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.