The World Awakens

Sneaking Out For The Newspaper

Yesterday morning we took a quick drive to get a newspaper. You know the type of drive, its the one that happens in the early morning when you think everyone else is still at home asleep. It's when the sweat pants that are too short for the uneven tube socks and slip on turquoise mocs, are actually worn in public for just a few moments, because more than likely the chance of running into anyone I might know is at the lowest point. It is also the time of day when I am wearing the holey sweat shirt that should now be in the hamper; and my hair resembles plumage as opposed to bed head. Both of us, my daughter and I, were a sight hopefully not seen.

And yet, I completely forgot about cowering behind the wheel, watching for anyone that might look vaguely familiar, the moment I became acutely aware that things were changing outside the safety zone of 'my own little world' inside my car.

It was as I was driving down the street that I started to notice that there was more growing on some of the trees than the regular winter moss and green algae-type stuff that collects on the wet damp branches when the leaves are absent.

I was beginning to see whitish pink! All over.

Now, the daffs have been out for some time, as have those regular early bloomers that can fool us into thinking that winter is past, sometimes to be fooled themselves. I have learned that daffodils, snow bells, and crocus, just mean the Spring arrival is imminent, not that it has officially arrived.

But right on schedule, the plum blossoms were opening after days of rain and followed by a bit of sunshine.

It was a beautiful trip, and I never even noticed whether or not I was seen by anyone.

Who would have known that all of this was just right there, at the local Car Wash, just waiting to be seen by me and my car cam.

Another Volvo mini tour brought directly to you from the 5 min of sunshine we experienced yesterday.

A Mini Trip! Trees~ A Spring Challenge of Creativity- and My Wanderings To Get Where I Need To Be.

Trees

This article was copied and rewrittien on my other blog (House of Tor)

on 8/31/2010to be in its home location, even though I will be leaving it here

where it was originated.

Thanks for reading and visiting!

How I Work My Brain

For some time now I have had a project in the works at my other venue, Wires ’n Pliers ; a project that has one of my beloved elements included into its makings. And that is Abalone, AKA Paua (Maori) from its New Zealand native location.

Paua is a mollusk that is found in tidal zones on every continent other than the warmer Atlantic Western seaboards and its central coastlines. I remember as a child having Abalone steak and loving it, though later it became politically incorrect to eat it due to being over harvested.
Abalone (Paua) nacre is unbelievably beautiful due to its rich and dark patterns, unlike pearl nacre, which has its own grace and beauty. Today it has reemerged with great popularity, especially in the Southern Pacific waters, much to the angst of some localities who must now police the harvest with due diligence, once again, due to over harvesting.

Unlike the Oyster mollusk’s nacre, or pearl, the Abalone pearl nacre cannot be judged on its roundness nor does it require processing, or to be bleached or buffed. It is a favorite item used for inlay, and its beauty has been recognized and used throughout history, as jewelry, ornaments and more, especially in the coastal zones.
Once you see it, you will remember it. When I see pieces that I especially like, I buy them, saving them for later.

Recently, later became now, for me...

I finally decided what I wanted to do with some doublet*(see below) beads and a huge pendant piece that I have had for several years. I finished it, excepting the clasp, which I will forge later; but still, I had no name for it. So it has been in the unsorted file as "Paua" for a while now.

How it all came about:

I am in a Jewelry Guild at Etsy, a Global Street team (an Etsy sellers networking system), and we have Seasonal Challenges, which are always fun. In our weekly chats we decide what we will focus on for our challenges; then poll readers of our public blog (eJAG), to choose the winner. The prize is a Featured Artist article in our blog and our team site too.
All fun, no pressure.
This spring our Challenge is titled “Spring Fling” and the rules are: "Trees"
Any type, any shape, any medium, anything…but it must be worn on the body. Our goal is to see what vision and inventiveness can grow into a jewelry item. We want to see where one word like tree(s) will take a person in their creative mind.
Ok, so those who know me well…need I say more?

I am usually on the fringe of normalcy anyway, which keeps me busy at my hairdressing job, but when requested to click the creative button in my mind, the box I am usually outside of, then becomes hard to keep my grip upon, just my fingernails remain hooked in to the fluted cardboard corrugations that connect me with my Earth.
So, to come up with a “spring fling” idea, in the tree arena…with my favorite medium, copper wire; the box that I so tenaciously grip; I had to soak in water, to soften the edges for me. Is that metaphorical enough for you?

Here is what I came up with:

This:

4 & 14 gauge raw copper wire

Becomes this:

Which ends up being this:

"Barren" – "Sticks and Stones
Can break our bones,
But our words, come back to haunt us.”

The end of the growth cycle.

This necklace may ultimately find itself
in my Misfits Etsy shop due to the fact
that I consider this a prototype
and created in a flurry of excitement

resulting in crimps that I consider

to be less than optimum in appearance.

Well now, THAT got me looking at THIS: (Because it is in the same photo file, and I had to scroll down past it)

And I started seeing all kinds of things in this:

clockwise- 1."Anaconda Eats Capybarra"~~~~ 2."while Capybarra Drinks From Pond"~~~~ 3."White DoDo baby"

Which ultimately took me here:

clockwise - 1."Warrior worships Sol" ~~~~ 2. "Angry Man" ~~~~ 3. "FishMask"

Which led me full circle, back to the very top and finally, a name for my Paua:

"Eve, The Many Faces of; "

This necklace will be placed in my Signature Series file in my shop, because until today, I had never really taken a close look at my saved New Zealand “catch.”

So I am glad, and peace reigns over my computer once again.

This concludes today's Mini Trip.

Thank You for coming to visit Claybritt images, and please return soon. It has been my pleasure to swoon you off your spot today.

So, if you happen to find yourself in the neighborhood of our Ejag blog between March 15 and March 31st, you are more than welcomed to vote, in fact we want your vote!

When given free reign, it is amazing to see how one gets from here,
to there.
I love to view the width of a span.

*doublet- these are beads that have a thin layer of shell or paua, oyster nacre, even opals mounted upon the top and bottom faces of a base bead, then sealed, so that it may be used as a bead. Triplets (two layers mounted) are also seen in the marketplace. This is done because of the softer nature of certain stones and nacres that cannot withstand the drilling or wear and tear due to their molecular structure.

The Goyle File: for GardenJoy4Me

Lone Survivor

I saw this on my way out of work recently. This lone leaf was the only survivor left on the bare tree in the throes of winter; after snow, sleet, rain, ice, wind, and our sometimes drippy fog. The sun actually broke through one single afternoon. So I drove home and came right back with my camera. I swear it is the only time in my life where I have actually returned to work after leaving for the day! But this type of image, I can rarely pass by without capturing it, if possible. And of course, I did good, because the very next day the rain was back and Sun hasn't been seen since. (just kidding we have had Sun on one other occasion) :o)

I recently e-met a new friend of a friend: GardenJoy4Me, through Garden Author, and her great Blog, of which I am a follower, amongst approximately a million other followers.

I was elated to find that not only does Joy (of GardenJoy4me) desire to be part of the SETI program (of which I actually knew some people once associated with it, from back in the NASA days), Joy also has some funny felines like us (probably like everyone whose felines allow human to share their habitat), and Joy has Goyles, too! That's Goyles as in Gargoyles

So I am here to introduce my Goyle to her Goyles:

Full Glory Goyle (say that 6 times quickly in a row)

Goyle (in pose), for his thoughout-the-year-modeling job:

"Fall Goyle"

with 6 legged male friend that lost his legs in a fight for the ladies.

Snow Goyle

Day Snow Goyle


Over Snowed Goyle

Night Goyle

Thinks shes a Goyle...

Thinks she's a sex kitten.

This posting has been brought to you by the Goyle file from Claybritt Images.

Debuting for Deb, It's Dangerous Driving for Donuts Day

It was one of those Saturday mornings, late, after the kid was long done with her breakfast, that we start foraging for treats to eat. The request came to me, as I looked down at my cat hair covered sweat pants…."Donuts! Didn’t you promise me donuts earlier this morning?" I swear he uses my menopause against me at times.

Changed into my jeans, and on my way out the door, I still don’t think I have completely wakened myself, nonetheless, I have a moment of freedom to look forward to, because I know it takes me at least 10 minutes to get to the donut shop. And hopefully I can shake this foggy brain of mine and clear my head.

I feel like I am behind a filter, bleary brained and all, as I drive along the winding road.

Even though it is daytime, as the sun comes into play I wince…

My view of the world numbs me.

I try to discern the reasons for my need to be… My yearning for a place of solitude and zen moments.

I contemplate the future, while trying to remember if I have learned from my past mistakes.

It seems my days blend into nights, and nights back into days…The Sun pierces my winsdshield, blinding me, now…

My eyes burn like a fierce solar storm that blows a headwind straight from Hades.
I am floating, in and out of a dreamlike state, while the rods in my eyes adjust to the changing rays that bombard me… the road I travel continues…

For all I know I am now lost...

Things are starting to look different outside…

A memory from somewhere inside me, a subconscious state floats around my car's sunroof, trying to escape into the morning air. It's like I have been here in a dream,

have I been here before?

No.

Suddenly the clouds start burning away, the birds now return,

along with my reason for being:


Donuts …
As I drive onward, my path becomes less obscured, and the sky is clearing, and My Contemplation now fades away, to be replaced with a Pavlovian condensation in the roof on my mouth.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*

*

I arrive to find that the donut shop is completely stocked, unusual for a Saturday, especially unusual for a donut shop that has just added an extra dining room, now enlarging into the failed eatery next door. This donut shop also serves biscuits and gravy, very popular, though something I have yet to taste, ever. And this shop opens at 5:00 in the morning, to a daily crew that eagerly eats Cal's fresh donuts and gravy goodies.

Oh yes, it’s going to be a good day after all! I am usually left with the 'jimmy' covered, green iced, cake donuts; the donut assortment having been picked over between 5:30 and 8:00 in the morning.

Arms laden with boxes of donuts of every color and size, I walk out to the car.

Now, since I am not allowed to eat in my car, I take note that I have picked a good assortment of donuts, ones that melt in the mouth, ones that squirt red stuff, and even the ones that leave the maple icing in the corners of the mouth that I think I wiped off earlier.

Yes, I am not allowed to eat in my car, especially when driving. Nor am I allowed to eat sweet things around my camera…

They're my rules. So I can break them.

Now parked in a County Lot, I notice a cop watching me, like I am some kind of perverted freak. I guess I probably shouldn’t do this.

I should be home with my family right now….

Not parked out in some obscure location with this box of donuts on my lap…

My drive home was a little too quick, for my liking.

This is all that was left to feed my family.

~This Volvo Donut tour has been brought to you by Claybritt Images.
All names have been changed to protect the innocent donut eaters
everywhere.
Any resemblance to anyone you might think you know
is purely coincidental, and should be taken with a grain of sea salt.

Dear Deb.... I was very, very, bad today....

But things could have been worse.

We had big rains. I was just trying to get home.

But Nature kept getting in my way,

She just kept throwing herself at me.

What else could I do?

Eveywhere I looked, there she was.

So I just enjoyed her.

Here in Oregon, we don't necessarily dig in our heels for the Winter,

but we do Set the anchor.

Have you been getting in any trouble?