Cloudy Days are Made for Beading
I went on a walk with my mom yesterday and it was wonderful. We used to go on little impromptu jaunts all the time, winding our way through the streets downtown while talking through all of the things we were thinking about at the moment. Walks were replaced with weekly phone dates while I was in California, but they weren’t quite the same. There’s something about moving my feet that makes me see new facets in the old ideas tumbling around in my head.
Just as we were setting off it started to snow - and not the pretty fluffy snow like we had the other day, but rather little snow pellets carried right into our faces by a swirling wind. We committed ourselves only to the one mile Woodruff loop, so named for my childhood canine companion and the route we would patrol in the mornings, just in case the weather got particularly nasty. But once we were out, we just kept walking. And you know what? Before we knew it, not a single flake (or pellet) was falling.
When we got back, I went into my parents’ backyard hoping to take a few photos of the blooming crocuses - but they were a little past their prime. Last week, there was one clump of the purple variety that was just spectacular - and I’m more than a little sad that I didn’t catch them at their finest. Next year, though. Next year I’ll remember.
Even without the crocuses, I was not short on subjects to photograph. The chickens were out, one of the cats came to say hello (but I didn't risk a pet as that’s the best way to lose an arm), and the trees were just beginning to bud out. It’s a yard that bursts with inspiration - and it sets the bar pretty high. All this to say that my own little yard has big shoes to fill.
Last night I finished up eight pairs of beaded Little Cloud earrings, four long and four short, in colors inspired by this season of growth. I had the cloud component of these earrings cast, to help make these earrings a touch less labor intensive, but even so my eyes are tired and my back is sore from hours of carefully counting beads to create the gradients. The weight and feel of all these finished pairs in my hand is ridiculously satisfying, though. So in the end, the work is worth it.
All eight pairs will be in the shop tomorrow, 3/31 at 12pm Mountain time!
