Oh, deer

It is time for the cotton harvest at the farms. I see a lot of wildlife driving up the road to the office. A couple of days ago I saw a white tail deer. He was an 8 point buck, and he looked very regal as he left the cotton field and crossed the road in front of me. The deer have probably eaten a lot of cottonseed in the last few days. White tail deer are fairly rare in this area, as the more common deer is mule deer, so named for their huge ears. Mule deer are smaller than the white tail, and I have seen mule deer dive between strands of barbed wire.

Other wildlife have been coyotes, and various birds like hawks and roadrunners. When I see the roadrunners, I think of my Dad and the roadrunner he had quasi-tamed. The bird would come up to him, and come into the house. This bird would sit on his leg while he fed the bird raw hamburger.

I recently saw a male Gambrel quail on my property. I saw that it was moving oddly. As it was moving away from me, it was hopping. On one leg. Was the other leg missing or injured. I couldn't tell, but for it to live, without aid is amazing. This bird has found a way to survive the best he can. With no complaints. Amazing.

Nouveau Rose Bracelet

I posted another bracelet on Etsy. www.beadcactus.etsy.com

This bracelet is a two drop peyote and the pattern is an original of stylized Art Nouveau roses. The piece between the beading and the lobster clasp is a gold toned rose and I think it compliments the piece wonderfully. This has been a long time coming, and I hope to be able to continue onward to my goal of being a name recognized bead artist and designer.

How do you make an Indian unhappy?

OK. So I work with the Tohono O'odham in the hay sales office. It is not a high volume traffic office. I have to answer phones (maybe 3-10 calls each day), clean the offices (sweep, mop, dust & sanitize), and sell hay. Between customers and after my chores are finished, I can craft or read.

My craft of choice is beading. I do several different stitches, but I work mainly in peyote stitch. I had a customer come in and his eyes lit up. He was needed someone who did the peyote stitch for his Native American feather fans. He was just so happy. I really hated to disappoint him. He came in on another day with a sample of what he was doing, a beautiful fan. Then I told him the bad news.

I am not Native American. He needed someone who was Native American to do the work, in order to keep the authenticity. He was so disappointed.

I am aware of the Act prohibiting non-Natives from presenting their work as American Indian, and would not do anything to jeopardize his product. I was flattered that he considered my work of a quality he could utilize.

I did offer to teach someone the stitch, so he could continue with his fine work. I hope he will be able to find someone to do the work for him.

UPDATE: Johnny came in and I made him an offer. I will teach anyone, he wants, to bead. He was thrilled with this. He knows of a woman who is alone and has a lot of time on her hands, and getting involved with beading would be great for her.

A wonderful dinner.

I am a member of the Inner Circle, a circle of friends who met on the Internet. Crafting is the main topic, but we go off topic as often as we can. As a member of that group, I got a once in a lifetime invitation from another member. She was to be in Phoenix and could we arrange a face to face meeting. Well, one thing led to another, and what started as a possible lunch date ended up to be an invitation to partake of a dinner in a private dining room at one of the top 10 restaurants in Arizona. It was one of those restaurants where the waiter places the napkin on your lap. It was so cool. I felt honored and made to feel as if I was one of the group. That is what you are sometimes able to get when you are a friend of a friend.

The restaurant was Kai at Sheraton’s Wild Horse Pass. It is on the Gila Indian Reservation. The staff was very helpful to little ‘ole me from the moment I stepped up to the door.

Carolyn chose the wine. An Amarone. It was a delicious red wine. She chose the wine, but then wondered about the cost. The host said no problem. The wine was delicious.

There were appetizers and I had lamb for the absolute first time in my life. Wonderful. There was a wonderful salad, made of an eclectic assortment of greens. I had choose a beef dinner, and that turned into a selection of meats. Each one more flavorful than the other. There was the palate cleansing sorbet, then a flan, with topping made of onions and pomegranate. Who know onions and pomegranate went together? I never would have considered the combination prior to this. The flavors are hard to describe. Definitively something new.

Dessert was a chocolate souffle, that melted in the mouth. Very smooth.

I really enjoyed to meal and met some wonderful people. My thanks to my host, BJ and his wife; and to my contact, Kaleene.

Sometimes it really pays to be in the Inner Circle.

More work, more beading

I have lasted for 3 weeks now. I am enjoying the heck out of this job. It is just so easy. I even have time to do beading during the day. Whoo, hooo. The finance manager said that if I qualify, I can apply for the secretary position and that pays a lot more, with only a few more duties. I currently feel so underutilized right now, so I have a goal.

I am finishing several bracelets and they will be posted on Etsy, soon.

I entered Craigslist Crafts Challenge with my new bracelet design. I won honorable mention. I am finishing the pattern for posting on Etsy. I think it is a sweet little pattern, and should do well.

Spring will hit on Friday, and the days are already warm. Nights in the high 40's or 50's, but it is warming up to the 80's in the daytime. I can hardly wait for the ice to break on the Santa Cruz. The mesquite are showing signs of leafing out, and that is the absolute final sign that winter is completely over.

New week, new job

I survived working at the Gem & Mineral show. It was an interesting experience. Interesting because I am approaching my 6th decade, and I was able to do the work required. I worked the register, stocked merchandise and made recommendations of which product was the best for the beading project someone had in mind. I really felt energized. The first three days were bad, but I was able to work out of the muscle soreness, with Aspercream and ibuprophen. Oh, and I lost about 10 pounds. I now weigh less than the weight listed on my driver's license.

After finishing the work, and getting back to what I have been doing for the last year -looking for a permanent position - I got the call. I have accepted a secretary position with a local Indian tribe. They sell hay, and basically I am a cashier, with other duties. This is kinda nice position to be in. I am close to work, the drive is nice, there are no stop lights, and pretty much a straight line to the office. We will see what happens. It will be different.

Of course, this new job started two days after picking up a new dog. I used to raise dalmatians, and have a soft spot for the spots. I had to have my last dog put down a year ago, actually about the time I lost my last permanent job. Anyway, this dog is older, and the previous owner's wife did not get along with "Rosie." So through a friend of a friend, I found Rosie and brought her home. She is a sweet dog, and is protective. She seems to be fitting in real well in my house. I guess I should have gotten a new dog a long time ago, but I probably would not have found Rosie.

Bead Holiday

That is what I call the day off I had from my regular position at the Gem & Mineral Show. A friend wanted to see what she could see at the show. She has lived in Tucson most of her life, and she had NEVER gone to the show. We had planned on about a 4-6 hour excursion, and we ended up spending 8 hours. My feet, my back. Ouch.

I was truly bummed out because I thought I would not be able to go to the "Best Bead Show" at the Kino Community Center. We did go to that show, and there did not seem to be as many inside vendors as previous shows. The number of shoppers seemed to be less than before, too. I still spent too much, but I showed restraint.

I met some really nice people who do bead patterns and kits for sale. Since I am trying to work on some patterns too, I was able to ask questions and received some really helpful advice. I want to especially thank June Wiserman of Tapestry Beads http://www.tapestrybeads.com. June was such a help.

Nikia Angel, a wonderful bead designer has some wonderful kits. I wish I could purchase them all, sadly, that is not to be. Nikia was working with the Beyond Beadery booth. Nikia's website is buy the kit.com (buythekit.com)

I hope to finish the patterns I have and continue with the kits soon.

Beading Daily has a blog on the Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson - 5 Shopping Tips for the Tucson Bead Show. There are comments added to the blog. I added mine, copies below. If you want to see the page, it is at: http://www.beadingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2009/01/28/5-shopping-tips-for-the-tucson-bead-shows.aspx

I too, live in Tucson. I attend the G&M Show every year. When my sister-in-law was planning a trip out here, she wanted to know where the G&M Show was at. I told her "Tucson". It is amazing on how many venues are here, and the sheer number of vendors and buyers. It is truly amazing. As for me, I found the best way to participate. I will be working for one of the vendors. I will be paid to be at the G&M Show. Days off? Sure, but guess where I will be spending my days off.

I will be at Kent's Tools at TEP, selling of all things, beading supplies and tools.