Croning My Way Through Life
Good Morning! Welcome to our Art Gallery Review!
Thought this morning we could continue our wandering through Sunday Evening Art Gallery galleries — how about statues? Part Two?
Sounds good!
The first round, Looking Back on Friday … Again — Jewelry Part One, was a hit with jewelry lovers! I mean, where else can you find jewelry made by Cartier and Pierre Sterlé side by side with alien stealing cows earrings and R2D2 rings?
Let’s visit some of my other oldie jewelry blogs and see where we land!
Closures/Remnants was born when Melinda Hutton, designer and artist, stumbled upon the world of antique buttons 26 years ago and became hooked.
Since then, she has been designing jewelry using antique and collectible buttons and has expanded her work to include handcrafting new pieces from well-loved vintage remnant pieces.
Each piece is a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted piece of artwork.
Texture, color, shape and type of button are factors Hutton considers at length before her designs are complete.
As an artist, Hutton’s goal when designing is to create a very personal, heirloom quality piece of jewelry that will be worn often and for years to come.
She combines old buttons with each other or with other ephemera to create one-of-a-kind jewelry.
More of Melissa Hutton’s work can be found at https://www.closures-remnants.com/.
Another wonderful Saturday!
No matter what you’re doing, no matter where you are, no matter if you’re feeling low or high, flashback galleries are a way to marvel at the world of Art.
There are a number of galleries to choose from — how about visiting the world of statues?
I am having a ball going back through all of my Sunday Evening Art Galleries and picking out artists or topics with similar themes and sharing them with you.
I am hoping NEW FOLLOWERS will peruse the galleries and the REGULAR FOLLOWERS share these amazing worlds with their friends and neighbors.
After all — what is Art for if not to share?
How about this week we look at some Jewelry Part One?
BOND Hardware is a sustainable jewelry and accessories label, designed and handmade in New York.
Founded in 2012, designer and stylist Dana Hurwitz started the brand as an experimental project, locally sourcing scrap metal and found industrial objects to adorn looks for New York club kids.
Later joined by creative partner and photographer Mariah Pershadsingh, the duo continues to develop the brand with a focus on innovation and craftsmanship.
BOND Hardware is a forward-thinking jewelry brand known for its sharp silhouettes, fetishistic look and feel, inclusive ethos, and use of stark, industrial materials.
In their jewelry and accessories lines, nuts and bolts become rings, buzzsaws become bangles, and screws become pendant charms.
Unlike most costume jewelry, BOND does not use traditionally plated metals. They instead use PVD Stainless Steel.
Refined from industrial shapes, BOND Hardware forms are made to adorn spaces or the body using materials that are sustainably acquired for the longest and least destructive lifespan possible.
More of BOND Hardware‘s jewelry can be found at https://bond-hardware.com/ and https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/bond-hardware-designer-day/#.
David Webb (1925 –1975) was known as a distinguished American jeweler.
Webb’s self-taught style brimmed with ideas gleaned from years spent poring over ancient jewels from Greece, Mesopotamia, and Central and South America, as well as traditional jewelry styles from China and India.
His ability to craft imposing, grandiose, yet impeccably elegant accessories — filled with bold contrasts and rich gemstone shapes — cemented his reputation as one of America’s most iconic jewelry designers, delighting high society with his unparalleled craftsmanship.
The trajectory of American and European jewelry over his formative years can be broadly described as a swing away from the abstract geometry of Art Deco towards more exuberant, figurative themes from the natural world.
After honing his skills at the Penland School of Craft in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Webb set his sights on New York City.
With the backing of the wealthy patron Antoinette Quilleret, Webb was eventually able to open his own shop in 1945.
His fledgling business quickly met with enough success that he was able to buy out Quilleret shortly afterwards, establishing David Webb Inc. in 1948.
By the 1950s and 1960s, movie stars and fashion icons could be seen wearing his trademark bracelets, brooches, rings and necklaces fashioned in hammered gold, black enamel and oversized gemstones, many in the shape of exotic animals.
More of David Webb’s amazing jewelry can be found at https://www.davidwebb.com/ and Sothbys.
Petr Axenoff is a jewelry designer from Moscow, Russia. 
Born to a photographer father and an icon-painter mother, Axenoff was immersed in a rich artistic world from a very early age and went on to study painting, architecture, ballet, theatre and historical costume.
Eventually his creative and scholarly pursuits led him to pour his passions into fine jewelry and establish the Axenoff Jewelry brand.
Axenoff’s intent and creative designs are intertwined with the Russian jewelry tradition of the 16th-19th centuries, as well as the beginning of the 20th century. 
Axenoff delicately blends modern trends with classical jewelry traditions, creating lavish jewelry designs with a deep, historical meanings.
The artist uses silver and semi-precious stones such as topaz, onyx, moonstone, and lapis lazuli, along with more expensive materials such as platinum, gold, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds, all to create one-of-a-kind pieces that pay tribute to the charisma of Russia.
Always beautiful and unique, “Axenoff pieces are to be enjoyed and worn as they are admired and treasured,” the designer shared.
More of Pytr Axenoff’s designer jewelry can be found at The Jewelry Editor and Jewelerss.
Bubun (means “part” in Japanese) is a jewelry-making duo of Megumi Jin and Nobuyuki Jin, based in Japan.
Fascinated by glass as a student, Megumi studied glass coldwork and kiln work at Tama Art University, where she created objects and jewelry.
Megumi joined Nobuyuki Jin, who had a background in design, in 2016 to create memorable glass jewelry.
The couple craft their jewelry from Borosilicate glass that has been made for commercial use — plate glass, glass rods and glass pipes made in Japan, Germany and China.
They cut and shape the glass, working the glass at a very low temperature, then wrap a clear thread around each piece and sew those pieces together.
They share a mutual sense of beauty, believing jewelry should become part of a person, both in the physical and spiritual sense.
“Over the years, I have come to feel that glass is a medium that can express an inner feeling that is difficult to express in words alone,” Megumi notes.
“It’s not a standard material for jewelry, and compared to precious metals and precious stones, the material itself has little value. But its value is created by the intensity of expression of its concept, shape, technique and handwork.”
More of of Megumi and Nobuyuki Jin’s glass work can be found at https://bubun.stores.jp/ and https://www.instagram.com/bubun.works/
Robin Callahan is a custom jewelry designer, metalsmith and lapidary artist with her own company, Robin Callahan Designs, LLC.
The artist often sources rough gems directly from mines and specialty dealers, custom cuts gems, or has the best lapidary artists in the world facet/carve the gems, then designs and creates one of a kind heirloom-worthy jewelry.
Callahan studied with masters in the industry to learn how to cut and facet her own gems, and was soon invited to show her lapidary work in prestigious museums and private collections.
All her pieces are unique, featuring beautiful gemstones and pearls, in breathtaking settings.
Callahan’s work is bold and creative, her finely crafted pieces the perfect showcase for her love of color and light, making custom- as well as fantasy-cut jewelry designs.
She works mostly by commission, creating custom pieces for clients around the world.
The artist is fortunate enough to work with the industry’s most talented and award-winning lapidaries, but on occasion and when time allows, enjoys cutting the gemstones herself.
Callahan considers herself brave, determined and a perfectionist. “This is beyond things like being creative and artistic, because you need those to be a jewelry designer and maker,” she explains.
More of Robin Callahan‘s amazing jewelry can be found at https://shop.robincallahandesigns.com/
Jewelry artist Ashka Dymel was born in Warsaw, Poland.
After studies in liberal arts and foreign languages in Poland and Czechoslovakia, Dymel moved to the United States where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design in New York City.
All the jewelry is handmade in Brooklyn using sterling silver, 18k gold bimetal, and semi precious stones and minerals.
Dymel’s goal is to achieve harmony in modular repetitions and variations on geometric forms.
Her work is recognized by her unique method of capturing stones within metal frames creating negative space as an integral part of composition.
Use of thin wires to hold the elements together is another non-traditional technique allowing for movement and structural flexibility.
The combination of unique materials and methods results in joyful pieces of wearable art.
More of Ashka Dymel’s jewelry can be found at https://ashkadymel.com/.
Mariko Kusumoto, born in Kumamoto, Japan, is an artist known for textile and metal art.
Kusumoto studied at the Musashino University in Tokyo, and relocated to the United States where she studied at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Currently based in Massachusetts, the artist prevails upon fabric to construct forms of elegant simplicity and evocative imagery.
Her designs are incorporated into jewelry and sculptural pieces, as well as in collaborations with fashion designers.
Her body of delicate fiber works consists of sculpture and jewelry inspired by natural forms: coral, mushrooms and flowers amongst other organisms.
To create these ethereal pieces, Kusumoto uses the traditional origami-like folding technique tsumami zaiku.
Other pieces use a method of heat-setting synthetic fabric until it holds the shape she wants.
The fundamental simplicity of the process creates a stunning contrast with her often intricate designs in order to produce a beautiful piece of jewelry that is both majestic and captivating.
More of Mariko Kusumoto’s innovative jewelry and other works can be found at https://www.marikokusumoto.com/.
Jewelry designer Anand Shah has the power to surprise each time he unveils a collection.
With no formal training, but a passion for design, Shah founded Ansaa Jewelry in Mumbai, India, in 1997, with the simple aim of creating exemplary hand-crafted 22 carat gold pieces.
Shah broke through established conventions to come up with a new and contemporary style, harnessing traditional Indian craftsmanship.
Much ahead of his times, the prolific and experimental artist uses alternative material like rosewood, oil paints, cameos, mother-of-pearl and glass in his extraordinary collections.
An artist par excellence, Shah uses gold, a medium he reveres, to stylishly replicate the bounties of nature.
His pieces have a distinct design grammar bearing a blend of luxuriant grandeur coupled with an understated simplicity, which perhaps is a reflection of his own grounded nature.
Invoking the spirit of nature in gold is no easy task. It requires a high level of virtuosity to envision unexpected and intricate forms and to be able to turn them into sophisticated and wearable art.
“Nature is a fount of inspiration for me,” says Shah.
“We are lucky to live on this planet which is full of beauty – and through my creations, I try to bring forth the synergistic relationship between Man and Nature.”
More of Anand Shah‘s marvelous jewelry can be found at https://www.facebook.com/aanandsshah/ and India Times.
Poland-based artist Paulina Bartnik creates realistic-looking embroidered brooches of birds.
The artist graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and is very passionate about embroidery.
While it may be hard to see the abundance of bird species in the world in person, Bartnik immortalizes their portraits in exquisite embroidered brooches.
She uses her meticulous stitching techniques to render the unique appearance of each feathered creature—from barn owls to hummingbirds.
She uses the needle painting technique, which she feels perfectly imitates bird feathers.
Beginning with a background of felt sheets, the artist creates a combination of short and long stitches in a variety of colors to produce a textile effect.
The faces of her embroidered birds feature all of their distinct markings, which make them appear incredibly real.
Not only that, but the variety of hues she uses to create the feathers make it seem like the texture of the bird shimmers in the light.
In general, I’m a little bit of a chaotic and impatient person,” Bartnick admits. “Embroidery helps me focus and calm down. I don’t treat it as a job, for me it’s a way to relax.”
More of Paulina Bartnik’s amazing embroidery can be found at https://embirdery.com/.
Terhi Tolvanen was born and raised in Helsinki, Finland, and studied silversmithing at the Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts.
She moved to Amsterdam in 1993 to attend the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Sandberg Instituut, from which she graduated with a master’s degree.
Though she began with silver, Tolvanen later began to and make sculptural jewelry using unconventional materials.
The artist is revered for her observations of nature transformed into stunning, sculptural jewelry.
Juxtaposing wooden branches with silver metalwork, concrete, pearls and stone, her wearable sculptures transcend expectations and norms. 
Her repertoire of materials is amazing: silver, metalwork, concrete, opals, light and dark pearls, stone, and more; woods include cherry, Corkscrew willow, hornbeam, pear, heather, lavender, and elm.
This amazing artists creates all forms of jewelry, but for this showcase I chose her necklaces for display.
Tolvanen makes no compromises, yet they feel comfortable in their scale as they are comfortably built for wear, as if nature intended them to be just as they are, and for them to be worn.
“I feel as if making jewelry is a dance,” Tolvanen shares. “I feel I should go along with materials, not work against them. What I’m trying to do is isolate the best in the material, to use it in a logical way.”
More of Terhi Tolvanen‘s unusual and wonderful jewelry can be found at https://www.terhitolvanen.com/.
The brilliant French master craftsman Georges Fouquet (1862-1957) created sublime works of jewelry art in both the Art Nouveau and the Art Deco Periods.
Hailing from one of the great French jewelry houses, Fouquet is regarded as a master jeweler in the strictest sense.
His father Alphonse Fouquet started the jewelry house back in the 1800s, and Georges continued the firm until around the 1930s.
Fouquet preferred a more geometric approach than his father and belonged to the school of important designers who directly translated contemporary art in jewelry, building up designs from geometric shapes, making use of lacquer and enamels.
The renowned master workman of Art Nouveau jewelry also created some of the finest Art Deco Jewelry in the history of jewelry.
With the arrival of the Art Deco movement in the 1920s, Fouquet, always on the cutting edge, took his jewelry to a bolder, more geometric look.
Around 1922, sensing the changes in jewelry popularity, he was able to smoothly transition from Art Nouveau through Art Deco, moving beyond his earlier innovative ideas of floral and figurative decoration to produce, brooches, bracelets, belt clasps, pins, and pendants with extremely stylized abstract motifs.
Replacing precious gemstones in his gemstone jewelry with gemstones like onyx, jade, and coral, Fouquet often combined texture and color with the translucency of topazes, aquamarines, crystal, and amethysts.
Fouquet varied colors and textures with the use of enamel and lacquer, often drawing on other contemporary artists for fresh ideas.
More of Georges Fouquet‘s amazing jewelry can be found at https://www.antique-jewelry-investor.com/georges-fouquet.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Fouquet.
How do select a truly unique jeweler/artist to showcase? There are as many jewelry designs as there are stars in the sky.
Jamie Moreno was born in 1943 in Madrid, Spain.
Not only is he a renowned jeweler, but a regal horse breeder of the Pure Spanish Race, “El Caballo de Pura Raza Espanola.” 
Designer of signature jewelry, Moreno has created numerous jewels, many of them published in International and Contemporary Jewelry Yearbooks and in different specialized journals.
Moreno displays his jewelry in various Spanish jeweler shops in Madrid, Marbella, Asturias and Castellón, and in other art galleries in Madrid.
In order to execute pieces of high jewelry he uses gold, silver, gems and semiprecious stones acquired in the most prestigious international gem fairs globally.
His jewelry is modern, yet holds the tradition of centuries of fine jewelry craftmanship in Spain.
With his stunning ideas and beautiful, colorful exhibition of color in his pieces this designer honors some of his Spanish heritage.
More of Jamie Moreno‘s unique and signature jewelry can be found at www.jaimemoreno.com.
Nancy Cain has always been fascinated with handcrafts, whether it was clay, paper, buttons, fabric or simply found objects.
Cain studied art in college and worked as a graphic artist for 16 years, all the while exploring various handcraft techniques. 
She found her artistic niche in beads.
Cain’s favorite stitch is peyote and over the years has only added two other stitches, netting then herringbone.
She calls these three stitches ‘sister-stitches’, since they transition from one stitch to the other effortlessly.
Her style is clean and contemporary with minimalist embellishment. She likes the structure to shine through.
“I feel that the beads alone give me the most inspiration. If you understand the physics (mechanics and technicality) of the stitch, then you can create whatever your heart desires.” Cain explains.
:Knowing what each bead size, shape and finish will do and how they react with each other, plus how the beads respond to thread weight and use, the sky is the limit for designing.”
More of Nancy Cain‘s amazing beadwork can be found at http://nancycain.com/.
Lamp worker and designer Melissa Schmidt works out of her 120 year+ studio in St.Louis, Missouri.
Inspired by her antique blown glass buttons, her work is whimsical and unexpected as the buttons she found two decades ago.
Her glass mastery is mostly self taught, having experimented with years of refining techniques.
Schmidt’s work is at once tactile, visual and auditory as movement creates delight for the wearer and observer.
She uses borosilicate glass material with frit, glass powder, grinding, sewing, and 35 mm slide film, as well as foils and precious metals.
Schmidt’s creativity is a delight to the eye, a unique sparkle in the world of jewelry.
More of Melissa Schmidt‘s amazing glass work can be found at http://www.melissaschmidtstudio.com/.
Pierre Sterlé (1905–1978) was a French jeweler, known as the ‘couturier of jewelry’.
Sterlé may be one of the most important jewelry designers you’ve never heard of.
His lyrical, highly-engineered creations are some of the most distinctive designs of the 20th Century—and some of the most collectible.
But because his business was so exclusive and his clientele so elite, his name isn’t as widely known as some of his contemporaries.
Considered during his lifetime to have been an inspired innovator, he reached his apogee in the 1940’s and 50’s.
His work with precious stones and metal – often inspired by nature – still commands strong interest at auction.
His well-crafted jewelry often used motifs from nature; birds, flowers, leaves and feathers.
Coupled with personal tragedy which plagued him throughout the 1960’s, he ultimately was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1976 and liquidate his stock.
Most of the stock was acquired by Chaumet, who retained Sterlé as a ‘technical consultant’ until his death in 1978.
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Jewelry maker Jeremy Mays designs wearable pieces from the layered pages of vintage books, transforming their content into unique works that are nearly impossible to trace back to their paper origin.
To make these multi-shaped works, May first laminates hundreds of sheets of paper together.
He then creates the shape for the piece and finishes it off with a high gloss coating.
After production, May often inserts the works back into the books, bringing the transformed and colorful pages back to their material source.
The rings may lose the words and image of the original book, but May keeps references with photographs and copy of the ring’s former life.
The rings May makes all are inspired by books he thinks are perfect examples of literary beauty.
A beautiful way to keep the written word.
More of Jeremy Fly‘s jewelry art can be found at http://littlefly.co.uk/.
A ring is a halo on your finger. ~Douglas Coupland
Louis-François Cartier founded Cartier in Paris in 1847 when he took over the workshop of his master.
In 1874, Louis-François’ son Alfred Cartier took over the company, but it was Alfred’s sons Louis, Pierre and Jacques, who were responsible for establishing the brand name worldwide.
Cartier created unique and individual creations for celebrities and royalty alike.
Their revolutionary ideas, such as using platinum in jewelry, earned Cartier the title of ‘Jeweler of Kings, King of Jewelers’ from King Edward VII.
Cartier is considered to be one of the top names in luxury products globally.
But. Cartier has never forgotten their history of producing custom-made or one-of-a-kind beautiful jewelry and wrist watch creations.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
~~Lord of the Rings
More unique and gorgeous rings can be found at https://www.mysecretwood.com/.
As we head into the “Last Vacation Weekend of the Summer”, I want to show off a couple of new Sunday Evening Galleries I’ve added recently. I have to admit the images are stunning, the artwork remarkable. Please go check them out if you get time!
See you on the other side of Reality!
Australian abstract artist Dawn Whitehand starts off her “about” page this way:
I am an Australian artist, making unique mixed media sculptures from clay, found objects and textured materials which are based on organic natural forms.
I have always thought of myself as a traditionalist when it came to Art — Renoir, Rembrandt, Redlin — those people I can understand.
I never really paid attention to Abstract Art until I wandered into Dawn’s world.
Working from my studio on the outskirts of Ballarat at the base of a slumbering volcano, I am very aware of my environment, its constant changing, and its vulnerability. I am also very aware of the current global environmental crisis.
Within this context my art practice attempts to address these issues by making sculptural artworks that attempt to remind, though subliminally, the viewer of their innate connection to the Earth, and our reliance upon it for survival.
And I started to understand. A little. That all art doesn’t have to be literal. That trees don’t have to look like trees, and volcanoes didn’t have to look like volcanoes.
That Art, like Emotions, like Life, is different for everyone. Some just choose to share their unique view through creative arts.
The thrill of interpretation is the same thrill we take with each breath. And that there’s always someone willing to share their breath — and view — with you.
Dawn is a multi-talented spirit. She creates jewelry and pottery and custom-made art sculptures. You can find her art at https://dawnwhitehand.wordpress.com, and contemporary poems, art, and drawings at https://apoemandadrawingaday.wordpress.com/.
Stop by and learn a little bit of Abstract Art for yourself.
I have finally discovered my fashion calling. It’s call
ed BOHO CHIC.
Now, I’d never heard of this phrase before. Sitting having coffee with my oh-so-chic bestie, the word came up in conversation. So off to GoogleLand I went.
One site said Boho-Chic is “a style of female fashion drawing on various bohemian and hippie influences, which, at its height in 2004/5, was associated particularly with Sienna Miller and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I must admit I’ve never put Sienna in the Peace/Love/Dove generation, and, seeing as I barely know who the twin kittens are, I didn’t count much on their ideas of fashion. But with all those negative, scrub-woman adjectives, the style seemed perfect for me.
Another site said the Boho style of dress has been described as the “retro-hippie-shabby-chic.” That seems like a lot of hyphens to describe something you wear. And since I’m a little closer to the senior world, retro is relative. A third described this style as “sweet and tough, grunge meets Chanel.” Since I own a bottle of Chanel (it’s 15 years old), I would have no problem spraying some on something grungy. I don’t mind the word “hippie,” since I always wanted to be one of those (I was much too dorky to be one). Chic has never in my repertoire of words (or thoughts), and I still can identify with shabby.
I have always loved the Bohemian look, although I always thought it was more for young, willowy things. But I love the idea of looking like I blew in on some oak leaf. Boho-Chic is wild and flowy and free — something my size, wallet, and creativity can handle.
And I mean — Fringes! Shawls! Beads! What perfect timing! I really don’t like any of my clothes; too tight, too conservative. I’m tired of curling and fussing with my hair, and I’m too flighty to have to match shirts and pants all the time. My favorite place to shop is second hand stores. So why can’t I start adding shawls and beading and mish-mash accessories to my every day wardrobe? I love embroidery and vests and skirts, and have been known to sit and sew beadery around necks of tops and loungewear. I love sparkly jewelry, and now that I’m older I don’t have to worry if it goes with the outfit. I have been looking for the day where the blue in my shirt doesn’t have to match the blue in my pants, and the liberating thought of wearing two different patterns — oh my word! Dare I dream?
You have to understand that the first two-thirds of my life were pretty conservative. No…boring. Vanilla. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I do so love jewelry and skirts and shawls and sparkles. I just haven’t felt secure about myself to wear those things until right now. I have always been afraid to experiment, to be myself. Now that I’m getting older I really don’t care if I fit in with everyone else. If I don’t slip out of the box now, when will I do it?
But the thing that sealed the deal on my current Boho-Chic thing was watching American Horror Story-Coven the other night. I saw the queen of the gypsies, the gravelly voiced Stevie Nicks sing and swirl around in her beautiful flowered shawl, and I decided — I want to be her. She is 65 and still going strong. Go Your Own Way, as the song goes. Maybe I’m a few pounds heavier, and don’t have the styled hair or the great voice, but I sure can twirl in a shawl.
Let’s get boho-ing!
I keep saying over and over again that I’m not getting older, that technology isn’t getting the best of me. After all, I do work in an office; I do code copy for the Web; I do work with spreadsheets and word documents, and do design a website here and there. So it’s not like I’m a rookie here.
But I recently bought a new laptop with Windows 8, and I can’t tell you how lost I am.
There are boxes on the startup screen that mean nothing to me. Boxes I want nothing to do with. Yet it is nearly impossible to figure out how to get rid of them. I’ve been looking for how to open the DVD drive (besides pushing the button on the side), or how to put an icon on the desktop. Every corner is a link to another universe. Is this supposed to be the new wave of enlightenment? The “world” at my “fingertips”?
I am beginning to understand why my father wanted to cocoon himself in his apartment in his later years. I can see why seasoned veterans would rather make phone calls with a flip phone or turn on the telly and have only 5 stations to choose from. Every time I turn around I have to learn something “new” which, to most of us, means “complicated.”
I am all for growing and learning something new. Or reinforcing what we already know. You’re never too young or too old to develop or refine your skills. I know a lady who is learning to speak a new language, a girlfriend who is going to cooking school, and a couple of guys who are building a car practically from scratch. What’s not to learn? So it takes some of us a little longer to put piece 1a3 into 2f6; sooner or later we figure it out, and are (hopefully) wiser for the fact.
But back to Windows 8. Who really needs all this stuff? Who needs three different browsers and two photo saving programs and clouds and Skypes and skies and a dozen game icons? I know – they all have their special place in others’ lives. My girlfriend used Skype to talk to her husband who was in Thailand, and many people would never know what their nieces or nephews or their kid’s friends’ kids look like if it weren’t for downloading their photos into one of the galleries. Listening to your own music from your laptop is really nice, too.
But what I don’t need is to click on four different corners to change screens, or a plethora of icons that will take me weeks to figure out. Am I just lazy? I don’t like that word. Stupefied? No…not that word either. Mystified? Well, I do like that word, but I hate to use it on such a three-dimensional object as a laptop. Maybe it’s more like being … distracted. I am such a sensitive, awakened, seasoned, middle-aged persona (like you) that I don’t have time to waste learning things that aren’t important to me (kinda like the subjects in college).
I already have a hard enough time coordinating jewelry and outfits. Or keeping my laptop files in some semblance of order. I’m not up for figuring out squares and corners. I just want simple word documents and chat boxes and an easy way to get to WordPress. For me and my limited play time, all I really need is a laptop with a smooth keyboard, a bit of Photoshop to play with images, and, okay, I-Tunes. And that mahjong game. And the link to Yahoo TV. And, okay. The link to my horoscope. You get my drift.
My head’s already in the clouds enough the way it is. I’m not sure I need my laptop there, too….
When I was in high school, charm bracelets (along with getting “pinned”) were the big thing. Some girls had wads of charms so thick they would leave dents in the wooden desk tops. Others, like mine, had a half dozen mementoes of graduation, birthdays, and a few others that, to this day, still make me wonder what they stood for.
These days there are expensive, modern versions of the charm bracelet. Some have bead-type charms you string on sterling bracelets, everything from baby carriages to roses to moms charms to birthstones. There are token charms hanging in displays in department stores, shopping malls and internet jewelry stores, still an ode to the special moments of one’s life.
I no longer have bangle jangle charms around my wrist, but I do have a handful of sparkles on a simple, long, not-gold necklace that I often wear. What’s on my necklace? Well, I’ve got rings that my kids bought for me when they were in kindergarten, a ring that symbolizes my role-playing days, a silver “coin” for money, a rune with “enlightenment” carved on it, a dream catcher that used to be an earring, a plastic blue unicorn with his horn broken off, a faerie holding a blue globe (also a remnant from a pair of earrings) ― all sorts of nonsense that brings back memories and keeps me in good spirits.
Do you have a charm bracelet or necklace? What hangs from your life’s testimony? What kinds of charms do you wear? Of if you could put one together, what charms would you add?
Humoring the Goddess 