Sunday March 30th.

The weekend has been a really excdellent session of classes.
Everyone had a great time and I am beat.
Teaching for three 8-hour days takes it out of you.
But man did I have fun.

I have a long drive back to Tucson and I cannot wait to get back into my own bed.
I miss a great many things right now!

Have any of you ever asked for a mulligan?
I actually wish for one now! It would be welcomed.
I could use a do-over on a few things, couldn’t everyone?

Saturday March 29th.

So, classes are going great. We are having a wonderful time. It is the greatest feeling in the world to see someone grasp an entirely new concept, run with it and make it all their very own. Everyone is doing such a wonderful job and making such great things.

Seeing everyone is also a treat. The Thursday night meet the teachers was fun. I grabbed the table to share with Susan Lenart Kazmer. It always looks good for you to be placed next to the beading worlds very own “rock star” Susan is a force of nature and has this talent that eclipses even that. I have never seen work like hers and marvel at it every time I see it. I was lucky enough to take a 3-day workshop from her a few years ago and have taken what I learned from her and remember it to this day.

Her work is amazing, and there is no one that can do mixed media work like her. For the past 3 years one of my favorite things to do at the shows is to tease Susan by sending mutual students to her and have them tell her that “Sterling Silver Sucks!” Once you see her work, you will get it! She rocks and is a great sport.

Gail Crosman Moore and Michele Goldstein are doing great and it has been really nice to see them as well.

Highlights from my drive north!

So, to backtrack a few days, I am driving north on the 5 on Wednesday and as I travel towards the OR border is gets colder and gloomier. As I hit the mountains near my beloved Castle Crags it is SNOWING and SLEETING! Can you believe that? Now this Tucson transplant is in shorts, a pair of Keens, a thermal long sleeve shirt and praying that the car does not break down or slide off the side of a mountain into a ditch because it so fricking cold beyond the safe confines of my car door. I had to turn on the heater in the car! Oh, yeah! It’s March in the Northwest. DUH! How quickly 16 years of living in CA can go the way of the Dodo. Jeez1

But even through all of that I am making really great time and I am timing my arrival into Portland around 4 to 4:30 pm. I am 10 miles out of the city and I literally have to come to a sliding, skidding, spinning stop as everyone slams on the brakes at once. I am driving north and as I come to this stop the nose of my car is now facing west. I am shaking like a leaf for the next 5 minutes. I counted my blessing and than thanked every major deity that I could think of as quickly as I could think of them. I still cannot believe that I didn’t hit anything or anyone. There was someone or something watching over me at that moment and I am very grateful of it.

It has been raining, snowing and sleeting since I arrived on Portland. I have had a great time but I want my 80+ temperatures and I want warmth again and my own bed!

Friday March 28th.

I want to apologize to everyone that has not received replys from me since Tuesday. I got to my hotel after my drive from Cambria, made my post and went to charge my phone and computer and could not find my chargers. I have been so out of the loop, I took one last look in the car and found them buried in between the seat and the center section. I am now getting back to everyone! Thanks for your patience, I know I promised several responses that I have not gotten to. ~I am so sorry!~

Class today was great. Everyone did a beautiful job.
I have to get some food and an adult beverage.


I will post images and more later.

Driving to Portland

400 miles from Tucson you arrive at the wind farms. These things are enormous and there are thousands of them . Look at the size compared to the double stacked train containers that are right next to them. There are nestled right up to the Morongo Indian Reservation and Casino. My favorite hotel between Tucson and LA.












Here is the last descent into Grapevine. This is the Northern edge of the San Bernardino Mountains on the I-5. You ascend close to 4000 ft very quickly and you do not want to do this in the heat of the day. It is a killer for cars and trucks. If you get caught in a traffic jam here it can last over 8 hours. I got caught in one that went through the entire night.












I just loved this shot of all of the new Train Wheels on this flat bed truck. It is so cool!












So I m driving through LA and I get a phone call from my 2 friends from IOWA. They are about 90 minutes out of my way " on holiday" and they want to know if I want to see them..........DUH! Hell Yes! I drove over to Cambria, CA right on the coast and we had the best visit, lunch in the sunshine across from the water and a wonderful walk on the boardwalk.












We saw a Momma Otter and her Baby playing, eating and grooming in the surf. Sorry but the shot did not come out so you could see them, so you all just have to deal with a shot of me instead. Not nearly as cute I know! Sorry!













It was so wonderful to see my friends Chris and Paul. It was the best surprise I have had in weeks. They were unsure if I would take the time out of my drive to go to the coast. I am such a Magpie, if it looks shiny and fun I am all over it.

Plus, I am so stoked, Chris has started teaching some and I could not be more pleased that she is taking skills that she learned and made them her own.

YOU GO GIRL! You are my hero lady. I love you both so much! Thanks for the invite, it made my entire drive worth it.

Monday March 24th.

~Packed and Ready~

Thanks to everyone that has emailed me safe travels!

Well believe it or not it all fit into the car with room to spare. I am pleased with my packing job and the fact that I got it all in to a small-ish car that will not be a gas hog. I know it seems strange to think that I would choose to drive. But I have packed 18 (yes, 18) office file storage boxes with all of the stuff that I need in order to teach, all of the tools that I offer for sale in class, and all of my chain kits. It all takes a lot of space and buy the time I would ship it out and back and now since the airlines are so strict with luggage weight I actually spend less this way.

All of that and I am SO looking forward to a nice long mindless drive.

I have an interesting Tarot today, check it out!
(click on "entire reading at once")

My horoscope was hysterical~

Sunday March 23rd.

(I grabbed this really great image of the view of Mt. Shasta from the summit of Castle Crags.)

All of the boxes are packed and now all I have to do is pack my clothes. I am really looking forward to this drive. I need to clear my head, stare down a highway and take time to really look at a great number of things.

I have decided to pack up all of my tools, kits and supplies into this office storage boxes. I will let you know if it turns out to be a good idea or not. It should be, it should let me keep things organized and the boxes will fold down for re-use once they are empty.

It will be good to be back in CA, even if it is just for a drive through. Like I described before I get to drive through Castle Crags. It is so beautiful. I really hope that I can take a hike/climb on my way back to Tucson. My last climb there was one of the best afternoons I ever had. About 75 feet from the summit, you look up into a crack in the mountain. In order to reach the summit you have to brace your back against one side of the crack and use your legs to press against the other side and sort of scoot up to the top. I had never done anything like it before or since. It was such a wonderful moment to stand on top of that peak and look up to Mount Shasta in the distance.

I took the plunge into my pool yesterday and today. The water is very chilly but the air is 80º and once you get past the initial shock to your system it is really quite “bracing.” I will try for one more swim before I head up north. The summer is so close! So very close! I long for the heat, my bones crave it.

Keep an eye out for postings of class’ and their projects and all of the fun that is Portland. I get to see Gail Moore and Michele Goldstein and will be rooming with my friend Susan. I am really looking forward to it.

Ain't No Easy Way

I am slamming today with final packing and organizing.
I like to leave myself with at least 24 to 36 hours to kind of look around to
make sure that I have not been really stupid.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Ain't No Easy Way

(Some Good Rock To Make Your Day!)



It's easy to fall in love
When you fall in love you know your done
you got easy eyes to hunt
when the world above needs your blood
and the cold vain to the richest man
They're paid away to steal our hand
There aint no easy way no there aint no easy way out
There aint no easy way no there aint no easy way out
There aint no easy way no there aint no easy way out

It's easy to fall in love
When your on your luck you know your done
and the last kiss had a foolish cause
straight tired eyes could only haunt
There aint no easy way no there aint no easy way out
There aint no easy way no there aint no easy way out
There aint no easy way no there aint no easy way out

Its easy to fall in love when you fall in love you know your done

Friday March 21st.

A very long and drawn out effort filled day of putting out fires from every corner. I AM TIRED!

Byzant Tarot Single Card Reading for this evening!

Relationships and friendships are in a position to go from strength to strength at the moment, and this is an excellent time to deepen relationships of all kinds. Others are more likely than usual to be cooperative now, and love, pleasure and harmony are literally on the cards.

(Thanks to the powers that be. I needed a card like this today!)

I found this today hiding on my desktop!

Henry Butler Yeats

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light

I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams

A Side Note:
I am not one to talk politics much in a public form such as this, especially since I do not allow it in my classroom. But this is really to much.

On December 19th 2007 the White House confirmed a "very convenient" fire that destroyed documents that the people of this country have been demanding to see.
Read this list from the Daily Kos.

On the 19th. of March a judge demanded that the White House show why emails from 2003 to 2005 not be handed over, but the rub it that the White House now says that the hard drives that contain these emails have been destroyed.
Read this post from the Associated Press.

These losses are just to convenient!

Thursday March 20th.

This was my horoscope for the week. I may just hide for a few days. Yeesh!

This is one of those rare times when your empathy could undo you unless you adhere to the following guidelines.

1. Squelch any attraction you might have to fascinating ruins, sexy decay, or appalling beauty.

2. If you have been sucked into the sphere of a good-looking monster or seductive tyrant, yank yourself free.
3. Break your gaze the instant you sense you're falling under the sway of a flaming narcissist.
4. Suppress the temptation to think this thought: "I'm bored with my hell; I want to hang out in your hell for a change."

If you do not know of this site. Check out Free Will Astrology

Wednesday March 19th.

I took a mental health day today. Starting at 9am this morning we hiked the Phoneline Trail. It is a 10 mile hike about halfway up the ridgeline. It was so beautiful today. All of the spring flowers are in full bloom and the water is still running in the river.










This cactus Bria and I named the Hercule Poirot cactus. This mustache would make Hercule Poirot so proud.










If you look really close you can see really small people on the trail. That is how far up we were.










This is a really cool rock formation along the upper trail.













This is my favorite sign in Sabino Canyon. I love the crunched bike wheel and the arch of "whatever' that is following the biker to his doom on the rocks below.










I needed today like you would not believe! Mental health days are essential to the greater good.

Tuesday March 18th.

Another day of continuing preparations.
I am really looking forward to my road trip to Portland.
I get two days to just drive, listen to music and be!

I will take photos and keep you up to date.
I am going to try to hike up Castle Crags on my return trip.

Chapter 16

Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the turmoil of beings,
but contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe
returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.

If you don’t realize the source,
you stumble in confusion and sorrow.
When you realize where you come from,
you naturally become tolerant,
disinterested, amused,
kindhearted as a grandmother,
dignified as a king.
Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,
You can deal with whatever life brings you,
and when death comes, you are ready.

Monday March 17th.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

The Chicago River is Dyed Green every year for the celebration!

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day, which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa 385–461 AD), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.

Sorry this posting is so late in the day. I have been slamming since 6am getting all of my orders in for Portland and organizing, organizing, organizing. I told you yesterday that I got a brand new handout all dolled-up for the occasion. This handout is much more organized and concise than the last version that was bandied about. MUCH BETTER! I am very pleased by it’s flow in particular.

I did take a bit of a break to have dinner and watch a movie this evening. We watched Bruce Willis in the action packed "Live Free or Die Hard." Fun and mindless can be engaging after a day of figuring and lists.

But the best part of the day was taking pictures of my girls early this morning before I got down to business for the day. I am 95% sure that my two precious gals are 13 years old today. I remember my 30th birthday vividly, my best birthday ever, "Thanks to Cat and the fine Doctor" and I got the girls the following summer. They are funny, full of their ways, nosey when I am trying to type (like now, Niki can not stand that I am paying attention to this instead of her.)

I hope you have had a great day! We all deserve one. It has been rainy and cold here again.

My love bug Niki and my chunky monkey Alex. Happy Birthday my sweet sweet girls!

Sunday March 16th.

I may have killed my printer today! By the end of the day it was making sounds that no printer should ever make. Rather scary actually, it could induce nightmares of a kind. With all of the printing I do over the course of a year I go through one printer a year. Really, no foolin'. Thousands of handouts for classes takes a toll on any piece of equipement. I went through more than ream of paper just today. It got to the point that I had to basically work next to the printer so I could oversee the paper feeder. VERY BORING!

Still, I got lot's done today. All of the printing for Portland is DONE! HA! I squeezed the last bit of life out of the printer! After a bit of a rest there may be life in the baby yet. One can hope.

I have moved on to Melissa Etheridge.

~If I Only Wanted To~

I Forgot!!!

I forget to share this with you all.
I get the Ticketmaster Alerts and I was told about the
Robert Palmer & Alison Krauss Raising Sands Concert in Phoenix.

The tickets went on sale on the 10th and I
stayed up to make sure I got first dibs.
I got such sweet seats!

First thing tomorrow: Eddie Izzard tickets go on sale.
He is my favorite "executive transvestite"!

Click on the play button; the first image is dark. Sorry!



Rich Woman
I got a woman with plenty of money
She got the money
and I got the honey
Called my baby late last night
She told me, daddy, everything was all right

She got the money and I got the honey
She got the money and I got the honey
She got the money and I got the honey

I don’t have to worry ‘cause she’s real fine
I know my baby and she’s all mine
She give me a Cadillac, a diamond ring
She told me, daddy, don’t you worry ‘bout a thing

She got the money and I got the honey
She got the money and I got the honey
She got the money and I got the honey

She’s all mine and I’m so glad
She’s the best woman that I ever had
She’s all mine and I’m so glad
She’s all mine and I’m so glad
She’s all mine and I’m so glad

Ah, stop your train
Ah, mama, stop your train

Saturday March 15th.

Beware The Ides of March. A day of rebellion and betrayal.
The word "Ides" got a really bad rap there!

Yesterday was spent filling out my schedule for the year. I have added Bead Fest Miami and several bead shops are scheduling me in September and October. I am also applying for the BABE show in November! More coming and more additions to the web site are on the way. I am also buried deep in getting ready for Portland’s Bead Expo. March 27-30. Keep looking for updates on my site!

Last night was an evening of theatre I saw a delightful production of To Kill a Mockingbird. A great American classic and one of the most beloved coming-of-age stories ever written, Harper Lee’s telling of life in rural Alabama during the Depression is filled with heartache and joy, conflict and conciliation. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee explores the last innocent summer of 2 children’s lives. Scout, a six-year-old tomboy, and her brother grow up quickly as their father, Atticus Finch, defends a black man accused of the rape of a poor white woman. The legal battle reveals the fires of prejudice burning through the South where black and white, rich and poor, young and old struggle to find common ground and survive.

Now, tonight holds a very different experience all together.
Tonight is Girls Tucson Roller Derby.
In a fierce contest of rolling wills and spills there will be two events!
Bout #1; The Copper Queens vs. The Furious Truckstop Waitresses.
Bout #2; Vice Squad vs. Iron Curtain
I am sure that it will be as entertaining as always.

I F-ing Love Lucinda Williams

I am STILL on my Lucinda Williams listening binge!
She Kicks ASS! Her "Unsuffer Me" on her West Album
is so brillaint! Listen to this voice! Truly Cool!



Unlock my love and set me free
come fill me up with ecstasy

surround my heartbeat with your fingertips
unbound my feet untie my wrists

come in to my world of loneliness
and wickedness and bitterness
Unlock my love

Unsuffer me Take away the pain
Unbruise unbloddy Wash away the stain
Anoint my head With your sweet kiss
My joy is dead I long for bliss

I long for knowledge Whisper in my ear
Undo my logic, undo my fear
Unsuffer me

Unlock my love And set me free
come fill me up with ecstasy
unsuffer me Take away the pain
Unbruise unbloddy Wash away the stain

surround my heartbeat with your fingertips
unbound my feet untie my wrists

come in to my world of loneliness
and wickedness and bitterness
Anoint my head With your sweet kiss
My joy is dead I long for bliss

I long for knowledge Whisper in my ear
Undo my logic, undo my fear
Unsuffer me

Thursday March 13th.

I am sitting at the Denver International Airport and I got to see my most favorite thing in the world as we were landing. There is nothing in this world like a high altitude sunrise. There is this blood red and orange line that reaches across the horizon. There is nothing like it ever. It is like a cut or a rip in the universe. I am having an issue posting the image of it right now. (I am on free wifi at the airport, there may be an issue?) but I will post it as soon as I am able.

Looking forward to my own bed today. There is nothing like that either, as we all well know! And I have to say that I miss my cats big time!

I have my coffee and I see a plane out the window, arriving on-time looks promising!

Wednesday March 12th.

A friend of mine showed me the pictures of the Giant Causeway in Ireland. This is the perfect representation of the life puzzle that we are all faced with. Look at how they meet and come together as a whole, yet are imposing and daunting. It is amazing. When I first saw them I thought…who made that? How cool! They are totally natural. A-F-ing-mazing! Do you not agree?

My time in Dayton these past 3 days has been well spent and VERY productive. But, tomorrow I am back in AZ by 10am and back to work by 11am. I have so much to get done in the next 2 weeks. Then I am off to Portland, OR. I have not been there for a show since the last Embellishment when I assisted Leah Fairbanks in her glass bead making class. (If you do not know her work, check it out!) I loved being her assistant. I learned so much just by watching an instructor repeat the exercise the same way every time. It gave me great insight towards perfecting a technique and understanding that your own perfection means the students success.

I have been reading a great deal from the Tao this week and have gleaned, what I believe to be, a greater insight. It has been quite a few weeks of realizations. Some interesting and some devastating. It has been the actual acknowledgement of the devastating realizations that took me by surprise. Only in retrospect can one see damage path that has been created (coming and going!) that makes it all the more, well just all more! I am not sure of the proper word for the end of that sentence.

















Chapter 76

Men are born soft and supple;
dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plants are born tender and pliant;
dead, they are brittle and dry.

Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible
is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding
is a disciple of life.

The hard and stiff will be broken
The soft and supple will prevail

Tuesday March 11th.

I am experiencing more days and evenings of introspection and realization lately. Why are so many things that at one moment seemed simple and clear are now not anywhere close too simple or clear?

There are things to be grateful for, our friends, the real ones; the ones that would do anything for us are so rare, so special and so amazing. You know when they are the real thing at that first test. It kind of sucks that it comes down to a test, but there is the truth of it, it always comes down to a test. You will know for sure about a person when that test of integrity, honor and commitment looks you right in the eye and that person does not flinch or shy away. These are not easy tests; they show true character, and the real person underneath. That is when you know what metal an individual is made of.

The real, true and honest friend/lover/partner will rise to that test when that late night call has you getting up, staying up and comforting pain, when that person will let you cry, let you rage, let you be you and not shy away from seeing you in distress.

It is not easy to look these moments in the eye, face another’s pain, because more often than not these moments will rekindle their memories as well. To let a person who is in distress that close to where your own inner pain can rise to the surface takes tremendous courage. But it is in these rare beautiful and amazing moments that we see the real person. If at the test the friend/lover/partner turns you away or turns away from you, make excuses, or if they say that they have no room for your pain, then you know.

Again, be brave, be bold, and have no fear. The reward far outweighs the tragic consequences that come if you do nothing or turn away.

Chapter 23

Express yourself completely,
then keep quite.
Be like the forces of nature:
when it blows, there will be only wind;
when it rains, there will only be rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.

If you open yourself to the Tao,
you are at one wit the Tao
and you can embody it completely.
If you open yourself to insight,
you are the one with insight
and you can use it completely.
If you open yourself to loss,
you are at one with loss
and you can accept it completely.

Open yourself to the Tao,
then trust your natural responses;
and everything will fall into place.

Monday March 10th.

Yesterday was such a fun day and man am I beat. I do so love the Great Lakes Guild. It was like old home week, for an 11-hour day, walking into the venue and seeing all of those wonderful people. They do such an amazing job, and the people that volunteer for all of this work love what they do. All day long, there are people making sure that you have everything that could need.

I cannot thank the people of the Guild and all of the people that braved the cold and the weather to come and support the artists and vendors that were there. All of us who came to display our wares appreciate you.

My drive back to Dayton was much easier than my drive out. The night was clear and the roads were as well. The last 3 days have been rather long ones. Friday was a 20 hour day from getting up early to pack and fly to Dayton. My flight did not get me in till midnight and I did not make it to my mom’s house till 1am. Saturday was spent getting to Detroit, and even though it was only a 4½-hour drive, it did wear me out. And then Sunday was another 18-hour day from set up till getting back to Dayton. Today was filled with errands and a nap from 4pm till 6pm.

I am watching my beloved Reds play the Yankees right now and it is a really good game. (even if we are loosing!) I love to see all of the regulars get into shape and play better ball as each day passes and I LOVE to see all of the non-roster invitees play all-out for a place on the team. This game rules!

I did get one old-time flash back treat today. I did not feel like going out for dinner or making dinner so we ordered out for Cassano’s Pizza. (You can have it delivered anywhere) I have not had this pizza since I left Ohio in 1986 and I have to say it still tastes the same and it is really good pizza. I had forgotten, but one I caught the aroma of the pizza it all came rushing back. It’s not like NY or Chicago pizza, it is it’s own thing and you want the Deluxe.

Once I get back to Tucson on Thursday morning I am right back into the thick of it. I have 2 weeks to get ready for the Portland Bead Expo. If you are not planning on being there you should be. It promises to be a really good show with some excellent classes.

Saturday March 8th.

My drive to Detroit was hard. A trip that normally would take 2 ½ to 3 hours took over 4 ½. I drove from Dayton to Detroit in near white out conditions. Now, remember, I love to drive. I find it one of the most relaxing and Zen activities that I take part in. I can place part of my mind on a task of driving and the rest of me can ponder anything. Anything at all, and believe me, my mind goes everywhere. But today I had to really pay attention to the world around me. If you take a really good look at the photo you can almost make out the car that was about 10 yards in front of me. I hate having to think that hard when I drive.

I had dinner with a dear friend and it is looking to be a pretty done deal that I will be coming back to the Guild to teach in January of 2010. I cannot wait. This group is so much fun to teach for.

Are any of you amazed at how much a life can change in just a moment? The last trip I took was on December 23rd. Not much in my life was the same by the time I returned back to my home on the morning of December 27th. Not much at all, everything that I was grounded on and so sure of was gone as of that day. This fact became even more real to me as I sat at the airport on Friday afternoon, having my requisite beer and checking my email and realized that all of my regular airport routines no longer mattered, it was all gone.

After that you can then you take a good long look at everything and just start again. First you actually realize that there are things that will always be the same, no matter what, and it is those things that you should treasure. Never forget them, never loose them, those things are your anchors. When you forget to take them off of the shelf every so often they can get a bit rusty and take some time to get back into shape. Don’t let anything or anybody make you loose focus on what made you the person that you are. It is not worth the price that you have to pay.

Traveling Music

I love this song. The last 3 verses are so beautiful.

Jeff Buckley - Halleujah



i heard there was a secret chord
that david played and it pleased the lord
but you don't really care for music, do you
well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth
the minor fall and the major lift
the baffled king composing hallelujah

hallelujah...

well your faith was strong but you needed proof
you saw her bathing on the roof
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
she tied you to her kitchen chair
she broke your throne and she cut your hair
and from your lips she drew the hallelujah

hallelujah...

baby i've been here before
i've seen this room and i've walked this floor
i used to live alone before i knew you
i've seen your flag on the marble arch
but love is not a victory march
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

hallelujah...

well there was a time when you let me know
what's really going on below
but now you never show that to me do you
but remember when i moved in you
and the holy dove was moving too
and every breath we drew was hallelujah

well, maybe there's a god above
but all i've ever learned from love
was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
it's not a cry that you hear at night
it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

Friday March 7th.

I am off to Dayton today then to Detroit for the one day Bead Bonanza. Come see all of the beautiful work that is out there in the world.

Ken “the Hawk” Harrelson the announcer for the White Sox called the yesterday. It is so excellent to hear his masterful voice again. God, I love the way he calls a game! He has some of the most colorful phrases that he uses when he gets into the game. One of my favorites is the old time description for a fly ball that will be easily caught by an outfielder “Fly ball, it’s a Can of Corn”

New Dickson Baseball Dictionary: The most accepted: The phrase, first used in 1896, makes reference to a long-ago practice where a grocer would use a stick to tip a can of vegetables off a high shelf, then catch it in his hands or outstretched apron. Another possible source: Such a pop fly is as easy to capture as "corn from a can.
Corn is used instead of another food because the outfield is sometimes called the "cornfield".

Thursday March 6th.

So, if anyone out there has taken a metals class from me you all know that I subscribe to the approach that if you are having a bad soldering, fusing or cutting day walk away and try again later on. Do not force it. I had that day yesterday. VERY FRUSTRATING!

(My actual advise is to go have a cocktail!)

I was told a story by a very sage person about 30 years ago that supports this approach: One day a friend of mine was watching a person try to fold a map and this person was having a very difficult time trying to get the map back into it’s nice, neat little package. The friend was amused by this and just simply stated, “don’t fight the fold”.

There are times when you fight the fold and times when you don’t. Make sure of that that you know which is which! But when it comes to fusing metal, don’t fight the FLOW! I got up this morning and tried again and quickly got my feel back in line!

On another note; There are several things that I have come to enjoy in my daily life, I had forgotten how much pleasure I take in reading poetry:

I loved thee, Atthis, in the long ago,
When the great oleanders were in flower
In the broad herded meadows full of sun.
And we would often at the fall of dusk
Wander together by the silver stream,
When the soft grass-heads were all wet with dew,
And purple-misted in the fading light.
And joy I knew and sorrow at thy voice,
And the superb magnificence of love,-
The loneliness that saddens solitude,
And the sweet speech that makes it durable,-
The bitter longing and the keen desire,
The sweet companionship through quiet days
In the slow ample beauty of the world,
And the unutterable glad release
Within the temple of the holy night.
O Atthis, how I loved thee long ago
In that fair perished summer by the sea!

Sappho

Base Metal Kits!

So, here is the question that I have for everyone! A friend of mine stated quite eloquently that just because the economy is suffering right now it does not mean that our creative drive has dried up along with it. Quite the opposite I am sure if you are all feeling the way that I am. All of us need something to keep our creative spirits energized. I am making an offer to all of my students and customers to start making my kits in copper and brass. I need to know if anyone out there is interested. I will start taking orders if I feel that there is a real desire. Email me at: anne@annemitchell.net and let me know how you feel and if there were any other metals that you would be interest in.

Wednesday March 5th

I am so getting ready for Michigan this weekend.
The Great Lakes Bead Workers Guild one day Bead Bonanza.

I’ll have some really fine pieces from my Fine Silver Metals class as well as all of my kits, books and some excellent findings. I’ll also have four new kits available for pre-sale. Those kits will be shipping in the first 2 weeks of April.

Keep an eye out! I will post my latest fine silver work later today.

I’m keeping my head down and just driving forward.
Looking forward to more baseball today and more being accomplished.

Tuesday March 4th.

Unicorns, Rainbows and Butterflies...

Unicorns, Rainbows and Butterflies...

This is the mantra that you chant to
yourself when the realization comes
that no matter what you do, no matter
what you know, it is out of your hands!

Let go, move on and take the higher road.




Here is Old School Janet Jackson
"What have you done for me latey?"

Monday March 4th

Well, I had to endure the most ridiculous commentary by two Canadian announcers in order to watch my Reds yesterday. It was awful. There were times I had to turn off the volume and just watch the game. They really never actually got around to commenting on the play of the game, they mostly just engaged in meaningless banter that had no bearing on the game at all.

Today I am watching the Mets vs. the Braves. The game just went into extra inning. I moved to NYC in 1986. That was the year of the miracle Mets. I lived in Greenwich Village in graduate school housing on the 10th floor and all of NYC exploded when the Mets took the World Series that year.

Yesterday was spent getting several new pages up on my web site. I have started the updates page and I am still working on the video. I added a rings sizing and aspect ratio chart that will be linked to the special orders page. I am trying figure out the best way to make the setting up and selling those special order rings that is cost effective for all of my customers and profitable for me.

It is making my head hurt a bit.

Sunday March 2nd.

I get to watch my much beloved Reds play ball today for the first time this season. I am really looking forward to it.

I am working, watching ball games, listening to music and spending time looking at myself and my world and I stare in constant wonderment at how people can just go blindly ahead in life thinking that they have every answer and are in complete grasp of it all. Growth comes from introspection and examination right? What happens when those you love have never even truly looked deeper than the first layer of the onion? I have come to the painful conclusion that they are afraid of the effects of what the peeling of the onion does to ones eyes.

I have this habit of turning on my iPod, putting on a single artist and listening to all of their music while work. My latest artist of choice is Lucinda Williams. She is the daughter of American contemporary poet Miller Williams. Her words and music are a gift to us all.

Broken Butterflies
You wear your anger well and stand
For all the world to see
A heavy cloak and one gloved hand
And no humility

You stand inside the garden
And feast on black cherries
And swallow the manna from heaven
And spit out the seeds

You spread your anger on sharp-edged knives
Cut my skin and make it bleed
Like Pilate in his self-righteousness
You're a traitor and a thief

Choking on your unplanned words
Coughing up your lies
Tumbling from your mouth a flurry
Of broken butterflies

But the blood that flows I cannot hide
That blood that covers me
Nourishes the butterflies
And they are healed and are set free

I wish you had what Ruth possessed
But then I don't expect that of you
Grace and honor and faithfulness
And the love that you refuse

Will you ever learn to just forgive
Will you open your beautiful eyes
And bleed the way Christ did
And fix the broken butterflies