Monday, March 14, 2022

Enough sunshine to light every corner

Our last six inches of snow is melting with dispatch. I will be able to get my car to the shop with little or no interference from the weather. My steering has a problem; it seems to bind in all directions. Perhaps I just need steering fluid; perhaps I'm not going to like hearing what I need. I need new wiper blades, too. This winter has reduced them to rags.

When my occasional Loom Fairy said Good-bye this weekend, she said she would not be by the coming weekend. "I'm rock hunting!" How my rock collecting father would be pleased. I'm sure his starry heart skipped a beat.

I told her about the six foot high, ten foot long bank of industrial shelving, loaded cheek to jowl with peck baskets of rocks yet to be inspected by dad. "What kind of rocks?" The baskets were filled with street gravel, headed for the tumbler, garnets from creek bottoms, headed for the tumbler, geodes to be broken open for amethysts. After dad died, my brother and friends emptied baskets in our flower beds, then in neighbor's flower beds, then in gravel drives all over Akron.

She was laughing hard. I started to say my punch line, but she was already there. "What will geologists say in a thousand years about the traces of African and South American minerals found in North Akron!"

A tumbled rock from the vast collection. He made it into a necklace for me, and I asked the Rock Fairy to turn it to an earring.

She actually is on a fossil hunt. There are lots of those in southern Ohio, in the great Ohio River valley. I was confused. "How will you carry them?" She volunteered a basket, a bucket, a pail. Still confused I said "Not on your back?" That confused her, until she laughed and said they were driving, not hiking. 

Meanwhile, back in the studio, I am weaving steadily toward the five shows this summer. Beth will be with me, and I am anticipating some happy days. If I sell out this year, it won't be for want of a loom, like last year.

I've studied my inventory carefully. I warped last on February 4th, my mother's birthday. That is half gone, and I have one warp left, and thread to weave into towels. Then I must reorder, both weft and warp. I bought enough of each last August to put four warps on the loom and weave it off. 

All the cream thread on the shelf will be used in the next warp, as will all the colors. Empty shelves, except for towels.

There has not been a price increase from Brassard in the two years I've been weaving and selling towels. That cannot possibly happen again. And freight! It has to be skyrocketing in the face of shipping problems. My price surely will increase this year!

I haven't been in front of the loom yet today, but I've accomplished a good deal of other things to be done, like washing, drying and folding laundry, cleaning cabinet faces, stuff like that. No glass, though. I'm afraid if I make one bit of glass sparkle and shine, I'll be straight down the spring clean rabbit hole!




  

30 comments:

  1. The rabbit hole is one I want to avoid too.

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  2. I'm not in much danger of any cleaning rabbit hole. Always seem to find a good alter. You're really weaving up a storm there. I hope your summer works out well.

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  3. I typed alternative. It got bitten off by the cleaning fairy.

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  4. Hari OM
    Ugh... spring cleaning crossed my mind today too... another couple of weeks...

    Oooooh rocks. An old hobby of mine. Actually doing a focus on the photo blog for April on some of my collection! YAM xx

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    1. I love rocks too... best travel souvenir ever! We once mined diamonds in a field. Didn't find any, but fun just the same. Looks like you are going to be ready for the summer shows with your towels. Happy weaving!

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  5. Stones/gems from far away places scattered in Akron surly will surprise the individuals that come upon them. Good luck to Laura; looking for fossils sounds like fun.

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  6. I've got laundry to do. It's the folding things up part that I tend to procrastinate about.

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  7. I loved to collect rocks and pebbles..studied geology right through school...now ceramics is applied practical geology!!
    That is a beautifully organised set of shelves. But it's what one needs when asking and selling.

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  8. I love that earring so much!
    I cleaned a few shelves today and all it did was make me realize how very, very dirty my cabinets and walls are.
    Best just not to start with that sort of thing.

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  9. Despite your health/bone issues, you've been a busy bee! Yes, freight prices for everything are going up everywhere.

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  10. Your mention of cleaning glass reminded me that my windows desperately need attention. Fortunately our condo has far fewer than the big house did.

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  11. We had two big snows last week but hoping to see it melt this week. That sounds like fun to go looking for fossils. I hope she has a good trip.

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  12. Spring cleaning needs to happen around here although the motivation is sadly lacking. I took geology in college but couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for rocks.

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  13. My dad was a lapidary man too. My brother got most all of his rocks and gave them away, There were barrels full. I have rocks in my blood too.
    Of the seven towels I have - the yellow one is my favorite, It gets all of the work done in a cheerful manner! If you weave yellow again- I am there!

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  14. my youngest brother collected rocks too, mum took him all over the place, by bus, to find what he was looking for. He had quite a collection and was planning to get them tumbled and made into jewellery, but he died far too soon and mum just left his room as it was for years and years. I don't know what happened to them all, she might have sold them to another collector. I hope Laura finds plenty.
    I wish I needed more towels, but I really don't.

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  15. It certainly sounds as if it’s in her blood.
    Hopefully your pain has subsided now and you’re able to ‘work’ without too much distraction….but don’t sit for too long or you may seize up.
    Take care
    Cathy x

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  16. Lovely stone in that earring. Tidy shelves, full of your work, you must be very satisfied.

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  17. In the early days of the internet when I had a website, a Dutch schoolboy asked me for some rocks for his collection. I sent him some and he replied saying that whenever he went on a seaside holiday, his trousers would fall down because of all the stones in his pockets. I wonder what he became.

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  18. A collection of rocks is a wonderful thing. I have very little here.

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  19. As it happens, I cleaned the face of one cabinet door which led to cleaning them all in the kitchen yesterday. Thankfully, I was able to stop myself after that.

    I have brought home so many rocks from my river guide days.

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  20. I am happy to hear how busy and active you are. Sounds like you are feeling so much better now.

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  21. I think your snow cover is abating faster than ours.

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  22. We need to wash the kitchen. When we arrived we gave the interiors a swipe or two and proceeded to fill up the cabinets. Now it all needs to come out for better cleaning, as well as the fronts.

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  23. I've been worried about your pain. Obviously you now have it under control....hurrah. I worried.

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  24. I love the towels you sent me, They are proudly displayed in my kitchen and bathroom! Perfect hand towel after washing your hands. HeWho is usually oblivious asked where I got them and told me to get more, he likes them, too. You are a wonder with all tour energy!

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  25. Hello Joanne, still weaving beautiful towels. I haven't looked at blogs for an age and omgosh you have had snow. Weather has been very mild here and we are forecast a hot April?? Hope not I don't like snow but I don't cope with heat either!

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  26. Yay for the sunshine!! I am glad the last of it is finally departing. Hope the car just needs some minor tweaking. Take care and and happy weaving.

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  27. I have a friend that collected rocks for years. When he moved to an apartment he gave a big bunch of them to me and now they line my walkway.

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  28. I love the earring. And yes, there could be some baffled geologists in the years to come.

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  29. I'm always so amazed at the weaving that you do. Your energy level is awesome. ALEXA told us today that most fossils are found in North America. That's a surprise!

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