Cold Season's Greetings

As the year turns, we start waiting for the light to return.....

With the Winter Solstice upon us, I want to take this opportunity to wish my family, friends &; followers a peaceful Solstice time and a happy and prosperous 2013.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:Of cabbages--and kings-- 

Lewis Carroll

I realize that I've been very quiet these past 7 to 8 months.  So ...... here is the story in brief.  I'm going to step back, slow down and take life a bit easier.

Being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis has left me confused in both mind and body. I went from not being able to do anything to a shadowy existence. It's not easy to make up new habits and ways of life at age 70. As one of my sisters said, "you had the good times, now you're freaking old so get used to it!"  Medication has been holding the major symptoms at bay but leaves me tired and sometimes thinking impaired.  Beyond that I have reclaimed an almost decent normal life with the help of a dear companion who puts up with my nasty attacks, washes dishes and will drive me anywhere. He is a comfort and a luxury I can't do without these days. 

Where am I in beading and creativity.  I can no longer travel to teach.  I can (and will) do small in-studio sessions by prior arrangement.  I will continue to publish patterns and pattern sets.  However one major side effect of the medications is a worsening of the terrible procrastination  symptoms.  It just seems to take me three to four times longer to get anything done.  I'm going to attempt to do another Spring String-Along; "Garden Stripes".   Bear with me, please -- I have the ideas, it's just getting them diagramed, written up and the samples crocheted.  Instead of 7 days between sections, it could be 10 days. Anyone want to trade comma, spelling, graph and grammar proofing for a string-along spot?  I have one valued helper in Terri, but a backup wouldn't hurt.  

The beading mess is normal, alive and multiplying.

I can't not create - it's who and what I am.  It just cannot go back to a full time job with all-nighters to get to shows or workshops. Hold on -- I may take more exploratory side trips and become another Grandma Moses.  Who knows what the future will bring.  I'm sure going to find out as soon as I get things more organized.  

I'll still be around, more in the background, but doing something.  If you are in Southern Arizona or South New Hampshire for a couple more summers;  get in touch and let me set up a more private workshop for you in my studio.  

Heading to Arizona for the winter

It's sleeting here in New Hampshire and there are little balls of ice all over the deck.  Good thing I found these at the Dollar store yesterday.  If I'm forced to put on socks with my flip-flops, they should make me happy.  I think these will work in an emergency.

The trailer is getting packed, I'm taking a workshop Saturday at the Kearsarge Indian Museum, then pack the car and hit the open road on Sunday..... if all goes as planned.

My kids are waiting for a huge snow storm on Sunday as just about every trip I start out for Arizona in the first big snow storm.

.....back to packing beads and contemplating wearing socks!

Kearsarge Indian Museum

 We took a trip today to Warner NH to visit the Indian Museum. It's pretty much one man's collection turned into a local museum.

 "...Bud and his wife, Nancy, Co-founders of Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum. The Thompsons were deeply troubled by the harm being done to the environment by greed and apathy. With the help of friends, Bud and Nancy set in motion a plan to create a unique museum, not just a mausoleum of artifacts, but an education and cultural center."

I found this loom set up quite interesting.  Although this shows it being used with quills, it would make a great portable loom.








Interesting that the quills all poke out the back side as the piece is being worked.

Huron, Micmac, Maliseet moosehair embroidery work

I didn't know that Moose had such long hair.  Nor did I know that it was used to embroider things.

beautifully delicate work.














It was one of those perfect days to be out and about in New England.

Fragments, Shards or Artifacts

I finally caught up with Lulu Fitcher in her West Peterborough  NH Studio and enjoyed an hour or so browsing through her pots, buttons and other neat ceramics.

She had a large jar of broken pot bits and here is what I came home with.  Can you see these backed with gold lame and freeform beading around them?

Modern archaeological artifacts?

 I first saw Lulu's ceramics at the LNHC Fair several years ago and have wanted her to do some small pieces for bead embroidery ever since that time.   Turns out all I had to do was root in her artifact jar.  












This is what happens when one of her unglazed porcelain fragments meets a bead crochet rope.