple that rolls with the punches, Amber and Scott scrapped their plan to honeymoon at the Iowa State Fair. After all, they had their jobs to work around, and the next eight Saturdays they were slated to be attending the weddings of other friends.
Their own wedding gifts still cover the floor in the couple's home as neither has yet had time to unpack much. Scott works with his Dad, Darwin, at Linderbaum Auto and Amber's days are filled teaching her classroom of 21 students.
But even as busy as she is, Amber still finds time to drop by the auto repair shop where her husband and father-in-law keep busy making farm repairs, doing welding jobs and working on automobiles.
And she does so even though she knows the famed "board of directors" will likely tease her while she's there. The "board" – a group of locals who fill the audience of chairs at Linderbaum Auto – often have advice for anyone who stops in.
Darwin and Amber share a laugh though, when they explain how the board had plenty of advice for Scott about getting married. And Amber says the board has even suggested to her that if she isn't able to discipline her new class of third graders, they might be able to help. She smiles and says she's pretty sure she'll handle that task on her own.
How she got started welding
Together for more than five years, Amber says when she took an interest in a bottle tree lawn ornament Scott had made, he suggested she'd have to learn to make one herself, or they would construct it together.
Scott had earlier made one for Amber's mother, Deb Kahler, of Elgin, for the couple to give her for Mother's Day. But then Amber wanted one for herself.
Scott gave Amber a welding helmet and then showed her how to ground the item on which she was working before beginning an actual weld. She uses half inch hot roll rod, which she first cuts to length and then uses a rod bender to crimp the metal so it better resembles the branch of a tree. Then she sets to work adding branches by welding them to the "trunk."
Scott Linderbaum learned to weld from his Dad, and Darwin learned from his father, Art Linderbaum. That makes three generations of Linderbaums to have operated the repair shop on Ossian's Main Street.
In a farming community, there is always a need for good welders. Amber explains that Scott and Darwin purchased an older rescue vehicle not long ago, which they use to make their welding service portable. They travel to farms to do work where needed.
"Unfortunately, we had to do the work at Knutsons, twice though," says Darwin about the straight line winds that took down a brand new dairy set-up just as it was going into operation. "The welds held," he says, but the winds pulled the anchors right out of the cement as the building went down."
It's been two years since Amber started welding the 'bottle trees' and since then, she's probably made 30 such pieces of yard art. She said most people learn about the lawn ornaments through word of mouth and/or because they've seen one in someone else's yard.
That's been the case in the front yard of Body Kneads massage and hairstyle shop in Clermont.
"A lot of people have seen the one I made that's there," says Amber. While she has made the trees in different sizes, her favorite is one that holds 13 bottles.
"I leave the bottles on mine year round and it hasn't been a problem – none of them have broken," she says. But, Sarah Lehmann, in Clermont, changes out the bottles for large Christmas ornament balls which are also an attractive addition to the welded tree.
Amber says Scott and Darwin are also creative minds when it comes to making yard art. A little dog they welded together was fashioned from a small LP tank, a car spring, a fan blade and then wrenches for the feet. The dog even has a little spring tail.
"We see a picture of something and then we try to make it," she says.
In fact, for the couple's wedding, Scott and Darwin welded several "bare branch trees," that stand 2-1/2 feet tall that decorated the reception tables. The trees were decorated with glass votive candle holders. Once the candles were lit, the trees glowed with a warmth that added a lot of ambiance to the wedding reception.
While this past summer has been particularly warm for anyone to do welding inside the Linderbaum shop, and particularly under a welder's hood, Amber says she doesn't plan to hang up her welding mask now that she's married.
The skill is one she enjoys and it allows her to spend more time with her husband, even if he's working.
