Talk about couple goals: Janet Wang and Liz Waters-Loughlin of Rhinebeck, NY take thoughtful craftsmanship to a new level with their daily morning ritual of crafting a new, queen-sized bed from fresh, just-cut lumber.

“We were always so busy with our daily lives when we were working in an office and living in the city, paying people to do basic chores for us,” said Janet Wang. “But now that Liz and I live upstate, we have the chance to work with our hands and appreciate our craftsmanship together, every morning.”

“Sure, this isn’t something that every lesbian couple does,” said Liz, as she sanded down a piece of sturdy hickory. “But crafting a totally new bed from scratch each day is a tenet of our morning routine. For us, brewing a pot of coffee in the morning and building something together grounds us and brings us closer as a couple.”

“And also closer to getting our respective certifications in carpentry, which is a mutual goal,” Janet added.

“I’m really happy that they have this tradition together,” said longtime friend Thea Dupont. “But a new bed takes like six hours to build, and that’s with pre-cut lumber. Is there something they’re trying to run away from? This doesn’t seem healthy.”

But the tradition lives on in the Wang/Waters-Loughlin household.

“Sharing a daily activity together brings us so much closer together, I just don’t see us ever stopping,” said Janet. “And of course, we plant trees weekly to replenish the trees we are using. That usually takes up most of our afternoons.”

All used beds are donated to local shelters after their one-time use, who have unfortunately been forced to turn them away due to space concerns.