the smell of testosterone, ice hockey and hair gel

ok, no debate about my shallowness. 

i can't be honest and consider myself a deep thinker under some situations. 

sometimes things show up that are very off my usual path 

and seem to overwhelm me.

recently, my husband had hernia repair surgery. 

it meant i was to do all the lifting for a while. 

not a problem. 

we also have a smart ass 15 year old daughter. 

she is funny and witty and sometimes even so dramatic, 

she gets loopy from the highs and lows. 

it is also the end of the ice hockey season. 

(imagine a ticker tape parade in your mind and you get an inkling of how happy this makes me.)

so hubby dearest assumed that Tess would enjoy going to a P-Bruins game with him. 

she likes to say she is the son that my hubby never had. 

graham dislikes this regular jibe. 

can't say i blame him, 

but it IS kind of funny everytime she says it. 

unfortunately, tess did not really want to go. 

she had experienced a horrific week of teen aged angst plus

the regular day to day high school crap. 

her mind was settling in for some netflix reruns of chick tv and
slothful life in sweatpants. 

in a split second, my husband saw that his assumption could be altered. 

he saw that he had a chance to rope me in too. 

would i like to go to the P-Bruins game?

i did not want to go, 

but i did feel keeping an eye on him was still warranted. 

this is also as close as a date that we can manage these days. 

so all three of us put on our big girl panties and left to go to the game. 

tess went only because i made her go. 

hubby had no idea that we had struck this agreement. 

he is a lot better off not knowing too much around here. 

we parked across the highway and walked the two blocks to the venue. 

"the dunk"
(short for the Dunkin' Donuts Center),
 as it is affectionately known, is a wonderful place to view a game.

we have been many times. 

it is pretty clean, 

has more junk food than one can imagine 

and serves

Dunkin' Donuts coffee. 

a mere $4.50 for an iced coffee. 

i also know two buildings away on the outside is a perfectly good starbucks. 

i was determined not to let my resistence show. 

we found our seats occupied by some other folks, so we just took the next ones over. 

the guys at the end of our row, were in-house vendors. 

they sold golf time. 

if anyone got upset that their seats were taken, they could make a fuss... 

or just go with it. 

with the standard music playing, it is a lot like musical chairs anyways. 

the game started. 

we were sitting at an end ... near to the goalie. 

my daughter plays in goal. 

my husband coaches. 

they had meaningful conversations about all of this. 

positively technical. 

i endured. 

i was in a trance actually. 

for no apparent reason, i was high.

it was a contact high, but narcotic nevertheless. 

i drew in the smells deeply. 

popcorn, check. 

hair gel. check. 

funky hats and baseball caps? check. 

what was that intoxicating smell floating on the air? 

not only was i almost able to chew it, but it was intangible. 

my husband started to smirk at me. 

as any of you readers may know, 

my work and world is constructed of wire, beads, vintage metal components,

 and many other pieces used to build jewelry. 

they are intended to be manipulated, described, and ultimately sold. 

my target audience is women. 

almost all the day, every day, women. 

i adore women. 

every now and again, 

 a departure in the procession of womenly interests, another thing can sneak in. 

this night where i attended a hockey game was one of those departures.
it was a place where unbroken young men slid around an oval sheet of ice. 

they did so with complete ease and reckless abandon, 

for the purpose of moving a small round black disk into a net.
(and perhaps a few well timed creative moments of pugilism too)

 i was overcome.
it took a few minutes to realize what the source was.  

it was the exotic combo of 

pheromones. 

plain and simply manly smells. 

good manly smells. 

unexpectedly smacking me in the face kind of manly smells. 

my husband kept smirking. 

he is not in the overwhelmingly female life that i am in. 

so he finds it funny that i was unaware of how badly i needed a break from it. 

i drew in this aroma as deeply as possible. 

it smelled 

gooooo-oood

{two syllables worth of good.}

just guys all dressed up with many of their mates and kids too.
all clean and sparkly... in the spirit of a fun night out.
wholesome.
unexpectedly intoxicating.
i know, i know, i should get out more.
i just don't.
this was a super good reminder that it is a good idea.
i may become a little more balanced as a person if i do.
balance is a very good thing.

xoxo.
w.

social media has taken over my life

i had a brief and extremely flattering week a few years ago. 

my flowers that i was selling were going gangbusters on etsy. 

so much so, that i was able to buy my own computer. 

it was a supremely exciting period for me. 

every good thing has an equal and opposite sorta crummy reaction. 

at least it does in my world. 

my delight in selling flowers that i had labored over enormously to 

find

select

purchase

wash

colorize

mix

match

photograph

post on etsy

sell

ship 

and start to do all over again...

were selling like proverbial hotcakes. 

the sad thing of it all was that one woman was purchasing them for her own artworks. 

i was curious about her plans for all of the flowers. 

 she told me that she had had a horrific car accident. 

her ability to remember what she already had purchased was kind of altered. 

she also told me that she bought as many as she could,

 since they reminded her of her own mother.

her mom had recently passed away and she was grieving. 

her head was not right from the accident either. 

she was getting all of the flowers she could, to share with her two daughters.

it was so that they could make things together and reminisce about her mom

 bonding all the way.

i was touched by her sentiments. 

 i wanted to help my own family. 

i neededto be able to buy groceries and 

pay for some basic household bills too.

then i had another customer from Turkey. 

she told me that she wanted my flowers for a certain price. 

it was one i could not sell flowers for.

i would not only be out of money for my time invested,

but also for the flowers themselves. 

it is sort of understandable, 

that she wanted somethings for the prices she determined would work for her.

it just was not possible for me to handle. 

we finally made an agreement for some part of her order to be deeply discounted. 

i never felt good about it. 

the thing was, that the woman from Turkey

 said she could get flowers just like mine from other places. 

 like the utterly naive person i was it seemed impossible to do that.

 i tended my work so diligently and secretively.

  i did a short search on ebay for vintage enamel flowers. 

DAMN!!!!

it was true. 

flowers just like mine could be found on ebay. 

as a matter of fact, all the flowers i had sold to the brain injured woman were there. 

i cried a little. 

i ranted a lot. 

i was so angry. 

i paced. 

i yelled. 

it was awful. 

so very, very awful. 

my betrayal went hand in hand with my naivete. 

immediately, 

i stopped selling flowers to the crafty brain woman. 

i confronted her. 

it was a mass of lies in return. 

she was making tons of money. 

and i felt the fool for accepting her at her word. 

it still stings. 

lesson learned. 

i never took my blooms to ebay to sell either. 

it just wasn't my way.

the outcome of this experience was that i got a good ass whooping.

also i had accumulated some money to purchase this 

 faithful and beloved workhorse of a computer. 

it sure has had its moments, but for all purposes, it has been such a great tool. 

now i enjoy my day starting with a tour of my favorite social media. 

websites are investigated. 

photos are drooled over. 

i talk to my friends worldwide. 

near and far, i am connected. 

many days, 

i feel more connected to folks than if i were sitting in the room with them.

in spite of the series of emotions experienced through my flower selling days, 

i now get to develop friendships and nurture my business

 through the many faces of social media

and other internet driven experiences. 

everything is a tradeoff somehow. 

even steven mostly. 

and 

i have survived some crazy crap. 

thanks to my friends, customers, kids, etc. 

the computer is my friend and helps me stay in touch.

(my husband remains pretty computer illiterate other than tending his emails...

his choice.)

xoxo.

W.

one photo says a whole lot.

i am gonna wash tess' hair for her. 

don't ask. 

while i do that, perhaps you would enjoy some new photos?

these are things i made yesterday. 

the process of photographing and editing the images took almost as long

 as it did to make everything. 

here goes...

a nice mix of earrings. both posts and dangly ones. 

earrings without their wires. 

tomorrow, tomorrow. 

a pretty photo of a pair of opening Magnolia bud dangly earrings. 

(again, part of the wireless til tomorrow)

pretty floral brooches...larger and smaller. 

just like in nature.

and perhaps to break this up... 

we can see some rings too.

then there were the boxes i fitted up to show and sell my rings from. 

i took two vintage cutlery trays that were in sad shape and painted them white. 

also, i almost wet myself with glee. i found some crates at the flea market last year. 

i have been keeping them until i could think of some good purpose to re-use them. 

well i think i did. 

two ideas coalesced. 

my need for use of pretty old boxes and display 

got married. 

the befores. 

untouched, unpainted, splintery and yucky dirty. 

a very light sanding and some polyurethane applied. 

some primer and white paint came to the cutlery tray twosome next.

then i added some foam and wool felt folded into accordian pleats next.

the original plan was to use some felted wool sweaters. 

this time of year it can be more challenging to find wool sweaters to repurpose. 

so i went to the fabric store for some stable yardgoods. 

cheese crates filled also with foam and felt. 

end results?

the flowers on the cards are barrettes. 

i really have been kind of busy. 

and to add to my to-do list, 

i am now going to wash hair. 

thanks everyone. 

xoxo.w.

the new math

excuse me while i speak about my confusion. 

i do not understand the new math. 

we did take-out falafel sandwiches for dinner last night. 

i love falafel. 

it does NOT love me. 

that being said, i checked my calendar to find when i next had to be out in the world. 

it was clear.
i could enjoy the love of a good middle eastern repast.
AND
to sweeten that experience, 

my husband was going to spring for the joyous meal.

he has a little thing going on though. 

his truck is for all purposes and practicality 

DEAD. DONE. GONE. 

and wasting gas in a way that no-one should ever be exposed to.

it remains in our driveway most of the time. 

there is a series of towns/cities that he has in his mental rolodex...

they may be alpha-numerically organized or not. 

all of these are places that he will be arrested,
 if he is pulled over for driving this nasty automotive.

this would be a bad thing to have him continue
to recuperate from hernia surgery in a jail cell. 

even if i got a break from the ad hoc nursing process. 

so the result of these unlikely things is that he is scrimping like it is
 'the great depression'. 

oh wait, it is.
(repeat my mantra... two kids in college...ohmmmmmm)

it is one of the most depressing financial times in our generation.
the appearance is not the first and most memorable one from my grandparents age.
still, the economy is not booming and it should be.
this is the greatest place on earth to live.

regardless of this opinion,
i strive daily to earn some shekels on my own from my jewelry making habit/biz. 

i prefer not to share the exact amount with hubby
 'cause i will then have to hand it over to our dear and personal  friends at national grid. 

(they totally suck if you must know. like the big wazoo. really, really suck.)

i still need to feed this posse, 

finance good eating through straighter teeth, 

put gas in the car

 (seriously??? $3.99 a gallon. 

why are you holding back... should be $4.00. we know it is all political bullshit.
and even infants know that it is a sham.)

let's not even tap into the requirements of the fashionistas of the house. 

they need some clothing. 

 i am resistant to sharing all of my wealth
 'cause double spending it in all its glorious meagerness

 is not gonna save this economy. 

so chris is saving for a new (to him) old truck. 

this means that i am required to help him face his days
and freakishly unexpected offers
with wifely support and good cheer.

even if he volunteers to take care of paying for the takeout, 

i know i will be paying for some part of it. 

i chose to give him $10. to defray the costs. 

he had grimaced when i asked to get some soda to go with the sandwiches. 

he whined at the child when she asked for chicken. 

did she want something less expensive ?

how is it that the two of them can sit "side by each"* on the sofa,

say the exact same snarly thing, 

and bond watching "grey's anatomy" reruns...

and not understand that she basically does not eat what we like. 

if she asks for chicken... GIVE IT TO HER. 

she is building her body for adulthood. 

and they use real chicken at that resto. 

my head hurts.  

here is where the math comes in. 

i said $10.00.

he took $20. 

this is my change. 

from a bottle of coke. 

and 

some chicken fingers. 

this is the new math right?

i was down with the old math. 

this is not making me really happy, if you know what i mean. 

off to take pics of my latest pins, earrings and necklaces... etc. 

april showers bring mayflowers. 

i am sticking to it no matter what really happens from global warning. 

i mean global warming. 

can you tell my coffee wasn't strong enough this morning?
i should be chewing on beans to survive.

happy friday.

xoxo. 

w. 
* side by each is a traditional rhode island saying.
just go with it.
this is an introduction into how this state thinks and expresses itself.
side by side is the translation. 

it has been a while.

where have i been?

i genuinely have no answer. 

just been busy doing stuff. 

i definitely had my usual end of the winter blues this year. 

they always creep up on me and kick me in the chops. 

if money was no object,
 any location with pale blue green waters would take care of the problem. 

it is not in the cards these days. 

thank heavens for pinterest and an option to look at some faraway places that i can dream about. 

unexpectedly, i have also been working on a MADONNA sort of thing. 

i am speaking of the rock version, not the religious mother. 

when she married Guy Ritchie and moved to England, she developed some funky,
faux british accent. 

it had her normal mid-western one mixed up with other some things that were loathsome to hear. 

Nobody liked it... and everyone thought she had become some kind of poseur.
this for Madonna was not good.
her thing is to be true to herself.
heaven knows that she has spent many a year indulging in that.

my look at it is that when you are surrounded with something, it may tend to rub off on you. 

purposefully or not. 

one never can tell from the outside looking in. 

what i have been doing, that brings this to mind, is watching a LOT of British t.v..

it came about in the usually convoluted way. 

my son traded some of his less used stuff via craig's list. 

he had worked for my husband doing demolition work on a job site.
 his payment for his services was used to purchase a go-kart.
neither the boy nor his father included me in this decision.
they never do, since i suspect that they erroneously assume i am going to say no.
they underestimate my sensibilities and me.
(however i will make the point that the only reason i have ever been in a hospital was for childbearing).
on the other hand both of my guys have so many visits racked up... that i am always forced to pick up their carefree pieces.

back to the go-kart...
it was not just a crate of a box with wheels,
but an honest to goodness metal-framed,
motorized, noisy, gas guzzling, low to the ground,  automotive event. 

it pretty much had a finite shelf life
(aka interest span).

it was one that took a couple of years and absorbed space in our garage.
i kept my mouth shut, since it also scared the hell out of me.
this requires keeping my mouth closed...
(my fellas do not need to be validated.)

after being too busy to use it often enough,

the boy chose to try to offload it to someone who might be able to drive it  more. 

he got money and an x-box in this trade. 

for a brief period, he enjoyed playing video games with it. 

for whatever reason, he took advantage of a free one month membership to netflix. 

he went back to college and left me with a beginning addiction to british tv. 

i started watching shows from their first episodes all the way to their cliff-hanging conclusions. 

my first one was "Waking the Dead".

it only had 3 seasons that  i could get. 

still, it is so yummy and fun for a mystery junkie such as myself,

that i relished every morsel imaginable. 

i spread to watching MI-5.

a show dedicated to the spies in Britain that keep terror attacks in check and deal with some crazy situations that could chill my soul to the bone... that is if i were to take them seriously. 

some of it was just so campy, making it all the more fun to watch. 

also, i watched the entire collection of shows that were available from Doc Martin to Inspector Lewis to  Wire in the Blood. 

i now have many new actors that i could follow to the ends of the earth. 

Hermione Norris, Robson Green, Trevor Eve, Martin Clunes and more. 

They all have such varied accents within the UK spectrum... 

it is hard for me not to try one on with my family as guinea pigs. 

hence, a big looping story later, i am trying not to sound as weird as Madonna

 in her odd hybridized accent. 

there is plenty else to report on, should that vaguely pique your interests. 

i have been away from  netflix  today. 

i like to call it my Britflix addiction. 

so i shall leave you with  a small collection of pics of stuff i have made of late. 

this is the tip of the iceberg. 

it has been a big push to make things. 

so many more things to do before i get myself polish ready for show season,

  as it begins again in earnest. 

this means, my own efforts selling what i make, as well as flea marketing. 

that is one hand washing the other. 

i cannot wait for it all to get off of the ground. 

here is a small peek at recent constructions... and a quick cheerio.

i am headed off to try sleeping or to watch an episode of 

Midsomer Murders. 

i realize that my affection for things blowing up, people/characters meeting with unsavory ends, 

and all things within a british accent...on netflix is out of style and step with my overwhelming flowery 

fabrications. 

but there it is... an incongrous woman hard at work. 

Barrettes.

a group of single flower

 and beaded chain  necklaces. 

then there are the dutch garden necklaces

rings

aka, who needs a good manicure...

earrings:  gypsy caravans, flower drops and posts. 

well i spoke too soon. it is bedtime for bonzo. 

my eyelids are at half mast. 

night night. 

xo.

W.