It’s cold as a donkey’s snow covered whisker out there, and getting colder as the wind picks up. I turned up the heat in my studio early this morning to get it warmed up, but never got there. It was one of those days that got away from me.
Last night I found a rogue hanger from one of my Penis Potholders on my desk. That meant Kim couldn’t finish sewing the potholders until I got it to her. So this morning I stopped at her house with the small strip of fabric. And then, Kim asked me if I wanted a cup of tea. Oh the pull was great, “I really need to get to work” I told her. I’m usually very disciplined about getting to my studio in the morning, because I want to be there and because it’s my work, if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. But it was something about the cold and the idea of a cup of hot tea with a friend.
Kim and I don’t get to spend much time together alone. Most of the time I pick up and leave work for her on her porch without us seeing each other. But I’ve found being older, it’s harder to make new friends. Especially since I work alone in my studio. So I’ve found it important to nurture my friendships, all of which are relatively new. And, this morning, saying yes to tea with Kim seemed just as important, if not more important, than getting to my studio. So I told her I could stay for a half hour and over an hour later I left knowing it was the best thing I could have done. We talked about my business and her budding felted purses business, her grandchildren and the animals, hers and ours. We discovered that one of the things that connect us is how we spent a good part of our lives going from job go job, mostly working for small businesses. (One of Kim’s first jobs in the 1970’s was sewing “mood hearts”, ya know, like mood rings, onto men’s underpants. Right up there with Penis Potholders).
By the time I got home I had just enough time to get to Mary Kellogg’s to pick up her last batch of poems for her new book. I couldn’t linger because Athena and Mandy were waiting for me at the Round House Cafe for our Wednesday lunch.
At 2:30 went into my studio. By now it was nice and warm, but I didn’t stay. I turned off the heat and held my hands over my heart and bowed, promising I’d be back tomorrow. Because now it was time to feed the animals. With this kind of cold, they need some extras, like grain for the donkeys and sheep , straw spread laid on the cement floor in the stall. Warm water and extra food in the coop for the chickens. That done it was time to pick up Lenore at the Vet where she was getting x-rays to try and figure out what’s causing her so much pain. (we’re still not sure, will know more tomorrow). Then later this evening we’re having dinner with friends.
What’s kind of amazing to me, when I think about it, is that I could fill a whole day up with visiting friends. And no, I didn’t make anything in my studio today, but I did nurture some important relationships. And these relationships are also creative relationships too. They focus around our work as well as our personal lives. I couldn’t and wouldn’t want to spend all my days this way, but once in a while it seems as important to do as making something new in my studio.
Your comments resonated with me, Maria, because being retired and 65 I am finding it hard to stay connected with friends who are no longer part of my daily life. As someone who crafts and creates, it can be extremely satisfying, but also quite insular. Thanks for sharing your feelings. Your Simon piece is quite lovely and we are hoping for good news about Lenore. I find the ebb and flow of my pets lives to be very sobering at times, but wouldn’t trade a moment of any of it because they have so enriched my life with their sheer joy of living. Althea.
I adore this photo of Lulu’s snowy snout!
Sounds like a very productive day to me! Some days, work is very overrated.
Time spent with with good friends is never wasted time. Every now and then, we have to cut ourselves some slack. I believe it revitalizes us. You’re industrious, it will all come together. Peace.
Spending time is nurturing your soul. And your soul needs nurturing. 🙂
And the warmth of friendship is an important muse.
Oh I like that Debbie. And I think you’re right too. Nice words. Thank you.
I was a creative type all along. Entrepreneurial from preteen to my current 50. I thought I wanted to grow food in my middle life. The creator in me has taken over. There are no places here, however, where I can create along side anyone else. I have my space to work. I have my slot when the kids are at school. I have, however, reached that place in my life where I am weary of being the oddball. The one who has sheep and goats. The one who you can call to fix or do anything. I want to be around people, not because they happened to give birth at the same time as me, but because we have something in common. I feel like blogging helps me find people like you. I look forward to following you on your creative journey. I might come up and visit you on your open studio and shake your hand. I am promising myself to be more disciplined about nurturing my friendships, too.
Odd balls unite Farmer B.