In Old Familiar Places that this Heart of Mine Embraces

Once again I find myself sitting at the computer in my old room on Marsh Road.  I am back in Carson City for a week to visit with my folks and get my head adjusted a bit better, although spending time with my parents is like dancing with a three headed dragon.
Today is Thursday and the weather outside is windy, cloudy and cold.  I just finished a short walk to the river where in the past, I have found secret moments of tranquility and peace.  
The park was almost deserted, with no one in site, just the occasional honking of one or two Canadian geese passing over head.  There was that quiet thrill of having the place all to myself and I took the familiar dirt road that meanders easily to the Carson River.  A cold wind tugged at my uncapped head and I was glad I had layered before leaving the house.  
The footprints of dog and humans imprinted into the sandy path lead me further along and I felt the exhilaration of being back in familiar surroundings.  How many times I had walked this same deserted path, seeking some solace, answers to questions that always seemed to repeat themselves over and over again.
There is such a starkness to winter.   It's timely appearance always leaves a breathless image across the colorless landscape.
A thick layer of whipped white clouds sat perched along the powerful profile of the great Sierra's, just waiting.  
I embraced it all. The deep blue in the pockets of sky that were half hidden behind the turbulence of the ensuing storm, the soft green of sage against fallen brush and desert shrubs, even  the subtle beauty of the Pine Nut mountains on one side and Prison Hill on the other, both racing across the horizon to meet the other like two unabashed lovers.  I drank it all in as if to quench a nagging thirst. I left the park quietly content, mindful that I would return.  This place is like an artist's painting that never disappoints no matter how many times you cast your eye upon it's beauty. 

     

 

It's been some since I have visited my blog and actually put any words in order.  I have spent plenty of time on Facebook and now Twitter, but coming back to my blog is like visiting an old friend I haven't seen in a while.  There have been lots of changes in my life, but my career in glass and wire has pretty much stayed the same. Well, not really!  At this point, I am not traveling as much as I use to and I am not a slave to festivals and craft fairs.  At one time it was a steady part of my life, weekend after weekend and it seemed I never ran out of energy, but always needed to work on my inventory of pendants and earrings.   
But life has it's way of always presenting the unexpected and so I now call the California Delta my home where my days are spent discovering the pleasures of living amidst green fields of corn and watching the vaqueros exercise their horses in the open space across the way.  Mount Diablo greets me each morning and the yard outside our bedroom window is filled with colorful flowers and vines that seem a drastic change from the sage and rabbit brush that were constant companions in the Great Basin of Nevada.      Much of my days are filled with working on my Etsy sites.  I haven't given up my passion for vintage clothing, so I sell what I can through my store online and through my small space in a co-op not to far from my home.  This was also the year I dropped my website and moved my handcrafted jewelry to Etsy as well.   It's been a slow start, but I am reaching new customers and have taken to selling a little bit of supplies also.  
I'd like to say I will try and post on a regular basis, but like I said, keeping up with Facebook, Twitter and Pinerest has my head spinning and I marvel that at this point in my life, I am still keeping up with the younger generation.  If you haven't already been there, take a look at my sites.  If its vintage, jewelry and old stuff you like then www.etsy.com/shop/glasscreekstudio is what you want to check out.   My fused glass and wire art is now at www.etsy.com/shop/Revrags2 and you can find a small grouping of jewelry supplies there as well. 
Life really is a box of chocolates!     www.etsy.com/shop/Revrags2 or www.etsy.com/shop/glasscreekstudio

   
 

It's Fourth of July and the sun is warm and bright in the afternoon sky.  I spent some time this morning pulling weeds from our veggie garden until I couldn't quite take the heat any longer.  We just spent a week at a time share in Cabo where every day was virtually warmer than the next and Baja breezes were little relief.  So I am back at home and feeling more than blessed that I live in a country that is democratic, free and for the most part, friendly.  Even though I spent years hocking my wares at Arts and Crafts shows,  I never once felt the need to force my product or myself on the public.  And as far as taking advantage of my customers, I wouldn't have even given it a thought. Cabo was wonderful and the accommodations stellar, but I couldn't help but think that there really is "no place like home". 
So its another 4th and a time to reflect on family, friends and the country we call home.  We are all lucky enough no matter how tough times get, to be able to express our opinions, choose our friends and lovers, love or hate our politicians and be who we want to be.  We are still a strong country with folks that are willing to lend a helping hand to others when help is needed, without hesitation.  In a sense, we are all brothers and sisters with a common goal of making our lives better and having the freedom to actually achieve the ultimate prize, whether its a home, the perfect job, an education or whatever we choose to pursue.

So Happy Fourth to all on this sunny day in 2012!

Revisiting Some Old Friends

Its early morning and I am sitting here drinking coffee and going through my library of pictures.  My library is quite full since I am working with several sites right now, going from vintage to my wire art.   The abundance of pictures are from jewelry I have made over the years. I had forgotten how special a lot of those pieces were and how much of it I actually produced.   They bring to mind the hours that went into learning my craft and the excitement of creating those first little works of art that motivated me to generate more.  I remember at the start the frustration I felt working with the wire and thinking how difficult it was and of course, it was, considering the wire and the tools I was using to begin with.  But after some time, I was sitting down each day and greeting my work as if I was having coffee with old friends.  There was a comfort and peacefulness that came from working with my hands, sitting in solitude and listening to the quiet, seeing the direction my mind would take and following that path to it's final destination.

Looking back now, I think of the time I invested.  There is satisfaction in knowing that others appreciated my efforts and expressed it not only in words but by taking a small part of me along with them, those many friends I made along the way. 

Hot Summer Winds

Summer on the Delta and the winds are constant as they stir up dust from the vacant fields that are waiting for their seasonal crop to be planted.  It has been unusually warm the last few days, but today's temps settled into the reasonable 80's and outside work was back to being almost pleasant.  Other than the daily winds that sweep off the Sacramento River, life in Calif. has no resemblance to my time in Nevada and the longer I am away from the high desert, the more I find myself settling into a comfortable routine and enjoying the vast amount of farmland that surrounds us.  The color green permeates throughout the area as cherry trees and corn stalks rejoice at the chance to spread their leaves and bare their abundant crops.  There is activity everywhere as workers tend the fields and prepare for the harvest.  Flowers bloom in a showcase of colors and I find a trip to the nursery as delightful as a trip to the local ice cream parlor.  I do miss the birds though and the abundance of activity and song in the air as flocks of geese and meadow larks would go about their daily routine among the reeds and canals of the wetlands right outside my parents door.  As I am writing this, I do hear a chirping melody in the not so far distance and as the sun goes down over the fields, the golden light at end of day washes over the walnut trees outside my bedroom window.  Life has returned to my doorstep and I am content.

Its April 1st and I promise you this is no joke, but for some odd reason I have lost all of my pictures that were included with my old posts.  So, it looks as if I will be starting fresh which is funny because that is exactly what I am doing with my life at the present time.   I am taking some time to pick and choose the direction I wish to take which will still include my jewelry making.     Along with that, I am going back to some of my earlier roots which include china and glass painting as well as collecting and selling vintage clothing and accessories.  I still get that thrill of finding those treasures from the past which speak to me loud and clear and take me back to the days when I had my shop, Revelations!  What started out as a hobby, soon turned into a full time adventure into textiles and history.  Every item that entered through my door came  in with a new story to tell and I was an eager listener.  The escapades

were plentiful and the storytellers would create pictures for my mind that were happy and sometimes sad, but always infused with the same fire that fueled the imagination and left me wanting more.  One of the most memorable fables was that of a shirt that read "Seabiscut".   It was brought into the shop by a sweet little lady that related to me vivid depictions of a young man named Earl who went to work for Charles S. Howard in the early 1930's.   Earl was her husband's brother and unfortunately died  long before his story could be expanded on.  And so, the shirt was passed on until it reached my threshold and to this day, remains in my possession.  I have held onto it, searching for answers or some ending to the rest of the story that needs to be told.    I will be there to listen to what it has to say with the same breathless enthusiasm that delights, like a child listening to some whimsical tale before bedtime.  Pictures in my mind!

Its a New Year

Its a brand new year and I am sitting in my room listening to the cold evening winds kicking up their heals as our first winter storm is knocking at the door.  I am excited about the New Year and all the possiblilites it presents.   I will continue to work at my craft of wire art and glass fusing, but am still challenged by some of the newer fields I 've been playing with like chain maille and beadwork.  I continue to add crytal beading to my pendants and was pleased to see the response I received this past christmas season with my booth set up at the local mall.  The presentation turned out better than I expected and it was great to see lots of my old customers return for another year of purchasing glass and wire art from me.  The greatest compliment of all! 
There have been so many changes this last year and so many blessings that have touched my life.  I am thankful for all of them and that I can continue to do what I love.  Most of all, I am thankful for those that have touched my life and been there for me when I really needed the support.  My heart holds them close and dear. 

Evening has closed in and there is nothing but blackness outside my bedroom window.  The wind continues to speak in loud whispers, warning of changes in store.