Sunday January 4th

My holiday company has departed and I am listening to the peaceful silence of my house again. It was wonderful to have my friend Carol here for these last few days. Her presence has given me permission to be a bit of a slacker. I am feeling kind of guilty for not working on stuff for my upcoming show but it was a welcome hiatus.

A winter storm moved in late yesterday and all day today we have had a beautiful soft rain. The gray day has actually been a blessing. I desperately wanted to go for a hike along the Phoneline Trail in Sabino Canyon today but the gray and the rain that has made me attack my bench with unbridled abandon.

I have taken the sage advise of a lampworker and have been pondering using my techniques to set glass beads and make chains for them…Here is the first effort, I think that there are some real possibilities for some fun to be had and some collaboration to happen. I would love to expand that part of the creative aspect of what I do…I have enjoyed it in the past but have not had the opportunity for some real collaboration for several years.

It feels really good to be back at my bench and working today. I am taking a bit of a break right now for some diner and then I am going to be right back at it. All of us are getting into real work mode for the Gem Show…We are down to 3 weeks and counting!

God, it is going to be SO much fun to see everyone. The several months of end of the year isolation has several side effects. First, it is a welcome relief to have some down time. Secondly it is a welcome time to revive the creative flow and get some NEW idea fermenting. But thirdly, the hardest thing is to be parted form all of the people that you see on a regular basis. So our cell phone bills go up, the email volume rises exponentially and we count the days till the next season of shows begin.