Kuriosities

I was feeling rather lonely and lonesome in this secluded corner of the world today. Mopey and friendless and thinking back on Friday parties in Montreal, where everyone would gather at my house with favourite dishes, and booze – and we would eat and drink away a week of woes, with laughter and teasing, and general comraderie. I miss this so much, that which I no longer have at all. 

And in the midst of this lonesome pining and feeling sorry for myself, a visitor popped in – as is wont to happen whenever I start to get blue. As an old somebody would say (who used to annoy the heck out of me at the time) “The universe provides!” And it did, and remarkably well, for it was my very favourite type of visitor. A character.

This old farmer stopped in, Billy… he must be almost 90 years old, no longer has teeth,  and I just love him to bits. He has such stories – wonderful stories about living on the farm, and all the animals he has had, and times gone by. And stories of adventures, and tricks, and travels. And so funny. And such a lovely sparkle in his eye, and a teasing mischief in everything he does.

He comes every now and then to visit Mr. Portobello piggie, and the chickens. He loves them, and waxes about how Portie is the most beautiful creature on the earth, and that I should never leave him out at night or I might wake up to find him kidnapped by Mr. Billy.

And sometimes he tells me the same stories over again, but they captivate me each time just as much as the first – though with perhaps more of a sense of happy anticipation because now I know when the good part is coming up.

He also stopped by to ask for gooseberries, because he used to pick them off our gooseberry bush 20 some-odd years ago.

I hope I am spry and full of mischief and light when I am his age.

I feel so enchanted. What does this say about me though, that my most kindred of spirits, the most closely aligned to my odd beating heart,  are 90 year old men?

Also…music has taken me over. It has passed through my brain, and into my heart, and through my veins it is singing. So much so that it is sometimes hard to sleep, for all of the notes dancing and dazzling. It feels like bliss, like manna dew. So, the sissy fingers must die. I have decided. That is it. I will no longer care about their complaints, or their blisters, they will and must soldier on until every last nerve ending succumbs. There is no other way. I must stand firm in this conviction. And as soon as I decided this fervently, they hurt a little less. Hmm. So I am playing longer and longer now, trying to deaden the last vestiges. So far, so good. I want callouses like wood, I no longer care if they look hideous, what is vanity compared to what they could do if they no longer complained their sissy complaints? A necessary sacrifice. Goodbye old fingers.

This night, overbrimmed with
wishes, cannot sleep. Clamours,
rises from the trees raucous as
crows. The moon, the sea,
swell, are too full, roll
and bump into the cupped edge
of skull, seek release, seek

secrets that must
never be, whispered, perch
behind teeth, pry at the bars
of their containment.

This night brazen and still
holds only the small-beating
tumult and crash
of a careening heart,
making itself known thump
once bump
and for all. thump

Some days I love my job so much, and today is one of those days…working on commissioned pieces that inspired the hell out of me. I’ll start off slow and work my way up to my current favourite piece…

A 45 rpm record adaptor in hammer brushed copper. This is actual size – though I am not sure yet if it would actually work – it is meant to be a pendant, but it would be pretty nifty if it could work too. I will be experimenting over the next few days. For the pendant though, I am still debating whether or not to run the leather thong through the centre hole or to solder on a nice little bail…

Next, a new Alice pendant! I love this particular Tenniel etching, one of my favourites from the Alice books, so when my client chose it, I was very excited. And even better was the quote that she chose for the back.

I love working with people who have wonderful ideas – it makes my work so much more interesting. To be able to work on a piece that I would love to wear, or that I would be proud to have my name attached to is just the best kind of work. It is so disheartening to make something to a client’s specifications that you know is going to be ugly, but the client wants it and so you comply. I always want to add the condition that they will not tell anybody where they got it… of course, I don’t, and luckily that doesn’t happen too often! Anyways, I modified the Alice pendant design slightly by adding a soldered double sterling bail. It made it much sturdier, and in my opinion, spiffier too.

And last, but not least, my very favourite of the day… a Mayan calendar, out of time, steampunk, industrial, vicorian, ancient and modern both, pendant. I am in love with it. I would like to be able to lay claim to its entirety – but really this is a collaboration with my client, whose idea was something along the lines of my clockworks time pendants, but with a Mayan theme, and how time is a manmade construct.

The jewelry design was inspired by the calendar, and the idea of circles within circles – mixing styles from different time periods, to make a time pice that was essentially free of time – to which time did not exist, and yet was wholly absorbed with time.

This is one of those pieces that it is hard to let go of, I got attached to it while making it. Partly because I love its idea, but also because it was a royal pain in the ass, and I had to think and re-think its construction. It challenged my limitations and made me think outside of my ordinary comfort zone. I evolved in my craft during its construction.

I am so tired, it is  beyond all means of accurate description. Suffice it to say that my brain is foggy and weary, and if this entry doesn’t make much sense, please forgive me.

Yesterday morning I went to the farmer’s market and stocked up on goodies. Samosas, and coffee, fresh donuts made right in front of us, homemade granola, and all sorts of various yumminess. A dinner planned of BBQ salmon filets in white wine and garlic, rice, and corn on the cob. I have had a sort of disdain for food since I have lost weight, it all just seems dull and not as interesting as it used to – so I wanted to make something worthwhile eating, something lively and different than the usual fare.

Then, it started to rain. Followed quickly by some screeching outside as sparks were flying off a passing camping trailer. Eventually the knock at the door from a man wanting help. He had a bit of an unnerving way of making direct and prolonged eye contact. I went to fetch G, who would hopefully  be able to help.

After a prolonged amount of time outside fiddling with the wheel, it was determined that our local friendly mechanic should be fetched, or new bolts procured at the nearest store (10 minutes away on the highway). The wife was to come and sit with me in the house. To which there was a great pause, and then agreement passed my reluctant lips. But what are you going to do? Not help? So, of course she could come in for a bit.

A bit turned into two hours. The mechanic was on his way out. The stranded man did not bring the bolts to the shop so that he could find matching ones, and even though the wheel was put back on the trailer(!!!) , and it could now move again, decided that now he needed a new rim for the wheel. And that it would be best to just stay the night. What the? How did that come about? Complete strangers in my driveway camping overnight.

By then, it was to late to cook. We ate warmed up frozen dinners…grrr.

So they backed their trailer in and hooked their electricity up to the house. And made use of the bathroom, and fetched water, and asked for tea, and mentioned that they did not have any coffee for the morning either… Oh, my. And can we leave the door unlocked over night so that they can come in and out to use the facilities? Very much, oh my. They were so downright cozy, how they set about setting up, these strangers.

Now, I do not mind helping out a desperate soul in need. We seem to do this on a regular basis for tourists. Just a few weeks ago a cyclist from Rimouski asked to stop so that he could fix his bike in shelter, and we offered him tea and cookies to warm his bones and get out of the rain, as it ended up taking him several hours to get it road worthy again. That was just fine, and an interesting conversation.

But it turns out that this couple only lives an hour’s drive away from us… so why they did not leave the trailer and sleep at their own house is absolutely beyond me. If they were great Aunt Mildred and Uncle Fred, ok. If they were from another part of the country, ok. But we are talking a mere hour from home.

Try as I might, I could not sleep a wink. The idea that strangers could just enter my house at a whim, with my children sleeping…

too many “don’t talk to strangers or they will get you” talks as a child
+ too many horror movies with “nice” strangers that are actually psychopathic killers
+ dark and stormy night
+ camping trailer parked in driveway with “nice” (but also slightly odd) strangers
+ door unlocked to house overnight
————————————————————————————————-
= me in bed like this all night = zero hours of sleep

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh

They are gone now, finally. The mechanic came back this morning to help, and by 12:30 or 1pm , they were back on the road. Sooo tired. It is not that they were awful – honestly they were fine - a little odd in mannerisms – but fine – it’s just that they were not mine. To lend a hand for an hour or two when a stranger really needs it is more than fine, but to give a day – when it really isn’t necessary, when really they could have taken care of things just fine on their own with a lot less inconvenience to themselves than what they asked from us… I just don’t get it. The mechanic was making jokes about campgrounds charging at least $40/night for the service they were getting from us, so maybe that was it? Short on money, free night of camping with super clean bathrooms, free electrical hookup and clean water? A view of the ocean and lots of interesting animals…too good to pass up?

But o well. Add it to the list of strange and uninvited guests that pass through our farm every summer. I suppose it is to be expected now…

Here is a recent piece that I made for a super nice client from Detroit. She is going to be studying science this year at university, and wanted something that reflected her interest in genetics as well as her love of music. So, a double helix etching of dna in copper, set on sterling, with “Honesty in Bloom” stamped on the back – a line taken from the liner notes of a White Stripes album – her favourite band. The etching is rivetd, and the pendant bail is soldered. More photos of new pieces to come tomorrow!

Some nifty stuff in progress….etchings right out of the acid with the resist removed, but not yet polished up, some watch parts and gears, a mostly cut out copper 45 rpm record adaptor etc. These should all be finished tomorrow at some point and I will post pics of the new pieces then. They will look much different than this whimsical collection of metal bits. I love how these things look like a random rough pile of “eh, nothing special”, but by tomorrow will look like wearable art pieces. I can hardly wait! (Can you tell it rained AGAIN today. Will it ever stop?)

Also, while I am posting pics, here is one of my garden in one of the brief moments where it wasn’t raining – yesterday, I think. I took it from such an angle as that I can pretend that my garden is not also rife with weeds (which it shamefully is, but I haven’t the time nor inclination to remedy).

Tuesday, guitar lesson day – always a good day. So many new things learned… taking the picking pattern and playing Dust in the Wind now (doesn’t everybody have to learn to play that? Isn’t it just one of those things?). Anyways, I quite like it – I like all this finger picking stuff, so lots to practice. Also…also… Lord Send Me an Angel! by Blind Willie McTell, and also played by the White Stripes. My first Blues song, with that snazzy little bluesy riff that I thought would be way beyond my very limited capabilities, but turns out that it is very much within reach with some practice. But now all of these chords where I hold down more than one string with one finger, which has resulted in new places and new ways to remove the skin from my hands. Why do I have to love guitar so much? Piano never hurt me this way, drums never did a cruel thing to me…why not them?

I don’t have too much to write about right now…my head is consumed with these new jewelry pieces, of rivets and copper…

How I was supposed to spend my vacation…

My lovely, peaceful hammock swaying beneath the old maples… except for the fact that IT RAINED FOR MY ENTIRE VACATION. Aargh. Everything was all hot and sunny, summery bliss until the first day I took off…then rain, rain, rain, rain… and cold! So no gentle swaying amongst the trees, no glorious basking in the sand, no leaning into the breeze, or galloping adventures with Miss Lyra-Lu. Instead the majority of time was spent bundled in jeans and hoodies trying to keep warm and dry, going squirrely in a house full of stir crazy kids. So my vacation consisted of catching up on the mountain of laundry (woot! fun! yay!), looking out the window and pining, and prying children who were overcome with boredom off of each other as they sought to liven things up by wrestling like rowdy puppies in a heap.

Oh, and practicing guitar…travis finger picking patterns until my fingers blistered, and not to forget my awkward F chord, which I can now through the magic of practice, actually make. I did not however, make jewelry. Well mostly not. I did saw out a 45 rpm record adaptor in copper that I am going to hammer, stamp and polish into a pendant, or a functional adaptor – whichever. I also did not email anyone. Which has resulted in a very full inbox and a week’s worth of typing…<insert denial and procastination techniques here>

I had my plane dream again last night. I thought I had dreamt the last of it, but apparently not. This time I had to switch planes after a 5 hour flight, to get on another that would be 7 hours. No idea really where that would take me exactly,(India??) but it was important that I get there. It was essential. And my flight was delayed 40 minutes, and I was in a panic. And that lovely green sea beneath me again.

Music has become an intrigue, a mystery to unravel. And yet, the more I discover – the more I learn – the more beautiful it all becomes. Which is backwards for me. Usually I am enchanted, but then when I discover all of the details, all of the inner workings, I lose interest, move on to the next fascination. But this! It draws me in deeper and deeper. I am like Alice down the rabbit hole. I am a child, wide eyed and filled with wonder. It transports me, fills me…is enough, yet never enough. And my gi-tar. I am loving that thing, even when it blisters and numbs my fingers, I am loving it.

New old music I am listening to this week…Uncle Tupelo, recommended by my guitar teacher, and it is exactly what I am liking these days (especially Black Eye, Wait Up, etc the rest of March 16-20.) …also listening to Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs quite a bit again – am looking forward to their new album in the fall. I would love it if they came to Canada (preferably the East Coast! <fingers crossed>). I have a feeling that Lawyer Dave is a phenomena that must be seen live and in person, and Holly is just lovely – her voice…ah

It has been a busy week, and I have been absorbed in various projects, and a small flurry of exciting custom pieces- a collaboration of creativity resulting in gorgeous pieces that someone will truly love. It pushes me forward, expands my limits. love it. I will have new pics of the custom pieces to post sometime next week. Etchings and clockworks, and combinations of the two.

I am taking some time off from work this week – for the first time in four years! I am so glad that I am doing this. I need a break from the constant demands of running a business and the constant flow of work that never seems to end. I went out and bought a hammock last night, and will be installing it on my front porch, so that I can lie down and read, sip homemade iced tea and gaze at the ocean while the peacocks and chickens wander around the grass below me, and I can hear my horses munching away. Bliss and peacefulness.

Except…that it is raining! Arggh. Stuck inside the clammy house with my book, and antsy. I want the sand, I want the tiny lapping waves, the sun on my skin, my shoulders bared to the breezes.

 I have made a Thaumatrope that I am willing to share – it has been tested and works well. I may do some more work on the design of it, but the idea of this one is there. A two girls dance on one side, gazing at each other. On the other side is a girl alone, gazing at the ground. When you spin the disc the lonely girl appears to be dancing with the other two. But even so she still seems somewhat detached from the scene – more introspective than the other two, perhaps, or feeling that she doesn’t really quite belong there…it kind of reminds me of female friendships, and how they never seem to work in threes. How there is always the odd (wo)man out. But I was also thinking of the feeling of being departed from friends, and the sense of nostalgia for times past, and how remembering those friendships, those times of connection can actually be painful, can fill one with longing and illuminate how the current scene is void of connection.

You can print this one out at home and try it out. I retain all copyrights, and you cannot reprint or distribute this image elsewhere. It cannot be copied and sold either, etc. It can also not be posted elsewhere on the internet.

(Click to make bigger in another window…)

2 new record player pendants (maybe 3 actually) have made their way to their new homes, . I am so happy when they get there and people are happy with them. I remembered that I forgot to post pics in the blog, so here they are – they are also in the gallery. I’ll be adding a ton of new stuff there this week…

Click on photos to see images larger in a new window.

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