Tarnish be gone!

Aw, what happened to your jewelry box? you turn your head for one moment
and that bright shine is looking somewhat...blah...

Is your silver jewelry and silver ware looking drab/dull and tarnished?
It Happens to the best of us!
so, if you want to do something about it,
in a fast, fun and interesting way
Here's how to brighten up your silver jewelry:
it's easy to do, using simple easy to find ingredients that you already have at home!

you will need:

• water
• salt
• an aluminum plate (you can substitute aluminum foil)
• water softener powder (you can substitute baking soda).

Procedure

1. Take an aluminum plate (or a regular plate covered with a piece of foil).
2. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of water softener powder (or baking soda).
3. Then pour some hot (not boiling) water onto the plate.
4. Stir to dissolve
5. dunk your silver in the solution.

How long do you need to keep your silver in the solution?It really depends on the condition of your piece- The results may be immediate, or they may take a few minutes. On very tarnished items, this cleaning method will not make your jewelry perfectly clean and shiny.  (that's when you resort to polishing compound pastes and your polishing cloth)

Polishing cloths
You can do most maintenance polishing with a polishing cloth (found at many stores) Polishing cloths are an inexpensive part of your jewelry care- and they last forever! (well, it seems that way) They last a long long time (until the fabric wears down).*one note- NEVER wash a polishing cloth- it works well because it is impregnated with polishing compounds. Once the cloth is washed, the magic is lost.

Warning
We do not recommend this cleaning method for jewelry that has precious or semi-precious stones.
Also, Please be aware that this method is not good for antiqued (oxidized) silver, as cleaning will remove the antiqued finish on the silver along with the tarnish, which would really be a bummer.

OK- that's about it- I just wanted to give you a fun science experiment to play with- and help you get the best shine for your dime
:-)
ciao for now- M

Gosh Tarnish! Metal, irritations and how to cope

Here's the scenario: Hooray! My new little nose ring hoop got here and it looks so good!
but....uh oh, why is my piercing is feeling angry?
What's going on?

 Hi, I'm Maureen, from Cosmo's Moon Jewelry- a line of earthy funky silver and mixed metals jewelry that I sell here in Tucson Arizona and online in my etsy shop "Cosmo's Moon"
I've had a couple people approach me lately about some issues they are having with their piercings and with their silver in general. 
I should say first of all that I have NO medical training- I am a jeweler- so this advice is based on my years as a nose ring wearer and my training in jewelry. 
 I thought I'd share with you all a few things I have learned over the years as a jeweler and wearer about your silver jewelry and piercings....
 
 The dilemma---> Are you having issues with silver earrings or nose rings lately? getting red and irritated?

First, check the metal-
If you are certain that the metal is valid and not a cheap/plated/nickle silver or some sort of imitation silver colored metal.  Sterling silver is legally defined as being 92.5% fine silver. Note: I ONLY use sterling silver with my silver Cosmo's Moon nose rings. I never use plated silver, or silver filled, ONLY sterling silver through and through- My Gold nose rings are also solid gold- not plated- and are marked in the same area as the silver hoops.  I mark each of my nose ring hoops on the inside of the little ball with a tiny stamp "925"  or "14K" though most of the time the stamp is too large for the area, and it doesn't show the entire number, I assure you that it is solid sterling silver or karat gold) 

If you haven't had problems with silver before you most likely are dealing with factors other than the metal as the culprit, like...(drum roll please....)

Possible Irritants: (these all depend on the individual person)

• sweat
• sunscreen
• insect repellents
• some types of first aid antiseptics
• pool chemicals
• tarnished or otherwise dirty metal
• salt water  
• sand from the beach
• organic (and inorganic)substances from pond/lake/ocean/pool water. 

Why does the nose piercing have more issues than earring holes?
The Nostril piercing is exceptionally susceptible to irritation, due to it's position and the flow of gravity. Sweat, makeup, bug repellant and sunscreen often run down our noses when it gets hot. The ear piercings get far less assaulted by irritants simply because of their location. One hardly ever has to wipe sweat from earlobes, but noses? oh boy, do they get bombarded. 

I took a couple pics to illustrate- (no, I don't have blue sweat, I used tinted water to highlight flow on a nose with nose ring. I have had my nose pierced for about 30 years and have had a few inflammation experiences- Here are some tips to keep your nose piercing happy.....

Nose Hoops-
with a hoop, there is almost no protection from the irritants- in fact, the flow of irritants tends to pool on top of the hoop, seeping into the hole and thus beginning the start of possible irritation and tarnish.
A hoop actually will encourage the sweat to enter the hole, by "wicking" the substance through the hole through the outer curve of the hoop. 
The only real way to prevent irritation is to avoid getting those irritants near the piercing, which is pretty close to impossible...
so in order to keep your nose piercing happy you have to give it a little extra love and attention

 nose ring hoop care:

• I recommend taking the hoop out every 2-3 days to give it a rub with a clean piece of cotton t-shirt fabric or a "scotch-brite" scrubbie (you can get the scrubbie at most Hardware stores in the USA)
• then give the nose ring a dip in a cap full of alcohol. (to be cautious do not dip items that have gemstones, you could possibly damage the stone) rinse in water after dipping
• clean your pierced hole regularly (at least once a week)-use a very mild soapy water or just water if your hole is "angry" (I used to use hydrogen peroxide for this but have recently been told by a professional piercer that HP is too irritating for pierced holes- it can dry out your skin.)
• add a dab of antibiotic ointment or tea tree oil on your pierced hole after washing (whatever one you know works best for your skin type- general rule of thumb- if it doesn't seem to help -or seems to irritate- don't use it-try a different ointment) ***
• a little bit of ointment goes a long way- it really does help keep the skin from drying out too much, and will be a barrier coating to keep irritants out.
• re-insert your nose ring through the ointment, so it gets pulled through the hole by the wire

 if you usually wear a nose stud you won't have irritants enter the hole as easily, because the stud covers the pierced hole, essentially acting as a plug which helps keep the sweat from entering the hole. But that doesn't mean it won't trap irritants....
posts have a different issue that they can trap dirt/irritants under itself which means you need to clean it just as much as you would clean a hoop.

Another possible reason for nose ring hoop irritation could be:

the curve of the hoop is stretching the piercing hole- If you are used to only wearing a stud, your hole will be accustomed to a straight piece of metal going through it, Once you change to a hoop your nose piercing has to conform to a rounded arc of wire going through it. This will cause some stretching within the piercing- MINOR stretching, yes, but since the nose piercing involves cartilage any change can tend to be irritating. There isn't really a remedy for this, other than giving your pierced hole some time for it to adjust to the stretch. I would recommend cleaning the piercing the same way, remember to dab some antibiotic ointment on it daily while it is getting used to the change.

My point? Remember, a happy piercing is a clean piercing! keep your piercing and jewelry squeaky clean and you will be happily stylish with mellow piercings and fabulous jewelry (assuming you are buying your jewelry from Cosmo's Moon, that is) :-)

I know that this is a lot of information, I hope it isn't overwhelming! Please feel free to print this page so you have these tips available whenever you want to read them...or better yet, Bookmark this page, to easily return to this blog.          

Thank you for your interest in Cosmo's Moon Jewelry!

      New West meets Old World__

new designs added weekly!

New Ventures...in acting?? yes, acting.

Today at 5pm I will be performing in a showcase at Live Theater Workshop on Speedway (across from SAS fabrics)
I am in two scenes, one as a terrible overblown actor (as Bottom in Midsummer Night's Dream)and the other as a Diva who really can't sing to save her life (Mme Florence in Souvenir) and I have a short singing solo.
Yes, it's a new thing for me- I took a class to scratch the itch, have always been interested in trying acting, but never had a chance (due to my intense involvement in riding)
so...if you have an hour today and want to have a laugh, come to the showcase! it's free, and bound to be entertaining!

Puppy Bliss

 It's a New Puppy ("Sugar Pie" or "Pi 3.14" )for the Brusa Zappellini family!                                         Here are the first moments of puppy bliss with her new BFF Daisy Doodle Brusa Zappellini.             It looks like a great match!

I Know, Don't I?

The garden of techniques in metalsmithing is vast and fascinating- Keep on exploring!

There are so many things to learn in Metalsmithing, and so many ways to get things done- I think the most important thing to learn is to use your noodle when you have a new problem- TRY not to rely on doing things the way they are "supposed" to be done (according to whom?) and instead learn how to do things the way YOU can envision things will logically work.
Of course, this tool- self confidence- comes with time and trial and errors. We all make them- it's the wise 'smith who keeps the lessons we learn ourselves to be used for future "problems".....
Yeah, I cringe when students come to the table with "I know"- because you can never be sure from where they have acquired their Knowledge.
Arrive every day at the bench with the spirit of "maybe I don't know" and you can be assured that you will learn something. Even if it is that you learn that you really really DO Know!
ya know?

I want a Pony

Cosmo riding Trouble

Pain be damned!
When I saw the deal for trail rides at a great price in Groupon last month I just couldn't resist. It was my first Groupon, actually.
I had not been on a horse in 3 years, and that last time was just me doing an hour -walk- trot- canter- reverse- walk- trot- canter...nothing interesting, just seeing if I <> (I did- you see, I used to ride competitively on a regular basis- it was my thing---other than art)

This time I simply wanted to get on the back of a horse. I missed it, and I needed a little visit. I rode, enjoyed it- and was totally OK with staying at a walk. (for the first time since I was 9 LOL)

I wanted to make sure Cosmo got to scratch that Irish itch that I know he has. A primal love of horses. Like mother like son, we both just love them (though I got an extra huge helping of the crazy juice! thankfully he isn't half as horse crazed as I was at his age).

At the least it's Much le$$ expen$ive that way~~~~
I mean, really! did you know that lessons cost around 40-50/hr around here; Cowgirl country? home of the get along little doggie? It is! You have to be rich or crazy or both to afford lessons...not to mention the H-O-R-S-E itself! Not the actual price of the horse, (which I admit can be pretty steep...especially when we start talking about "Olympic Dressage horses..." and such) but what about that UPKEEP? A Set of shoes? Vet Bills? Feed? it all adds up.....
AND  hay is super expensive now too, In Arizona and the West especially because of the drought-  it's not like we have lush grasslands here in the desert.. Unlike how it was where and when I grew up, when it seemed every family had at least one funky broken down pony- now it's rare are the little kids with ponies..except for the lucky few who are born into Sonoita ranching families.
**ahhhh Nostalgia** if wishes were horses!
So, I'm counting on Groupon, and/or hoping that maybe I could qualify for some sort of theraputic riding program in Tucson...Anyone know any that take adults with nerve damage and no money?
:-) Still, (being the suburban girl who grew up dreaming to be a cowgirl) I believe Cosmo needs exposure to horses- (as much as possible)
I will be promoting every True horse opportunity possible- because I honestly believe that horses taught me some of the most important things in my life- They are like my "guri" for they almost all possess huge amounts of helpful generosity that is quite a gift!
Don't fret. I still haven't unpacked my fringe chaps. this is simply a possible scenario. Fact is, I enjoy working in my art studio so much that I found that I ultimately had to make a choice. Do I choose
the grit from the riding trail or do I choose the grit from the sanding sticks?
Art won.
And Horses are still Beautiful.
(and I still want a Pony)

Tucson Gem show 2013- Early February

 Ahhh, February In Tucson!
It has something special, really,
something for everyone- but the one thing
that I am really clued into is exciting for my line of work-
I am a Tucson resident (year round, have been for 20+ years) and a Metalsmith- I didn't move here for golf

No, it's not because of Rockabilly Valentines ball at Hotel Congress or the latest biking gadgetry being welded into art at BICAS , the fabulous make your own bike collective down near the train tracks....

Great hiking trails to enjoy here!

All of that is great- it is pure Tucson-however,  I moved here to get away from the Boston winters and to be close to the incredible culture of metalsmithing that has developed here as a result of the mining, cowboy and native American traditions as well as the Gem Show.
or, should I say,
"THE Gem Show(s) "

So, I thought I'd do a insider's report from the front lines:

A report about the Gem show's subtle effects on my life. Subtle? Yes, I work in jewelry some of the time, but am lately much more inclined to using a piece of reflector before a faceted garnet. Also, I've lived here for years, so really, I have enough back stock of things from years ago, when I overindulged on things I just thought were beautiful, but didn't have a clear plan for.....

in short, I've been there enough that I really don't relish going anymore- and the Gem show(s) have instead become for me the time when a whole bunch of my friends and fellow metalsmiths are in town! And since I founded the group Metalsmiths Unite back in 2008 my pack of metalsmithing friends that visit town keeps growing and growing.

MU Chill Lounge 2011 (during the freeze)

I always look forward to the Metalsmiths Unite Chill Lounge night during gem show (4th annual this year!) If you are a Member of MU you can find out about this year's gathering on our home page on Facebook- (just look under the "events" tab on our FB page and you will be brought to the page with all the info- any problems, contact me via private message)


Other than getting together for the group gathering I get to visit with out of town friends---
In fact,  I get to see Lisa Slovis Mandel tomorrow- she's another Pewter person- in fact, she wrote the book on it! here's a link :-) The Pewter Studio by Lisa Slovis Mandel(it's a great book BTW- just wish I had met her before it went to print, because I would have loved to have had a couple pieces in the book...oh well, there's always volume 2!)

ciao for now-
Happy trails, and May the Flux be with you!
Maureen aka "Bzap" and
Daisy Doodle

Anyways, Gem show visitors, we Tucsonans are very happy to have you grace our fair city once again- Thanks for coming and bringing all of the great business! We do appreciate it! I hope you can wait just one more year for the streetcar project to be finished downtown. (it's going to be great when it is finished!) And we wish you fabulous weather during your stay. Please pass the word around about how much fun Tucson is to visit in the wintertime! We love getting the business!



PS- here is a handy link to the Gem Show Guide-
It is the BIG directory of all of the things happening at the shows in Tucson- you will need it, believe me! :-)

New BLOG Title and address!

Hi there everyone-
I have decided to change my blog's name and address-
My new name is MBZ Metalsmith

and the new Address is http://MBZmetalsmith.blogspot.com .

I just decided that since my work is becoming considerably less about my production line (aka: Cosmo's Moon) and more about my artistic choices, that I should change the name to reflect the point of view.

Nothing is really changing as blog fodder however- I will continue to write about a variety of things that are important to me as an artist, a mother, an Arizonan, an eccentric and liberal practicalist.
I hope you all enjoy my posts- I certainly enjoy reading your comments!

thanks- Maureen


ps- pain update? the spinal cord stimulator did not work. I'm at the crossroads again and am looking in a few different directions to see if we can find an explanation for the pain and hopefully an end to it as well.

Metalsmithing Org (no dot)

As many of you know I am out of commission right now due to a painful nerve condition in my neck and shoulder. I AM going in tomorrow for the installation of a test for the spinal cord stimulator which is supposed to be a very successful treatment, so we are very hopeful that I will find relief and be able to get back to my life soon.

newly bundled student tools and some tools awaiting the bundling.
I love this fab Mexican Oil cloth - totally easy to clean and great to look at!

One of the things I am looking forward to doing is Teaching. I have not had a class for a few years now, and I really miss it! One of my big problems is getting a larger class together on the time frame that Tucson Parks and Rec has scheduled (Monday mornings?!!) . It's not an easy time to fill, and I totally understand, I think I would not want to take a leisure class on early Monday morning either!
So-

I've decided to take my show on the road and offer much smaller classes (3-4 students) on a much easier time commitment (whenever it fits into your schedule- for 4 hours at a time, within 5 miles from the U of A in central Tucson-). I will offer these mini classes to my friends and Facebook friends- They are meant to be fun activities for you and a couple of your close friends to get together and try over a glass of wine and loaf of bread.
Have a short class, make a pendant, chat, visit and learn something new.



Meanwhile I'm on the threshold of healing from this awful pain- I get a trial run of the spinal cord stimulator tomorrow and possibly will have a full install within a month or so.  While I am working on my health and re-gaining my strength I will be organizing my tools in preparation for my next phase of my career in metalsmithing.
This week I spent sewing some tool folders and color coding my tools-
Blue red green yellow are student tool packs.
Orange? Pewter.
White? studio tools.

Lime Green? Those tools are MINE!! (keep yer filthy mitts off of them!)

Ciao, Arrivederci, so long, fare well...
May the flux be with you
MBZ

a Garden behind the house

Guido and Cosmo a few years ago with some peaches from one of our trees. YUM!

Just recently I've come to realize that I've become a gardener. I mean, I've always loved to be outside and dig in the soil- have had aspirations of living off the land...but didn't think about it becoming reality until lately. Actually, my husband (Guido) is the real gardener: I simply waltz in and do a bit of weeding watering and harvesting. (I have an excuse, not really able to do much because of my injured neck)

Me and Daisy in our back yard- the garden is behind me
and it's looking appropriately shaggy for monsoon season.

 

I'm one of those people who really enjoy raking and pruning and digging. In fact- my current injured status was in part due to a "freak gardening accident" where I over did it one day, making the garden look nice for an up coming Open Studio...and ended up stressing my bulging discs in my neck so much by the vibrations of the weed whacker that my discs decided to pack up and move out of alignment with my spine. oh, and just for fun pinch the hell out of my nerve on their way out.

anyways... we garden.
W live in Tucson, so we are a bit limited to what we can grow. Currently we are harvesting tomatoes daily, our Nectarines are just finished and our zucchini is on it's way out. We have at least 10-15 cantaloupe in the near future (break out the Prosciutto!) and delicious watermelons close after. Also our pomegranate has about 50-70 fruits ready in late August. I'd say we do pretty good for a mini urban veggie patch.  You just don't want our water bills- trust me. (it is truly worth it)

My sister is the one with the great soil- in Hood River OR. I think they have about 30 acres- mostly fruit orchard. and those cherries I've been talking about lately? like nothing you have ever tasted before.
Magnificent!

How about you? do you have a garden? (ps- I believe potted plants indoors counts as a garden too! I know what it's like to have no yard as an apartment dweller. It's one of the reasons why we live here, instead of Florence Italy, where the family home is smack in the center of the city and NO balcony, let alone a yard. I just can't do that right now. I NEED DIRT PEOPLE!! LOL, mini rant, over and out)
Tell me about your garden- do you have a favorite crop? (don't incriminate yourself of course)
I'd love to hear your garden stories!

the cat story- on Creative process

On creative process- one of my favorite stories.....
Joseph Campbell had a story that he would share about a calligrapher that was commissioned to do a painting of a cat......
Every month, the client would go to the artist's studio and ask if the piece was ready and the artist would say no. finally, after many many months the client went to the artist studio and demanded that the painting be produced for him or he would arrest the artist. The artist then calmly took out paper brush and ink and in one fluid motion created a sublime painting of a cat. The Client, aghast at the beauty of the piece, turns to the artist and asks, "Why did you make me wait so long?" The artist then turns around and opens a cupboard, and thousands of drawings of cats come pouring out.
I relay this story to all of my students- it illustrates perfectly the hours of meditation trial and errors that every artist goes through when making their visions come to life.
I hope you are all having a great summer and are making lots of sketches for your cupboards :-)
ciao- Maureen
ps- if you aren't familiar with Joseph Campbell I strongly urge you to click on his name, which takes you to the Wikipedia article on him- he is one of my favorite mentors on living a creative and blissful life. <3

Metalsmiths Unite on the (internet) radio!

I'm going to be interviewed by Jay Whaley on Blogtalk radio Metalsmithing Benchtalk http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whaleystudios THIS THURSDAY at 3pm pacific time.
(I think this will be my 4th full interview- the other ones are archived in the Whaley studio channel on Blogtalk radio.)

This time I'll be talking about my metalsmithing Facebook group " Metalsmiths Unite" and how it has developed over the past 3+ years.

 I'd really love it if MU members came to the chat room during the interview- to ask questions, talk about Metalsmiths Unite/ Metalsmithing or if they just want to say "Hi." 

Please use the official chat room here:(this is the link to my interview)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whaleystudios/2012/06/21/metalsmith-benchtalk-with-maureen-bz-brusa-zappellini  

Don't be shy It's a lot of fun and a great way to connect!

Ciao for now- Maureen

symbolic musing

I'm a glutton for embellishment,
all kinds.
Like this asterisk for example
     * 
Isn't it lovely?
all circular and bursting
like a snowflake or
twinkling star.



Do you read symbols
as
words or Ideas?

I love the Italian word for
       @
"Chiocciola" (keee-oh-cho-la)
It always reminds me of a
tropical nut.
or a topical nut.

anyhow- My friend Kristy gave birth to her beautiful
baby Boy "Kai" yesterday!!!!!
that deserves some exclaimation!!!!!

and one to grow on
!
<3 MBZ

Musings...

Heading to the hand/shoulder
expert on Monday-
cross fingers they will figure this out
ASAP.
Meanwhile, it's ice
every night and most of the day.
I believe I am turning into permafrost
or the tundra,
but where are the stinkin' reindeer?
*









Maureen Brusa Zappellini
Creative jewelry for creative people
http://cosmosmoonjewelry.etsy.com

Made By Survivors

In the spirit of giving back to the community I have donated a portion of my Orchid / Ganoksin
Rio Grande raffle winnings to a wonderful organization "Made By Survivors" http://www.madebysurvivors.com/

I first learned about this organization through my friend Dianna Badalament- a talented and lovely metalsmith from California who is a metalsmithing instructor for the program.
Please take a moment to check out their website to see this incredibly valuable mission that is empowering victims of human trafficking and slavery. And while you are there, maybe make a donation...a little bit from everyone can really make a difference! ♥ M

Drinking Ironic Tonic

Well, the universe has a sense of humor. You may know that I've been struggling with chronic pain in my left shoulder and neck for the past year and a half, and how I've recently decided to try taking a break from the studio in order to really search for a cure and give my shoulder a break...

Now, I will admit, keeping me from the studio has proven to be almost impossible- One of my great joys in life is the hours of studio time I fit into my day. (In fact you could say I fit my days into my studio time..) I have come to realize that in order to keep from getting too depressed about my condition I really NEED to be in the Satori mind- the creative process and creative spirit support me: they are as vital to my health as breathing.

So- I've been puttering around my studio, but only doing no impact (no hammers) work....I was starting to think, "I can just make things that my body will let me make" and have been putting together a group of 8 pieces, which are almost finished..(image shows one of the pieces) I made them with almost no handtools, because my shoulder won't let me do much with my left hand.

Then, very unexpectedly, I won the Orchid Raffle!

What is Orchid?
Orchid is the social media (email q+a and discussions about metalsmithing) of one of the original metalsmithing websites, " Ganoksin.com "- I have been using this site since '98, when I first discovered it (I looked up how to make granules for granulation, an ancient metalsmithing technique)
Ganoksin is an incredible resource for the metalsmithing and jewelry community- It must have close to a million pages by now.... If you have never spent a few hours looking through Ganoksin I encourage you to try it- It's packed with information and eye candy.
"Orchid" is the name of the email forum in Ganoksin. 

Every year they raise funds by having a raffle- and every year I buy one or two tickets. I really love the metalsmithing community and believe in supporting our core services. This year I bought a ticket "early", in November, when flooding was at it's worst in Bangkok, Ganoksin's base. And this year...I won!

I ended up winning the grand prize, a very generous gift certificate for Rio Grande - one of the largest sellers of tools and supplies for the metalsmithing world!

And I still am in pain, and I still cannot do hardly anything- Whatever tools I get with the winnings are going to have to take me to a no impact studio. I'm thinking electro forming and torch- No stakes for me- I cannot use them now- (not even to kill vampires)

All the tools you want and no ability to use them now?
Karma is feeding me a little Ironic Tonic.
In any case, I am truly thankful for my incredible luck. The raffle winnings are a dream of any metalsmith- I am filled with Gratitude. Thank you Ganoksin! Thank You Rio Grande!!
and Thanks to my friends and family who have been so supportive
ciao- Maureen

Artisan's Marketplace

I've been making a bunch of silver pieces to sell online - Augmenting my etsy shop with new designs like my Celtic Cross pendants and my new sugar skull designs... Preparing for the next big show, which happens this weekend!

I will be showing my work at the Tucson Museum of Art Spring Artisan's Market from 10-6 this weekend (Friday Saturday and Sunday) at the Museum of Art in downtown Tucson. I will be showing a wide assortment of beautifully made handmade jewelry, "with Artistic edge and Western Soul".

Come downtown this weekend (its supposed to be great weather!) and see me- I will be in booth #24, which is in the small courtyard off the side of the museum.

I hope to see you there!- Maureen

If wishes were horses

Just found this pic while looking through an old notebook- This is a picture I took of my horse in Italy (Polish Warmblood mare, named "Schilla") I had her on half lease for the first year and a half that we were living there. I rode almost every day (in this setting).

 This pic was taken about 2 months before I had an almost fatal burst appendix.

 I ended up in the hospital, and then was in bed for about a month. During which time I made the concious decision to concentrate on my metalsmithing, and basically leave my love affair with horses for a while. It was a BIG change of direction, as it was incredibly difficult to say goodbye to this sweet and beautiful mare.

That was 1998- she was 14 then, so I imagine that she is now in her big pasture in the sky now. I hope it is as beautiful as this image.
xo- OK, I'm going to go cry now- :-) sniff- M

Metalsmithing Class- register now!

Anyone interested in taking a Metalsmithing class with me can sign up now for the next session of classes through Tucson Parks and Rec.**

I teach a Metalsmithing Basics class at Randolph center (on Alvernon, just S of Broadway)

Start your week out fun! Class is held Monday mornings from 9-12. 

The session starts on March 11th and ends May 5th.
sign up now, here at the Parks and Rec website- http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/parksandrec/
I hope to see you there!- Maureen

P. I. T. N.

OK, I just have to say, this adventure with chronic pain is kicking my ass. Ironically, it's not a pain in the ass that I have-- it is (literally) a pain in the neck.

Theory is that I must have started the neck damage as a little pixie- I must have knocked my neck out of alignment when falling off the sneaky little ponies that I clung to  while learning how to negotiate cavaletti and crossrails (it's a horse thing, poles on the ground and a little jump)

I had spinal surgery Dec 8- to repair the damaged discs and cluttered vertebrae that have been plaguing my well being for many years now.  I was under the impression that this was a much faster healing surgery than it now seems like it will be. I'm miffed. I really feel lied to- I was told that I'd be 5-6 weeks tops out of regular activity, then I could play tennis or whatever. Well, don't laugh, I do actually play tennis- (I suck getting to the ball on time, but have a pretty good backhand)

I digress.. So, it's now almost 2 full months past surgery and I'm STILL in more pain than before the surgery. I'm getting a taste of living with chronic pain. and it ain't purty.

The worst is at night- when you are just there alone with your thoughts, trying to fall asleep..... and then reeee reee kreee kerreeeeek! your shoulder starts zinging and your arm shoots with electric pulses from shoddy pinched and frayed nerves. It's like that mosquito in the cabin, or the drip drip drip of the faucet... it's crazy making. And it keeps you awake.





So, you lay there thinking, "hmm, is this just a temporary pain, will it go away?" and "is this really that bad? (why am I tensing up so much?)" which ultimately leads to " I probably need to take some pain meds- get ahead of the pain....but, do I really need to?"

this conversation goes on and on, you get up...walk to kitchen, have water- get ice pack- back to bed, icepack in your neckbrace, oh that feels better, I bet I fall asleep now.....ok, sleep time, get the right pillow, move the dog over, pull up blankets... shhhhhhhh.......


reee reee reeeh hkerrreek kreee......

Oy vey.
This really is a pain in the neck.

I'm laughing, otherwise I'd cry. Thankfully, my family is really supportive, and I don't have to go work for anyone else (though I've had to cut down on the goldsmithing for hire jobs for now) I can't imagine having to deal with this AND try to hold down a 9-5 job. Don't get me wrong- I'm still working daily in my studio and office- but I make the rules, #1 being that I call the shots, and if there is a day when I need to goof off, I goof off. Oh, and if I had to deal with the general public everyday I think I'd be the nastiest bitch on the face of the earth. (count your lucky stars)

So- in summary...
Ponies are sneaky.
Surgeons lie *cough* stretch the truth re: recovery rates.
Yeah, I play tennis and I'm 5'1"and no, you really don't want me as your doubles partner.
Chronic pain is butt ugly.
and annoying, especially at night.
Your thoughts go to 11 when you are contemplating sleep strategies while in a bout of insomnia.
Nerve pain feels like electric shards and aching rivers of green sludge.
You should be happy I'm no longer a barista.

and with this, I've taken up another few moments of the witching hours where everyone is asleep
(but me)

Buona Notte, Sogni d'Oro- Maureen