Wow! This week I've been dealing with tooth ache from an impacted wisdom tooth. I've been meaning to take care of this for years. This is absolutely the worse case I've had as its infected and making my whole side of my face swell up. It was worse a couple days ago where the pain was so bad I could not even sleep. I usually do not take over the counter stuff, but I relented and got some Tylenol so I could at least sleep. Boy, this has been a relentless couple of weeks I can tell you!

Allergies killing me!

My allergies are killing me! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, its just that I've been dealing with pollen attacks with all the pine trees around this area.... giving off there poofs of greenish yellow powder stuff which has a tendency to go right up my nose as soon as I open the front door.

Plus while I was cleaning out the shed I ran into some rat's nests that made a mess of everything including making my allergies worse. I am surrounded by farmer's fields so when they plow their fields they run up into my territory! Those rascally rodents cut through the power cords of most of my electric equipment including my re-chargeable weed eater, my juicer (which I put out there temporarily!) and my compressor.

So I've been dealing with my rodent/pollen allergies using my nettie pot, which looks very much like a genie bottle, to flush out the pollen/rodent fluff in my nasal cavity by filling it up with salt water. It goes through one nostril while one is uncharacteristically bent over the sink while all the dirt, etc (and I mean etc!), gets wash out through the other nostril!

On top of that, I nearly caused a forest fire on Sunday by burning the extracted carpet that was in the shed, which in turn, because it was slightly hanging out of the outdoor fireplace, caught some of the brush on fire! I ran full speed with my water hose toward the spreading fire, getting snapped back as I hit a large knotted kink in the hose (don't you just hate those!) , so I had to quickly try to un-do the tangle while shouting at top lungs for my daughter to come out and help me. She came out with a shocked look on her face and said "should I call 911?", I thought for a second and glanced at the fire that was licking an overhanging tree and said "no I've got it under control, just run and get a bucket". Glad it was not my famous last words.

All is well....tending to a large burnt spot on my lawn, putting down rat poison, trying to find someone to re-wire my equipment....hey wait, why does that shed light not work anymore even though I just changed the bulb?

//Shop Opening//Etsy//CharkStudio

My grand opening was on Tuesday for my shop on Etsy, but I did not get a chance to blog about it until today. I've been putting my nose to the grindstone to get some objects de art into my shop as of now I only have one in there! How embarrassing is that! That is considered a "stocked" shop, but one item? Now I've got a virtual assembly line of items ready to go down the conveyer belt, like Lucy in her famous scene with the chocolates coming out of the shoot and she needs to box them as quick as possible! I had my daughter take a picture of the first object using a green screen so I can situate my garden sculpture in a pleasant landscape. My own garden is totally trashed so that was not an option.

Difficult Ones

She's very loyal to her friends

and a constant companion

Been taught to appreciate the difficult ones

as they are precious to us

Will remain loyal even in tough times

Almost too nauseating to deal with

Must have them to teach us patience and compassion

If we surround ourselves with "yes" people

we will not grow and expand

Try to incorporate difficult ones in the mix

Do not shun these ones

as it's diversity in all forms

For us not to remain ignorant

like our forefathers

who enslaved different pigments

Let us embrace our enemies in our youth

and clutch them to us

so as to soften their edges before

they are cast out into the world.

Rant of the Day

Busy making my mosaic garden sculpture to be put on Etsy.com coming up soon. The site is still under construction, but my shop will be called CharkStudio. This piece is driving me around the bend as it is taking so long! I'm normally an impatient person, coupled with the drive to do things the correct way, so it has been a struggle to compromise these two personality traits without going round the twist. Going from a desk job back to a creative artsy business woman again has been a wonderful experience, but it also comes with its ups and downs, as its back to relying on myself rather than on an established company. Its a risk I'm willing to take however, judging by the economy, as even previously stable companies are teetering now.

Night Sky

Don't waste time looking for the answer as it will be found in due course.

Keep mind open to possibilities and don't stick to one strategy.

Keep flexible like a willow tree in strong winds that will bend

as if it is weeping down

green tears into the earth.

Some things can't be known by reading books &

when you ask the question in your mind

you might not get an immediate response.

Not all can be known, but some is revealed in small amounts...

Keep looking up at the night sky.

Always OK

Was...Is...Always will be o.k.

There are times the pain is so great that it feels like we will explode if we

take one more step.

But we must keep taking those steps even if they are infantile little shuffles -

we must keep moving forward.

Does that mean to leap before you look?

No, that is referring to physical steps.

We are talking emotional steps.

Just as Harrison Ford had to trust and take the "leap of faith"

we must have faith in the steps we need to take in order to grow.

If we do not take the step forward into uncertainty, we will

have our emotional limbs shrivel up and recede.