Out of the Cave
I know, it's been a loonnng time since anybody heard from me. I've been a hermit since the spring. Almost nobody in RL has seen me either. But I just came back from Pennsic, an experience guaranteed to shake me up and roust me out of my cave.
It took me about three days to finally shake the doldrums, and stop going through the motions, as the opening song in the Buffy musical so perfectly describes. But after that, I was really able to relax. Work-wise, I'd just done a fairly demanding summer of commissions (the Summer of Screwing Up, but that's another story), and decided to make a few difficult pieces instead of a lot of minor things. Concentrate on the zen of it, the Joy of Doing. I came up with four major pieces, two for production and two one of a kind, that I'm really proud of. Now at the caster; can't wait to finish them.
I took some pictures this year, but I didn't do another Studmuffins of Pennsic page like l did last year; not for lack of studmuffins, but for lack of moxie on my part. The cute Nathaniel-like armorer's apprentice across the street hadn't grown his hair any longer (still mid-back- I was hoping for at least waist length), but he'd acquired a girlfriend, a petite bespectacled blonde. An adorable couple (voyeuristic leer).
The armorer himself, a big (about 6'8'') bearlike guy, did me a great favor. One morning my back was feeling pretty dicey, my air mattress having softened in the night. I noticed him with his apprentice, doing that back-helper thing where somebody stands behind you and lifts you with hands under your crossed arms, so your lower back hangs free and you can pop it in place. Oooh, I thought, just what I need, and went over to ask if he'd do it to me too. Sure, he said, and positioned himself behind me. Now Karl does this for me occasionally, and he's enough taller than me that he can simply lean backwards to raise my feet off the ground, but this time I was tossed into the air about eight inches and neatly caught under the crossed arms. At the impact, my back went pop and I let out a moan of relief. Wow!!
I came back from Pennsic, feeling rested and relaxed, and was plunged into Wedding World. My best friend Johanna is getting married in two weeks. I'm making the wedding dress, and didn't start until I got back. She's been on a diet and didn't want to fit it until she was in wedding trim. This isn't some tulle and lace thing- if it was, I'd be totally panicking. It's a teal brocade Chinese dress with a long transparent silver kimono style coat over it. Easy fabrics to work with (crosses fingers). Second fitting next week.
I also, in a moment of foolishness, offered to make hors d'oeuvres. Of course this was when I thought it was twenty people at a backyard ceremony, not fifty in a park. But a promise is a promise. I'll think about that when the dress is finished.
We have peaches!
I planted the peach tree about seven years ago, but we've never had a single peach from the tree. It blossoms exuberantly, but every year the Evil Squirrels who live in our neighbor's attic eat every peach, while they're green, usually sitting on our front porch where they can really rub it in. But this year our neighbors put on a new roof and evicted the Evil Squirrels, who moved out of the neighborhood.
And the peach tree is loaded, to the point where we worry about branches breaking. They are ripening now, and every morning I pick and peel peaches for the freezer. Gorgeous, and oh so organic. My Lisa came to dinner this week, and we had peach cobbler. I'll do peach jam this year, a peach and citrus marmalade, and maybe some jars of whole spiced peaches.
Life is good.
It took me about three days to finally shake the doldrums, and stop going through the motions, as the opening song in the Buffy musical so perfectly describes. But after that, I was really able to relax. Work-wise, I'd just done a fairly demanding summer of commissions (the Summer of Screwing Up, but that's another story), and decided to make a few difficult pieces instead of a lot of minor things. Concentrate on the zen of it, the Joy of Doing. I came up with four major pieces, two for production and two one of a kind, that I'm really proud of. Now at the caster; can't wait to finish them.
I took some pictures this year, but I didn't do another Studmuffins of Pennsic page like l did last year; not for lack of studmuffins, but for lack of moxie on my part. The cute Nathaniel-like armorer's apprentice across the street hadn't grown his hair any longer (still mid-back- I was hoping for at least waist length), but he'd acquired a girlfriend, a petite bespectacled blonde. An adorable couple (voyeuristic leer).
The armorer himself, a big (about 6'8'') bearlike guy, did me a great favor. One morning my back was feeling pretty dicey, my air mattress having softened in the night. I noticed him with his apprentice, doing that back-helper thing where somebody stands behind you and lifts you with hands under your crossed arms, so your lower back hangs free and you can pop it in place. Oooh, I thought, just what I need, and went over to ask if he'd do it to me too. Sure, he said, and positioned himself behind me. Now Karl does this for me occasionally, and he's enough taller than me that he can simply lean backwards to raise my feet off the ground, but this time I was tossed into the air about eight inches and neatly caught under the crossed arms. At the impact, my back went pop and I let out a moan of relief. Wow!!
I came back from Pennsic, feeling rested and relaxed, and was plunged into Wedding World. My best friend Johanna is getting married in two weeks. I'm making the wedding dress, and didn't start until I got back. She's been on a diet and didn't want to fit it until she was in wedding trim. This isn't some tulle and lace thing- if it was, I'd be totally panicking. It's a teal brocade Chinese dress with a long transparent silver kimono style coat over it. Easy fabrics to work with (crosses fingers). Second fitting next week.
I also, in a moment of foolishness, offered to make hors d'oeuvres. Of course this was when I thought it was twenty people at a backyard ceremony, not fifty in a park. But a promise is a promise. I'll think about that when the dress is finished.
We have peaches!
I planted the peach tree about seven years ago, but we've never had a single peach from the tree. It blossoms exuberantly, but every year the Evil Squirrels who live in our neighbor's attic eat every peach, while they're green, usually sitting on our front porch where they can really rub it in. But this year our neighbors put on a new roof and evicted the Evil Squirrels, who moved out of the neighborhood.
And the peach tree is loaded, to the point where we worry about branches breaking. They are ripening now, and every morning I pick and peel peaches for the freezer. Gorgeous, and oh so organic. My Lisa came to dinner this week, and we had peach cobbler. I'll do peach jam this year, a peach and citrus marmalade, and maybe some jars of whole spiced peaches.
Life is good.