Things had picked up.
They’d moved on from the funk.
Even I liked the pieces I was making.
I know, right!
I should have known something was up when it took me five years yesterday to solder two caps onto the ends of some wire.
I should have walked away then.
But no.
I had to persevere didn’t I.
I had to finally, after hours of fiddling around and trying again and again, finish the piece and decide to buff it.
Didn’t I.
One rotation, that’s all it took, one rotation of the buff and the same mood that had obviously been lurking around during the whole time I was making the darn thing, and that was it.
The wire wrapped at least twice around my hand, if not more, so tightly that it’s a wonder it didn’t rip my finger off. Fortunately for me, (well more than fortunate really), the wire snapped. All three strands of 18 gauge half-hard silver wire. Otherwise I don’t know what would have happened.
That’s how much it had twisted around my hand.
Twice around my hand and then spiraling off when it couldn’t go around anymore into a mass of twisted wire before snapping.
It hurt.
Please.
Please!
Always use the buffing machine with care and your full attention, and don’t use it on things that it’s not meant for. Like chain or wire.
The dent in my fore finger was so deep I didn’t think it would ever go back to normal, and with a bruise on my pinky and a gouge out of the underside of my forefinger, I consider myself to be extremely lucky.
For a minute I didn’t think I was going to be able to cut it off with the snippers in my left hand and all I could think about was tiny baby toes getting wrapped up with a thread from their blankets, rotting, and falling off.
I know.
Don’t ask.
But it was fine. I had a little cry, because right now it’s all just piling up, and turned the buffer off and shut down the studio for the day.
Should have done that right at the beginning.
Today’s not much better. I don’t seem to be able to get myself moving and it’s taking me ages to do anything.
I know why. My sister sold dad’s car and we made the decision to sell his house also. I was doing o.k., but then smacked into emotions about the house that I didn’t know were there.
And then P had a birthday and dad’s was always the first card to arrive.
It had to happen, and will happen again. This year will be a first for everything.
Just putting it out there.
But I was happy with the pieces I’ve made, which most of you have probably seen on Instagram or Facebook.
It’s like I have no surprises any more 😉
First up the Carnelian.
I broke the stone I made it for so had to cut another.
Looks like a jelly bean doesn’t it.
Then there was the chrysoprase.
A bit blurry.
Sorry.
Then I used up some more of my scraps using the blob of silver I’d heated and rolled and heated and rolled till my arm almost fell off.
I quite like these and am making a bracelet to go with them now, but due to The Mood it’ll probably take another five years before it’s finished.
Next I made a little something for somebody.
I quite like the rustic look of this one and might try it again.
Then I bought some lovely East Java Purple Chalcedony off of Shirl and Bruce and made this little one.
Designs by Shirl is one of my go to cab shops. They’ve always got some interesting things going on.
Then there was the quartz.
The piece for which I almost lost my finger.
And its friend.
Who was much more well behaved.
I like this one as the back of the stone is a pyramid (I’m sure there’s a term for that) and so it juts out slightly from the hole I cut in the back.
Anyhow, those are all the newbies.
My next challenge is taking the acetylene tank down the road to get a new one.
I’m putting that little treat off until I don’t feel so accident prone.
😉
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I feel your emotional and physical pain—-been there, too. It sucks to lose those we love. I don’t have any words to make it better. You’re not alone and I’m sending you the best thoughts I can conjure up. Take a deep breath and forge on.
Thank you Mary 🙂
Your pieces are ALWAYS stunning!
Thank you so much 🙂
It’s odd how the things you don’t really think about (like houses, cars and the like) bring such an emotional response when you have to deal with them. Thing is, these were an extension of him, and sadly it just gets more drawn out. I’m sorry.
I’m pretty sure you’ve mentioned not using a wheel to polish things like chains and wire, right? Do you frequently drown out your own common sense? 🙂 When I worked in polish at a store here in town, the woman next to me was polishing a thin box chain… any guesses on what happened? There was a LOT of blood. She fainted, everyone freaked out. I’m a little disappointed there are no injury pics. Yes, I’m a bit sick in the head.
The new work does look great though – and the stamped prongs made me swoon a bit!
Yes I most always drown out what little common sense I have left and I just know I’ll be back at the buffer as soon as I can look it in the face again without feeling dread. I’m going to try to fight the urge this time though as three times was lucky and I’m sure now my luck is running out.
I must say I was a little disappointed with the injury result. Once my finger had bounced back to it’s normal shape I really just have a bandaid over the gouge bit. Not that I wanted more, but I admit I expected much worse from how dramatic and painful the whole thing was, so no big deal with the photos this time I’m afraid.
Again I was very, very lucky.
I”m trying to reply to your reply but it doesn’t want to play nice… your tumbler might be the way to go for shiny’ing them wires up instead of the buffer. I know you don’t have the best of relations with it though.
Wellll, I was thinking of doing the old going back in the time machine thing and using regular old sand paper 😉
Those are some tough transitions, and a tough “first.” It is so hard to let go of their possessions–so many memories attached! They are like little touchstones. It always feels to me like it is little pieces of them, even though I know they’re really not.
I am glad you didn’t lose a digit with your buffer mishap–but I must say that murderous quartz piece is gorgeous. I also love the purple chalcedony piece–I fear I would be licking it all the time. It looks like it should taste really good.
Haha Keirsten, that makes you as weird as me although I seriously hadn’t thought of licking it as I’ve been too occupied with the whole baby toes thing.
The first year of grief is truly the hardest…there are certain foods that we eat that intensely remind me of my dad. And I am happy to say I smile now instead of cry. Though it has been 11.5 years, my mother still gets tears at certain times. There is no set timeline for when the tears will stop, I am afraid. I feel your pain and truly bid you peace.
OMG on your near-dismemberment!!! 🙁 My greatest fear is that I will be working in my studio in the basement and have a mishap beyond belief….and no one will hear me down in the dungeon….Until dinner time arrives and they wonder where I might be.
My God…each piece you create is beyond beautiful…I am so in awe of your talent!
I know, right! You should get one of those help me, I’ve fallen and can’t get up, necklaces. It’s the only way…
I feel a bit bad now that I couldn’t understand the sadness dad had when mum died. Of course we were all sad, but to lose your wife, or husband, is something else. I must admit that I have some anxiety now about who else I’m going to lose next. Can’t live that way though so I’m really trying hard to get it under control.
Holy smokes! That’s quite a lesson the hard way! Glad you’ve still got ten fingers to work with. The aftermath of loss is a rough sea to navigate for sure. And I have to say that the color on that carnelian stone is out of this world!
Yes a lesson I should have learned the first and second time I did it. No hope for the stupid though…
I love the colour of the carnelian also, a little different from the others I have.
Hi, Thanks for sharing all that; sounds like a close call, but I bet you are just off your game a bit because of not being in quite the right spot emotionally, and not being fully focused. As Mary says; nothing we can say can make this period of grieving any easier; sometimes I think the Victorians had the right idea; visual clues in the way of colours for set periods of time so the world knows that we are a bit fragile. More hugs, and a virtual cream tea sent over from Devon. x
It’s funny as someone else was mentioning the Victorian way of mourning , even down to the words, a bit fragile. It’s the first time I had thought about it in this way. Unfortunately I always wear a black t-shirt due to a little tiny bit of the old body confidence dysmorphic trying to hide phobia. (O.K. let’s call it what it is – psycho illness), so the black thing wouldn’t work for me. Perhaps I should try hot pink then everyone in the world would know right off how fragile I am as well as keeping sharp objects away from me…
Thank you so much for the cream tea. I just love them 😉
You can have some of the redcurrant jelly I made yesterday, and the jostaberry jam today to go with too ?
Never heard of jostaberry. Going to look it up. I love redcurrent! Blackcurrent too ?
Blackcurrant/goosegog cross. The annoyance of goosegog picking, with the colour and sweetness of blackcurrants. And shockingly vigorous. Like triffids without the pretty flowers ?
Omg, you’ve got triffids too! I paint triffids and always have to explain that they’re man eating plants to the uninitiated (of whom there are many), and that my jewelry is often of triffids also. You see I make them when my psychotic side is playing up, which tends to be always…
I really don’t know what to say about The Mood; I’m in one myself. We just carry on carrying on, I guess. And what carryings-on you’ve got to show for it!
I do love the layering you’ve got going on in the new pieces. I’m surprised your fingers hadn’t already dropped off from all that detailed work. In any case, I’m relieved you survived that grave encounter with the buffer—you obviously benefit from having ten fingers. It’s also nice that you’ve moved your scrappy flowers to the front of those earrings.
Grave encounter lolol. Love it! Sums up Dad and The Mood perfectly! (Sounds like a pop group. OMG the puns are coming strong now…) That’s going to cheer me up and get me going every time I think of it now. Exactly what I needed, intended or not 😉