interlude

  i've been home from australia and new zealand for over three weeks, yet still am feeling the sensation of having just arrived at my own front door after a very long time away.  this has been a tumultuous year, to say the least - a lot of coming home, a lot more time of going away, and a great deal of attempts to let go, to release, to say goodbye.  i realized with a start the other day that the sadness which has permeated so much of the past months of this year has finally subsided enough that i hadn't realized - like a persistent headache, after taking medication - that it had begun to wane.  i'm still sad, believe me i am, but it is no longer the overwhelming emotion that washes through me with my days.  and that, my friends, is what i recognize as Grace with a capital G.  i have the sweetest neighbors, with eva and dave:  they call to see if i am okay, they call when they spot an unknown vehicle in my drive when i am away, they bring an icy cold drink from the back of their car and a tea-towel-lined box filled to overflowing with vegetables from their garden, a red ball for walter, a single riotous hibiscus blossom in a glass bud vase.  i've watched that blossom pass from tender new flower to withered sunset, with petals tissue paper thin and crinkled like oldest skin.  i do not have the heart right now to throw it away.

  many, many thanks to those of you who purchased the latest pendant charms i've offered!  the simple act of hammering those words has brought great peace and clarity, and it is rewarding as well to see your response.  time in the studio has been extremely limited this year to the early weeks of the january, when snow covered the ground, two and 1/2 weeks in march leading up to artfest, and a small bit of time when i worked on the heart pendant with daddy's words back in june, just after he had passed.  the rest of my time has been spent on the road, driving or being driven or flying here and there, closing the door behind me, opening it again with a deep sigh of relief each time i walk in and see that nothing has been stolen in my absence.  the house is beginning to smell like my own familiar place again, as strange as that sounds; the musty smell of dusty, damp neglect is gone with the windows flung wide open to summer, and i've been diffusing lovely essential oils (thank you precious wendy and joshna!) called "bountiful", "letting go", and "tranquil sleep" to restore things to balance once more. 

now, i'm facing another trip - this time, out to the wilds of the colorado high mountains, where i'll be spending ten days as a resident artist in the little breckenridge Tin Shop studio.  my older son robin urged me, this time last year, to apply for the position; only at his insistance, mind you, did i apply.  this is far, far beyond my comfort zone, this business of sitting in a studio where the general public can wander in for four hours a day; folks won't know me, they won't have a clue who this woman is from the deep south who sits at a table and taps away at silver, who knots gemstones onto silk, who pours emotion and stories into every little piece of work she creates.  i had expressed hesitation over the phone to robin last week (my mother was still in the throes of hospital tests - and she is okay, thank goodness, after all, as far as the doctors can tell); but when i heard the disappointment in his voice, when he insisted that i come, i knew i should.  and so, i am.  and again, anxiety over leaving home sets in.  but as one of my reader friends said to me, and as i've told myself over and over since the final decision was made, who knows what bright new possibilities will then present themselves to me?  four different folks have written me in the last few days to request custom orders for onward charms - enough to make me realize that i ought to offer the rest of you the chance to order one (or more) as well.  here is what i'll do:  i'll take orders over in my etsy shop (click here)for a few days for any word choice you wish (within reason, that is - i do have my ethical and aesthetic standards ;)) as long as the word is limited to eight letters or less; if two lines of words are requested, there will be an additional $10.00 charge per piece.  so, $95.00 for one word or line (and if there are two short words, like "new path", for instance, they will qualify as one eight-letter line, at $95), and $105.00 for something like "ongoing journey".  all pendants will have the compass in brass, unless of course you desire something simpler like a single gemstone dangling from the bottom.  be sure to state your word choice in the "notes" section there in your etsy cart's listing.  i will only take orders through monday, august 22, as i'll need to be making jewelry for colorado by that poiint.

take a look at the photograph above, with the seashells to the left; those shells were found at the edge of the indian ocean, where my beloved jacky and i walked and dipped our bare winter feet into the cold, blue water.  jacky picked up a shell and handed it to me; and upon closer inspection,  i see that it has my name on it, as well as the letters W and A (for western australia, see?).  
i love the other shell as much as this one, for a lot of reasons - i found it while walking the beach my last day in australia with jacky, it resembles what we imagine as the wing of angel, and because it has half of a circle in a line of dashes, placed there at some point by an artistic, unassuming sea creature.  the line has not come full circle, which is as it should be.  jacky declared that she had to find one as well before we left the beach, and here are our hands together, holding our precious mementos.  i plan on using that sea shell somehow in upcoming jewelry pieces, as part of my australia/new zealand-inspired work; my thoughts are overflowing with ideas, which is certainly an encouraging thing after such a long, dry spell. this is one of my favorite photographs from the entire trip, and i have a LOT of favorites.  i will be, i promise you, sharing some stories and images from that journey, as soon as i can figure out how best to delegate my time between making jewelry, organizing my schedule, and writing posts for ornamental.  i'm in the middle of re-vamping things here, working things so that it won't be such a drain on my time to sit and polish my words and photographs.  in the meantime, i hope that the closing weeks of your summer are as rewarding as you hoped they'd be, back in the young green days of june when we had the whole season ahead of us.  xo

Comments

[Adrienne Berry]

Nice to see you again! I love the words with the picture of your feet in the water...

[kathy dorfer]

good words today . i find when i get in the creative zone everything else melts away..
xxoo

[Stacey]

Hello from a new reader :)
Thank you for sharing these beautiful images from your life and your journeys and how lucky to get to travel!

I've had those moments too where I've typed and lost everything. Gosh it's frustrating!! Have a wonderful time making art in Colorado.

<3
Stacey

[Farmlady]

That Hibiscus flower is so representative of our lives. Even in death I see the beauty of it's folded skin... the tissue paper wrapping of it's tiny soul.
Stay well my friend, life will bring more adventure and sadness too. We can't say what it will be.
I wish you strength and happiness... and lots of bright new possibilities.

[vickie long]

Oh Nina. Ever since I was a kid I was fascinated with rocks and shells. Growing up in the city I never saw anything but "gravel." When I visited my country relatives in Iowa and saw all the beautiful rocks that could be found on the farm, and then the shells when we went to Myrtle Beach, why, I was in hog heaven. Your shells are wonderful and the Nina one exceptional. Cannot wait to see what you do with it. May you always be inspired by what you can incorporate into your wonderful calling.

[Barbara]

Estrella Nina! Have you ever checked out the cartoons by Al Hirschfeld in the NYT? He always spelled his daughter's name, NINA, somewhere in his drawings. We used to love looking or them. I have loved your posts from near and far and wish you only love and happiness as you work out in Breckinridge. Think of it as coming out of your shell a bit ;0

[Tina in McLeansville]

aahhh yes, welcome back! strength, confidence, small beauties, focus....to be sure....welcome back. good choice, the colorado trip. ;) hugs...xoxo

[lindy mcclellan]

Such a lovely post! Grace is a powerful thing.

Enjoy Colorado. One of my very favorite places. And try not to stress. All you really have to do is be your authentic self. That is your gift!

Blessings,
Lindy

[kim]

smiling.....xox

[sandy]

I'm speechless and happy for you. You really inspire me. Thank you.

[Dinahsoar]

You will be wonderful as a guest artist. Be open to all the possibilities and allow the grace from within to flow like a river. Those on the receiving end will be inspired and enriched by your creativity and talent. Believe in yourself and let that confidence cleanse and wash away your fear yielding inner peace. Being at peace allows us to be pure I think. When we are comfortable in our own skin I believe others find comfort just being in our presence. We are in a sense ministers of Grace.

The Most Gracious One--the Lord Jesus Christ--is my strength and the one I look to, my strong tower and deliverer. I draw from His strength.

Find your strength and you will soar.

[robyn]

All the very best for Colorado, Nina. Very exciting! I too love the photo of hands, shells and footprints in the sand.

[Emily]

Nina,
I'm so thrilled you will be coming to Colorado. I know you will be embraced warmly. Meeting you and seeing your work will be a delightful treat for Tin Shop visitors!
I can't wait to come see you myself while you are here. And, I think it was so sweet of Robin to urge you. Seeing him will make it all worth it!!!

[Cindy In Carolina]

Colorado - aren't we suppose to push ourselves. Isn't that how we grow. It's a brand new experience and I say yea to that.

[mary]

Grace to recognize grace is an awesome gift to the heart. So happy for you!

Just remember when you are in Colorado that some people may not "get" you, but the ones that do will be awash in your creative soul. They are so lucky, I am jealous!!

[Vickie]

Colorado will be lovely. What a fine dip into the Indian Ocean you had! I will be trying to make this summer last, enjoying each ray of sunlight and building hopes for the future. angels abound and love all the way around. good luck and well wishes to us all.

[Dale]

Dear Nina,
I think it is wonderful that you are going to Colorado. A new and great adventure. Those people may not know you with your lilting southern voice, but they will come away believing you and your art work is as wonderful as we all think it is. Have a great time.

[Lori Burek]

Dearest Nina,
Love it all. The hibiscus is so beautiful! Have a good time in CO --- do you have to where a bonnet? Just Kidding? Wish I could be there to support you!
Big Hugs to you!
Lori Burek

[beth]

i'm happy for you....happy that you sound happy and more content, even if a bit nervous about colorado.

you do inspire. you know that right ?
xo

[Judy H.]

Regarding your comment that "this is far, far beyond my comfort zone": I read on another blog recently that 'the way to have an amazing life is to be constantly fearing failure, but driving forward anyway.' To do something outside your comfort zone is to show courage. Best wishes on the Tin Shop Studio adventure! :)

[shannon]

I somehow put my comment on a different post?! Sorry,
Nina, consider taking Walter with you on this trip. Breckenridge is incredibly dog friendly. My daughter lives there I intend ontelling her tostop in and see you and your work.

[Nancy Krampf]

happy trails...... i envy your ability to keep going and how lucky to have the encouragement of your son. and i know you sweet daddy is whispering in your ear, sitting on you shoulder.

love the hibiscus, and love the end of a flowers life as much as the beginning.

thank you for the post, i check you daily to see how and what you are doing. :)
xx00x0xx000000x0xxx0xx000xx nk

[Bonarita]

Have a great time in Colorado. It is beautiful there with all the mountains.

[Brenda Bliss]

Love the changes to your banner--Lady--everything you touch has such beauty.......such a wonderful gift---
again......thank you for sharing--I have missed you!

[Mary]

Glad to hear your mom is OK-

[Anne L]

love the book at the start of this entry...it's wonderful. have a lovely time Nina and I'm so glad that your heart is healing. it's been 3 years since my son died and while the break in the heart will never heal, it slowly gets a little easier to get through the days.