Thoughts on the Weekend

The wedding reception was a lot more fun than I had thought it would be. I actually knew more people than I thought, my friend Michelle and her new husband Scott were happier than I had ever seen them, the food was actually wonderful, and I had the opportunity to reaquaint myself with a fellow artist who I have admired for many years. Maureen Carlson and I have met on-and-off for almost 30 years. We started out meeting at the Minnesota Renaissance Faire, then ran into each other at some national conventions, and then when she would be invited to teach small classes at the Upper Midwest Bead Society meetings. I have always had a great deal of respect for her, but it was a true delight to spend a few hours in the company of Maureen and her husband Dan. I envy the fact that she is an artist who makes a living with her art and a woman who had the courage to follow her heart. More power to you, Maureen.

I had thought that my Sunday would be spent cutting down a tree and shredding lots of wood at our small house. I was absolutely NOT looking forward to it. But as it turned out, my DH decided against doing that on Sunday. He feels that he can cut down the tree on Tuesday on his own since it will be an easy fall, and then we'll see if we can borrow the truck of a friend to take the wood and brush to the local brush composting area. Since the tree is an ash tree, and there are instances of the Emerald Ash Borer in the neighborhood, we are limited in terms of where we are allowed to take that wood. Mother Nature is trying to take her revenge for our turning our backs on her - she is quite successful :-)

And this week begins the final Beading For A Cure auctions. Since my own item is among them, I'll put mine at the top of this blog to get it out of the way so that I can concentrate on the wonderful pieces that the other participants have created for the remainder of the week. Check out this fabulous piece by Eileen Erinoff (bottom picture) for example. Remember - bid high, if you don't win an item this week, you've lost out until 2011.