Today's Earth Prayer

Grant me the ability to be alone;

May it be my custom to go outdoors each day

among the trees and grasses,

among all growing things

and there may I be alone,

and enter into prayer

to talk with the one

that I belong to.

 

—  Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav

 

Is there any thing to add to this?  I don’t think so.  :)

 

I'm about to get ready for today's classes.  I have my supplies, including a choice of peridot or rhodolite garnets to set in the pendant.

 

In other news, T-8 days. :)   

 

(no subject)

The classes were good, and I learned a lot. But I'm a bit frustrated. Each class is intended to have a project that can conceivably be completed in a 3-hour time frame. The only problem is that if there are more than 5 people in the class, it's unlikely we actually WILL finish the project. There's just not enough time for the teacher to spend with each of us to ensure that we comprehend the necessary skill set(s).

And then there's the tool issue as well. Now, we all know that I LOVES my tools. But I am not fully equipped, nor can I really afford to be (at least not at this time). And I have more tools than many. But these classes seem to require a bunch of more specialized tools that weren't even on the required or recommended lists of tools. Nor do they supply enough of these tools to make the work go more speedily...and even if you want to buy the damn thing as a last resort, more often than not, they don't have it in stock. GRRR!

But I ALMOST finished my locket. I *got* the rivet thing, and was able to rivet the frame to the back cleanly and without a lot of fuss. Now I just have to make a bail and rivet that sucker into the top to hold the cover and the back together.

The cold setting of the gemstone was more problematic. We were trying to apply rivets between two metal disks using silver beads as spacers, so there would be room for the stone to sit flush on the top disk, but be protected by the back disk. No luck for me. My beads kept cracking and my rivet heads kept bending. So that pendant was not a happening gig. I understand the theory, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. :(

So, while I can rivet two pieces of metal directly together, I can't seem to master the spaced-type design. Drat!

I can see that I will need to pratice riveting at some point in the near future...