what's new pussycat?

i admit up front, i am a big fan of facebook. 

somehow you either like facebook or you don't.

my husband is challenged in many ways. 

this list is long and incomprehensible. 

topping that list is use of a computer. 

in a secondary position, is the understanding of social networking
and its power. 

like i said, you either get it or you don't. 

i am challenged by the idea of what could be the best way to get myself and 

my jewelry 'out there'. 

one of the many, many efforts in this past year or so, has been to do some craft shows. 

they are really hard work for me. 

not that other folks don't work really hard at them too, or feel frustrated by them,
 but i take too much of it so personally. 

honestly, i do know that i shouldn't do that.
it is so obvious that i should let it go,
like the ole hippie i am.
it isn't easy enough to do.

it is part of the radish in me. 

what the heck does that mean?

my mother used to call me a radish. 

i would ask her, but i am really afraid of what she meant.
 the only answer ever i ever got,
was that she found me to be 

someone who put down a root where i was planted.

it was not one of those flimsy, delicate ones that could be yanked from the soil. 

nope. it was a fat spicy subterranean one. 

one that had to be pulled when it was fully ripe and tasty. 

at least that was what i thought she meant. 

ok, i mean that i hope she meant that. 

i like to think of myself as a homebody. 

not as invested as an agoraphobic, but definitely one who enjoys my own comforts. 

part of that comfort is being amid a lot of my own surroundings. 

when i get into a cleaning mode

(less and less frequently as time passes)

i enjoy making vignettes. 

my crap has a purpose i tell ya!

these days, i feel a large amount of pressure to corral some of the crap better. 

apparently, my overflowing messiness is responsible for my kids' lack of guest visitors. 

{my cfo suggested that recently and in highly indelicate terms. }

of course, i would love to do a house party here  a couple of times a year. 

he objects to this, since he is sure that things will take flight 

or 

people will see where we live. 

i think he is nuts. 

i know all the folks i would invite to a house party. 

it would also give me a fantastic reason to clean this place up especially well.

instead, 

i must bargain with my son, 18 in every imaginable way to help me go to craft shows. 

he wants to have a girlfriend, a nice car, country western music to croak along with, 

a solid and predictable paycheck, a hot car, limitless gadgets, and great kicks,

etc. 

if i promise a meal in exchange for his help, it ought to be more than enough. 

i do plan to pay for some of his tuition,
as well as the braces that have been off of his teeth for a bit. 

also his sister's tuition and her vacated braces take a chunk of my income. 

and the sundry things like internet service, food, pool fees, dog kibble 

and my own crap{supplies}. 

so i use his skills to help me with shows. 

i am too lazy i suggest. 

or else i have become a lot more frightened of the failure aspect. 

either way... 

i have been trying to do them this year.
also he is a lot stronger than i am and can lug stuff with less repercussions. 

it is a personal struggle. 

a huge need to keep developing as an artist, a display creator, a fabricator, 

a business person, a roadie and a mom. 

a lot is expected from one measly day's efforts. 

and really that is a lot of pressure to try to deal with. 

if there were not so many people in this asylum, 

i think i might get more done. 

but perhaps already, too much is getting done... and the results are therefore diluted?

it is hard to say. 

***

yesterday, graham and i went to the greenway open market. 

it is on the rose kennedy greenway in boston. 

the tall ships were in port as well as many seamen from the navy. 

it was supposed to be a kick ass day at the show. 

this is a weekly recurring show that is held every saturday from late may til october.

it was 93 degrees out at 4pm. 

we had been there since 7:40 am. 

it was flipping HOT out. 

so hot, that folks just walked by all the tents lined up and they just kept moving. 

i would have done that too in their shoes.
the delicate balance of movement, speed and need for air conditioning 

would have made need for things to be as economical and efficient as possible. 

there was a small flurry of sales around 3:30

and then nada. 

my day was made, at the last moment, selling a co-vendor pal of mine a bracelet she had coveted.

it is not easy to plan, fill inventory, beg a teenaged son to come with, sleep, 

get all the details organized, set up and break down the temporary digs 

and drive home (safely).

and many many of my friends do this task rotation every weekend. 

many of them come from neighboring states to participate. 

all of us have other things we could be doing... 

such as hanging with our families, 

going to the beach, 

taking boat rides with friends, 

hitting the links, 

hitting the flea markets, 

hitting the trashy novels

visiting the tall ships ourselves....

or any other complement of fun things normal people do. 

instead...

my more intrepid friends, do this whole dance both saturdays AND all over again on sundays. 

weenie that i am. 

read:  LAZY RADISH

and you will hear that i wimped out on doing two day shows per weekend. 

for one time only, i did the right thing. 

tremendous rains and thunderstorms hit the boston area today. 

i feel awful bitching about working in the heat yesterday. 

there was not only heat,

 but dangerous weather to follow it during the sunday half of the show weekend. 

my congratulations to all who sold and got out unfettered. 

you are my heroes. 

i wish  that i had the stones to do better in these moments. 

but shows are quirky. 

no two are alike. 

sometimes you do well and sometimes you don't.
and the lazy radish is not good under any adversity. 

as for my upcoming plans? 

i will again be at the greenway next saturday. 

something has got to give. 

and i sure as hell hope it isn't me.
i think that i am going to subscribe to the theory:
the third time is the charm.  

here is what my little tent looked like yesterday. 

table on the right

table on the left

people watching was as fun as any other day, 

but today someone was blowing up balloons for children somewhere nearby. 

a little boy strolling in his carriage carried this rather large balloon straight out in front, 

as a huge penis along his route. 

when i snapped his pic in passing, he had moved it. 

i was super amused as i watched. 

my son giggled too. 

it is the little things in life that amuse me... 

my next tent over pal,

erica walker

helped me out and modeled this pink confection of pearls and beads. 

at the end of a long day, she looked fresh. 

i have NO idea how she did it, but i was appreciative of her help. 

as for other random moments in this day, 

my son moved into my friend trish's space to hang with her. 

it did not hurt one whit that her beauty of a daughter was along for the day too. 

of course caroline came to watch my tent as i came over to gab with trish.

everyone needs a little break. 

here is miss caro 

helping the bendywho cause. 

and here is a sweet customer that took her time selecting the right pair of earrings. 

i think she made them look extra good. 

finally, since i have prattled on for too long... 

here is a close-up of a smattering of many little doodads all together
for show and tell.

next time i may regale you with some of the new earrings i made. 

they are pretty fun, if i do say so myself. 

as a tease, this is one of those pairs. 

i am thinking of sending to someone

 who is having a really crap time of things these days. 

i think she needs a little pick-me-up...

now is a good time to let  weekendy things go ...

tomorrow holds fresh challenges. 

15 of my youngest daughter's friends from her lacrosse team

are invited to come here and tie-dye their high school team shirts. 

we have dye, but no rubber bands, gloves, buckets, etc. 

we do have a fence that i want to hang them all on. 

i suppose there may be some pizza too... 

gotta feed the gals... 

and maybe my son will see some of his old feminine pals from high school too. 

oh it is always busy in this hive i call home. 

xoxo.

w.