Snapshot of My Afternoon

Tumbledown is in shadow.

A single light illuminates my stovetop where a dozen tiny eggs hardboil in an enamel pan.

Outside, the once busy run is deserted, its hens hunkered down in fresh mounds of straw while trembling leaves overhead give evidence of the gentle rainfall….

And I stand inside at the dark door and watch it as I sip fragrant tea in a favorite cup and enjoy the rumbly thunder.

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Tea & 20 Questions

Who are you, my friend? (Don't be afraid; you don't have to go into detail unless you want to.....)

Are you a creative kindred spirit? Do you share a love of Stuff? Are you a fellow wanderer, bouncing around Life and pinging off sharp corners, trying to figure it all out and hoping to be a better human bean today than you were yesterday?

Do you like to draw? Do you have the Answers? Do you long to help? Do you love to read?

How do you see yourself? With what do you surround yourself? How would you describe yourself?

Are you as clueless and as blank-slated as I am? Do your hopes outnumber your fears? Is your glass half full or half empty, or do you (like it's been said of me) not have a glass at all?

What are your dreams, your wishes, your wants?

What are your hopes for this New Year?

And is Earl Grey fine for today's tea? Or would you rather have Darjeeling?....

Go ahead, tell me all about yourself.

Tea's ready. I'll pour....
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I Did It!

That step-outside-my-comfort-zone thing? Yeah, I did it! :)

My first ever resin class was held last Sunday afternoon, and I think it went well, or at least as well as I could ever have imagined. 

Everyone said they had fun and learned something. And even I learned a thing or two. For one, I learned that trying to teach some seriously creative people something creative is both frightening and fascinating and a little like herding cats. :)

I guess I should have kept my own self in mind when attempting to figure out how to put together a Beginner's Class because I do this same thing: Creative People don't come to the table as beginners, even when they really are. They've already thought outside the box about a material and can see its potential in spades. 

Nevermind that they're not familiar with your medium; they have colorful and complex creations in mind and they want to get started already, dammit, so don't bother introducing them to Mr. Safety Glasses! They're already way ahead of you. They've taken your medium and run with it. They're halfway down winding paths that you weren't planning to take them down yet and they've already discovered new vistas there. They're showing YOU a thing or two you didn't know, Miss Smartypants Teacher....

A little humbling....

 













If I had to use one word to describe the day I'd choose 'color.' From our host's cheery studio to the students' vivid creations, color just screamed from everywhere. Color and energy. I was almost tempted to sit down with them and create a little something myself, their energy was catching. 

I'm glad James was there with me -- between bouts of being our 'mixologist,' he helped me remember important information to impart and kept me grounded. When the class was over for the afternoon, he congratulated me on a job well done and asked me what I thought of it all and I said, "I don't think I want to do that again."

But it didn't take me long to change my mind. :) 

And now I've already got plans for future resin classes. How does a 'Tea at Tumbledown' event sound to anyone? Open to four people at a time (because four is all I can fit around my table) and complete with tea and homemade cookies?
...