It’s been a full moon week….. and I hope there has at least been a subtle shift in the energy.
It’s been hot. Really hot. And we desperately need some more rain. This weekend, it really ‘hit home’ how very hot and dry it’s been, as so very many of the leaves on the trees here have started dropping in sheets onto the ground. It’s like it’s fall out there…. but HOT. It’s very strange.
Because of the heat and my lack of energy (and not feeling well… and it still be a COVID buffet out there in the world)… I’ve really just been hanging out at home. The Carolina Wrens seem to be doing ok… I often see ‘dad’ coming back and forth to the nest in the Snake Plant pot on our balcony.. and I am assuming that ‘mom’ is in the nest… with at least some eggs. I haven’t heard the chirps of baby birds… but I also haven’t really been going out there at all except to water plants and rush back in… as I don’t want to freak the bird parents out. But everything seems to be doing alright, and with liberal watering when I do go out… the plants seem to be doing well in spite of the heat.
I have managed to keep up with the household stuff… and do some cooking, etc. But I have been focusing this week on resting, and trying to get some semblence of a sleep routine down. Now. All that said… I failed miserably. For one, Jim’s work schedule dramatically changed, and he ended up working long, late hours instead of his usual daytime routine. It was hard on him physically, as he is just not geared to working evening and night shifts, and he often has heart arrythmias as a result of fatigue and disruptions in his usual sleep. But. He did well, and, in theory at least, he is done with that sort of thing … at least for now. My body, decided this week that it can only sleep in 4hr swatches… so I’ve been doing this cha-cha of sleeping for 4hrs… being awake for 8hrs or so… and then sleeping for 4hrs…. cha cha cha. It’s been interesting. And wonky. But at least I am sleeping.
The other issue weighing heavy on me…. is that I have had a couple necklaces to restring for a friend that I have had for far-too-long… that I just haven’t gotten to. Between physical issues…. anxiety and depression… I just haven’t made anything in a long while. And I got into this viscious overthinking tornado — fear of messing up —- not having energy — guilt of not doing and letting people down — sort of spiral. BUT. This week I got both the necklaces fully taken apart (they were already broken and somewhat in pieces), laid out, and reconstructed with new… stronger materials, clasps and findings. …. .as well as photographed and (thankfully) approved by my friend. Which means… for all intents and purposes… I am caught up. At least in the sense of…. I have no obligations at the moment to anyone for jewelry, etc. And that, at the moment, is everything.
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Below are photo collages (1) of my daily photos (my 365 project that I’ve done for years and years)… (2) a photo collage of ‘daily studio shots’ … which I’ve been doing for a couple months as a way to highlight creative endeavors in our new studio/ office space (and to spur me into at least doing something creative)… and (3) photos of each of the necklaces I did for my friend.
(The carnelian necklace: vintage necklace, hand knotted on string with a screw type gold clasp. But several beads had broken, knots had slipped or completely come undone… and she wasn’t a fan of the clasp. Now it’s on strong, sterling silver softflex wire, with tiny Baltic Amber beads for spacers, and a gorgeous handmade. solid sterling hook and rings clasp. The multi-strand necklace: also vintage, but broken. Had a brass toggle clasp that she wasn’t fond of. So it was restrung on sterling softflex wire, and because the metal beads in the mix were aged brass, I added an aged brass lobster claw clasp. Both are long style necklaces, the Carnelian one is about 30 inches long, and the multistrand is about 34 inches long. Both necklaces were double crimped on the ends, and wire guardians added to help strengthen and add durability for the necklaces for years to come.
